Cloud Quick Start/en: Difference between revisions

Your project will allow you to create virtual machines stored in the cloud, which you can access from your personal computer using our web interface.

#'''Check your OpenStack dashboard''' <br> After logging in to the Cloud interface (the platform is called ''OpenStack'') 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 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 [mailto:cloud-support@computecanada.ca cloud support].

When you create a virtual machine (also referred to as an ''instance'' or a ''VM''), password authentication is disabled for security reasons.

[[File:Import key pair 3.png|500px|thumb|Import Key Pair (Click for larger image)]]

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, OpenStack can create a pair for you. In this case follow the instructions below for '''Creating a new key pair'''. For more information on creating and managing your key pairs see the [[SSH Keys/en|SSH Keys page]] in our wiki.

#Click [[File:Import-Key-Pair-Button.png]]; the ''Import Key Pair'' window is displayed.

[[File:Import key pair 2.png|500px|thumb|Create Key Pair (Click for larger image)]]

#Click on [[File:Create-Key-Pair-Button.png]]; the ''Create Key Pair'' window is displayed.

#Give your key pair a name so you can recognize the file when it saves to your computer, you can only use letters,numbers, spaces and dashes, no other special characters are permitted.

To create a virtual machine, click on the ''Instances'' menu item on the left, then click on [[File:Launch-Instance-Button.png]] [[File:Details tab.png|500px|thumb]]

A form is displayed where you define your virtual machine. If you have a plan for the exact specifications your VM needs through your pre-planning, feel free to use those specifications. Otherwise, you can follow along with this example for a fairly generic easy to use Linux VM.

After clicking '''Launch Instance''', you will be presented with a series of options:

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

#*''Instance 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 />

#*''Select Boot Source'': Because it's your first VM choose '''Image''' as the boot source. For information about other options see our [[OpenStack#Booting_from_a_Volume|Booting From a Volume]] page.

#*''Create New Volume'': Click '''Yes'''. This means your VM's data will be stored in the cloud volume (or persistent storage). For more information on Volume usage and management see our [[OpenStack#Working_with_Volumes|Working with Volumes]] page.

#*''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 our [[OpenStack#Working_with_Volumes|Working with Volumes]] page.

#*''Delete Volume on Instance Delete''': Click '''No'''. This can help prevent your volume from being deleted accidentally, but if you are confident you always want your volume deleted when your instance is deleted click '''yes'''.

#*''Allocating an Available Flavor'': 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 the arrow on 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 (has no alerts), and click 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 />