Remote Access

Instances on the OrionVM platform can be remotely accessed using standard SSH and RDP on Unix-based and Windows Servers respectfully. Additionally, Out-of-Band console access is always available as an alternative.

Console Access

Console Access is provided by default for all Instances. While SSH and RDP are preferred for performance reasons, Console Access is always available even if the Instance is otherwise inaccessible.

Windows Server requires initial Console Access to provide a new password, so OrionVM is never made aware of your credentials.

To gain Console Access:

  1. Navigate to the Instances screen under Compute
  2. Click the ⚙ Actions menu beside the target Instance
  3. Click Launch Console

Secure Shell

Linux and FreeBSD Instances can be accessed on first boot with SSH, using your SSH public key.

Adding SSH Keys To Your Account

You can add SSH keys to your user account which are accessible in any organization under the current reseller that you have access. To add a SSH key to your Organization account:

  1. Click your avatar in the top-right corner and select Profile
  2. Choose Public keys from the sidebar
  3. Click Add to bring up the Add popup for SSH keys
  4. Give a descriptive Name to your SSH key, such as id_rsa.pub
  5. Paste your SSH key into the Key box
  6. Click Add, and return to the Instances screen by clicking the OrionVM logo

Adding SSH Keys To Your Organization

You can also add SSH keys to your organization. These keys are accessible to anyone within your organization, and are also visible via the OrionVM API.

  1. Click the drop down menu with your Organization name in the top-right corner and select Settings
  2. Choose Public keys from the sidebar
  3. Click Add to bring up the Add popup for SSH keys
  4. Give a descriptive Name to your SSH key, such as id_rsa.pub
  5. Paste your SSH key into the Key box
  6. Click Add, and return to the Instances screen by clicking the OrionVM logo

Importing SSH Keys Into Instances

Now your SSH public key can be imported into Instances.

  1. If you're creating a new Instance, in the Instances screen under Compute, click the New Instance button
  2. For existing Instances, navigate to the Instances screen under Compute, click the ⚙ Actions menu beside the target Instance, and choose Configure
  3. Click the Add SSH key access.. link in the System column, and choose a key to import.

Availability

If the Instance is running, SSH access will be available within a few seconds on either its Internal Networking or External Networking IP address.

If access isn't available, you may have configured your firewall to block incoming SSH traffic, or you don't have a target network interface to accept requests. Use Console Access to login and diagnose.

Generating an SSH key

Most UNIX and Unix-like operating systems ship with OpenSSH, which includes the ssh-keygen tool for key generation. Refer to the OpenSSH documentation for full details.

An industry standard, high grade SSH key can be generated with the code below into your ~/.ssh directory:

ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C 'my OrionVM instance key'

Remote Desktop Protocol

Windows Server 2019 and Windows Server 2022 Instances are configured to accept RDP connections, but only after a passphrase has been set. After creating a new Windows Server Instance:

  1. Navigate to the Instances screen under Compute, and select Launch Console from the ⚙ Actions menu beside the target Instance
  2. Windows will prompt for a new password to be set. Enter a strong passphrase
  3. Use your Microsoft Remote Desktop client to access your Windows Server Instance with your target passphrase and network IP.