Category: Compute

Cloud provides a Customization Script option that lets you automatically configure a virtual machine during deployment. Instead of performing manual installation after the VM is created, you can execute a script that installs and configures the required software automatically.

Cloud supports two types of customization scripts:

• Shell Script (.sh)
• Cloud-Init Script (YAML format using #cloud-config)

This guide demonstrates how to use a Cloud-Init configuration to automatically install cPanel & WHM on a new virtual machine.

Important: cPanel must be installed on a clean installation of AlmaLinux or CloudLinux. The server should have a minimum of 2 GB RAM and a valid cPanel license.

Step 1: Verify the Requirements

Before creating the VM, make sure the following requirements are met.

• Deploy a supported operating system such as AlmaLinux or CloudLinux.
• Allocate at least 2 GB RAM.
• Allocate a minimum of 20 GB storage.
• Assign a public IP address to the VM.
• Allow ports 2087 (WHM) and 2083 (cPanel) in the Security Group or Firewall.
• (Optional but recommended) Point a domain or subdomain such as cpanel.example.com to the VM’s public IP for SSL.

Step 2: Prepare the Cloud-Init Script

Create the following Cloud-Init configuration and replace the hostname with your own domain.

#cloud-config
hostname: cpanel.example.com
fqdn: cpanel.example.com
packages:
– perl
– curl
write_files:
– path: /etc/resolv.conf
content: |
nameserver 8.8.8.8
nameserver 8.8.4.4
runcmd:
– curl -o latest -L https://securedownloads.cpanel.net/latest
– sh latest

Step 3: Understand What the Script Performs

When the VM starts for the first time, the Cloud-Init script automatically performs the following tasks:

• Sets the server hostname.
• Configures the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN).
• Installs the required packages (Perl and Curl).
• Configures Google Public DNS servers.
• Downloads the latest cPanel installer.
• Starts the cPanel installation automatically.

No manual commands are required after the VM boots.

Step 4: Create a New Virtual Machine

• Sign in to your Cloud Dashboard.
• Click Create VM.
• Select a supported operating system.
• Choose the required CPU, RAM, storage, and network configuration.
• Locate the Customization Script section.
• Select Cloud-Init.
• Paste the Cloud-Init script into the provided text box.
• Review the configuration.
• Click Launch VM.

The VM will now be created with the customization script attached.

Step 5: Automatic Installation Process

After the virtual machine powers on:

• Cloud-Init executes automatically.
• The server installs the required packages.
• DNS configuration is applied.
• The latest cPanel installation package is downloaded.
• cPanel installation begins automatically.

The installation usually completes within 20 to 40 minutes, depending on the server specifications and internet speed.

Step 6: Access WHM

After installation finishes, open your browser and visit:

https://<VM_Public_IP>:2087

Step 7: Log in to WHM

Use the server’s root credentials.

Login with:

Username: root
Password: your VM’s root password (set during creation)

After authentication, the WHM interface will open.

Step 8: Complete the Initial Configuration

During the first login, WHM will launch its setup wizard.

Complete the following tasks:

• Accept the cPanel License Agreement.
• Verify the server hostname.
• Configure networking settings.
• Configure nameservers.
• Enter your contact email.
• Activate your cPanel license (Trial or Paid).

Once finished, the server is ready for hosting.

Step 9: Begin Using cPanel

After setup is complete, you can:

• Create new cPanel hosting accounts.
• Add websites and domains.
• Configure email services.
• Manage DNS zones.
• Install SSL certificates.
• Upload website files.
• Manage databases.

Troubleshooting Tips

• If DNS resolution fails, verify that /etc/resolv.conf contains valid nameservers.
• If cPanel fails to install, check logs at /var/log/cpanel-install.log.
• Ensure the server has no existing control panel or conflicting services.

Summary

By using a cloud-init cloud-config script in the Cloud VM creation wizard, you can automatically:

• Set system hostname
• Configure DNS
• Install cPanel with a single script

This reduces manual work and ensures consistent deployments.

Steps to Change or Reset a VM Password

Step 1: Sign in to the Cloud Portal

Access the Cloud Dashboard using your registered account credentials.

Step 2: Select Your Virtual Machine

Go to the Virtual Machines section and locate the VM for which you want to update the password.

Step 3: Open the Action Menu

Click the Action drop-down menu available next to the selected VM.

Step 4: Choose “Set Password”

Step 5: Enter a Secure Password

Type the new password that you want to assign to the VM.

Step 6: Save the Changes

Click the Set button to apply the new password.

Once the process is completed successfully, use the updated credentials to log in to your virtual machine.

Strong Password Guidelines:

To ensure security, use the following best practices when creating a password:

Minimum Length: At least 12–16 characters.

Combination of Characters: Include uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special symbols (@, #, $, etc.).

Avoid Common Words: Do not use easily guessable words like ‘password123’ or your name.

No Reuse: Avoid reusing old passwords.

By following these steps and best practices, you can ensure the security of your VM and prevent unauthorised access.

Verify Login After Resetting the Password

After changing the password, verify that the new credentials are functioning correctly before closing any active sessions.

For Linux Virtual Machines

Open a new terminal window and connect to the server using SSH.

ssh username@<VM_IP>

Confirm that you can log in successfully using the new password.

Only close your existing SSH session after confirming that the new login works properly.

For Windows Virtual Machines

Launch Remote Desktop Connection (RDP).
Enter the VM’s IP address.
Provide the username.
Enter the newly created password.
Verify that the remote desktop session opens successfully.

Account Lockout Situations

A VM account may become locked if the operating system detects repeated unsuccessful login attempts.

Common Reasons for Account Lockout

Account lockout can occur due to the following reasons:

• Entering the wrong password multiple times while connecting through SSH or RDP.
• Applications or automation scripts continuing to use an outdated password after it has been changed.
• Security policies within the operating system detecting possible brute-force login attempts.

Recovering from an Account Lockout

Recommended Method: Reset the Password Through Cloud

Follow these steps:

Step 1

Log in to the Cloud Dashboard.

Step 2

Open the VM list and select the affected virtual machine.

Step 3

Click Action and choose Set Password.

Step 4

Enter a new secure password.

Step 5

Click Set to save the password.

Step 6

Wait approximately 1–2 minutes for the update to take effect.

Step 7

Try logging into the VM again using the newly configured password.

Password Expiration Policy

The password aging policy is managed by Linux itself.

To check the current password expiration settings, run:

chage -l username

To disable password expiration for a user account:

sudo chage -M -1 username

If the password has already expired, Linux will request that you create a new password during the next SSH login.

Windows Virtual Machines

Windows may enforce password expiration via Local Group Policy or Active Directory settings.

If your session is blocked due to an expired password, use the Cloud Dashboard to reset the VM password using the ‘Set Password’ option (Steps 1–6 above), then log in and update the OS-level policy as needed.

A VM flavor defines the compute resources assigned to a Virtual Machine, such as vCPUs, RAM, and storage specifications. If your workload requirements change, you can easily switch to a different flavor without creating a new VM.
Follow the instructions below to update the flavor of your VM in Cloud.

Step 1: Sign In to Cloud

Log in to your Cloud account using your credentials.

After logging in, navigate to the Virtual Machines section where all your deployed VMs are displayed.

Step 2: Locate the Target Virtual Machine

Find the Virtual Machine whose resources you want to modify.

On the right side of the VM entry, click the three-dot (⋮) action menu to view available management options.

Step 3: Select “Change Flavor”

From the list of available actions, click Change Flavor.

This will open the flavor selection window, displaying all available VM configurations.

Step 4: Choose a Suitable Flavor

Review the available flavor options and select the configuration that best matches your requirements.

• You can choose to upgrade (increase resources) or downgrade (decrease resources) based on your current requirements.

Verify the selected configuration before proceeding.

Step 5: Confirm the Flavor Change

After selecting the desired flavor, click the Change Flavor button to submit the request.

Cloud will begin applying the new resource configuration to the VM.

Step 6: Wait for the Process to Complete

The platform will update the VM configuration automatically.

Once the operation is finished, the updated flavor information will be visible in the VM details section of the dashboard.

Important Notes :

• No data loss: Changing the flavor does not affect the data or configuration inside the VM.
• Downtime: A short reboot may occur while the flavor is being applied.

Volume snapshots provide a reliable way to duplicate or recover an existing virtual machine environment. By creating a new volume or image from a snapshot, you can quickly provision a new VM containing the same operating system, configuration, and data as the original instance.

Step 1: Locate the Snapshot

1. Log in to your Cloud Dashboard.
2. Navigate to Volumes and select the boot volume associated with your VM.
3. Open the Snapshots tab.
4. Locate the snapshot you want to use for creating the new virtual machine.
5. Verify that the snapshot belongs to the correct source volume before proceeding.

Step 2: Generate a Volume or Image from the Snapshot

Option A: Create a New Volume

1. Select the desired snapshot.
2. Click Create Volume.
3. Enter a suitable Volume Name.
4. Review the details and click Create.
5. Wait for the process to complete. The newly created volume will be available under the Volumes section.

Option B: Create an Image Directly

1. Select the snapshot.
2. Click Create Image.
3. Provide an image name.
4. Confirm the operation and wait for the image creation process to finish.

Step 3: Create an Image from a Volume (Optional)

If you created a volume from the snapshot or already have an existing boot volume, you can convert it into an image.

1. Open the Cloud Region Advanced Dashboard.
2. Navigate to Compute → Volumes.
3. Locate the required boot volume.
4. Click the Actions Menu (⋮) next to the volume.
5. Select Create Image.

6. Enter an appropriate image name.
7. Click Create and wait for the image to become available.

The newly created image will appear in the Images section.

Step 4: Provision a New Virtual Machine

Once the image is available, you can deploy a new VM.

1. Navigate to the Virtual Machines section.
2. Click Create Virtual Machine.
3. Select the image created from the snapshot or volume.
4. Choose the desired Flavor (CPU, RAM, and Storage configuration).
5. Select the required Network Interface(s).
6. Enter a Virtual Machine Name.
7. Configure any additional settings as required.
8. Click Create or Deploy to start the VM provisioning process.

Step 5: Verify the Newly Created VM

After deployment is complete, perform the following checks:

Verify VM Status

• Confirm that the VM status shows Running or Active.

Test Access

Connect using one of the available methods:

• VNC Console
• SSH (Linux)
• RDP (Windows)

Validate Data and Services

• Ensure all expected files, applications, and configurations are present.
• Verify that services and applications start correctly.
• Confirm network connectivity and functionality.

This guide explains how to connect to your Linux or Windows Virtual Machine (VM) through the Cloud Console.

Prerequisites

Before accessing your VM, make sure a secure password has been configured.

Password Requirements

For smooth console access and enhanced security, your password should:

• Contain at least 12 characters
• Include uppercase letters (A-Z)
• Include lowercase letters (a-z)
• Include numbers (0-9)
• Include special characters (!, @, #, $, etc.)
• Be unique and difficult to guess

Note: Weak passwords may prevent successful login through the console.

Connecting to a Linux Virtual Machine

Step 1: Open the Cloud Dashboard

Log in to your Cloud account and navigate to the Virtual Machines section.

Step 2: Select the Virtual Machine

Choose the Linux VM you want to access from the VM list.

Step 3: Launch the Console

Click the Console option available in the VM details panel. A new browser window will open displaying the VM console.

Step 4: Enter Login Credentials

Click inside the console window and enter your Linux username (for example: root).

Step 5: Authenticate

Enter the password configured for the VM.

Step 6: Access the Server

After successful authentication, you will be logged in and can start managing your Linux VM directly from the console.

Connecting to a Windows Virtual Machine

Step 1: Open the VM Console

From the Cloud Dashboard, select the Windows VM and click Console.

Step 2: Configure Regional Settings

Choose the appropriate:

• Country or Region
• Language
• Keyboard Layout

Click Next to continue.

Step 3: Accept License Terms

Review the Microsoft license agreement and click Accept to proceed.

Step 4: Set Administrator Password

Create or enter the password for the Windows Administrator account.

Step 5: Send Required Key Combinations

If necessary, use the Send Key Combination feature to send commands such as Ctrl + Alt + Delete to the VM.

Step 6: Sign In

Enter the Administrator password and click Sign In.

Step 7: Start Managing the VM

Once logged in, you can manage and operate the Windows virtual machine through the browser-based console.

Step 1: Open the Cloud Dashboard

1. Sign in to your Cloud Main Dashboard using your credentials.
2. From the dashboard, open the Cloud Region Advanced Dashboard.
3. In the left navigation panel, select Virtual Machines.
4. A list of all available virtual machines will be displayed.

Step 2: Choose the Target Virtual Machine

1. Locate the virtual machine that requires a public IP address.
2. Click on the VM name to access its details page.

3. Scroll to the Network Interfaces section.
4. Click the Edit button to modify the network configuration.

Step 3: Add a Network Interface

1. The Network Interfaces configuration window will open.
2. Review the existing network settings attached to the VM.
3. To create a new network connection, click + Add.

Step 4: Configure Public Network Settings

1. Select a Public Network from the available network options.
2. If additional IP addresses are required, expand the Secondary IPv4 Addresses section.
3. Use the Add button to assign extra IPv4 addresses.
4. Use the Delete option to remove any unnecessary addresses.
5. Choose an existing security group or create a new one according to your project’s security requirements.
6. Alternatively, you can select the Default Security Group.

Step 5: Save the Configuration

1. After verifying the network settings, click Add to create and attach the network interface.
2. The newly added interface will appear in the Network Interfaces list.
3. Click Done to apply and save the changes.

Verification

Once the configuration is completed, the selected public IP address will be associated with the virtual machine. You can verify the assignment from the VM’s overview page under the Network Information section.

The virtual machine is now accessible through the assigned public IP address.