How to launch an instance using the DreamCompute dashboard

This article explains how to launch a new instance on DreamCompute within your panel.

1. Navigate to the DreamCompute page and log into your DreamCompute dashboard.
2. On the top left, click the Compute tab.
3. From the expanded list, click 'Instances'.

   The dashboard shows any existing instances with their information.

4. Click the 'Launch Instance' button on the top right.

   A 'Launch Instance' pop-up box displays.

5. In the 'Launch Instance' box, click through several tabs to specify which kind of instance you wish to create.

Instance Name

Assign a name to the virtual machine.

The name you assign becomes the initial hostname of the instance. If the name is longer than 63 characters, the Compute service truncates it automatically to ensure dnsmasq works correctly.

If you change the hostname directly after the instance is built, the name is not updated in the dashboard.

instance names are not guaranteed to be unique when created so it's possible that two instances with the same hostname can exist.

Availability Zone

Currently the only zone in which DreamCompute instances can be launched is iad-2 which is located in DreamHost's Ashburn, Virginia, USA data center.

Count

To launch multiple instances, enter a value greater than the default value of 1.

Select Boot Source (4 options)

There are four options for boot source:

• Image
• Instance Snapshot
• Volume
• Volume Snapshot

Image (select to create a new instance)

Select this option if you want to use a DreamHost curated image or if you have uploaded your own image. Once selected, a list of available images appears at the bottom that you can use to create your new instance from. (For example, Debian, Fedora, Ubuntu, CentOS, etc.)

Click the button to the right of the image to select it. If you choose to 'Create New Volume' (which is the default option), make sure to also:

• Enter a 'Volume Size' (otherwise your volume will default to the minimum required size of the image you select).
• Choose if you'd like the volume deleted when you delete the instance.

Instance snapshot

Select this option if you have an existing 'Instance Snapshot' from an existing or previous instance. Once selected, a list of available snapshots appears at the bottom that you can use to create a new instance from.

Click the button to the right of the image to select it. If you choose to 'Create New Volume' (which is the default option), make sure to also:

1. Enter a 'Volume Size' that matches the size of your 'Instance Snapshot'.
2. Choose if you'd like the volume deleted when you delete the instance.

Volume

Select this option if you have an existing Volume you would like to create an instance form. Once selected, a list of available volumes is displayed. Click the button to the right of the volume to select it. Make sure to also choose if you would like the volume deleted when you delete the instance.

Volume Snapshot

Select this option is you have an existing “Volume Snapshot” that you would like to create an instance from. Once selected, a list of available volume snapshots is displayed. Click the button to the right of the volume snapshot to select it. Make sure to also choose if you would like the volume deleted when you delete the instance.

Three configuration options

Depending on which of these dropdown options you select, you may see up to three additional options for managing your instance’s boot source:

• Create New Volume
• Volume Size (GB)
• Delete Volume on Instance Delete

Create New Volume

The "Create New Volume" option determines whether your instance uses an 80 GB ephemeral boot disk or a volume boot disk of your chosen size. View the following article for further details.

• What's the difference between ephemeral and volume boot disks?

Volume Size

The "Volume Size (GB)" option determines the size of your volume boot disk.

Delete Volume on Instance Delete

The "Delete Volume on Instance Delete" option determines whether or not the volume boot disk is deleted when you delete the instance. By default, this is set to "No" (which is recommended). This allows you to delete the instance and use the existing volume as the boot source of a new instance.

Specify the size of the instance to launch. Click the symbol to the right to add it.

The 'Total Disk' value of 80 GB is only applicable if you do not create a new volume.

You can change the flavor of an instance after launching it to increase or decrease the resources available to the instance. For more information, see the following article:

• How to change the resource limits of a DreamCompute instance

If you have enabled 'Private Networking', you must specify which network you want the instance to be associated with. If you have not enabled private networking, your instance uses the public network by default and this tab can be ignored.

The default security group is automatically assigned to the instance, but if you want to remove the default security group and add other groups, you can do so by using the up and down arrow symbols.

You can change which security groups are associated with an instance after launching it to alter the network accessibility of the instance. View the following article for further details:

• Configuring security groups

Each instance can only be assigned a single Key Pair. When you originally launch an instance you can select the Key Pair you wish to use with the new instance.

It is not possible within the DreamCompute panel to change the Key Pair assigned to an instance after the instance is created. Make sure to assign the correct Key Pair when originally creating the instance.

If you have already created and added your public SSH key, it displays here. Click the UP arrow to move the existing key under the Allocated section.

If a key has not been created already, you can choose to 'Create Key Pair' or 'Import Key Pair'. Each instance you launch is accessible by SSH via key-based authentication. Once you upload your public key, you can use password-less logins with the default user for your image.

If you don't already have an SSH key, view the following article for help creating/importing one:

• How to create a Key Pair

When finished entering all of your settings, click the Launch Instance button on the bottom right.

If any of the tabs mentioned above still contain a * symbol next to them, the "Launch Instance" button is not clickable.

When the instance is created, you can connect to it using your SSH Key pair. View the following article for instructions on how to connect:

• Connect to your instance with ssh keys overview