MyGSI

From GoGrid



MyGSI Image:Beta.gif
OS Any
Added On July 30th, 2009

Image: 64x64-serverimage.gif

MyGSI allows you to save a personal Server Image to instantiate new Server Instances.

Overview

The MyGSI feature allows you to create, save, and store a "Server Image" from which you can instantiate Database and Web/App Servers. You can instantiate an Image Sandbox Server, install your software, websites, applications and whatever else you see fit, save the Image Sandbox Server to GoGrid's cloud storage as a Server Image and instantiate new Web/App or Database instances from your "golden" Server Image.

Resources

Data Center Availability

MyGSIs are currently available in our US-West-1 data center.

How to Create a MyGSI

Image:64x64-blue1.png Add Image Sandbox

The first step in creating your server image is to create a new server type, the Image Sandbox server. To deploy an Image Sandbox server, simply do the following:

  1. Click the Add button from the Grid menu.
  2. Select the Image Sandbox server type in the Add Object dialog.
  3. Search or browse for a base server image by Operating System, Server Image name, or application stack configured on the base server image and click Next. Image Sandbox servers have a fixed amount of RAM and storage; 2 GB RAM and 20 GB storage.
  4. Name your new Image Sandbox server and add a description.
  5. Enter an IP address from your list of available IP addresses on the left-hand side of your screen. The user interface will automatically suggest all unused IP addresses that are currently available to you.
  6. The Image field will automatically be populated with your selection from the last screen. If you wish to change this, select "cancel" and start again.
  7. Click the Save button.
  8. Your server will be deployed within 2-15 minutes.
  9. To obtain your server’s password, go to the Support tab and click on Passwords. You can also right-click on the server in the UI and click on Password. Changing the password here will not change your server password; this interface is only used for you to store passwords and to allow our Support teams access to your passwords to provide technical support, when needed.


Please note that you can update an existing MyGSI by following the same steps above and selecting your own image to deploy onto an Image Sandbox Server.


Configure/Prep Image Sandbox

All Image Sandbox servers can be saved to GoGrid Cloud Storage. In order to save an Image Sandbox server, you must have cloud storage deployed. To deploy and configure your servers to access cloud storage, read the Cloud Storage Getting Started Guide.

Configure/Prep Image Sandbox

You can now log into your Image Sandbox server and prepare the server to be saved as a MyGSI:

  • Install any files or software of your choice
  • Perform any security or package updates
  • Perform general configuration tasks according to your preferences
  • Prepare your Image Sandbox Server instance to become a MyGSI

Preparing Your Image Sandbox Instance

Once your Image Sandbox server is configured to your liking, you will need to execute a script to prepare your Image Sandbox server to be saved as a MyGSI.

NOTE: Once you have executed the preparation scripts on your Image Sandbox server, the instance will shut down and will no longer be available. WARNING: Attempting to start or restart your Image Sandbox server after the preparation script has been executed will cause unexpected results.

Linux Servers

For Linux servers (Redhat and CentOS), simply run the following commands from the command prompt to execute the scripts and to prepare your Image Sandbox server to be converted into a MyGSI: 

cd /root
./prep.py

This simple command will prepare your server and no further action is required.


If your preparation script gets deleted or is otherwise lost, run the following command from the Linux command prompt: 

cd /root
wget http://wiki.gogrid.com/wiki/gogrid_scripts/linux/prep.py

Windows Servers

For Windows servers, perform the following actions to execute the script and to prepare your Image Sandbox server to be converted into a MyGSI:

  1. Open a Remote Desktop session to your GoGrid Windows server.
  2. Click Start.
  3. Click Run.
  4. Enter prep in the Open field.
  5. Click OK.
  6. The Prep program window will open. Follow the instructions on the screen.


Once the scripts have been executed, you are now ready to save your image.

Save Server Image

Now that your Image Sandbox server has been prepared for conversion into a server image, you will need to save a copy of the server to your cloud storage allotment. Please note that GoGrid's proprietary compression algorithm results in your server image being compressed to within 700 MB to 5 GB depending on the files stored on the server. This may vary and can result in larger image sizes than mentioned here.


NOTE: You must have cloud storage provisioned to save a MyGSI. If you do not have cloud storage provisioned, you will not be able to save your Image Sandbox Server as a MyGSI. Once you save an Image Sandbox, your Image Sandbox server is deleted from the grid and is saved to cloud storage. Your server will not be accessible until you re-deploy the new MyGSI as a Web/App or Database server.


Once your Image Sandbox server has been prepared for bundling, simply do the following to save your Image Sandbox server as a server image:

  1. Right-click on your Image Sandbox server (or click Tools from the Grid menu) and select Save Image.
  2. A dialog box will pop-up. Populate the Server Image Friendly Name, Description, Image Name, and Operating System fields for your reference.
  3. Select Save.


Your MyGSI will now be saved to your cloud storage allotment and can be deployed again and again as many times as you would like. This process may take 15-60 minutes to complete. Once completed, your Image Sandbox server will be deleted. Your MyGSI will appear in the "Server Images" tab in the GoGrid user interface. You can manage (delete, modify metadata, or instantiate new servers) any server images you have stored by clicking on the "Server Images" tab from the Grid view.

Instantiating New Servers from a Saved Server Image

Now that you have saved your MyGSI, you can deploy new servers using that server image. To deploy a new server using your MyGSI, do the following:

  1. Click the Add button from the Grid or List menus.
  2. Select US-West-1 data center.
  3. Select Cloud Server in the Add Object Dialog.
  4. Search or browse for your new MyGSI Server Image by Operating System, architecture, owner, your MyGSI name or description and click Next.
  5. Name your new server instance and add a description.
  6. Enter an IP address from your list of available IP addresses on the left side of your screen. The system will automatically display all unused IP addresses that are currently available to you.
  7. Select the amount of RAM you want associated with the new server instance.
  8. The OS field will automatically be populated with your selection from the last screen.
  9. The Image field will automatically be populated with your selection from the last screen. If you wish to change this, select Cancel.
  10. Click Save.
  11. Your server will be deployed within 2-15 minutes.
  12. To obtain your server’s password, go to the Support tab and click on Passwords or right-click on the server in the UI and click on Password. Changing the password here will not change your server password; this interface is only used for you to store passwords and to allow our Support teams access to your passwords to provide technical support, when needed.

Managing Server Images

You can manage your MyGSIs from the Server Images tab in the Grid view. From here, you will see the list view of all of your server images:


  • Name - The friendly name of your MyGSI. This can be edited by simply clicking on the image in the list.
  • OS - The operating system your image was based on.
  • State - The state of your image. This can be "saving" if a save is in progress, "available" if you can instantiate a server from this image, or "trash" if the image is currently in the trash.
  • Type - The type of server image, either Web/App Server or Database Server.
  • Updated - The last modified date of this server image.
  • Size - The size in GB of the server image.


At the ends of each row, there are icons to manage your images:

  • Image:22-image.png - Selecting the row of your server image will pop up the edit dialog box. Here you can edit the friendly name and description of your image.
  • Image:22-add-hover.png - Selecting this icon will add a new server from that server image. This icon is only available when an image is in an "available" state.
  • Image:22-delete.png - Selecting this icon will move your server into the "trash" state. Images are stored in trash for 24 hours before being permanently deleted. An image can be restored from trash and can become "available" again within a 24-hour period. This icon is only available when an image is in an "available" state. You will be charged for images that are in a "trash" state, however you are only billed for your maximum utilization of your Cloud Storage allotment.
  • Image:22-restore.png - Selecting this icon restores an image from the "trash" state back to "available". This icon is only available when an image is in a "trash" state.
Retrieved from "http://wiki.gogrid.com/wiki/index.php/MyGSI"
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