Superclouds
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Launch your first machine

A complete quick start, from an empty account to a machine you are signed in to over SSH or Remote Desktop.

In this quick start you create a machine, open it to your own computer only, and sign in to it with a key. Plan on about 15 minutes, most of it waiting for the machine to start.

Before you start

You need a Superclouds account you can sign in to. If you don't have one yet, see Create your account.

1. Set up your account

Click Setup in the top bar. If it says Your account is Active., a prefix is already attached to you: go to step 3. Otherwise, add your billing email and a payment method as described in Set up your account, then carry on with step 2.

2. Create a prefix and attach it to yourself

Your machine lives in a prefix, and you can only work in prefixes attached to you. Skip this step if you already have one.

  1. Open Organization SettingsSuper PrefixesPrefixes and click Add Prefix.
  2. Type a name, for example My first project, and click Add.
  3. Open Organization SettingsSuper PrefixesPrefix Users and click Modify Prefix and Users Link.
  4. Pick your new prefix in Select Prefix and a role with full control (MANAGE or SUPER) in Select Role.
  5. Pick yourself in Users, click Add, then click Modify.

3. Allow SSH or Remote Desktop from your computer

A traffic profile is a set of firewall rules. You'll create one that lets only your computer reach the machine.

  1. Find your public IP address, for example by searching "what is my IP" in your browser.
  2. Open Traffic ProfilesTraffic Profiles and click Add Traffic Profile.
  3. Enter a Name, for example ssh-from-home, and a Description.
  4. Fill in the rule row as shown below.
  5. Click Submit.
FieldLinux (SSH)Windows (Remote Desktop)
ProtocolTCPTCP
IPYour IP with /32, e.g. 203.0.113.25/32Your IP with /32
Port Range22:223389:3389
Redirect Port Range22:223389:3389
DirectionInboundInbound
Avoid opening the port to everyone

0.0.0.0/0 lets anyone on the internet try to sign in. Use your own address with /32, and update the profile if your IP changes.

More in Traffic profiles.

4. Generate a key pair

  1. Open KeysKey Pairs and click Generate.
  2. Enter a Name, for example my-laptop. Add a Passphrase if you want the private key protected by one.
  3. Click Submit.

Your browser downloads a ZIP archive named keys-<Super Id>. If the file has no .zip extension, add it, then unzip it. Inside are private.pem (your private key) and public.pub. Keep private.pem safe: anyone with it can sign in to your machine.

More in Key pairs.

5. Create the machine

  1. Open Super MachinesMachines and pick your prefix in Prefix.
  2. Click Add Machine.
  3. Enter a name in Machine, for example web-01.
  4. Pick a Select Region close to you, and leave Tier on Standard.
  5. Pick an Image, for example an Ubuntu image (or a Windows image for Remote Desktop).
  6. Click Add.

You'll see Added and the machine appears as Creating. Wait until it shows Running: this takes a few minutes and the list updates by itself.

For every field and option, see Create a machine.

6. Attach the traffic profile and key pair

  1. Click the machine's card (or its Super Id in the list) to open its details.
  2. Open the Security/Access tab.
  3. Next to Traffic Profile, click Attach, pick ssh-from-home, click Add, then click Save.
  4. Next to Key Pairs, click Attach. Leave Username as super, pick my-laptop in Key Pairs, and click Attach.

Both now appear on the Security/Access tab.

7. Find the public IP

Open the General tab. The Public Ip card shows the machine's public address. Copy it.

8. Connect

Linux: SSH

On macOS or Linux, open a terminal in the folder with private.pem. On Windows 10 or later, use PowerShell. Make the key readable only by you, then connect:

chmod 600 private.pem
ssh -i private.pem super@<public-ip>

Replace <public-ip> with the address from step 7. The first time, type yes to trust the machine. If you set a passphrase, enter it when asked.

Windows: Remote Desktop

Open Remote Desktop Connection on your computer, enter the public IP, and sign in with the password shown on the General tab of the machine (use the copy icon). Change the password once you're in.

Can't connect?

While the machine is running, you can reach it from your browser, without SSH or Remote Desktop: ActionGo to Console. See Open the browser console.

Troubleshooting

  • The Machines screen shows a checklist. Your account setup isn't complete. See Set up your account.
  • Your prefix isn't in the Prefix list. Check that it's attached to you (step 2), then open Super MachinesMachines again from the sidebar to reload the list.
  • The connection times out. Check that the traffic profile is attached, that its IP matches your current public IP, and that the port is right (22 for SSH, 3389 for Remote Desktop).
  • "Permission denied (publickey)". Check that you used super@, the right private.pem, and that the key pair is attached on Security/Access.
  • "UNPROTECTED PRIVATE KEY FILE!" Run chmod 600 private.pem and try again.

What happens next