Connecting to your Cloud Server

After deploying a new Cloud Server you’ll need to pick a method for connecting to it. This guide outlines your options for remote connection and the differences between them. Whether you chose to receive the server password via email, SMS or only displayed at the control panel, get your password ready and read ahead.

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SSH

The primary way of connecting to a Linux server should be using an SSH client.

Unix systems include OpenSSH which you can use directly through your local terminal. Using OpenSSH to log in is very simple, the single command to start a connection consists of 3 parts, the application command ssh, your username, and your remote host.

Open a terminal and type in the command below to log in using the root account. Replace the remote-host with the public IP of your server. Enter your root password when prompted.

ssh [email protected]remote-host

Windows users do not have a built-in solution for SSH, but there are options for Windows as well. PuTTY is one of the most commonly used SSH clients for Windows. It’s easy to get started with, but also offers a lot of features for advanced users.

Download the self-contained executable and simply run it as is, no installation is needed. Enter your server’s public IP address in the Hostname field and click the Open button. Once connected, log in with the root user and password.

After connecting to your new Cloud Server for the first time it’s recommended to create a new username for yourself and disable the root SSH login. Check out our article on managing Linux user account security to learn more. You might also want to take a look at using SSH keys for authentication instead of a regular password.

Remote desktop connection

Windows servers employ their own remote desktop connection that allows you to operate your Windows Server just like your own desktop. Windows users should have the Remote Desktop Connect client installed by default. It is also available for macOS in the Mac App Store as well as on most Linux distributions through open-source alternatives such as Remmina.

When connecting, simply enter your server IP address and authenticated it with the username Administrator and the password generated at deployment. Most clients support a fullscreen desktop experience and allow you to save user credentials for convenience, granted that your computer is sufficiently secure and not shared by other users.

Console connection

The third option is to use the HTML5-based web console at your UpCloud Control Panel with no browser extensions or setup required. Although you probably want to use SSH primarily, this is a useful addition in case of faulty firewall rules, OS error states, or any other reason that prevents the usual access methods.

Open your server settings and go to the Console tab. Then simply click the button on the left to Open the console connection. Log in using root or any other username and password stored on your Cloud Server.

Regardless of the server settings or network connection state, you should always be able to connect to a running server with the web console.

VNC Console

UpCloud also offers optional VNC console access using your choice of VNC client. To enable a VNC connection, log in to your UpCloud Control Panel, open your server settings and go to the Console tab.

By default the VNC service is disabled on new servers, click the toggle switch to enable the VNC connection. Underneath that, you will find the connection details for your server. Here is where you can set the password for VNC and change the keyboard mapping. Click the Save changes button to update the settings when done.

Note that while enabling/disabling VNC console as well as changing the VNC password can be done with the Cloud Server running, changing the keyboard map will require the server to be powered down.

Some VNC clients only ask for the hostname of your server without a second field for the port number, simply enter both the VNC address and VNC port number together separated by a colon ( : )  sign, for example, fi-hel2.vnc.upcloud.com:12345 to open a connection.