Creating and Managing Virtual Machines

Put a server on the network.

From Cloud → Servers, click + Create a Cloud Server. The form is one scrolling page. Fill it from the top, then launch.

1. Pick the SiouxFalls location and an image. Prefer the newest current image (for example Ubuntu 26.04). Other images include Rocky Linux, AlmaLinux, Debian, and Windows Server, and you can import a custom image.

   

    

2. Under Hardware, pick a size. The form groups them under tabs: General Purpose Compute, Performance Optimized Compute, and Accelerated Compute. For a first server, General Purpose Compute and a small flavor such as gp.nano1 is enough. Click the row so it highlights in the list. Attach extra volumes if you need them (the instance already has a root disk). Under networking, most internet-facing VMs use the Internet network. You can also attach a private network.

   

    

3. Under Authentication, choose Use SSH Key and select a key (or add/generate one). You can set a password instead. Cloud config is optional — leave Insert cloud-init script unchecked unless you need user-data.

   Log in with the OS default admin user (Ubuntu is ubuntu, AlmaLinux is almalinux, and so on). See Default Usernames for Cloud Instances.

   

    

4. Under Security Groups, attach a group that allows inbound SSH. If you do not have one yet, stop here and follow Using Security Groups, then come back and attach that group. Skip this step and the server can show Active with no way in.

5. Name the server something you will recognize in the list later. Check the summary on the right: location, image, hardware, SSH key, and 1 Security Group should all be ticked. If the security group is missing, go back a step. Then click + Create Server.

   

    

When the server reaches Active, it appears on the Servers list. Click the name to open it.

Managing a server

When the server is Active, click its name. You land on Overview.

Size, flavor, status, public IP, and the SSH key sit on this page. The left rail is everything else you can do to this server. The header is Console, Reboot, and Shut down. Server Actions adds Rescue.

Console is a terminal in the browser. No SSH client. Use it when SSH is blocked or the security group was missed.

Rescue boots a rescue environment when the guest OS will not. Reboot power-cycles the instance. Shut down powers it off.

Volumes is extra disks on top of the root disk. Snapshots is a point-in-time copy of this server's disk. Take one before a risky change. Reinstall replaces the OS from an image; the root disk is gone after that. Password sets or resets the instance password. If you launched with a key, keep using the key. See SSH Key Management.

Networking is addresses and interfaces after create. Security Groups attaches or detaches groups after create too. Without an inbound SSH group there is still no way in. Follow Using Security Groups.

Rescale changes the hardware size. There is a short downtime, and you cannot shrink the disk automatically afterward.

Delete destroys the server. Snapshot first if you might need the disk back.

Best practices

• Keep the OS updated and use security groups with least privilege. See Using Security Groups.
• Use an SSH key, not only a password. See SSH Key Management.
• Stop servers you are not using, and pick a hardware size that matches the workload.
• Snapshot before risky changes.

Troubleshooting

• Won't start — check quota and billing, then the server logs.
• Can't connect — almost always a missing security group. Follow Using Security Groups, then confirm the group is attached to this server. Also check the SSH key or password, and that the VM is on the Internet network.
• Slow — check CPU, RAM, and disk on the server page, and whether the hardware size is too small.