How to create a Windows VM and access it from Linux desktop on NSIS Cloud
Prerequisites
No. 1 Hosting account You need an active NSIS Cloud hosting account with access to the Horizon interface: https://horizon.cloudferro.com.
No. 2 Linux desktop A Linux desktop computer with Internet access, where you will install the RDP client (Remmina).
No. 3 Security groups Make sure your project has the allow_ping_ssh_icmp_rdp security group available to allow remote access.
No. 4 Windows image Verify that a Windows Server image is available in your cloud project to launch your VM.
No. 5 Strong password Prepare a strong password to set for the Administrator account during the first login.
What We Are Going To Cover
Creating a new Windows VM in Horizon
Configuring networking and assigning a Floating IP
Accessing the VM through Horizon Console for the first login
Connecting to the Windows VM from a Linux desktop via RDP
Step 1: Create a new Windows VM in Horizon
Use address https://horizon.cloudferro.com/project/ to log into Horizon interface.
Go to Compute -> Instances
To start the procedure of creating a new Windows VM, click on Launch Instance. In Details tab type Name of your instance and then click next.
After that, you need to choose the source of your instance. Click one of the up arrows on the right side and allocate the Windows image you want to use.
In Flavor tab choose one of the available flavours, like in the previous step. If you see yellow warning on flavour you are not able to use it.
In next tab choose eodata network, this network gives you access to Earth Observation Data and another one network called cloud_xxxx — this network is the default network created for your project.
Next, click on Security Groups. If you want to run services or use specified protocols you must allocate security groups. Choose allow_ping_ssh_icmp_rdp group and allocate it to your instance.
Now you can click Launch Instance, and wait several minutes for it to start properly.
Step 2: Configure networking and assign a Floating IP
When your instance is running you must Allocate Floating IP (public IP) to it. After this step your VM will be accessible from outside the cloud.
To allocate floating IP, click + (plus) next to Select an IP address. You must also select the interface — please do not select the eodata interface.
Choose Pool external and click Allocate IP.
If everything is correct you should see the public address next to your cloud_xxx network.
Step 3: Access the VM through Horizon Console (first login)
You can use the web console that is implemented in OpenStack. Open the pull-down menu and choose Console.
Log in with the Administrator account. On first login, you must change the password. Please set a strong password for your VM.
Be aware that the console has several limitations: it is slow and you cannot copy or paste text. It is recommended only for the first login and password change.
Step 4: Connect from Linux desktop via RDP
To install Remmina (RDP client) use the following command:
johndoe@johndoe:~$ sudo snap install remmina
Open Remmina app, click on the top-left Add button. In the Server field type your public IP associated with the VM interface. In Username type Administrator, in Password type the strong password you set earlier. Make sure the protocol chosen is RDP, then click Save and Connect.
When you are logged into your Administrator account, double-click on the .bat script placed on the Desktop. This script mounts the eodata folder in network locations.
If you have problems and eodata is not mounted yet, just open cmd and type:
route add 10.97.0.0/24 10.111.0.1
Try to run the script again and check your network locations. Now you should have eodata access.
