Learn the first steps of managing your Kimsufi, So You Start, or Rise dedicated server. A dedicated server is a physical server located in one of our data centers for which you are fully responsible for the administration.
Requirements
- Access to the OVHcloud Control Panel
- A Kimsufi, So You Start, or Rise dedicated server in your OVHcloud account
- Administrative access via SSH or remote desktop (Windows) to your server
Instructions
Topics
- Installing or reinstalling an operating system
- Logging on to your server
- Restarting your dedicated server
- Securing your dedicated server
- OVHcloud Monitoring
- Network configuration
- Rescue mode
- Access using IPMI
Installing or reinstalling an operating system
Find more information about server operating systems on our web page.
You can easily reinstall your server or choose a different OS image from the OVHcloud Control Panel. Navigate to your server via the Bare Metal Cloud and Dedicated
servers menus. Once you have selected your server, click the more options ... button next to Operating system (OS) and select Install.
Some proprietary operating systems or platforms, such as Plesk or Windows, require licenses that 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 by clicking Licenses. In this section, you can also order licenses or add existing ones via the Actions button.
Click Next to continue. Then select the operating system from the drop-down menus.
If you need to modify the partitioning scheme of your operating system, check the Customise the partition configuration box before clicking Next.
If you select the "Customise the partition configuration" box, you will be able to set up RAID and partitioning options within the limits of the server's hardware and operating system.
In this step, you can set up RAID and partitioning options within the limits of the server's hardware and operating system.
After you have finished your adjustments, click Next to arrive at the summary page.
You will find additional options specific to the chosen operating system.
If you have selected a compatible operating system, you can provide a public key to be installed automatically. You have two options:
- Manually copy the key string and paste it into the field
Your Public SSH key. - If you have previously stored a public key in your OVHcloud Control Panel, select the desired key from the drop-down menu
SSH key to pre-install.
To find out more about this topic, consult our guides:
- How to create and use authentication keys for SSH connections to OVHcloud servers
- How to use PuTTY for SSH connections and authentication
Click Confirm to trigger the operating system installation on your dedicated server.
Logging on to your server
This tutorial is designed to help you as much as possible with common tasks. If you are having difficulty performing these actions, please contact a specialized service provider. OVHcloud can't provide you with technical support in this regard.
Linux
If you have installed an OVHcloud OS template on your server, a user with elevated permissions is created automatically. This user will be named according to the operating system, for example, "ubuntu" or "rocky".
You will then receive an email containing the information needed to establish a first connection with SSH. SSH is a secure communication protocol used to establish encrypted connections to a remote host. You can find more detailed information in our guide: Getting started with SSH.
Most current desktop operating systems will have an OpenSSH client natively installed. This means that your access credentials enable you to quickly establish a connection to your server using the appropriate command-line application (Terminal, Command Prompt, PowerShell, etc.). Enter the following command:
Example:
You can use any third-party application compatible with OpenSSH as well.
Once connected, you can replace the predefined password for the current user with a better passphrase by using this command:
On a GNU/Linux distribution, a password prompt will not display your keyboard inputs.
Type your current password and press Enter. Enter the new passphrase and retype it at the next prompt to confirm.
Activating the root user account
It is not necessary to use the "root" user account to get started with administrating your server. This account has to be enabled first in the server OS in order to use it. Moreover, SSH connections with the user "root" are disabled by default as a security measure.
Unless stated otherwise, all administrative actions described in our documentation can be accomplished by the default user account, i.e., typing sudo followed by the respective command.
Depending on your requirements for security, mobility and convenience, SSH keys can serve as an additional connection method or replace logins with username and password. Find out how to use them in our guides:
- How to create and use keys for SSH authentication
- How to create and use keys for SSH authentication with PuTTY
Windows
Once the installation is completed, you will receive an email with your Windows login credentials. You can then connect to your server via RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol). On your local Windows device, open the Remote Desktop Connection client application.
Enter the IPv4 address of your server, then your username and passphrase. Usually a warning message will appear, asking to confirm the connection because of an unknown certificate. Click on Yes to log in.
You can use also use any third-party application compatible with RDP. This is a requirement if your local device does not have Windows installed.
If you experience any issues with this procedure, verify that remote (RDP) connections are allowed on your local device by checking your system settings, firewall rules and possible network restrictions.
As a fallback option, you can use the IPMI console in your OVHcloud Control Panel to connect.
Enabling Windows boot logs (optional)
Windows boot logs can be helpful for server error diagnostics.
To activate them, follow the steps below by navigating through the tabs:
Connect to your server via RDP or IPMI.
Open the Windows start menu and click on Run.
Enter "msconfig" and click on OK.
In the new window, activate the logs option next to Boot log. Click on OK.
The next time your server boots, logs will be saved into a .txt file. The file path is: C:\Windows\ntbtlog.txt.
To access the log file in rescue mode, please follow the instructions in the rescue mode guide.
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:
However, you can carry out a "hard reboot" at any time in your OVHcloud Control Panel. From the General information tab, locate the Service status panel, and click on the more options ... button next to Status. Then click Restart and Confirm the action in the pop-up window.
Securing your dedicated server
As the administrator of your dedicated server, you are responsible for your data and its security. You can learn more about securing your server in this guide.
If your server runs Windows, use this guide instead.
OVHcloud Monitoring
You can set the monitoring status for a dedicated server from the General information tab in your OVHcloud Control Panel (in the Service status panel).
The default setting is "Enabled with proactive intervention," which is the most hands-off, automated monitoring option you can choose. If you would like to change this setting, select the Disable interventions button.
In the pop-up 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.
You can find more information about OVHcloud Monitoring in this guide.
Click on Confirm to update your monitoring configuration.
Network configuration
Please note that Additional IP addresses are not compatible with servers in the Kimsufi range prior to the 2024 hardware refresh.
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.
For more information on network bridging, please refer to our guide on Network Bridging.
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
Please note that servers of the Kimsufi range only have one IPv4 address and one IPv6 address. Both will be configured automatically when installing the OS.
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 on 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 our rescue mode guide.
Access using IPMI
Please note that this option is not available for the Kimsufi range.
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 on using the IPMI with dedicated servers.
Go further
For more information and tutorials, please see our other Dedicated Servers support guides or explore the guides for other OVHcloud products and services.
If you need training or technical assistance to implement our solutions, contact your sales representative or click on this link to get a quote and ask our Professional Services experts for a custom analysis of your project.