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Managing VM Instances | Virtual Machine Control and Dashboard Guide

This guide covers all operations to manage your virtual machine instances in Nife, including the VM Management dashboard, instance lifecycle operations, and monitoring.

VM Management Dashboard​

The VM Management dashboard provides a unified interface for viewing and controlling all your VM instances across cloud providers.

VM Management Dashboard VM Management dashboard showing VM Instances tab with all provisioned VMs

Dashboard Overview​

Top Section

  • Title: "VM Management" with total instance count
  • Description: "Manage virtual machine instances and standalone monolithic servers across cloud providers"
  • Refresh Button: Manually refresh the instance list

Statistics Bar

  • Registered: Number of instances registered in Nife
  • Active: Number of currently active/running instances
  • Provisioned: Total number of provisioned instances

The dashboard has four main tabs for different views:

1. VM Instances (Default Tab)​

View all provisioned VM instances managed through Nife. Shows:

  • Instance name, type, cloud provider, region/zone
  • IP addresses (Public and Private)
  • Current status (Running, Terminated, etc.)
  • Creation timestamp
  • Action menu for each instance

2. Standalone Servers​

View all Standalone nodes running Kubernetes. Shows:

  • K3s server instances
  • Cluster information
  • Node status
  • Workload deployment targets

3. Manage Instances​

View and manage active instances with advanced controls:

  • Start, stop, restart operations
  • Configure instance settings
  • Access console and SSH
  • Manage snapshots
  • Monitor performance metrics

Manage Instances Tab Manage Instances tab showing table view with detailed instance information and action controls

4. Agent Metrics​

Monitor agent performance and health across all instances:

  • Agent status and heartbeat
  • Performance metrics
  • Connection status
  • Resource utilization

Action Buttons​

Top-Right Button Group:

  • Provision VM: Create a new VM instance (blue button with icon)
  • Register Instance: Register an existing VM as a Nife instance
  • Refresh: Manually refresh the dashboard

Instance Display​

The main VM Instances tab displays all instances in a card-based grid view for easy scanning and management.

Instance Cards View Instance card-based grid showing running instances with quick action icons

Instance Card Layout​

Card Header

  • Instance Name: Displayed prominently at the top
    • User-defined during provisioning or registration
    • Examples: judge0, Dev Backend/Re..., Nife-static-webs...
  • Status Indicator: Colored dot next to the name
    • Green = Running
    • Blue = Provisioning
    • Orange = Bootstrapping
    • Red = Terminated/Error

Card Information Section

Type

  • Deployment mode (Standalone or Monolith)
  • Shown as a label on the card

Cloud Provider

  • Cloud provider hosting the instance
  • Shows: AWS, GCP, or Azure
  • Badge format with provider name

Organization

  • Organization that owns the instance
  • Examples: NIFE123, production-team
  • Determines access control and permissions

Zone / Region

  • Deployment location on the cloud provider
  • AWS examples: ap-south-1, us-east-1a
  • GCP examples: us-central1-a
  • Azure examples: East US

Status Badge

  • Current operational state
  • Displays as colored badge:
    • running (green)
    • stopped (gray)
    • provisioning (blue)
    • bootstrapping (orange)
    • ready (green with checkmark)
    • terminated (red)

Card Action Icons

Each card includes quick action icons:

  • Play Icon: Start a stopped instance
  • Stop Icon: Stop a running instance
  • Edit Icon: Edit instance configuration
  • Delete Icon: Delete the instance (with confirmation)

Additional Information

  • Click on the card to expand and see full details
  • View public and private IP addresses
  • See creation timestamp and agent status
  • Access full action menu for advanced operations

Search and Filter​

Search Bar

  • Placeholder: "Search by name, cloud, or region..."
  • Type to search across all instances
  • Real-time results update
  • Searches: Name, Type, Cloud provider, Region/Zone

Examples:

  • Search "aws" to find AWS instances
  • Search "test" to find instances with "test" in name
  • Search "ap-south" to find instances in specific region

Instance Status Types​

Running​

  • Instance is active and operational
  • Green status indicator
  • Services and agents are running
  • Full operations available: stop, restart, configure, console, SSH, snapshots, monitoring

Terminated​

  • Instance has been deleted or stopped permanently
  • Red/Gray status indicator
  • No operations available
  • Cannot be restarted (must provision new instance)
  • Shown in historical data

Provisioning​

  • Instance is being created on cloud provider
  • Blue status indicator
  • Initial stage after Provision VM is clicked
  • Page refreshes automatically to show progress
  • Typically takes 1-2 minutes

Bootstrapping​

  • VM is created, now installing Nife agent
  • Orange status indicator
  • Cloud-init is running on the instance
  • Installation in progress (takes 3-8 minutes)
  • Page auto-refreshes every 6 seconds

Ready​

  • Instance is fully provisioned and agent is connected
  • Green status indicator with checkmark
  • All services are operational
  • Full operations available
  • Instance ready for workload deployment

Registering Existing Cloud Hosts​

In addition to provisioning new VMs through Nife, you can register existing VM instances from your cloud providers. This allows you to manage already-running instances from AWS, GCP, or Azure within Nife.

Registering an Existing Host​

Access Registration:

  1. Navigate to the VM Management dashboard
  2. Click the Register Instance button (next to "Provision VM")
  3. Select your cloud provider:
    • Register existing AWS host - For EC2 instances
    • Register existing GCP host - For Compute Engine instances
    • Register existing Azure host - For Azure VMs

Register Instance Dropdown Menu Register Instance dropdown showing cloud provider options: GCP, AWS, and Azure

Register AWS Host Dialog​

When registering an existing AWS EC2 instance, complete the following fields:

Register AWS Host Dialog Register AWS Host dialog for adding existing EC2 instances

Instance Name *

  • The name you want to give this instance in Nife
  • Example: my-instance, web-server-01
  • This is how the instance will appear in your dashboard
  • Can be changed later in instance settings

Organization *

  • Select the organization this instance belongs to
  • Dropdown menu with available organizations
  • Determines access control and resource allocation
  • Required field

Zone / Region

  • AWS region where the instance is running
  • Example: us-east-1a, ap-south-1, eu-west-1
  • Pre-populated with default region if available
  • Must match the actual region of your instance

Instance ID

  • The EC2 instance ID from AWS console
  • Format: i-0123456789abcdef0
  • Found in AWS EC2 dashboard under "Instances"
  • Required to identify the exact instance

Access Key

  • AWS IAM access key ID
  • Format: AKIA... (20 characters)
  • Generated in AWS IAM console
  • Used for authentication
  • Should have permissions for EC2 management

Secret Key

  • AWS IAM secret access key
  • Keep this confidential
  • Generated in AWS IAM console alongside Access Key
  • Used with Access Key for secure authentication
  • Cannot be retrieved after creation - store safely

Registration Steps:

  1. Fill in all required fields (*)
  2. Verify information is correct
  3. Click Register button
  4. Instance is added to your Nife dashboard
  5. Status will show as "Running" if the instance is active on AWS
  6. Agent installation begins automatically
info

Make sure your AWS IAM credentials have the following permissions:

  • ec2:DescribeInstances
  • ec2:DescribeInstanceStatus
  • ec2:StartInstances
  • ec2:StopInstances
  • ec2:RebootInstances

Register GCP Host Dialog​

When registering an existing GCP Compute Engine instance:

Register GCP Host Dialog Register GCP Host dialog for adding existing Compute Engine instances

  1. Click Register Instance → Register existing GCP host
  2. Fill in the following fields:
    • Instance Name: Display name in Nife
    • Organization: Select organization
    • Zone / Region: GCP zone (e.g., us-central1-a)
    • Instance ID: GCP instance name or ID
    • Service Account Key: JSON service account key from GCP
  3. Click Register to add the instance
tip

Obtain your GCP service account key from Google Cloud Console:

  1. Go to IAM & Admin → Service Accounts
  2. Create or select a service account
  3. Create a JSON key
  4. Paste the key contents in the registration form

Register Azure Host Dialog​

When registering an existing Azure VM:

Register Azure Host Dialog Register Azure Host dialog for adding existing Azure VMs

  1. Click Register Instance → Register existing Azure host
  2. Fill in the following fields:
    • Instance Name: Display name in Nife
    • Organization: Select organization
    • Zone / Region: Azure region (e.g., East US)
    • Instance ID: Azure resource ID or VM name
    • Subscription ID: Your Azure subscription ID
    • Credentials: Azure credentials or managed identity
  3. Click Register to complete
info

Ensure your Azure service principal has these permissions:

  • Virtual Machine Contributor
  • Reader (for viewing resources)

Instance Operations​

Starting an Instance​

Start a previously stopped instance to resume operations.

From the Table Row:

  1. Locate the stopped instance in the table
  2. Click the action menu (three dots) at the end of the row
  3. Select Start from the menu
  4. Confirmation dialog appears
  5. Click Confirm to start
  6. Instance status changes to Running
info

You can only start instances that are currently in Stopped or Ready status with no active operations.

Stopping an Instance​

Gracefully shut down a running instance to save resources.

From the Table Row:

  1. Locate the running instance in the table
  2. Click the action menu (three dots) at the end of the row
  3. Select Stop from the menu
  4. Confirmation dialog appears
  5. Click Confirm to stop
  6. Instance transitions to Stopped status
warning

Stopping an instance will halt all running services. Ensure no critical workloads are active.

Restarting an Instance​

Restart an instance to reload services and clear memory.

From the Table Row:

  1. Locate the instance in the table
  2. Click the action menu (three dots)
  3. Select Restart from the menu
  4. Confirmation appears
  5. Click Confirm to restart
  6. Instance briefly shows restarting status, then returns to Running

When to Restart:

  • After configuration changes
  • To clear memory issues
  • When services become unresponsive
  • After security patches
  • During troubleshooting

Configuring Instance​

Access and modify instance settings and configuration.

From the Table Row:

  1. Click the action menu (three dots) for the instance
  2. Select Configure
  3. Configuration panel opens
  4. Adjust settings as needed:
    • Resource allocation
    • Network settings
    • Storage options
    • Performance tuning
  5. Save changes

Accessing Instance Console​

Get browser-based terminal access to your instance for direct command execution.

From the Table Row:

  1. Click the action menu (three dots)
  2. Select Console
  3. Browser console opens
  4. Execute commands directly on the instance
  5. Full terminal access available

SSH Access​

Connect securely via SSH using your SSH key.

From the Table Row:

  1. Click the action menu (three dots)
  2. Select SSH
  3. SSH connection details are displayed
  4. Copy the SSH command
  5. Paste into your terminal
  6. Connect with your SSH key

SSH Command Format:

ssh -i <your-ssh-key> <username>@<public-ip>

Example:

ssh -i nife-key.pem [email protected]

Creating Snapshots​

Create point-in-time backups of your instance for recovery and cloning.

From the Table Row:

  1. Click the action menu (three dots)
  2. Select Snapshots
  3. Snapshot management panel opens
  4. View existing snapshots with creation dates
  5. Click Create Snapshot to backup current state
  6. Snapshot creation begins
  7. Use snapshots to:
    • Backup instance state
    • Clone instances
    • Restore to previous states
    • Create images for scaling

Monitoring Instance Performance​

Monitor real-time and historical performance metrics.

From the Table Row:

  1. Click the action menu (three dots)
  2. Select Monitoring
  3. Performance metrics dashboard opens
  4. View metrics over different time ranges (1h, 24h, 7d, 30d)

Available Metrics:

  • CPU Utilization: Percentage of CPU resources used
  • Memory Usage: RAM consumption in GB
  • Network Throughput: Data transfer rate in Mbps
  • Disk I/O: Read/write operations per second
  • Disk Usage: Storage space utilization

Deleting VM Instances​

Before Deletion​

danger

PERMANENT ACTION: Deleting a VM instance permanently removes it from Nife and your cloud provider. All data will be lost unless backed up. This action cannot be undone.

Before deleting, ensure:

  1. Backup Important Data: Create snapshots if data needs recovery
  2. No Active Workloads: Ensure no services depend on this instance
  3. Severed Dependencies: Disconnect load balancers and databases
  4. Final Confirmation: You want to permanently delete this instance

Deletion Process​

From the Table Row:

  1. Locate the instance to delete
  2. Click the action menu (three dots)
  3. Select Delete
  4. Confirmation dialog appears with warning
  5. Review instance name and warning message
  6. Click Confirm Delete
  7. Instance begins termination process

Deletion Timeline:

  • Immediately: Instance stops accepting new connections
  • 1-2 seconds: Instance is shut down
  • 5-10 seconds: Cloud resources are released
  • 15-30 seconds: Instance disappears from dashboard
  • Billing: Stops immediately upon deletion

After Deletion​

Once deleted:

  • Instance is removed from cloud provider
  • All resources are released
  • Billing charges stop
  • Instance no longer appears in dashboard
  • Only recoverable through snapshots (if created)

Bulk Operations​

Searching Instances​

Find specific instances quickly using the search bar.

Search Examples:

  • By Name: Type instance name (e.g., "ingress")
  • By Cloud: Type provider name (e.g., "aws", "gcp")
  • By Region: Type region/zone (e.g., "ap-south-1")
  • By Type: Type instance type (e.g., "standalone", "monolith")

Search Tips:

  • Search is case-insensitive
  • Partial matches are supported
  • Results update in real-time
  • Clear search with the X button

Exporting Instance Data​

Export your VM inventory for reporting, analysis, or backup.

Export Process:

  1. Click Export button (if available)
  2. Choose export format:
    • CSV: Spreadsheet format for Excel
    • JSON: Structured data format for systems
  3. File downloads with columns:
    • Instance Name
    • Type (Standalone, Monolith)
    • Cloud Provider
    • Region/Zone
    • IP Address
    • Status
    • Organization
    • Creation Date
    • Instance ID

Refreshing the Dashboard​

Update the instance list to see latest changes.

Manual Refresh:

  1. Click the Refresh button in top-right
  2. Dashboard updates with latest data
  3. Shows newly provisioned instances
  4. Updates status of all instances
  5. Refreshes metrics and timestamps

Auto-Refresh Behavior:

  • Dashboard auto-refreshes during provisioning
  • Updates every 6 seconds during agent bootstrapping
  • Manual refresh always available

Instance Lifecycle​

Complete Instance Lifecycle​

1. Provision VM
   ↓
2. Provisioning (1-2 min)
   ↓
3. Bootstrapping (3-8 min)
   ↓
4. Ready (Operational)
   ↓
5. Running (Active workloads)
   ↓
6. Stop / Pause (Optional)
   ↓
7. Restart / Resume
   ↓
8. Delete (Final)

State Transitions​

  • Provision VM → Provisioning: Cloud VM is being created
  • Provisioning → Bootstrapping: VM created, agent installation starting
  • Bootstrapping → Ready: Agent installation complete, services running
  • Ready → Running: Workloads deployed and executing
  • Running → Stopped: Instance gracefully shut down
  • Stopped → Running: Instance restarted
  • Any State → Deleted: Instance terminated (permanent)

Keyboard Shortcuts​

  • Escape: Close menus and dialogs
  • Ctrl/Cmd + F: Focus search field
  • Enter: Submit search or confirm actions

Troubleshooting​

Instance Status Not Updating​

  1. Click Refresh button to manually update
  2. Wait 30 seconds and refresh again
  3. Check cloud provider console for actual status
  4. Verify network connectivity
  5. Check for error messages in Actions panel

Cannot Perform Operations​

  1. Verify instance is in appropriate status (Running, Ready, Stopped)
  2. Check that no other operations are in progress
  3. Verify your Nife account has organization permissions
  4. Try refreshing the dashboard
  5. Attempt operation again

Instance Appears Stuck in Provisioning​

  1. Refresh the dashboard to check for status updates
  2. Check cloud provider console for instance status
  3. If stuck for >15 minutes, may need to delete and reprovision
  4. Contact Nife support if issue persists

Cannot Delete Instance​

  1. Verify instance is not actively running workloads
  2. Check organization permissions
  3. Ensure no other operations are pending
  4. Try from cloud provider console as backup
  5. Contact support if deletion repeatedly fails

Best Practices​

  1. Naming: Use consistent, descriptive naming conventions
  2. Monitoring: Check performance metrics regularly
  3. Backups: Create snapshots before major changes
  4. Cleanup: Delete unused instances to manage costs
  5. Organization: Organize instances by purpose and environment
  6. Documentation: Document instance purposes and configurations
  7. Security: Keep instances patched and updated
  8. Cost Management: Monitor instance costs and resource utilization

Next Steps​