VPS Console

When you sign up, you give us an OpenSSH format public key. This key gives you access to simple text-based menu that lets you turn your domain on, off, and allows you to connect to the serial console. If you need help on how to make a key, please refer to Making an SSH Key.

Logging in via OpenSSH Client (Linux, Windows Cygwin or Command Line) or Terminal (OS X)

To login to the console, use the command

$ ssh -i /path/to/private.key vps-label@console.tornadovps.com

The hostname is the name assigned to your VPS.

If this is your first time logging in, use the console public key to verify the server fingerprint based on IP address.

MacOS Note: Beginning with MacOS Sierra (June 2016), DSA keys are no longer supported. Use Terminal to generate a new RSA ssh key and upload your new public key to your server.

Logging in via PuTTY Client (Windows only)

If you are unable to connect, please verify your version of PuTTY is up to date (0.64 or newer). You want to be using 0.64 or newer anyway since private keys were not completely wiped from memory before 0.64.

Starting from initial defaults the PuTTY Configuration settings are as follows:

“Session:Host Name” needs to be console.tornadovps.com.
“Session:Connection type” needs to be SSH
“Connection/Data: Auto-login username” needs to be <service-label>, e.g., “icecream” for a VPS service named “icecream”.
“Connection/SSH/Auth:Private key file for authentication” needs to point to the .ppk file associated with the public key used.

Under “Session:Saved Sessions”, name this session “VPS console for .vm.tornadovps.com” and save. Click open to connect to the VPS console.

If this is your first time logging in, use the console public key to verify the server fingerprint based on IP address.

Logging in via MobaXterm (Windows)

For more information on downloading and installing MobaXterm, see here.

If you have not generated an SSH key pair, generate one.

To log in to the VPS console…

Launch MobaXterm.
Click the “Session” button on the left end of the tool bar. This will launch the Session Settings window.
Select “SSH” in the upper left.
Under “Basic SSH Settings,” click “Remote Host” field and enter your host address: console.tornadovps.com.
Click the “Specify Username” checkbox. In the field to the right enter your VPS service label. Use lower case for the username.
Select the “Advanced SSH Settings” Tab. Leave the defaults as the are, but click the “Use Private Key” checkbox. In the field to the right, click the Browse icon to navigate to your SSH private key. (See above to generate a key pair if you have not done so.) In Windows, the default location is C:\Users[Windows Username].ssh[Key File].
In the “Session Settings” window click “OK” to launch your session and log in to your service. If prompted to do so, enter the passphrase for SSH key, defined when you generated the key pair.

MobaXterm will log you in and provide a terminal window for your session.

If this is your first time logging in, use the console public key to verify the server fingerprint based on IP address.

Using the Console

At log in, the initial menu for a service named example-vm is shown below:

Main Menu - example-vm

Current status:
    example-vm is not running.

Documentation at http://tornadovps.com/documentation
Please contact support@tornadovps.com with any issues accessing your machine.

Options:
1. out of band console (press ctrl-] to escape, not resizeable)
2. create/start, opens OOB console (try this if the machine is not running)
3. shutdown (requests clean shutdown, forces off after 4 min)
4. force power off (destroy/hard shutdown)
5. reboot (shutdown + start)
6. set bootloader, rescue mode, or netboot installer
7. view/add/remove ssh authorized_keys
8. view/edit reverse dns
9. install new OS image
a. system details
b. maintenance options

0. Exit
R. refresh

enter selection>

Option 1 accesses the serial console when the VPS is running. Like other serial consoles, often you see nothing until you use ctrl-c or hit return, at which point you should see the normal login prompt

CentOS release 5.2 (Final)
Kernel 2.6.18-53.1.14.el5xen on an i686

example-vps-console login:

To exit the console once at the login screen shown above in most terminals, the escape sequence is ctrl+].

Option 2 starts the VPS if it’s not running and opens the serial console.

Option 3 attempts to nicely shut down the VPS. It sends a shutdown request to the server, like briefly pressing the power button of a physical machine. If the system does not shut down within 4 minutes, it will force a shutdown (like Option 5).

Option 4 forces the VPS to shut down, like holding down the power button of a physical machine for several seconds.

Option 5 stops and then starts the VPS. It is like a combination of Options 4 and 3, in that it will force a shutdown after 4 minutes.

Option 6 changes what is used to boot the VPS. This is the option that differs most between different virtualization types.

Option 7 adds or removes ssh keys authorized to access this menu. It will not change the keys within the VPS as we have a policy of not modifying user disk images.

Option 8 modifies reverse DNS, i.e. the DNS name that comes back from typing host <myip>.

Option 9 installs a new OS image. It will repartition and reformat before the install. The currently authorized SSH keys may optionally be added to the root user as part of the install.

Option a brings up a system information panel, as below:

Command result: 
    Virtualization mode: Paravirtualized
    Memory: 128 MiB
    VCPUs: 1
    Total disk: 3 GiB
    IPs: 192.168.0.91
    Last installed OS: Debian Wheezy - 64 bit
    Boot option: PV-GRUB - 64 bit
    Boot arguments: (hd0,0)/boot/grub/menu.lst

Option b allows you to change the live migration options for your VPS.

Maintenance Options - example-vm

    Live migration is enabled.

For more information:

    http://tornadovps.com/documentation/live-migration

Options:
1. Enable live migration
2. Disable live migration

0. Return to main menu
R. refresh

enter selection>

Live migration is enabled by default. If you are running select OS distributions or certain kernel versions (see link above) then you may wish to disable live migration.

Option 0 ends the ssh session.

Option R refreshes this menu.

Option 6

Use these menus to change the way the VPS boots. By default an HVM VPS boots from disk, while a paravirtualized (PV) VPS boots using either PV-GRUB or GRUB2.

Boot options - HVM

In HVM systems, pressing option 6 will bring up the following menu:

Set Boot Options - example-vm

Configured to boot from disk.

Options:
1. Boot from disk
2. External Grub Bootloaders
3. Linux live rescue
4. Netboot installers
5. Netboot rescue

0. Return to main menu
R. refresh

enter selection>

Boot options - Paravirtualized

In PV systems, pressing option 6 will bring up the following menu:

Set Boot Options - example-vm

Configured to boot 'grub-2.06-1-amd64'

Options:
1. External Grub Bootloaders
2. Linux live rescue
3. Netboot installers
4. Netboot rescue

0. Return to main menu
R. refresh

enter selection>