Version: Next

Cloud Server Example

This example demonstrates how to provision a new cloud server using the CLI with all required networking flags.

Step 0: List Available VPCs

First, determine which VPC you want to use for your cloud server. List all available VPCs with:

acloud network vpc list

Example output:

NAME       ID                        REGION         SUBNETS    STATUS
prova      689307f4745108d3c6343b5a  ITBG-Bergamo   5          Active
test-cli   69495ef64d0cdc87949b71ec  ITBG-Bergamo   0          Active

Choose a VPC with STATUS as Active and note its ID for the next step.

Step 1: Retrieve the VPC URI and Status

Before provisioning a cloud server, ensure your VPC is already created and its status is Active.

Run the following command to get the VPC URI and check its status:

acloud network vpc get {vpc-id} | grep -E "URI|Status"

Example output:

URI:             /projects/68398923fb2cb026400d4d31/providers/Aruba.Network/vpcs/69495ef64d0cdc87949b71ec
Status:          Active

Note: Only proceed if the status is Active. If not, wait until the VPC becomes active before continuing.

Step 2: List or Create a Subnet in the VPC

After selecting your VPC, you need a subnet within it. You can list existing subnets for the VPC or create a new one.

To list subnets in your chosen VPC, use the VPC ID:

acloud network subnet list {vpc-id}

Example output:

NAME                       ID                         REGION         CIDR             STATUS
test-cli                   694ba1737712ac0032dbe50a   ITBG-Bergamo   192.168.0.0/24   Active
test-cli-new               694ba7437712ac0032dbe566   ITBG-Bergamo   192.168.1.0/24   Active
test-cli-new2              694ba7977712ac0032dbe571   ITBG-Bergamo   192.168.2.0/24   Active
e2e-test-1766569838-subnet 694bb7767712ac0032dbe5fc   ITBG-Bergamo   192.168.3.0/24   Active
e2e-test-1766570350-subnet 694bb9767712ac0032dbe640   ITBG-Bergamo   192.168.4.0/24   Active

Choose a subnet with STATUS as Active and note its ID and CIDR. If no suitable subnet exists, create a new one using the CLI (see documentation for subnet creation).

Step 3: Extract the Subnet URI

Once you have chosen a subnet, extract its URI for use in the provisioning command. Run:

acloud network subnet get <vpc-id> <subnet-id> | grep URI

Example:

acloud network subnet get 69495ef64d0cdc87949b71ec 694ba1737712ac0032dbe50a | grep URI

Example output:

URI:             /projects/68398923fb2cb026400d4d31/providers/Aruba.Network/vpcs/69495ef64d0cdc87949b71ec/subnets/694ba1737712ac0032dbe50a

Note: Save this URI for the cloud server provisioning step.

Step 4: List or Create a Security Group in the VPC

After selecting your subnet, you need a security group within the same VPC. You can list existing security groups or create a new one.

To list security groups in your chosen VPC, use the VPC ID:

acloud network securitygroup list 69495ef64d0cdc87949b71ec

Example output:

NAME                       ID                         REGION         STATUS
test-cli                   694b05ac4d0cdc87949b75f9   ITBG-Bergamo   Active
e2e-test-1766569838-sg     694bb7817712ac0032dbe604   ITBG-Bergamo   Active
e2e-test-1766570350-sg     694bb9817712ac0032dbe648   ITBG-Bergamo   Active

Choose a security group with STATUS as Active and note its ID. If no suitable security group exists, create a new one using the CLI (see documentation for security group creation).

Step 5: Extract the Elastic IP URI (if using public access)

If you chose an Elastic IP, extract its URI for use in the provisioning command. Run:

acloud network elasticip get <elasticip-id> | grep URI

Example:

acloud network elasticip get 694bb7897712ac0032dbe60c | grep URI

Example output:

URI:             /projects/68398923fb2cb026400d4d31/providers/Aruba.Network/elasticIps/694bb7897712ac0032dbe60c

Note: Save this URI for the cloud server provisioning step. Skip this step if you do not need public access.

Step 6: Create a Bootable Block Storage

If you want to create a bootable block storage volume (for example, to use a custom image), use the following command. The --region and --zone flags are required:

acloud storage blockstorage create \
  --name boot-ubuntu \
  --region ITBG-Bergamo \
  --zone itbg1-a \
  --set-bootable \
  --billing-period Hour \
  --size 20 \
  --tags boot \
  --type Performance \
  --image LU22-001

Example output:

Block storage created successfully!
ID:              697b389bce7dfeef91532563
Name:            boot-ubuntu
Size (GB):       20
Type:            Performance
Zone:            
Region:          ITBG-Bergamo
Status:          InCreation
Creation Date:   29-01-2026 10:38:19

Note:

The --region and --zone flags are required.

Use --set-bootable to ensure the volume is created as bootable (required when using the --image flag).

Replace LU22-001 with the desired image code.

Adjust other parameters as needed for your use case.

List of Available Images for Bootable Block Storage

Below are some of the available image codes you can use with the --image flag when creating a bootable block storage. For the full and up-to-date list, see the official ArubaCloud API documentation.

Image Code	Description	OS Flavor
alma8	AlmaLinux 8 64bit	Linux
alma9	AlmaLinux 9 64bit	Linux
DE11-001	Debian 11 64bit	Linux
DE12-001	Debian 12 64bit	Linux
LU20-001	Ubuntu 20.04 64bit	Linux
LU22-001	Ubuntu 22.04 64bit	Linux
LU24-001	Ubuntu 24.04 64bit	Linux
osuse15_2_x64_1_0	openSUSE 15 64bit	Linux
WS19-001_W2K19_1_0	Windows Server 2019	Windows
WS22-001_W2K22_1_0	Windows Server 2022	Windows

Note: Use the value in the "Image Code" column with the --image flag. For example: --image LU22-001 for Ubuntu 22.04.

Step 7: List or Create an Active Keypair

Before creating your cloud server, you need an active keypair. You can list existing keypairs and select one with status Active, or create a new one if needed.

To list keypairs:

acloud compute keypair list

Example output:

NAME       ID                        PUBLIC_KEY                                         STATUS
amedeo     69007ebf4e7d691466d8621e  ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAADAQABAAABgQCzZB11JRK... Active

Choose a keypair with STATUS as Active and note its ID or NAME. If no suitable keypair exists, create a new one:

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

After creation, verify the new keypair is Active using the list command above.

To extract the keypair URI for use in the provisioning command:

acloud compute keypair get <keypair-id> | grep URI

Example output:

URI:             /projects/68398923fb2cb026400d4d31/providers/Aruba.Compute/keyPairs/69007ebf4e7d691466d8621e

Note: Save this URI for the --keypair-uri flag in the next step.

Step 8: Extract the Boot Disk URI

After creating your bootable block storage, extract its URI to use as the --boot-disk-uri when provisioning your cloud server.

Run:

acloud storage blockstorage get <volume-id> | grep URI

Example:

acloud storage blockstorage get 697b3a0dce7dfeef9153256a | grep URI

Example output:

URI:             /projects/68398923fb2cb026400d4d31/providers/Aruba.Storage/blockStorages/697b3a0dce7dfeef9153256a

Note: Save this URI for the --boot-disk-uri flag in the next step.

Note: The block storage must be in NotUsed status before it can be used as a boot disk for a cloud server. You can check the status with:
acloud storage blockstorage list
Example output:
NAME         ID                         SIZE(GB)  REGION         ZONE  TYPE         STATUS
boot-ubuntu  697b3a0dce7dfeef9153256a   20        ITBG-Bergamo         Performance  NotUsed

Step 9: (Optional) Create a user-data file for cloud-init

If you want to customize your server at boot (e.g., create users, install packages), create a cloud-init.yaml file before provisioning. Example:

#cloud-config
users:
  - name: demo
    sudo: ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD:ALL
    groups: users, admin
    home: /home/demo
    shell: /bin/bash
    lock_passwd: false
    passwd: <hashed-password>

Replace <hashed-password> with a valid hashed password (see cloud-init docs for details). You can add more cloud-init options as needed.

Step 10: Create the Cloud Server - Command

acloud compute cloudserver create \
  --name "my-server" \
  --region "ITBG-Bergamo" \
  --zone "ITBG-1" \
  --flavor "CSO4A8" \
  --boot-disk-uri "/projects/68398923fb2cb026400d4d31/providers/Aruba.Storage/blockStorages/697b3a0dce7dfeef9153256a" \
  --vpc-uri "/projects/68398923fb2cb026400d4d31/providers/Aruba.Network/vpcs/69495ef64d0cdc87949b71ec" \
  --subnet-uri "/projects/68398923fb2cb026400d4d31/providers/Aruba.Network/vpcs/69495ef64d0cdc87949b71ec/subnets/694ba1737712ac0032dbe50a" \
  --security-group-uri "/projects/68398923fb2cb026400d4d31/providers/Aruba.Network/vpcs/69495ef64d0cdc87949b75f9" \
  --keypair-uri "/projects/68398923fb2cb026400d4d31/providers/Aruba.Compute/keyPairs/69007ebf4e7d691466d8621e" \
  --user-data-file "cloud-init.yaml" \
  --tags "production"

Example output:

ID                             NAME         FLAVOR    CPU   RAM(GB)   HD(GB)   REGION
my-server                      my-server    CSO4A8    4     8         0        ITBG-Bergamo

Replace the values above with your actual project, VPC, subnet, security group, keypair, and zone values as needed.
The --user-data-file flag is optional and can be omitted if not needed.
You can specify multiple subnets or security groups by repeating the flag or using comma-separated values.
All networking flags (--vpc-uri, --subnet-uri, --security-group-uri) and the --zone flag are required.
The server will be provisioned in the specified region and attached to the provided network resources.

Step 11: Wait for the Cloud Server to Become Active

After running the create command, your server will be provisioned. You can check its status with:

acloud compute cloudserver list | grep "my-server"

When the status shows Active, the server is ready for use:

my-server                 697c62605b79733376b3386a       ITBG-Bergamo    CSO4A8          Active

Step 12: Connect to the Cloud Server

To connect to your cloud server, use the acloud compute cloudserver connect command. You must specify the user according to the boot image. For Ubuntu images, use the ubuntu user:

acloud compute cloudserver connect 697c62605b79733376b3386a --user ubuntu

Example output:

Connect by running: ssh ubuntu@85.235.152.94

Connecting to Your Cloud Server via SSH

To connect to your cloud server using SSH, you can use the CLI connect command. The server must have an Elastic IP assigned to be accessible from the public internet.

Example usage:

acloud compute cloudserver connect 697b4bd0377bb8332d771b39 --user ubuntu

If the server has an Elastic IP, you will see a message like:

Connect by running: ssh ubuntu@95.110.142.229

If the server does not have an Elastic IP, you will see:

No Elastic IP found for this cloud server.
The server must have an Elastic IP linked to use the connect command.

Note:

The --user flag should match the default username for the image you used (e.g., ubuntu for Ubuntu images).

To connect from public Internet, ensure you have assigned an Elastic IP to your server during or after creation. You can add an Elastic IP by updating the server or specifying the --elasticip-uri flag at creation time.

The connect command will print the SSH command to use.

Step 13: Power Off or Power On the Cloud Server

You can power off or power on your cloud server at any time using the following commands:

To power off:

acloud compute cloudserver power-off 697c62605b79733376b3386a

Example output:

Cloud server powered off successfully!
Server: my-server
Status: Updating

To power on:

acloud compute cloudserver power-on 697c62605b79733376b3386a

Example output:

Cloud server powered on successfully!
Server: my-server
Status: Updating

Step 14: Delete the Cloud Server

To delete your cloud server when it is no longer needed, use the following command:

acloud compute cloudserver delete 697c62605b79733376b3386a

You will be prompted for confirmation:

Are you sure you want to delete cloud server '697c62605b79733376b3386a'? (yes/no): yes
Cloud server '697c62605b79733376b3386a' deleted successfully.

Step 0: List Available VPCs​

Step 1: Retrieve the VPC URI and Status​

Step 2: List or Create a Subnet in the VPC​

Step 3: Extract the Subnet URI​

Step 4: List or Create a Security Group in the VPC​

Step 5: Extract the Elastic IP URI (if using public access)​

Step 6: Create a Bootable Block Storage​

List of Available Images for Bootable Block Storage​

Step 7: List or Create an Active Keypair​

Step 8: Extract the Boot Disk URI​

Step 9: (Optional) Create a user-data file for cloud-init​

Step 10: Create the Cloud Server - Command​

Step 11: Wait for the Cloud Server to Become Active​

Step 12: Connect to the Cloud Server​

Connecting to Your Cloud Server via SSH​

Step 13: Power Off or Power On the Cloud Server​

Step 14: Delete the Cloud Server​

Step 0: List Available VPCs

Step 1: Retrieve the VPC URI and Status

Step 2: List or Create a Subnet in the VPC

Step 3: Extract the Subnet URI

Step 4: List or Create a Security Group in the VPC

Step 5: Extract the Elastic IP URI (if using public access)

Step 6: Create a Bootable Block Storage

List of Available Images for Bootable Block Storage

Step 7: List or Create an Active Keypair

Step 8: Extract the Boot Disk URI

Step 9: (Optional) Create a user-data file for cloud-init

Step 10: Create the Cloud Server - Command

Step 11: Wait for the Cloud Server to Become Active

Step 12: Connect to the Cloud Server

Connecting to Your Cloud Server via SSH

Step 13: Power Off or Power On the Cloud Server

Step 14: Delete the Cloud Server