Virtual Machines
Deploy on-demand compute instances with full root/admin control.
Overview
The Virtual Machines service provides cloud compute instances where you select machine type, operating system, networking, and storage. Supports general workloads, application servers, container hosts, and batch processing.
Prerequisites
- Dashboard or API access with VM creation permissions
- Network plan (VPC/subnet, public or private IPs)
- OS image selection (Windows/Linux)
- SSH or RDP credentials ready
Step 1: Create Instance
- Navigate to Cloud > Virtual Instances
- Click Create Instance
- Configure:
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Instance name | Descriptive identifier (e.g., web-server-01) |
| Region/Zone | Deployment location |
| Machine type | CPU cores, RAM, storage |
| OS image | Ubuntu, CentOS, Windows, etc. |
| Network | Private network, optional public IP |
- Add GPU support if required
- Click Create and wait for Running status
Step 2: Connect to Instance
Linux (SSH)
ssh -i ~/.ssh/my-key.pem ubuntu@<PUBLIC_IP>
Windows (RDP)
- Retrieve the VM public IP
- Open Remote Desktop Connection
- Connect with admin credentials
Tip: For private networks, connect via VPN or bastion host.
Step 3: Configure Access and Networking
| Setting | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Public IP | Assign and configure DNS if internet-facing |
| Private network | Use private subnet for internal workloads |
| Firewall | Open only required ports (SSH: 22, HTTP: 80/443) |
| Static IPs | Enable for failover scenarios |
Step 4: Storage and Snapshots
- Attach SSD/NVMe or HDD volumes
- Configure boot disk and data disks
- Enable snapshots for data protection
- Use high-performance tiers for GPU/HPC workloads
Step 5: Monitor and Scale
- Track CPU, memory, disk I/O, network metrics
- Resize instance for vertical scaling
- Create custom images for replication
- Configure alerts for anomalies
Key Features
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Compute Flexibility | General, memory-optimized, or GPU instances |
| Full OS Access | Root/admin privileges via SSH/RDP |
| Custom Images | Use own ISO or create reusable images |
| Scalable Networking | Public/private interfaces, floating IPs |
| High-Performance Storage | SSD/NVMe with dynamic expansion |
| Snapshots and Backups | Point-in-time recovery |
| Automation-Ready | API, GitHub Actions, IaC integration |
| Global Availability | Multi-region deployment |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Stuck in Provisioning | Region capacity/quota | Check quota or try alternate region |
| Cannot SSH/RDP | Firewall misconfigured | Verify ports, IP, security group |
| Slow disk I/O | Low storage tier | Upgrade to higher throughput |
| Public IP lost on restart | No static IP | Assign static/floating IP |