Cloud VMs, plafond and creation

A cloud VM runs on the Sefthy infrastructure and the customer manages it from the Console, within a ceiling of resources decided upstream. It is a different service from Disaster Recovery, even though the two live on the same account.

The plafond

The plafond is the ceiling of resources the company can use. It covers CPU, RAM, disk, number of private networks, public IPs, uploaded ISOs and backups per VM. Sefthy sets it on the customer company, and it cannot be changed from the customer console nor from the partner one.

Every operation that consumes resources runs a check before touching the infrastructure, shows the before and after, and stops if the total goes over. The message says which resource is short, how much you asked for and how much is left. The network cards of a single VM do not consume plafond, the limit there is technical. What gets counted is the number of private networks.

Creating a VM

1. From the menu open Deploy new VM. The wizard has five steps.
2. In Resources you set CPU in virtual cores, RAM and disk in GB. Where the machine runs is decided by the Console.
3. In Networks you add the cards. For each one you pick the network among the private networks of the company and the NIC model, VirtIO or e1000. Leave VirtIO, e1000 is only there for older systems that do not recognise it. You can also go on with no card at all and add one later.
4. In Source you decide what the machine starts from. An ISO image from the library, or a ready made system that is cloned on the fly. The list of ready made systems covers Debian, Ubuntu, AlmaLinux, CentOS Stream, Windows 10 and 11 Pro and Windows Server 2019, 2022 and 2025.
5. In Boot order you sort the boot devices with the arrows. On the ISO path you also pick the firmware, UEFI or legacy BIOS for the systems that only boot that way. A ready made system inherits it from the template.
6. In Review you give the VM name, an optional description and decide whether to start it as soon as it is ready. If you picked a ready made system, this is where you also set the initial password and any SSH keys.
7. Press the confirm button. The deploy is queued and you follow it from the VM detail page.

Private networks

Private networks is where you define the networks of the customer. Each one stays separate from the others and lives in the private space of their company, which Sefthy prepares when it sets the plafond. With New network you add one, up to the number the plafond allows. These are the networks that show up in the Networks step of the wizard.

VM backups

On the VM detail the Backups card lists the existing backups with date, size, storage and protection state. From there you can:

• run a Backup now picking the destination storage
• schedule recurring backups with their retention
• protect a backup, so rotation does not delete it
• restore with Restore snapshot, which opens a calendar and lets you pick the day and then the snapshot

The number of backups per VM comes from the plafond. If you are at the limit the Console says so and offers to delete the oldest one to make room. If the VM is running, the restore shuts it down and starts it again at the end.

Public IP and credentials

The Public IPs card assigns an address from the company pool. You choose which internet facing network card it goes on and confirm. When the pool is empty the Console blocks the assignment and tells you to contact your distributor to widen it.

The Credentials card holds user, password and SSH keys of the machine. On some VMs the change is really applied to the machine and needs a reboot. On others, typically the VMs born from an external ISO, the credentials are only kept encrypted for your reference, and the Console says so in the box.