Getting Started with a Dedicated Server – Articles

Learn about the first steps of managing your dedicated server.

A dedicated server is a physical server located in one of our datacenters. You are fully responsible for the administration of your dedicated server.

Requirements

Access to the OVHcloud Control Panel
A dedicated server in your OVHcloud account
Administrative access (root) via SSH or remote desktop (Windows) to your server

Instructions

When your dedicated server is first set up during the order process, you can select which operating system will be installed.

Installing or reinstalling your dedicated server

You can easily reinstall your server and choose a different OS image in your OVHcloud Control Panel. From the General information tab, click on ... next to the operating system and then click Install.

In the popup window, select one of the installation options:

Install from an OVHcloud template: You can select the OS and customize the server configuration.
Install one of your templates: To apply a customized template, you need to have saved at least one server configuration. To do this, check the option Save this installation in step 4 of the installation process.
Install from custom image: This allows you to install an external image on the server. Please refer to the BYOI guide to learn about the settings of this functionality.

Some proprietary operating systems or platforms such as Plesk or Windows require licenses which generate additional fees. You can buy licenses via OVHcloud or from an external reseller. You will then need to apply your license in the operating system itself or by using your OVHcloud Control Panel.

You can manage all your licenses in the Bare Metal Cloud section under Licenses. In this section, you can also order licenses or add existing ones via the Actions button.

Select Install from an OVHcloud template, then click Next.

Select the operating system from the drop-down menus.

If you need to modify the partitioning scheme of your operating system, check the box "Customise the partition configuration" before clicking on Next.

After you have finished your adjustments, click Next to arrive at the summary page.

Adding an SSH key (optional)

If you are installing a GNU/Linux-based operating system, you can add your SSH key in the last step of the installation process.

If you already have an SSH key registered, it will be listed in the drop-down menu under SSH keys at the bottom. Otherwise, you will need to add one in the My services section first.

To achieve this, open the sidebar navigation by clicking on your name in the top-right corner. Then, click the circular account icon. On the next page, click My services.

In My services, switch to the SSH keys tab and click on Add an SSH key.

As you are installing a dedicated server, make sure to select Dedicated from the drop-down menu (viable for a VPS as well).

In the new window, enter an ID (a name of your choice) and the key itself (of type RSA, ECDSA, or Ed25519) into the respective fields.

For a detailed explanation of how to generate SSH keys, please refer to this guide.

NOTE: OVHcloud is providing you with services for which you are responsible, with regard to their configuration and management. You are therefore responsible for ensuring they function correctly.

Logging on to your server

Linux

Once the installation is completed, you will receive an email containing instructions for administrative access. You can connect to your server through a command terminal or with a third-party client by using SSH which is a secure communication protocol.

Use the following examples to log on to your server, replacing the credentials with your actual information (IP address and server reference name are interchangeable).

Example with root:

ssh root@IPv4_of_your_server

Example with a pre-configured user:

ssh ubuntu@reference_name_of_your_server

You can learn more about SSH in this guide.

Windows

Once the installation is completed, you will receive an email containing your password for administrative (root) access. You will need to use these credentials to connect to the server via RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol). After logging in, Windows will guide you through an initial setup.

Restarting your dedicated server

A reboot might become necessary to apply updated configurations or to fix an issue. Whenever feasible, perform a "soft reboot" via the command line:

reboot

However, you can carry out a "hard reboot" at any time in your OVHcloud Control Panel. From the General information tab, click on ... next to "Status" in the Service status box, then click Restart and Confirm the action in the popup window.

Securing your dedicated server

As explained in the “Objective” section of this guide, you are the administrator of your dedicated server. As such, you are responsible for your data and its security. You can learn more about securing your server in this guide.

OVHcloud Monitoring

You can set the monitoring status for a dedicated server from the General information tab in your OVHcloud Control Panel (section Service status) by clicking the Configure button.

In the popup window, you have three options for the monitoring behavior:

Disabled: This option stops alert messages and interventions by OVHcloud. Choose this if you are executing pertinent administrative actions on the server that prevent an ICMP response.
Enabled with proactive intervention: If the server stops responding, an alert email is sent to you and the server will be checked by a technician.
Enabled without proactive intervention: You will receive an alert message by email in case the server stops responding. To initiate an intervention, you will need to create a support request.

Click on Confirm to update your monitoring configuration.

You can find more information about OVHcloud Monitoring in this guide.

Network configuration

Network bridging

Network bridging is the action taken by network equipment to create an aggregate network from either two or more communication networks, or two or more network segments. Bridging is distinct from routing, which allows the networks to communicate independently while remaining separate.

The Network Bridge configuration is most commonly used in the context of virtualization, to allow each Virtual Machine to have its own public IP address.

IP aliasing

IP aliasing is the process of associating two or more IP addresses to the same network interface. This allows your server to establish multiple connections to a network, each serving a different purpose.

For detailed instructions on how to configure IP aliasing, please refer to this guide.

IPv6 configuration

All OVHcloud dedicated servers are delivered with a /64 IPv6 block. To use the addresses in this block, you will need to make some network configuration changes. Please refer to our guide: IPv6 Configuration.

Rescue mode

For any kind of issue, the first general troubleshooting step to take is rebooting your server into rescue mode from your OVHcloud Control Panel. It is important to identify server issues in this mode to exclude software-related problems before contacting our support teams.

Please refer to the rescue mode guide.

Access using IPMI

OVHcloud deploys all dedicated servers with an IPMI (Intelligent Platform Management Interface) console which runs in your browser or from a Java applet and enables you to connect directly to your server even if it has no network connection. This makes it a useful tool for troubleshooting issues that may have taken your server offline.

For more information, please refer to our guide: Using the IPMI with dedicated servers.

Backup storage

OVHcloud dedicated servers have access-controlled storage space as an extra service option. It is best used as a complementary backup option in case the server itself suffers data loss.

Go further

For more information and tutorials, please see our other Dedicated Server support guides or explore the guides for other OVHcloud products and services.

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