Windows instance using the web interface¶

Configure instance security group¶

You will add a security group and a rule for your instance so that it can be accessed using SSH.

Navigate to the “Security Groups” tab of the left sidebar under the “Network” section. From there, in the upper right of the screen, click the “Create Security Group” button.

Enter a name and description and click “Create Security Group”:

For this example we are going to create a rule to allow RDP access. This can be selected from the rule drop down menu. We will leave the defaults for the other fields and then click “Add”.

There is no particular reason that we are using RDP for this example, this is just to demonstrate how to pick and configure a security group rule for your instance.

Booting an instance¶

We are now ready to launch your first instance. Select launch instance from the instances list:

First thing that we do when creating this instance, is give it a name. For this example we will use fi-windows.

When creating a Windows instance you need to select the correct image from the image list. In this example we are using windows-server-2016r2-x86_64. However this could be any windows image that is available from the image service on the cloud. The volume size for our instance should automatically update to what is needed to run this image.

Next we pick the flavor. We recommended a minimum flavor of c1.c2r2 for our Windows instances. Select this from the list and click “Next”:

Select the private-net network from the list and click “Next”:

Select the first-instance-sg security group from the list and click “Next”:

No key pair is required for a Windows instance. Click “Next”:

It will take a few seconds for your instance to build. You will see the Status, Task and Power State change during this process. When complete, the status will be “Active”. You now have a running instance, but there are a few more steps required before you can log in.

Allocate a floating IP¶

In order to be able to access your instance from the internet and not just use it through the dashboard console, you will need to assign a floating IP to the instance so that it is visible to other devices. To associate a floating IP with your instance, you need to navigate to the “Floating IPs” tab of the “Access & Security” section.

If an IP address has not yet been allocated, click on “Allocate IP to Project” to obtain a public IP. Then, select an IP that is not currently mapped and click on “Associate”:

Select the port you wish to be associated with the floating IP. Ports are equivalent to virtual network interfaces of compute instances, and are named after the compute instance that owns them.

In this example, select the “first-instance” port and click “Associate”:

Connect to the new instance¶

First you must set the Administrator password. To do this, go to the “Instances” section, click on first-instance under “Instance Name” and select the “Console” tab.

Once the following screen loads, click on OK to continue.

You will then be prompted by the following screen to create a new administrator password.