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This document guides the cloud users how to create a basic Virtual Machine (VM) instance, configure remote access, and attach external datastore.

Step 1. Log in to Cloud Dashboard & External Datastore

  • (Fig. 1-1) Log in to Cloud Dashboard with the provided account information
  • (Fig. 1-2) Also confirm the same account information works for External Datastore

Fig. 1-1 Cloud Dashboard : https://cloud.kasi.re.kr

Fig. 1-2 External Datastore (1TB per user) : https://210.219.33.249

User passwords do NOT synchronize automatically between the two systems, i.e., you should manage the password for each system manually.

Step 2. Import Public Key or Create a Key Pair 

  • (Fig. 2-1) Go to Project → Compute → Key Pairs of Cloud Dashboard main menu.
  • Import the SSH public key (which you pasted to the account sign-up form) or Create another key pair.
  • It is recommended to set the Key Pair Name identical to your Cloud username.

Fig. 2-1 Key Pairs

Step 3. Create a VM instance

  • (Fig. 3-A) Go to Project → Cluster Infra → KASI Cluster Templates menu.

  • (Fig. 3-B) Find KASI-SingleVM template and click Lauch Cluster Stack button. Choose Next to go to Launch Cluster menu.

  • (Fig. 3-C) Put a Stack Name and the Password for user. Select an OS Image (e.g., ubuntu-20.04-cloudimg), Flavor (e.g., C2M2D20 = 2 CPUs, 2 GB RAM, 20 GB OS drive), Network (default: kasi-user-network), and SSH Keys.

  • Put a Temporary one-time password for root account, and click Launch button.

    WARNING: The intial password may be exposed to other users. You MUST change the password to a secure one right after logging in to the console for the first time.

Fig. 3-A Cluster Template

Fig. 3-B Select KASI-SingleVM Template

Fig. 3-C Launch Cluster

Step 4. Configure the VM instance for remote desktop & external datastore

  • (Fig. 4-A) Go to Project → Compute → Instances menu, and check your VM instance is Running in Power State. From the Actions drop-down list, choose Console.

  • (Fig. 4-B) Click on the black console screen, and type in root as username and temporary password you set in the previous step.

  • Change the root password and update the OS. Create a user account (recommended). Install desktop environment and remote desktop server.

    (Cmd. 4-1) configure VM instance : remote desktop
    ### Change root password
$ passwd
### Update OS
$ apt update && apt -y dist-upgrade
### Create a user account (recommended) : adduser {username}
$ adduser kasi-user
### Grant sudo privilege to the user : usermod -aG sudo {username}
$ usermod -aG sudo kasi-user
### Install dekstop environment (minimal installation is recommended)
$ apt -y install xfce4 --no-install-recommends
### Install remote desktop server (RDP)
$ apt -y install xrdp
### Reboot
$ reboot

  • (Fig. 4-C) After reboot, log in to the console with the user account, and configure SMB client to mount user's external datastore.

    (Cmd. 4-2) configure VM instance : external datastore
    ### Install required pacakges : cifs-utils, smbclient
$ sudo apt -y install cifs-utils smbclient
### Create a mount directory
$ mkdir NAS
### Mount external datastore : mount.cifs -o rw,uid={user id},gid={group id},username={NAS user} {NAS address} {mount directory}
$ sudo mount.cifs -o rw,uid=kasi-user,gid=kasi-user,username=kasi-user //210.219.33.249/home NAS
### For more options : man mount.cifs
### Check if external datastore is mounted and the user has write permission
$ df -H ; ls -l
### DO NOT forget to log out
$ exit

    You can also mount the external datastore to your local desktop as a network drive : e.g., \\210.219.33.249\home (Windows file manager, address bar), smb://210.219.33.249/home (macOS finder, Go → Connect to Server)

    WARNING: NEVER leave the console screen logged in. Other users CAN access your console.

Fig. 4-A Find your VM instance

Fig. 4-B First-time console log-in (as root)

Fig. 4-C Complete VM configuration and LOG OUT

Step 5. Remote access to VM instances via SSH tunneling

  • Prepare the SSH keys (the same ones you registered in sign-up form). If you want to use another key pair for remote access, e-mail the SSH public key file to Administrator(chr@kasi.re.kr).

  • (Fig. 5-A) Go to Project → Compute → Instances menu, and find from the instance list :
    • private IP address (e.g., 10.0.X.X) of your VM instance
    • public IP address (e.g., 210.219.33.X) of project gateway (e.g., User Project Gateway)

  • Install Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) client software to your local computer, and set up the remote connection.

    • (Fig. 5-B) If RDP clients support SSH tunneling – remmina (Linux), MobaXterm (Windows), configure RDP session as follows:
      • Remote host address (10.0.X.X) : VM instance private IP (port 3389)
      • Remote host username : user account you created (root is NOT recommended)
      • SSH gateway address (210.219.33.X) : project gateway public IP (port 7774)
      • SSH gateway username : kasi

    • If RDP clients do not support tunneling – CoRD (Mac), Microsoft Remote Desktop (Mac), create a SSH tunneling port in your local desktop first, and connect through the local tunneling port. 

      • SSH tunnel should be kept alive during remote access (i.e., do NOT interrupt the ssh command or close the terminal)

        (Cmd. 5-1) create local RDP port for SSH tunnel
        ### SSH tunneling : ssh -i {private key} -N -L {local RDP port}:{VM instance private ip}:{RDP port = 3389} {tunneling id = kasi}@{gateway ip} -p {ssh port = 7774}
### Local RDP port is set to 12345 for the following example, but you can use different port number
$ ssh -N -L 12345:10.0.100.42:3389 kasi@210.219.33.122 -p 7774  
### Open RDP client and set the server address to localhost:12345, or use command (if supported) : $ open rdp://localhost:12345
  • (Fig. 5-C) Connect to the RDP host. If everthing (e.g., desktop environment, external datastore,...) works fine, you're all set.

Fig. 5-A Find public IP of project gateway instance

Fig. 5-B RDP client configuration (MobaXterm)

Fig. 5-C Remote dekstop connected to VM instance

Step 6. Shut off (or Delete) Instance when you're done

Reminder : User Agreement #1 you signed 

KASI Science Cloud is a shared computing infrastructure designed for on-demand requests from many concurrent research projects. Users should not hold unnecessary resources or leave inactive tasks to preoccupy their group's quota.

  • Shut off Instance, once your daily activities are over and VM instance is to remain idle :
    • by the shell command (e.g., $ sudo poweroff) or 
    • (Fig. 6-A) by Dashboard action : Shut off Instance from the Actions drop-down list (Project → Compute → Instances menu)
    • OS drive of the VM will be saved and can be restarted anytime by choosing Start Instance from the Actions drop-down list.
  • Delete Instance, if you do not want to keep the VM's resources anymore :
    • (Fig. 6-B) choose Delete Instance from the Actions drop-down list.
    • OS drive of the VM will be erased and you have to re-create the VM instance from Step 3 above.

Fig. 6-A Shut off Instance

Fig. 6-B Delete Instances


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