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Manage VM Instances | VM Operations and Control Guide

This guide covers all the operations you can perform on VM instances from the VMs Dashboard.

Starting VM Instances​

Starting a Stopped Instance​

From the VM Card

  1. Locate the VM instance in the dashboard
  2. Check the status badge shows "Stopped"
  3. Click the Play Button (▶️) on the card
  4. Instance enters "Starting" state
  5. Status updates to "Running" when complete

Success Indicator

  • Status badge changes to green "Running"
  • Play button becomes disabled
  • Pulsing indicator appears in status badge

When to Start

  • After stopping for maintenance
  • When you need to resume operations
  • To bring instances back online
info

Starting an instance typically takes 1-5 minutes depending on the cloud provider.

Stopping VM Instances​

Stopping a Running Instance​

From the VM Card

  1. Locate the running VM instance
  2. Check the status badge shows "Running"
  3. Click the Pause Button (⏸️) on the card
  4. Instance enters "Stopping" state
  5. Status updates to "Stopped" when complete

Success Indicator

  • Status badge changes to gray "Stopped"
  • Pause button becomes disabled
  • Pulsing indicator disappears

When to Stop

  • To save cloud provider costs
  • During maintenance windows
  • When instance is no longer needed
  • To perform system updates
warning

Stopping an instance terminates running services. Ensure no critical operations are in progress.

Restarting VM Instances​

Restarting a Running Instance​

From the VM Card

  1. Locate the VM instance
  2. Click the Restart Button (↻) on the card
  3. Instance enters "Restarting" state
  4. Services restart automatically
  5. Status updates when restart completes

What Happens During Restart

  • Operating system restarts
  • All running services restart
  • Memory is cleared
  • Persistent storage remains intact

When to Restart

  • After configuration changes
  • To apply system updates
  • If services become unresponsive
  • To clear memory and free resources
  • During troubleshooting
info

Restarting typically takes 2-10 minutes. Services will be unavailable during restart.

Configuring VM Instances​

Opening Configuration Panel​

From the VM Card

  1. Click the Settings Button (⚙️) on the card
  2. Configuration panel opens
  3. Available settings depend on cloud provider

Configuration Options

  • Resource allocation (CPU, memory)
  • Network settings and security groups
  • Storage configuration
  • Performance parameters
  • Auto-scaling settings
  • Backup and recovery options
note

Some configuration changes may require instance restart.

Deleting VM Instances​

Before Deleting​

danger

Deletion is permanent. All data on the instance will be lost unless backed up.

Before deleting, ensure:

  1. All important data is backed up
  2. No critical services depend on this instance
  3. Databases are exported if needed
  4. Application configurations are saved
  5. Certificates and keys are backed up
  6. Load balancers are reconfigured

Deletion Process​

From the VM Card

  1. Click the Delete Button (🗑️) on the card
  2. Confirmation dialog appears
  3. Review the warning message
  4. Confirm you understand data will be lost
  5. Click Delete button to confirm

Confirmation Dialog

  • Shows instance name being deleted
  • Displays warning: "This action cannot be undone"
  • Clearly states all data will be lost
  • Requires explicit confirmation

After Deletion

  • Instance is removed from cloud provider
  • Status changes to "Terminated"
  • Instance disappears from dashboard
  • Billing for instance stops
  • Resources are released
  • Recovery is only possible from backups
warning

There is no undo or recovery after deletion. Ensure backups exist if needed.

Accessing Instance Details​

Opening Detail Panel​

Click on Any VM Card

  1. Click anywhere on the VM card (except action buttons)
  2. Right-side detail panel opens
  3. Displays complete instance information

Detail Panel Shows

  • Full instance configuration
  • Resource allocation details
  • Storage volumes and snapshots
  • Network configuration
  • Activity history
  • Performance metrics
  • Advanced settings

Closing the Panel

  • Click the X button in the panel
  • Click outside the panel area
  • Press the Escape key

Console Access​

Accessing Instance Console​

From the VM Card

  1. Locate the VM instance
  2. Scroll to the bottom of the card
  3. Click the Console Button
  4. Browser-based console opens
  5. You can execute commands directly

Console Features

  • Direct terminal access to instance
  • Execute shell commands
  • Monitor system processes
  • View system logs
  • Configure services
info

Console access requires the instance to be in Running status.

SSH Access​

Connecting via SSH​

From the VM Card

  1. Locate the VM instance
  2. Scroll to the bottom of the card
  3. Click the SSH Button
  4. SSH connection information appears

SSH Connection Steps

  1. Copy the connection command provided
  2. Open your local terminal
  3. Paste the SSH command
  4. Accept the security warning (first time only)
  5. You're now connected to the instance

SSH Requirements

  • Your local SSH client installed
  • Valid SSH key pair
  • Network access to instance
  • Instance must be running
  • Inbound SSH rule must be allowed

Common SSH Commands

# Basic connection
ssh -i /path/to/key.pem user@instance-ip

# With port specification
ssh -i /path/to/key.pem -p 22 user@instance-ip

# Verbose mode for troubleshooting
ssh -v -i /path/to/key.pem user@instance-ip
tip

Save your SSH connection command for quick access later.

Snapshot Management​

Creating Snapshots​

From the VM Card

  1. Locate the VM instance
  2. Scroll to the bottom of the card
  3. Click the Snapshots Button
  4. Snapshot management interface opens

Creating a Snapshot

  1. Click Create Snapshot button
  2. Enter snapshot name
  3. Add description (optional)
  4. Click Create
  5. Snapshot creation begins

Snapshot Benefits

  • Point-in-time backups
  • Quick recovery from issues
  • Clone instances from snapshots
  • Disaster recovery preparation
  • Testing without affecting production

Snapshot Operations

  • Create snapshots before major changes
  • List all snapshots for instance
  • Delete old or unused snapshots
  • Schedule automatic snapshots
  • Restore from snapshots
info

Snapshots may incur storage costs. Delete old snapshots to reduce costs.

Performance Monitoring​

Accessing Monitoring​

From the VM Card

  1. Locate the VM instance
  2. Scroll to the bottom of the card
  3. Click the Monitoring Button
  4. Performance metrics dashboard opens

Key Metrics

  • CPU Usage: Percentage of CPU utilized
  • Memory: RAM usage in GB
  • Network: Data in/out throughput
  • Disk: Storage usage and I/O operations
  • Uptime: How long instance has been running

Performance Analysis

  • View real-time metrics
  • Review historical trends
  • Identify performance issues
  • Plan capacity upgrades
  • Optimize resource allocation

Bulk Operations​

Exporting VM List​

Export as CSV

  1. Click overflow menu (three dots)
  2. Select "Export as CSV"
  3. CSV file downloads to your computer
  4. Open with spreadsheet application
  5. Contains columns: Name, Type, Status, Zone, Organization

Export as JSON

  1. Click overflow menu (three dots)
  2. Select "Export as JSON"
  3. JSON file downloads
  4. Can be imported into other tools
  5. Contains complete instance data

Use Cases for Export

  • Create inventory reports
  • Backup instance metadata
  • Import into other tools
  • Share with team members
  • Document infrastructure
  • Compliance reporting

Filtering and Searching​

Search Functionality​

Quick Search

  1. Locate the search box in filter panel
  2. Type instance name or organization name
  3. Results filter in real-time
  4. Clear search to reset

Search Operators

  • Search works on instance name
  • Search works on organization name
  • Partial matches supported
  • Case-insensitive search

Status Filtering​

Filter by Status

  1. Click the Status filter dropdown
  2. Choose from options:
    • All Status: Show all instances
    • Running: Show active instances only
    • Stopped: Show powered-off instances
    • Paused: Show paused instances

Provider Filtering​

Filter by Cloud Provider

  1. Click the Type/Provider filter dropdown
  2. Choose from available providers:
    • All Types: Show all providers
    • AWS: Show EC2 instances only
    • GCP: Show Compute Engine instances only
    • Azure: Show Azure VMs only

View Modes​

Card View​

  • Visual cards for each instance
  • Shows key information at a glance
  • Quick action buttons visible
  • Good for fewer instances
  • Intuitive and easy to navigate

Switch to Card View

  1. Click view mode toggle button
  2. Select "Cards" option
  3. Dashboard displays card layout

Table View​

  • Detailed information in columns
  • Shows more data per instance
  • Efficient for many instances
  • Sortable columns
  • Better for dense information

Switch to Table View

  1. Click view mode toggle button
  2. Select "Table" option
  3. Dashboard displays table layout

Filter Toggle​

Showing/Hiding Filters​

Toggle Filter Panel

  1. Click the Filter Button in header
  2. Filter panel slides in/out
  3. Button highlights when filters active

When Filters are Active

  • Filter panel stays visible
  • Your filter selections persist
  • Results update as you change filters
  • Clear filters to reset

Keyboard Shortcuts​

ShortcutAction
EscapeClose detail panel
Click outside panelClose detail panel
Ctrl/Cmd + FFocus search box

Status Reference​

StatusColorMeaningAvailable Actions
RunningGreenInstance is activeStop, Restart, Configure, Delete
StoppedGrayInstance is powered offStart, Delete, Configure
PausedYellowInstance is pausedResume, Delete
TerminatedRedInstance deletedNone (removed from list)

Best Practices​

  1. Monitor Regularly: Check metrics and activity logs
  2. Create Snapshots: Before major configuration changes
  3. Backup Data: Regularly backup important data
  4. Use Filters: Organize instances logically
  5. Document Changes: Keep notes of configuration changes
  6. Review Activity: Check recent activity logs
  7. Plan Ahead: Schedule maintenance windows
  8. Cost Management: Stop unused instances to save costs

Troubleshooting​

Instance Won't Start​

  1. Check instance status in cloud provider console
  2. Verify cloud provider account has available resources
  3. Check network connectivity
  4. Review cloud provider status page
  5. Try refresh and retry

Cannot Connect via SSH​

  1. Verify instance is running
  2. Check security group/firewall rules
  3. Confirm SSH key is correct
  4. Verify network connectivity
  5. Check instance IP address

Operations Taking Too Long​

  1. Wait 1-2 minutes for operation to complete
  2. Refresh dashboard to see updated status
  3. Check cloud provider status page
  4. Try operation again
  5. Contact support if issue persists

Next Steps​