Cloud Quick Start/en: Difference between revisions

#'''Have a cloud project''' <br> '''You cannot access a cloud without first having a cloud project.''' If you don't already have a [[Managing_your_cloud_resources_with_OpenStack#Projects|cloud project]], see [[Cloud#Getting_a_cloud_project|Getting a cloud project]]. Once a cloud project is associated with your account, you will receive a confirmation email which will have important details you will need to access your project and get started with the cloud. Make sure you have this confirmation email ready.  

#'''Have a compatible browser''' <br> The web interface for accessing your cloud project works well with both the [https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/ Firefox] and [https://www.google.com/chrome/ Chrome] web browsers. Other browsers may also work, however some have shown the error message <code>Danger: There was an error submitting the form. Please try again.</code> which suggests that your browser is not supported by our system. This error message was noticed with certain versions of the Safari web browser on Macs; upgrading Safari may help, but we recommend that you use [https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/ Firefox] or [https://www.google.com/chrome/ Chrome]. If you are still having issues, email [[technical support]].

Your project will allow you to create virtual machines (also referred to as <i>instances</i> or <i>VMs</i>) stored in the cloud, which you can access from your personal computer using our web interface.

# '''Log in to the cloud interface to access your project''' <br> The confirmation email you received includes a link to the cloud interface your project is associated with. Click on this link to open your project in your default web browser. If your default web browser is not compatible, open a compatible web browser and copy and paste the link address into the browser. If you know the name of your associated cloud, but don't have the login URL see [[Cloud#Cloud_systems|using the cloud]] for the list of cloud interface URLs at which you can log in. Use your username (not your email address) and password to log in.

#'''Check your OpenStack dashboard''' <br> After logging in to the cloud interface (the platform is called <i>OpenStack</i>) you will see a dashboard that shows an overview of all the resources available in your project. If you want to know more about navigating and understanding your OpenStack dashboard read the official [https://docs.openstack.org/horizon/latest/user/index.html OpenStack documentation].

Below there are instructions on starting a Windows VM or a Linux VM, depending on which tab you select. '''Remember this is the operating system for the virtual machine or 'instance' you are creating, not the operating system of the physical computer you are using to connect'''. It should be clear from your project pre-planning whether you will be using Linux or Windows for your VM operating system, but if you are unsure please email [[technical support]].

Instead, OpenStack creates your VM with one SSH (Secure Shell) public key installed, and you can only log in using this SSH key pair. If you have used SSH keys before, the SSH public key can come from a key pair which you have already created on some other machine. In this case follow the instructions below for '''Importing an existing key pair'''. If you have not used SSH key pairs before or don't currently have a pair you want to use, you will need to create a key pair. If you are using a windows machine see the [[Generating SSH keys in Windows/en|Generating SSH keys in Windows]] page, otherwise follow the [[Using SSH keys in Linux|Linux/Mac instructions]].  For more information on creating and managing your key pairs see the [[SSH Keys/en|SSH Keys]] page in our wiki.

'''It is not advised to create key pairs in OpenStack because they are not created with a passphrase which creates security issues'''

To create a virtual machine, select ''Compute->Instances'' on the left menu, then click on the ''Launch Instance'' button.

The ''Launch Instance'' window has the following options:

#''Details''

#*''Instance Name:'' Enter a name for your virtual machine. Do not include spaces or special characters in your instance name. For more details on naming rules see [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hostname restrictions on valid host names].

#*''Description:'' This field is optional.

#*''Availability Zone:'' The default is ''Any Availability Zone''; do not change this.   

#*''Count:'' This indicates the number of virtual machines to create. Unless you have specifically planned for multiple machines leave this set at 1.[[File:Source tab.png|500px|thumb]]<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />

#''Source''

#*''Select Boot Source:'' Because it's your first VM, select ''Image'' as the boot source. For information about other options see [[Working_with_volumes#Booting_from_a_volume|Booting from a volume]].

#*''Create New Volume:'' Click ''Yes''; your VM's data will be stored in the cloud volume (or persistent storage). For more information on volume usage and management see [[Working_with_volumes|Working with volumes]].

#*:''Volume Size (GB):'' If you have a pre-planned volume size use that, otherwise 30 GB is reasonable for the operating system and some modest data needs. For more information on volume usage and management see [[Working_with_volumes|Working with volumes]].

#*:''Delete Volume on Instance Delete:'' Click on ''No'' to help prevent your volume from being deleted accidentally; however, if you are confident you always want your volume deleted when your instance is deleted, click on ''Yes''.

#*''Allocated'' and ''Available'' lists: The list at the bottom of the window shows the available images your VM can boot. For a beginner on Linux, we recommend the most recent '''Ubuntu''' image, but if you prefer you can choose any one of the other Linux operating systems. To select an image click on the upwards pointing arrow on the far right of the row containing your desired image. That row should now show up in the ''Allocated'' list above. '''It is important for later to remember which image you chose''' (ex. Ubuntu, Fedora, etc.).[[File:Flavor tab.png|500px|thumb]] <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />

#''Flavor''

#*''Allocated'' and ''Available'' lists: The flavor determines what type of hardware is used for your VM, which determines how much memory and processing capabilities it has. The ''Available'' list shows all the flavors available for your chosen boot image. Click on the > icon at the far left of a row to see how that particular flavor matches up with what you have been allocated for your project. If there is an alert icon on one of the specifications, that means that your project doesn't have enough of that resource to support that flavor. Choose a flavor that your project can support (i.e. doesn't issue an alert)  and click on the upwards arrow on the far right of that row. That flavor should now show up in the ''Allocated'' list. For more details, see [[Virtual machine flavors]]. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />

#*'''Do not remove the default security rules''' as this will affect the ability of your VM to function properly (see [[Managing_your_cloud_resources_with_OpenStack#Security_Groups|Security Groups]]).

#*'''Security rules cannot be edited''', they can only be deleted and re-added. If you make a mistake when creating a security group rule, you need to delete it using the ''Delete Rule'' button on the far left of the row for that rule in the security groups screen, and then re-add it correctly from scratch using the ''+Add Rule'' button.

#*If you change your network location (and therefore your IP address) then you need to add the security rule described in this section for that new IP address. Remember that when you change your physical location (example working on

campus vs working from home) you are changing your network location.

If you want to use a Windows computer to connect to your VM, you will need to have an interface application to handle the SSH connection. We recommend '''MobaXTerm''', and will show the instructions for connecting with MobaXTerm below. If you want to connect using PuTTY instead, see [[Connecting with PuTTY]].

To create a Windows VM in one of our clouds you must first request access to a Windows image by emailing [[technical support]].

* What kind of license do I need/what licenses will work in the cloud