Manage cloud instances

The Instances page provides a list of your instances, as well as information, tools and actions you can perform on these instances.

Steps

1. 1
   Using the menu on the left, navigate to Compute > Instances.
2. 2
   A list of Helpful Articles is displayed at the top of the page.
3. 3
   The Launch Instance button allows you to create new instances.
4. 4
   The Delete Instances button allows you to delete existing instances.
5. 5
   The More Actions button lists bulk actions that can be performed on multiple instances:

• Start Instances: Starts instances that are currently shut down.
• Shut Off Instances: Stop instances that are currently running.
• Soft Reboot Instances: Safely restart instances.

1. 6
   The Instance table shows a list of your current instances and associated information in each column.

• Instance Name: Name of the instance.
• Image Name: The image used to install the instance (if applicable).
• IP Address: The IPv4 and IPV6 addresses assigned on creation.
• Flavor: The selected flavor configuration.
• Key Pair: The SSH key in use on the instance.
• Status: The present condition of the instance.
• Locked/Unlocked icon: Indicates whether instance actions are currently locked or unlocked.
• Availability Zone: The availability zone where the instance is deployed.
• Task: The current task being executed.
• Power State: Indicates whether the instance is running or not.
• Age: The time elapsed since the instance was created.

1. 7
   The Actions column provides a list of actions you can perform on each instance:

• Create Snapshot: Create a snapshot of the instance boot volume.
• Edit Instance: Update name and description of the instance.
• Attach Volume: Attach a volume to the instance.
• Detach Volume: Detach a volume to the instance.
• Edit Security Groups: Add and remove security groups to the instance.
• Console: Access the instance console.
• View Log: View boot logs sent to the serial console.
• Pause Instance: Pauses a running instance, and stores the state of the instance in memory.
• Resize Instance: Select a new flavor for an instance (vCPU and RAM combination).
• Lock Instance: Prevents non-admins from executing specific actions on the instance.
• Soft Reboot Instance: Safely restart an instance.
• Hard Reboot Instance: Forcibly restart an instance.
• Shut Off Instance: Stop a running instance.
• Start Instance: Starts an instance that is shut down.
• Delete Instance: Permanently remove an instance.

To create (launch) an instance follow the steps in the Create cloud instances article.

To view and manage your instance follow step-by-step guides below on each action.

The instance overview provides a summary of information fields about your instance. This includes:

• Instance information, (name, IDs, state)
• Specs (vCPU and RAM allocated)
• IP addresses assigned (public and private)
• Security groups assigned and allow rules
• Metadata on key pairs and images
• List of volumes attached

Steps

1. 1
   Using the menu on the left, navigate to Compute > Instances.
2. 2
   In the Instance table, find the instance you want to view.
3. 3
   Click on the Instance Name (blue, hyperlinked text).
4. 4
   The Overview tab will load and display.
5. 5
   Scroll down to view the different overview sections.

A snapshot is a point-in-time copy of an instance in its current state including all of its data, operating system, and installed applications. Instance snapshots can be used for a variety of tasks, including backups, and testing.

If a snapshot of an instance is taken then both a volume snapshot and an image will be generated. An instance can later be booted again using this saved image.

You can edit an instance to change the name and description.

Steps

1. 1
   Using the menu on the left, navigate to Compute > Instances.
2. 2
   Select the instance that you want to edit.
3. 3
   In the Actions column, select Edit Instance.
4. 4
   The Edit Instance dialog will appear.
5. 5
   In the Name field provide a new name for the instance.
6. 6
   In the Description field specify what this instance will be used for.
7. 7
   Click the Save button to confirm the action.

You can attach a volume to a running instance to provide persistent storage. 

Up to 26 volumes can be attached to an instance.

A volume can only be attached to a single instance at one time.

Steps

You can detach a volume from one instance and reattach it to another instance, without losing the data stored on the volume.

Note: When detaching a volume, ensure that there are no running applications actively using the volume as it can result in data loss or corruption.

Steps

A security group is a set of rules that controls the incoming and outgoing network traffic to and from an instance. This can be considered as a virtual firewall that improves the security of your cloud by managing communication and access to and from your instances.

You can add or remove security groups to your instance at any time. Adding a security group to an instance can leave the instance vulnerable to attack or expose sensitive data if the security rules added are not sufficient.

Steps

1. 1
   Using the menu on the left, navigate to Compute > Instances.
2. 2
   Find the instance that you want to edit.
3. 3
   In the Actions column, select the down ▼ button. A drop-down menu will appear.
4. 4
   Select Edit Security Groups. The Edit Instance dialog will appear.
5. 5
   To add a security group:

• Navigate to the All Security Groups table on the left.
• Your available security groups will be listed.
• Find the security group you want to add and select the + button.

1. 6
   To remove a security group:

• Navigate to the All Security Groups table on the right.
• The security groups that are in use will be listed.
• Find the security group you want to remove and select the – button.

1. 7
   Click the Save button to confirm the action.

Pausing a running instance will temporarily suspend all operations. A paused instance continues to run in a frozen state.

During a paused state:

• Data stored in instance volumes will be preserved.
• The state of the instance is stored in RAM, but CPU processes are halted. 
• Any active connections will be halted, and network access will be disabled (no inbound or outbound traffic).
• You cannot access or modify any data within the instance.
• Scheduled tasks or automated processes relying on this instance will be interrupted.

Resuming a paused instance will restore all operations. 

When resuming an instance:

• The instance will regain network access and functionality.
• All active connections and processes will be resumed seamlessly.
• New IP addresses may be assigned.

After resuming the instance, you should monitor the instance status to ensure all services are restored and functioning properly.

Note: Instances are charged per hour regardless of the power state; for more information see Pricing in xneelo Cloud.

Steps

Your workload requirements or demands may change over time, and you may want to increase or decrease the specs of your instance.

You can resize an instance by selecting a new flavor. Flavors are the different compute resource combinations available of vCPU and RAM. You can read more on the Instance flavors in xneelo Cloud.

Resizing an instance requires the instance to be rebuilt and restarted.

During a resize:

• The operating system is given time to perform a controlled shutdown (60 seconds).
• The instance is then powered off.
• The new instance flavor is provisioned.
• The resize then needs to be confirmed.

Confirming the resize:

• The instance resize must be confirmed in the dashboard. 
• Resizes will be automatically confirmed after 12 hours.
• You can also revert the resize, to return to the previous flavor.

Steps

1. 1
   Using the menu on the left, navigate to Compute > Instances.
2. 2
   Find the instance that you want to resize.
3. 3
   In the Actions column, select the down ▼ button. A drop-down menu will appear.
4. 4
   Select Resize Instance. The Resize Instance dialog will appear.
5. 5
   The Old Flavor will be displayed (the flavor currently selected for the instance).
6. 6
   In the New Flavor field, select the flavor you want to use.
7. 7
   The Flavor Details table will update with the specs of the selected flavor:

• The VCPUs
• The Root Disk size
• The RAM

1. 8
   The Flavor Details field will display how your project limits will be affected by the flavor change.
2. 9
   Click the Resize button to confirm the action.
3. 10
   The Status column will update to ‘Resize/Migrate’ while the resize is being processed.
4. 11
   The Status column will then update to ‘Confirm or Revert Resize/Migrate’.
5. 12
   To confirm the resize: In the Actions column, select Confirm Resize/Migrate.
6. 13
   To revert the resize: Click the drop-down in the Actions column and then select Revert Resize/Migrate.

By default, only administrators can lock or unlock an instance. Locking an instance ensures that non-admin users cannot perform certain actions. 

Administrators can still perform these actions on the server even though the instance is locked. 

Prohibited actions include:

• Delete instance 
• Change administrative password 
• Resize instance 
• Pause/resume instance 
• Reboot instance
• Rebuild instance 
• Start/ stop instance
• Attach/detach a volume
• Create, update or delete metadata items (key pairs, images)

Steps

To lock an instance:

When rebooting an instance you can choose to action either a soft or hard reboot.

A soft reboot attempts a graceful shutdown and restart of the instance. This action is recommended for routine maintenance or troubleshooting tasks. 

Before performing the soft reboot, you should verify that all critical processes and services have been safely shut down or paused.

During a soft reboot:

• The operating system will be restarted without affecting data or configurations. 
• All processes are signaled to shut down so they can finish up and preserve any unsaved data.
• Active connections and processes will be temporarily halted.
• The instance will maintain its network settings and IP addresses.

After performing the soft reboot, you should monitor the instance status to ensure all services are restored and functioning properly.

Steps

When rebooting an instance you can choose to action either a soft or hard reboot.

A hard reboot is a forceful shutdown and restart of the instance. This action should only be used when absolutely necessary, as it can result in data loss or downtime. 

Before performing the hard reboot you should ensure that all critical data is safely backed up (to prevent potential) data loss. You can expect a longer downtime than a soft reboot.

During a hard reboot:

• The operating system will be forcibly restarted.
• All active connections and processes will be abruptly terminated.
• The instance will restart from scratch, similar to a power cycle of a physical machine.

After performing the hard reboot, you should monitor the instance status to ensure all services are restored and functioning properly.

Steps

Shutting off a running instance will power down an instance completely, halting all operations. The instance stops running, but any data saved to the disk remains intact and preserved. 

Before shutting off the instance, you should verify that all critical data and configurations are backed up to prevent data loss.

During a shut-off state:

• Any active network connections and processes will be terminated.
• Data stored in instance volumes will be preserved.
• The instance console cannot be accessed, and the console log history is cleared.
• Certain actions are not available, including: 
• Soft reboot instance
• Pause instance
• Attach/detach volume

Starting an instance will power up the instance and initiate its operations.

When starting an instance: 

• The instance will gain network access and functionality.
• Any previous configurations and data stored in instance volumes will be available.
• All services and applications within the instance will become accessible.

After starting the instance, you should monitor the instance status to ensure all services are restored and functioning properly.

Note: Instances are charged per hour regardless of the power state; for more information see Pricing in xneelo Cloud.

Steps

To shut off an instance:

When deleting an instance it will be permanently terminated. The deleted instance cannot be recovered, as it is removed entirely from the platform.

Before deleting an instance, ensure that any important information is backed up.

By default, boot volumes are not deleted automatically when the instance is deleted. You can navigate to Storage > Volumes and follow the steps to delete the volume.

If you enabled the Delete Volume on Instance Delete option when creating the instance, then the boot volume will be deleted automatically.

Attached volumes will not be deleted automatically. If you want to delete these volumes, navigate to Storage > Volumes and follow the steps to delete the volume.

Steps

1. 1
   Using the menu on the left, navigate to Compute > Instances.
2. 2
   Find the instance that you want to delete.
3. 3
   In the Actions column, select the down ▼ button. A drop-down menu will appear.
4. 4
   Select Delete Instance.
5. 5
   The Confirm Delete Instance dialog will appear.
6. 6
   Click the Delete Instance button to confirm the action. Take a look at our other articles and guides on xneelo Cloud.