Cloud Servers

Cloud servers are virtual machine instances that run your applications and workloads in Aruba Cloud.

Command Syntax

acloud compute cloudserver <command> [flags] [arguments]

Available Commands

create

Create a new cloud server instance.

Syntax:

acloud compute cloudserver create [flags]

Required Flags:

• --name <string> - Name for the cloud server
• --region <string> - Region code (e.g., ITBG-Bergamo)
• --flavor <string> - Flavor name (e.g., small, medium, large)
• --image <string> - Image ID or name
• --vpc-uri <string> - VPC URI (e.g., /projects/{project-id}/providers/Aruba.Network/vpcs/{vpc-id})
• --subnet-uri <stringSlice> - Subnet URI(s) (comma-separated)
• --security-group-uri <stringSlice> - Security Group URI(s) (comma-separated)

Optional Flags:

• --project-id <string> - Project ID (uses context if not specified)
• --keypair <string> - Key pair name for SSH access
• --tags <stringSlice> - Tags (comma-separated)
• --user-data-file <string> - Path to cloud-init YAML file (will be base64 encoded)
• --elasticip-uri <string> - Elastic IP URI (optional)
• --billing-period <string> - Billing period: Hour, Month, Year (optional, default: Hour)

Example:

acloud compute cloudserver create \
  --name "web-server" \
  --region "ITBG-Bergamo" \
  --flavor "small" \
  --image "ubuntu-22.04" \
  --keypair "my-keypair" \
  --tags "production,web" \
  --user-data-file "/path/to/cloud-init.yaml"

Note: The --user-data-file flag accepts a path to a cloud-init YAML file. The file content will be automatically base64 encoded and included in the cloud server creation request. This allows you to configure the server during initialization using cloud-init scripts.

list

List all cloud servers in the project.

Syntax:

acloud compute cloudserver list [flags]

Optional Flags:

• --project-id <string> - Project ID (uses context if not specified)

Example:

acloud compute cloudserver list

Output: The command displays a table with the following columns:

• NAME
• ID
• LOCATION
• FLAVOR
• STATUS

get

Get detailed information about a specific cloud server.

Syntax:

acloud compute cloudserver get <server-id> [flags]

Arguments:

• <server-id> - The ID of the cloud server

Optional Flags:

• --project-id <string> - Project ID (uses context if not specified)
• --verbose - Show detailed JSON output

Example:

acloud compute cloudserver get 69495ef64d0cdc87949b71ec

Output: The command displays detailed information including:

• ID and URI
• Name and region
• Flavor details (CPU, RAM, HD)
• Image information
• Key pair (if configured)
• Status
• Creation date and creator
• Tags

update

Update a cloud server's properties (name, tags).

Syntax:

acloud compute cloudserver update <server-id> [flags]

Arguments:

• <server-id> - The ID of the cloud server

Optional Flags:

• --project-id <string> - Project ID (uses context if not specified)
• --name <string> - New name for the cloud server
• --tags <stringSlice> - New tags (comma-separated)

Example:

acloud compute cloudserver update 69495ef64d0cdc87949b71ec \
  --name "web-server-updated" \
  --tags "production,web,updated"

Note: At least one of --name or --tags must be provided.

delete

Delete a cloud server instance.

Syntax:

acloud compute cloudserver delete <server-id> [flags]

Arguments:

• <server-id> - The ID of the cloud server

Optional Flags:

• --project-id <string> - Project ID (uses context if not specified)
• --yes, -y - Skip confirmation prompt

Example:

acloud compute cloudserver delete 69495ef64d0cdc87949b71ec --yes

power-on

Power on a cloud server.

Syntax:

acloud compute cloudserver power-on <server-id> [flags]

Arguments:

• <server-id> - The ID of the cloud server

Optional Flags:

• --project-id <string> - Project ID (uses context if not specified)

Example:

acloud compute cloudserver power-on 69495ef64d0cdc87949b71ec

Output:

Cloud server powered on successfully!
Server: web-server
Status: Active

power-off

Power off a cloud server.

Syntax:

acloud compute cloudserver power-off <server-id> [flags]

Arguments:

• <server-id> - The ID of the cloud server

Optional Flags:

• --project-id <string> - Project ID (uses context if not specified)

Example:

acloud compute cloudserver power-off 69495ef64d0cdc87949b71ec

Output:

Cloud server powered off successfully!
Server: web-server
Status: Stopped

set-password

Set or change the password for a cloud server.

Syntax:

acloud compute cloudserver set-password <server-id> [flags]

Arguments:

• <server-id> - The ID of the cloud server

Required Flags:

• --password <string> - New password for the cloud server

Optional Flags:

• --project-id <string> - Project ID (uses context if not specified)

Example:

acloud compute cloudserver set-password 69495ef64d0cdc87949b71ec --password "MySecurePassword123!"

Output:

Cloud server password set successfully!
Server ID: 69495ef64d0cdc87949b71ec

Security Note: Passwords provided via command line flags may be visible in process lists and shell history. Consider using environment variables or secure password management tools.

connect

Get SSH connection information for a cloud server with an Elastic IP.

Syntax:

acloud compute cloudserver connect <server-id> [flags]

Arguments:

• <server-id> - The ID of the cloud server

Required Flags:

• --user <string> - SSH username (required - see below for image-specific users)

Optional Flags:

• --project-id <string> - Project ID (uses context if not specified)

SSH Username by Image Type: The SSH username depends on the image/template used when creating the cloud server:

• Ubuntu/Debian images: Use ubuntu
• CentOS/RHEL images: Use centos or root
• Other Linux distributions: Typically root, but check the image documentation
• Windows images: Not applicable (use RDP instead)

For detailed information about accessing Cloud Servers and default users, see the Aruba Cloud Knowledge Base.

Example:

# For Ubuntu/Debian images
acloud compute cloudserver connect 69495ef64d0cdc87949b71ec --user ubuntu

# For CentOS/RHEL images
acloud compute cloudserver connect 69495ef64d0cdc87949b71ec --user centos

Output: The command will:

1. Get the cloud server details
2. Check for an Elastic IP in linked resources
3. Retrieve the Elastic IP address
4. Print the SSH connection command

Connect by running: ssh ubuntu@203.0.113.42

Note:

• The cloud server must have an Elastic IP linked to use this command. If no Elastic IP is found, the command will display an error message.
• The --user flag is required. If not provided or set to <user>, the command will display an error with guidance on common SSH users.

Auto-completion

The CLI provides auto-completion for cloud server IDs:

acloud compute cloudserver get <TAB>
acloud compute cloudserver update <TAB>
acloud compute cloudserver delete <TAB>
acloud compute cloudserver power-on <TAB>
acloud compute cloudserver power-off <TAB>
acloud compute cloudserver set-password <TAB>
acloud compute cloudserver connect <TAB>

Common Workflows

Launching a New Server

1. Create a key pair (if needed):

   acloud compute keypair create --name "my-keypair" --public-key "$(cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub)"

2. Create the cloud server:

   acloud compute cloudserver create \
     --name "app-server" \
     --region "ITBG-Bergamo" \
     --flavor "medium" \
     --image "your-image-id" \
     --keypair "my-keypair" \
     --user-data-file "/path/to/cloud-init.yaml"

3. Wait for the server to be ready and check status:

   acloud compute cloudserver get <server-id>

Updating Server Metadata

# Update server name and tags
acloud compute cloudserver update <server-id> \
  --name "new-name" \
  --tags "production,updated"

Listing and Filtering Servers

# List all servers
acloud compute cloudserver list

# Use grep to filter by name or tags
acloud compute cloudserver list | grep "production"

Managing Server Power State

# Power off a server
acloud compute cloudserver power-off <server-id>

# Power on a server
acloud compute cloudserver power-on <server-id>

# Check server status
acloud compute cloudserver get <server-id>

Setting Server Password

# Set or change server password
acloud compute cloudserver set-password <server-id> --password "NewPassword123!"

# Using environment variable for better security
acloud compute cloudserver set-password <server-id> --password "$SERVER_PASSWORD"

Connecting to a Server via SSH

# Get SSH connection command (user is required)
# For Ubuntu/Debian images
acloud compute cloudserver connect <server-id> --user ubuntu

# For CentOS/RHEL images
acloud compute cloudserver connect <server-id> --user centos

# The command will output: "Connect by running: ssh user@ip-address"

Important: The SSH username depends on the image/template used. Common defaults:

• Ubuntu/Debian: ubuntu
• CentOS/RHEL: centos or root
• Other Linux: root (check image documentation)

See the Aruba Cloud Knowledge Base for detailed information about accessing Cloud Servers.

Best Practices

• Naming: Use descriptive names that indicate the server's purpose (e.g., web-server-prod, db-server-staging)
• Tags: Use tags to organize servers by environment, project, or team
• Flavors: Choose appropriate flavors based on your workload requirements
• Key Pairs: Always use key pairs for SSH access instead of passwords
• Monitoring: Check server status before performing operations
• Cleanup: Delete unused servers to avoid unnecessary costs

Related Resources

• Key Pairs - Manage SSH key pairs for server access
• Network Resources - Configure networking and security groups
• Storage Resources - Attach block storage volumes