Compute

Instances

In OpenCloud, an Instance is a collection of Compute and Storage Resources. Instance Compute and Volumes are separated because there are unique actions that can be taken on each part.

Instance Compute information is located on the Compute > Instances Tab.
Volumes that are attached to the Instance are located on the Storage > Volumes Tab.
There are other ways of viewing the Instance Volumes from inside the Instance details screen.

The Instance list includes an Arch column showing the CPU architecture of each Instance (x86_64 for standard Intel/AMD instances, aarch64 for ARM64 instances).

It is highly recommended that all Windows and Linux Instances install qemu-guest-agent as part of the initial OS configuration process. This agent provides more robust monitoring and reporting of Instance metrics in OpenCloud as well as provides the Instance Snapshot functionality to Windows and Linux Instances. For Windows, this guest agent is part of the VirtIO Tools install. Linux users will need to determine what version is needed for their flavor of Linux.

Overview

Instance Lifecycle

Instances can be in the following states:

Permanent	Temporary
Created Running Stopped Destroyed Expunged	Creating Starting Stopping Expunging

Creating Instances

In OpenCloud, click on Compute > Instances.
Select the Add Instance button at the top of the screen.
A new window will open.
Select the Zone for the Instance.

Available Zones in OpenCloud

Zone Description

us-mi-abh-01 MI05 - Auburn Hills, Michigan

us-co-eng-01 CO01 - Denver, Colorado

Select either the Template or ISO heading to view a list of Templates or ISOs that are available.

An architecture selector will appear at the top of the Template/ISO list. Select the architecture that matches your workload:

Architecture Description

AMD 64 bits (x86_64) Standard x86-64 Instances. Available in all zones.

ARM 64 bits (aarch64) ARM64 Instances.

!!! note "Drivers"
    Instances Templates may need drivers installed. Please refer to the [VirtIO Driver details](#virtio-drivers).

Choose a Compute offering for the Instance. Depending on the type of Instance and what purpose it will serve, choose an offering that makes sense and/or follows best practices. Compute Dense Offerings that start with a CD and Memory Dense Offerings start with a MD. The CPU and RAM for each Offering will be displayed next to the Offering name.
All Templates comes with a 100 GB ROOT disk volume that can be resized after Instance creation. The default ROOT disk size for all Templates is 100 GB as shown below the Compute Offering selection box. There is also an option to Override Root Disk Size to create a ROOT disk larger than 100GB if desired.
Select whether a DATA disk should be attached to the Instance. This first DATA disk is a separate disk that can be the start of a new data storage Volume if needed. There is also an option to forgo adding an additional DATA disk during Instance creation.
To add a Custom Data Disk, select Custom and specify the Disk Size in GB in the box below.

Limits

Each volume has a max size of 5,000 GB
Select the network that should be assigned to the Instance. An IP address will be provided via DHCP or an address that's within the subnet's range can be specifically assigned.
Selecting an SSH Key Pair is optional.

Note

See How-To on SSH Keys for more information on this feature.
At the bottom, there is an option labeled Advanced Mode. Click on the toggle button to show more options.
1. There is a choice of traditional BIOS booting or the more secure UEFI booting. If creating an Instance from a Template, the Template's specific boot method will already be selected.
  
  Warning
  
  Setting the Instance to UEFI or BIOS during creation is important — it cannot be changed afterwards. UEFI is required for Windows 11 and some other OS configurations. UEFI with Secure boot mode is recommended for Instances using vTPM. 
2. Dynamic scaling will be disabled by default and should not be toggled on. 
3. If there are Affinity Groups created already, this new Instance can be added to these groups under the Advanced Mode Options. If not, this part can be left blank. Please refer to the Affinity Groups section for more information.
The last portion of the Instance creation is the area for the name of the Instance. It is strongly recommended to provide a friendly name for the instance here as it will help with identification.

Character Limit

Instance name can only contain ASCII letters 'a' through 'z', the digits '0' through '9', and the hyphen ('-'), must be between 1 and 63 characters long, and can't start or end with "-" and can't start with digit
After filling out all the information, click Launch Instance. The screen will revert to the main Instances window.  
Click on the Instance name in the Instances screen to go into the Instance details.
The list of details in the right window on the Instance details screen can be clicked on such as NICs, Volumes, and Snapshots.

Accessing the Console

The Instance Console allows for direct access the Instance OS.
The Console can be accessed by clicking the View Console button.
The Console should load in a new browser tab and will show the OS screen of the VM. Mouse and Keyboard access will be automatically accessible.
The menu bar of the Console, which is on the left-hand side of the Console screen hidden behind a small tab, contains extra features that can be used with the Console.
The Top option button, represented by an "A" key, contains extra keys that can be selected to send that key, along with others, to the Console screen.
The middle option is a clipboard that can be used to send text directly to whatever empty textbox is selected in the OS.
The bottom option can expand the screen so that the OS window takes up more of the window.

Attaching an ISO

Instances can have ISOs attached. The ISO must be uploaded to OpenCloud before it can be attached.

In OpenCloud, click on Compute > Instances.
Click on the name of the Instance that needs an ISO mounted to go into the Instance details.
At the top right, click on the Attach ISO button.
This will bring up a dropdown menu of ISOs to select. Choose the correct one and then click OK.
The ISO will be attached to the OS using whatever Optical Drive is installed on the OS. Most if not all Templates include an Optical Drive but attaching an ISO should push one down to the Instance if it is missing.
ISOs can also be unattached from the Instance in the same way. Click on the same button to un-attach the ISO.

VirtIO Drivers

The US Signal OpenCloud Templates that are used for Instance creation contain the OpenCloud VirtIO drivers by default, but there may be times when these drivers will need to be installed manually on an Instance. These drivers, much like the VMware Tools drivers, allow for imported Instances to use the best type of OpenCloud disk adapters and vNICs.
If a custom Windows ISO is uploaded to create an Instance, the VirtIO drivers will need to be added to the Windows Installer through the Instance before the Windows Install can continue.
To make sure that the VirtIO drivers are added to a Instance make sure that the Instance is assigned the “Windows PV” OS type in OpenCloud. Once the Instance is made and the Windows software starts the installation process, there may be a point where Windows cannot find the specific disks to install onto.
At this point, the Windows ISO must be detached from the Instance and the VirtIO drivers attached.
Go to the Instance details page and select the Detach ISO option from the top right.
This will detach the Windows ISO from the Instance after hitting OK in the dialog box.
Then, go to the same spot and select Mount ISO .
Select the VirtIO driver ISO to mount. It will be named VirtIO Windows Drivers and will be present in the ISO selection screen. After this ISO has been mounted, switch back to Windows Install and browse for the proper disk drivers. These will be in the following place: viostor/'windows version'/amd64.
Once these drivers are added to the Windows Installer, unmount the VirtIO ISO and switch back to the Windows ISO using the same unmount and mount functions.
The disk that can be used to install Windows should be visible on the install page, and the process can continue.
If an existing Windows Machine needs the VirtIO drivers installed, attach the VirtIO ISO and run the following executable:
1. Virtio-win-guest-tools
This installer will provide the drivers required to use the full feature suite of OpenCloud.

Adding Settings

Instance Settings allow low-level configuration options to be applied. Settings can only be added or changed when the Instance is stopped.

The following Settings are available.

Recommended Settings

These settings should be applied to all Instances for optimal performance.

Setting	Values	Description
`nicAdapter`	`virtio`	Defines the NIC adapter used for the Instance. `virtio` is recommended for all cases. Other supported values: `e1000`, `rtl8139`, `vmxnet3`, `ne2k_pci`. If not set, `virtio` is preferred.
`UEFI`	`LEGACY`, `SECURE`	Specifies the boot method. `SECURE` is recommended and required for Secure Boot. `LEGACY` uses standard UEFI without Secure Boot. Not having this setting present is equivalent to BIOS boot. This setting cannot be changed after the Instance is created — if a change is needed, create a new Instance and migrate data.
`video.hardware`	`virtio`	Enables VirtIO display drivers, allowing resolution changes within the Instance OS. Without this setting, the maximum OS resolution is limited to 800×600.
`rootDiskController`	`virtio`	Enables VirtIO SCSI disk controllers.

Optional Settings

Setting	Values	Description
`cpu.corespersocket`	`<integer>`	Defines the number of VM CPU cores per physical socket.
`virtual.tpm.version`	`2.0`, `1.2`	Enables a virtual TPM (vTPM). `2.0` is the default and recommended version. `1.2` is not supported with the `tpm-crb` model.
`virtual.tpm.model`	`tpm-tis`, `tpm-crb`	Sets the TPM model. `tpm-tis` (TPM Interface Specification) supports both TPM versions. `tpm-crb` (Command-Response Buffer) does not support version 1.2.

vTPM — Recommended Configuration

For most use cases, set virtual.tpm.version=2.0 and virtual.tpm.model=tpm-tis. The Instance boot type should be set to UEFI with SECURE boot mode when using vTPM.

Desktop OS licensing (such as Windows 10/11) is not covered under US Signal's SPLA agreement.

Click on Compute > Instances and click on the Instance.
Click on the Stop Instance button to stop the Instance.
Once stopped, click on Settings.
Click on the Name box, type the setting name, then type the value in the Value box.
Click the Check Mark to add the Setting.
Repeat for any additional Settings, then start the Instance again using the Start Instance button.

How to Enable vTPM

A virtual Trusted Platform Module (vTPM) allows Instances to use TPM-dependent features and other security requirements. vTPM is enabled by adding Instance Settings while the Instance is stopped.

UEFI Required

vTPM requires the Instance boot type to be set to UEFI. Boot type is set during Instance creation and cannot be changed afterwards. If an existing Instance is using BIOS boot, a new Instance must be created with UEFI boot before vTPM can be enabled.

Steps

In OpenCloud, click on Compute > Instances.
Stop the Instance using the Stop Instance button.
Once stopped, click on Settings, then add the following settings:

Setting Value

tpm.version 2.0

tpm.model tpm-tis

Add each setting by typing the name in the Name box, the value in the Value box, and clicking the check mark to save.
Start the Instance again using the Start Instance button.
The vTPM device will be visible to the OS on next boot. For Windows instances, the TPM can be verified in Device Manager or by running tpm.msc.

Info

tpm-tis (TPM Interface Specification) is recommended for most use cases and supports both TPM version 1.2 and 2.0. tpm-crb (Command-Response Buffer) is an alternative but does not support version 1.2. See Adding Settings for the full settings reference.

Attaching Additional Networks

OpenCloud allows Instances to have multiple Networks attached to them. It is possible for an Instance to belong to multiple networks in OpenCloud.

In OpenCloud, click on Compute > Instances.
Click onto the Instance name to enter the Instance details screen.
From this screen, click on the NICs tab.
To add an additional NIC, click on the Add Network to Instance button.
A dialog box will open. Select the Network in question from the drop-down menu.
An additional NIC with a unique MAC address will be attached to the instance. This action will also create a new vNIC inside the OS of the Instance.
From this same NICs tab, NICS can be removed from Instances or set the Default NIC for the Instance.
Click on the small + next to the NIC's Device ID. It will expand the NIC and show its details along with option buttons.
There will be a button to set the selected NIC as Default, which means that it can never be deleted from the Instance and will always be assigned.
There are also options to change the NIC IP settings if necessary.
The red trashcan button will delete the NIC. Only non-Default NICs can be deleted. To delete an old Default NIC that is no longer needed, an additional NIC will need to be added and assigned as the Default for the Instance.

If the Instance OS does not support hot-add of NICs, a reboot may be required.

Changing a Network

It is not possible to change the network attached to a NIC. A 2nd NIC will need to be added and swapped.

In OpenCloud, click on Compute > Instances.
Click onto the Instance name to enter the Instance details screen.
From this screen, click on the NICs tab.
Add an additional NIC, click on the Add Network to Instance button.
Choose the new network and click OK
Click the + sign next to new NIC to expand the details (Device ID will be higher than 0).
Click the icon that looks like a checkmark with a box around it (hovering over you will see Set default NIC) and choose Yes when prompted.
The NIC ordering will change and your new network should now be now Device 0.
Click the + sign next to old NIC to expand the details (Device ID will be higher than 0).
Click the Red Trash Can icon to remove the old NIC

If the Instance OS does not support hot-add of NICs, a reboot may be required.

The above steps assume the Instance only has 1 NIC. Steps will change slightly if you have multiple NICs already

Stopping and Starting

Instances can be stopped or started from the Instance details menu. Stopping an Instance will shut the Instance down and Starting an Instance will power the Instance back on.

In OpenCloud, click on Compute > Instances.
Click on the Instance name to enter into the details of the Instance.
Select Stop Instance from the options in the upper right of the screen.
A dialog box will pop up. There is no need to force the Instance to stop unless it did not respond to previous attempts at stopping. Click OK.
The Instance will then be stopped.
To start the Instance again, click on the Start Instance button.

Stopping Instances from Guest

Stopping instances should be performed from the OpenCloud UI. If an instance is shutdown from within the OS, the HA (High Availability) process will automatically restart the instance.

Reboot an Instance

In OpenCloud, click on Compute and then Instances.
Select the Instance to be rebooted and then select the button that says Reboot Instance in the upper right corner.
Confirm the reboot by clicking OK. The Instance will be rebooted, and an event will be generated in the tasks.

Deleting/Destroying

Note

Once an Instance is deleted, or expunged, it can no longer be recovered. US Signal is also unable to recover deleted Instances.

To totally remove an Instance and free up its resources, an Instance must be Destroyed AND Expunged in OpenCloud.
Once executing the option to Destroy an instance, it is set in the Destroyed State and its Volumes will be retained for 24 hours, keeping the allocated Storage and Compute resources in use. During this time, the Instance can be restored by performing a Restore action.
After 24 hours, the Instance and its Volumes are automatically removed. This process deletes the attached Data Volumes and releases all other resources. After this process occurs, US Signal cannot recover an Instance.
If needed, there is an option to Expunge in the Destroy Instance confirmation screen. This will free up the Storage.
To perform either a Destroy or Expunge operation, go to Compute and then Instances.
Click on the Instance Name in question and enter its details page.
Select the Red Trashcan Destroy Instance button in the upper right corner.
A confirmation dialog box will appear. To remove the Instance immediately, select the Expunge option.
To delete the associated Data Volumes that are attached to the Instance, the Data Volume names will need to be populated in the Data Volumes to be Deleted box. Otherwise, the Data Volumes will not be removed along with the Instance and Root Volume.
The Expunge option will immediately delete the Instance and all of its Root and Data Volumes as long as it is specified in the Data Volumes to be Deleted box. US Signal cannot recover any of this data.
To recover a Destroyed Instance that has NOT been Expunged, click on the Instance name from the list of Instances to go into its details.
Select Recover Instance from the options in the upper right corner.
The Instance will then be recovered in a stopped state and can be powered on again.

Scaling Resources

All Instances in OpenCloud are assigned their resources through what is called a Compute Offering. These are standardized Instance resource builds that define specific CPU and RAM allotments for Instances. These Compute Offerings can range from the small to the exceptionally large.

To see the list of Compute Offerings that are available, go to Service Offerings, > Compute Offerings.
The list here will be the Compute Offerings that are available to Instances.
To change what Computer Offering is assigned to an Instance, first go to Compute > Instances.
At the bottom of the Instance information box on the left-hand side, the current Compute Offering that is assigned to the Instance is listed.
To change the Instance Compute Offering, the Instance must be stopped first.
Once the Instance is stopped, select the Scale Instance option in the upper right corner of the screen.
A dialog box will appear with other Compute Offering choices. Select the new choice and then click Ok.
The process will complete and then the Instance can be started again. Check that its details reflect the newly assigned Compute Offering.

Edit Instance

Instance names, OS types, and the Group that they belong to can be changed after an Instance is created.

In OpenCloud, click on Compute and then Instances
Click on the name of the Instance to be changed.
Inside the Instance details screen, click on Edit Instance in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.
A new screen will appear. The Name of the Instance will be what is reflected in the OpenCloud GUI. The Display Name of the Instance will be what is represented inside the specific Instance's detail screen. Change these to the required Values.
The OS Type of the Instance does matter when dealing with Windows Instances. All Windows Instances should be assigned the Windows PV OS type as this designation will allow the Instance to use the best available drivers for OpenCloud. The OS type can be changed after the Instance is created. It is recommended to stop and start the Instance after the OS type is changed.
If specific Instances need to be assigned to Security Groups within OpenCloud, this screen is also where that Group will be configured. If there are no Security Groups to assign, this space can be left blank.

Viewing Instance Metrics

OpenCloud provides detailed descriptions of CPU, Memory, Disk, and Network usage.

In OpenCloud, click on Compute and then Instances.
Click on the name of the Instance to view.
On the right window of the Instance screen, click on Metrics to see various hourly views of the specific Instance statistics.
The different Resources have explanations next to them in small grey circles that explain what exactly OpenCloud is recording. These statistics can assist when diagnosing Instance performance issues.

Assign an Instance

Instances can be assigned to different Accounts in the Domain or reassigned to another account within a sub-domain.

In OpenCloud, click on Compute and then Instances.
Click on the name of the Instance to be moved.
Click on the Assign Instance to another Account button.

Instance must be stopped before the Assign Instance to another Account button appears.

Fill in the dialog box with the required values:

Field Name	Input	Required/Optional
Account type	Leave this as Account. Projects are not used in OpenCloud	Required
Domain	Set the domain.	Required
Account	Set the account.	Required
Network	Set the Network. Isolated networks are not used in OpenCloud.	Required

Once all of these options are filled out, click Submit. The Instance will then be moved to the new Account/User and Domain.

Requirements for Reassigning Instances

Instances with Instance Snapshots or Volume Snapshots cannot be assigned to other accounts without first removing the snapshots.
Instances must be stopped.
Attached ISOs need to be unmounted.

Instance Delete Protection

Delete Protection prevents an Instance from being accidentally destroyed. When enabled, the Destroy Instance action is blocked until protection is explicitly disabled.

Enable Delete Protection

In OpenCloud, click on Compute and then Instances.
Click on the Instance name to enter its details.
Click the Edit Instance button in the upper right.
Enable the Delete Protection toggle and click OK.

Disable Delete Protection

To destroy a protected Instance, delete protection must be removed first.

In OpenCloud, click on Compute and then Instances.
Click on the Instance name to enter its details.
Click the Edit Instance button in the upper right.
Disable the Delete Protection toggle and click OK.
The Instance can now be destroyed normally.

Reset UserData

In OpenCloud, click on Compute and then Instances.
Make sure the instance is powered off.
Click on Reset Userdata on Instance Icon.
Change the Userdata override slider to Enabled.
Choose either:
1. Stored Userdata - These are created under Instances --> User Data
2. Manual Userdata Entry - You can also manually provide the userdata if needed.
Click Ok

Feature Availability

This feature is only available when using OpenCloud's Network - Services offering. See Network Offerings

Reset SSH Key

In OpenCloud, click on Compute and then Instances.
Make sure the instance is powered off.
Click on Reset SSH key pair Icon.
Select the SSH key you would like to reset the instance with
Click Ok

Feature Availability

This feature is only available when using OpenCloud's Network - Services offering. See Network Offerings

Instance Snapshots

Information for Instance Snapshots can be found here: Instance Snapshots

SSH Key Pairs

OpenCloud supports the use of SSH keys to log into instances for additional security. SSH Keys are unique to each user, and one user connecting to another user's instance cannot log in unless they share their SSH key files.

Create SSH Key

In OpenCloud, click on Compute and then click on Instances and then click on SSH Key Pairs
Click on Create a SSH Key Pair
Fill in the Name Field (Required)
If needed enter the Public Key (Optional)

Note

If public key is set, OpenCloud will register the public key. If nothing is set, OpenCloud will create a new SSH key pair.
If needed change the Domain dropdown (Optional)
Click Ok

Feature Availability

This feature is only available when using OpenCloud's Network - Services offering. See Network Offerings

User-Data and Meta-Data

Feature Availability

User-Data and Meta-Data are only available when using a Network - Services offering. See Network Offerings.

Userdata is a block of content passed to an Instance at boot time. It is most commonly used with cloud-init to automate first-boot configuration — creating users, installing packages, writing files, or running scripts — without any manual interaction.

Metadata is read-only information about the Instance itself (IP address, hostname, instance ID, etc.) that is accessible from within the running OS via a well-known HTTP endpoint.

Registering Userdata

In OpenCloud, click on Compute and then User Data.
Click on Register a Userdata at the top of the page.
A new window will open. Enter the Name, Plain Userdata content, Userdata Parameters, the Domain for the Userdata, and an optional Account.

Note

Userdata content length can be up to 32 KB.
Once a Userdata entry is created it cannot be edited. Create a new entry if changes are needed.
Userdata can be attached to an Instance during creation under Advanced Mode, or reset on an existing stopped Instance using Reset Userdata on Instance.
Userdata can be pre-linked to a Template or ISO using the UserDatatoTemplate API.
If Userdata contains variables, declare them in the Userdata Parameters field. Do not declare parameters for built-in metadata keys such as public_hostname.

Userdata Examples

Userdata is delivered to the Instance as-is. The most common format is a cloud-init cloud-config document (YAML), identified by the #cloud-config header. A plain shell script (starting with #!/bin/bash) is also supported.

Example: Install packages and set hostname

#cloud-config
hostname: web-server-01
package_update: true
packages:
  - nginx
  - curl
  - git
runcmd:
  - systemctl enable nginx
  - systemctl start nginx

Example: Create a user with sudo access and an SSH key

#cloud-config
users:
  - name: deploy
    groups: sudo
    shell: /bin/bash
    sudo: ['ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD:ALL']
    ssh_authorized_keys:
      - ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAADAQABAAAB... [email protected]

Example: Write a file and run a script on first boot

#cloud-config
write_files:
  - path: /etc/myapp/config.ini
    content: |
      [settings]
      env=production
      debug=false
    owner: root:root
    permissions: '0644'
runcmd:
  - /usr/local/bin/setup.sh

Example: Shell script

#!/bin/bash
apt-get update -y
apt-get install -y apache2
systemctl enable apache2
systemctl start apache2
echo "Deployed on $(hostname)" > /var/www/html/index.html

Example: Windows (Cloudbase-Init)

On Windows Instances, Cloudbase-Init is the equivalent of cloud-init. It reads Userdata at first boot and executes it based on the content type.

Cloudbase-Init must be installed in the template

Cloudbase-Init is included in US Signal-provided Windows templates. If using a custom Windows template, Cloudbase-Init must be installed before Userdata will be processed.

PowerShell script — the most common format. Use the #ps1_sysnative header to ensure the script runs in 64-bit PowerShell:

#ps1_sysnative

# Rename the computer
Rename-Computer -NewName "web-server-01" -Force

# Create a local administrator account
$Password = ConvertTo-SecureString "ChangeMe123!" -AsPlainText -Force
New-LocalUser -Name "deploy" -Password $Password -FullName "Deploy User" -Description "Deployment account"
Add-LocalGroupMember -Group "Administrators" -Member "deploy"

# Install IIS
Install-WindowsFeature -Name Web-Server -IncludeManagementTools

# Write a default page
Set-Content -Path "C:\inetpub\wwwroot\index.html" -Value "<h1>Deployed via Userdata</h1>"

Batch script — use the rem cmd header for .bat-style scripts:

rem cmd
net user deploy ChangeMe123! /add
net localgroup Administrators deploy /add

Warning

Avoid hardcoding passwords in Userdata. Use Userdata variables or a secrets management solution to inject credentials at deploy time.

Accessing Meta-Data from Inside an Instance

OpenCloud exposes instance metadata via a local HTTP endpoint accessible from within the Instance OS. This is compatible with the AWS EC2 metadata service format.

Metadata endpoint:

http://169.254.169.254/latest/meta-data/

Common metadata keys:

Path	Description
`instance-id`	The unique Instance ID
`hostname`	The Instance hostname as known to OpenCloud
`local-ipv4`	The primary private IP address of the Instance
`public-ipv4`	The public IP address (if assigned)
`public-keys/`	Registered SSH public keys
`service-offering`	The compute offering name
`availability-zone`	The zone the Instance is deployed in

Example — retrieve the instance ID from inside a Linux Instance:

curl http://169.254.169.254/latest/meta-data/instance-id

Example — retrieve all available metadata keys:

curl http://169.254.169.254/latest/meta-data/

Note

Metadata is only accessible from within the Instance itself and only on Network - Services networks. It is not accessible externally.

Affinity Groups

Affinity Groups enforce instances to run on the same host or different hosts in the underlying infrastructure. This feature allows Users to specify the affinity group to which an Instance should belong and operate under.

Instances with an “Anti-Affinity” group will not live on the same host.
Instances with an “Affinity” group will live on the same host.

Affinity Groups are defined at the Account level.

Affinity Groups can be attached to Instances when they are created. Affinity Groups can also be changed on Instances from existing Instances, but the Instance must be stopped before the Affinity Group can be changed.

Create New Group

In OpenCloud, click on Compute and then Affinity Groups.
Click on Add new Affinity Group
A dialog box will pop up. Fill out the name of the group, the description, and then the type.

Add during Instance Creation

During Instance creation, one of the advanced options is to assign an Instance to an Affinity Group. Entering the Advanced Options menu will allow the Instance to be added to the Affinity Group upon completion.
Once the Instance is created, it will belong to the Affinity Group assigned to it.
The Instance will show what affinity group it belongs to in the Instance details.

Add/Change Existing Instances

To use new Affinity Groups on existing instances, the instance must be stopped first.

In OpenCloud, click on Compute and then Instances
Click on the Instance name to go into the Instance details.
On the Instance menu screen, select the Stop Instance button.
A dialog box will come up asking to confirm. Clicking OK will start the process.
Once the Instance is shut down, the option Change Affinity will appear on the list of options in the upper right.
Click on this button to bring up a list of affinity groups. Select the one that should be added to the Instance and click Ok.
Once the Affinity Group has been set, the Instance will reflect that new assignment.
The Instance can then be started again.

View Members

In OpenCloud, click on Compute and then Affinity Groups.
Click on the Affinity Group name to bring up its details.
Inside of the Affinity Group window, click on View Instances to see what instances are assigned to the rule.

Delete Group

In OpenCloud, click on Compute and then Affinity Groups.
Select the group to delete by clicking the box next to the group name and then click on the red “Delete” button.
A dialog window will pop up asking for confirmation. Click OK.
All Instances associated with this affinity group will be disassociated after it is deleted.

Usage

OpenCloud tracks resource consumption across Instances, Volumes, Networks, and other resources. Usage records are viewable directly in the UI under Tools > Usage.

Usage records show the resource type, the account it belongs to, the start and end time of consumption, and the offering associated with it. This is useful for auditing resource utilization across accounts and domains.

Note

Usage data is updated periodically and may not reflect real-time consumption.

Webhooks

Webhooks allow OpenCloud to send real-time event notifications to an external URL when specific events occur, such as an Instance being created, stopped, or destroyed.

Add a Webhook

In OpenCloud, click on Tools > Webhooks.
Click Add Webhook.

Fill in the required fields:

Field	Description
Name	A friendly name for the webhook
URL	The external endpoint that will receive the event payload
Secret Key	Optional. Used to sign the payload so the receiving system can verify it came from OpenCloud.
SSL Verification	Enable to verify the SSL certificate of the target URL. Disable only for self-signed certificate endpoints.

Click OK. The webhook will begin receiving events immediately.

Manage Webhooks

In OpenCloud, click on Tools > Webhooks.
Click on the webhook name to view its details, including delivery history and recent payloads.
Use the Edit button to update the webhook configuration.
Use the Delete button to remove the webhook.

!!! note “Event Payload Format” Webhook payloads are delivered as JSON via HTTP POST. The payload contains the event type, the resource affected, and relevant metadata.

Zone	Description
us-mi-abh-01	MI05 - Auburn Hills, Michigan
us-co-eng-01	CO01 - Denver, Colorado

Architecture	Description
AMD 64 bits (x86_64)	Standard x86-64 Instances. Available in all zones.
ARM 64 bits (aarch64)	ARM64 Instances.

Setting	Value
`tpm.version`	`2.0`
`tpm.model`	`tpm-tis`