Manage a cloud server

The Cloud Servers list shows every server on your account, and each server has its own page, Cloud Server Details. Its Overview tab shows what the server is, how to reach it and what it costs this month. The buttons in the header run actions on the server, and the tabs hold its network, firewall, storage, backups, graphs and history.

View your cloud servers

The Cloud Servers page lists every server you can see on the account. Use it to check which servers are running, find a server by name or address, and open it.

Open the list

1. Open Infrastructure in the side menu.
2. Select Cloud Servers.

Read the list

• The card at the top, Cloud Servers on Infrastructure, counts your servers by status: Running, Stopped, and any other status that some server has right now.
• The tabs under it filter the table. All shows every server. The other tabs show only servers in that status.
• Use Search servers… to find a server by name, ID, size or IP address.
• Each row shows Name, Status, Size, IP Address and Server ID. Select a name, or View Server in the row menu, to open the server’s page.
• The Actions menu on a row has the same controls as the server’s page: power, resize, console and delete. You only see the controls you are allowed to use.

While any server is busy, for example Building or Rebooting, the list refreshes by itself every few seconds.

Servers created outside Lighthouse

A server built with another tool shows Created Outside Lighthouse. Lighthouse can show it, but it can’t change it. The account owner sees Adopt Server on its row.

1. Select Adopt Server.
2. Read the confirmation. Lighthouse will manage the server like one it deployed. Billing starts now, at the server’s current size. Nothing on the server changes, and its attached data volumes come with it.
3. Select Adopt Server again to confirm.

You see that the server is now managed in Lighthouse. Adopt Server is available only while the server is running or stopped, with no change in progress.

What you see when there are no servers

No Cloud Servers Yet means the account has no server you can see. The account owner sees Deploy Cloud Server. See Deploy a server.

No servers match this view. means the tab or the search hides every server. Select All or clear the search.

If something goes wrong

• Changes Are Switched Off means servers in this project can’t be changed from Lighthouse right now. The list still works. Open a support ticket if you need a change.
• Deletion Not Confirmed Yet means we couldn’t confirm a deleted server is gone. Select Refresh to check again.

Open a server

1. Open Infrastructure, then Cloud Servers.
2. Select the server’s name.

All Servers at the top takes you back to the list.

The header

• The status badge, for example Running or Stopped. A spinning dot means a change is in progress, such as Rebooting….
• Power: shows whether the machine is On, Off, Paused, Suspended or Crashed.
• IP: shows the primary address, with a copy button.
• Locked appears when the server is locked, for example by delete protection or a suspension. A locked server refuses some actions.
• The action buttons: Console, Power and More. Power and deleting are covered further down this page. For the console and recovery mode, see Connect to a server. For resizing and reinstalling, see Resize or reinstall a server.

A disabled action always says why when you hold the pointer over it, for example Available while the server is running.

The Overview tab

• The tiles show vCPUs, Memory, Storage and Backups & Snapshots.
• Server Details lists Name, Hostname, Image, Size, Primary IP, Server ID, Availability Zone, Created, Launched and Last Updated. A hostname shows Managed by Stack Harbor when we look after its DNS, or Not Managed by Stack Harbor when it is on your own domain.
• Server Access shows how to sign in. See Connect to a server.
• Automatic Backups shows the backup plan, Paused or Not Configured. Change it on the Backups tab.
• Delete Protection shows On or Off. See the section on deleting a server, further down this page.
• Estimated Charges This Month shows what the server has cost so far this month, per resource. It is an estimate, not an invoice, before tax. See Read your Infrastructure usage.
• Notes keeps a private note about the server. Only people on this account can see notes.

Rename a server

1. Select More, then Rename Server.
2. Type the new Server Name: 1 to 64 characters, without < or >.
3. Confirm.

The new name shows in Lighthouse. The server’s hostname doesn’t change.

Keep a note

1. In Notes, type in the box.
2. Select Save Note. You see Note saved.

Clear Note empties it. The counter shows how many characters are left.

The tabs

• Activity: every action on the server. See Read a server’s graphs and activity.
• Networking: interfaces, addresses and reverse DNS. See Manage a server’s networking and firewall.
• Firewall: the firewall groups on the server. See Manage a server’s networking and firewall.
• Storage: the boot volume and data volumes. See Manage a server’s storage.
• Backups: backups, snapshots and the backup plan. See Back up and restore servers and volumes.
• Stats: CPU, memory, disk and network graphs. See Read a server’s graphs and activity.

Start, stop or reboot a server

The Power menu turns a cloud server on and off. Some actions ask the operating system to stop cleanly, others cut the power at once. A stopped server keeps its disks and addresses, and it is still billed. See Read your Infrastructure usage.

Use the Power menu

1. Open the server’s page, or the Actions menu on its row in Cloud Servers.
2. Select Power, then the action you want.
3. Every action except Start asks you to confirm. Read the box, then confirm.

You see a message such as Reboot requested for web-01., and the status changes while the action runs.

What each action does

• Start turns on a stopped server. It ends Running.
• Reboot restarts the operating system cleanly. The server is unavailable for a moment.
• Shut Down asks the operating system to shut down. If it hasn’t finished after 10 minutes, the server is powered off. It ends Stopped. While it waits, every Power item is off and a note says so.
• Hard Reboot resets the server at once, like cutting the power. Anything not saved to disk is lost. Use it only when Reboot doesn’t respond.
• Power Off switches the server off within about 10 seconds, like pulling the plug. Anything not saved to disk is lost. Use it only when Shut Down doesn’t work.

When an action is greyed out

Each action works only in some states. Hold the pointer over a greyed-out item to see why:

• Available when the server is stopped. applies to Start.
• Available while the server is running. applies to Reboot, Shut Down, Hard Reboot and Power Off.
• Another action is in progress. It comes back when that ends.
• The server is being deleted.

You only see the Power menu if you are allowed to start, stop and reboot servers. Ask your account owner for the permission. See Manage a team member.

If something goes wrong

• Power Off isn’t available on this platform right now. Use Shut Down.
• Changes Are Switched Off means servers in this project can’t be changed from Lighthouse right now.
• If the status stays on Rebooting for a long time, try Hard Reboot. If the server still doesn’t answer, open the console to see its screen.

Delete a server

Deleting a server removes it and its boot disk for good, and billing for it stops. Other volumes attached to it are detached and kept. Only the account owner can delete a server.

Delete the server

1. Open the server’s page, select More, then Delete Server under Danger Zone.
2. Read the warning: This cannot be undone.
3. Optional: tick Make a Final Backup First. The boot disk is backed up before the server is deleted, and the backup is kept for the retention period.
4. Type the server’s name to confirm.
5. Select Delete Server.

You see Deleting web-01…, then Server Deleted. The server leaves the list.

With a final backup, the delete waits for the backup. If the box says nothing has been deleted yet, try again in a moment: the delete goes ahead once the backup is ready.

Turn on delete protection

Delete protection stops anyone from deleting the server, in Lighthouse or with any other tool, until it is turned off.

1. On the server’s Overview tab, find Delete Protection.
2. Turn on Protect From Deletion.
3. Confirm with Turn On.

While it is on, Delete Server is greyed out with Turn off delete protection first. To delete the server later, turn Protect From Deletion off and confirm with Turn Off.

Keep a final backup if the server is terminated

On the same card, Keep a Final Backup If This Server Is Terminated covers the case where your project ends and the server is terminated. When it is on, the boot disk is backed up first and kept for the retention period. If the card says A final backup is not offered for this project, so this cannot be turned on., your plan doesn’t include it.

If something goes wrong

• We can’t confirm the final backup yet. Nothing has been deleted. Try again later, or untick Make a Final Backup First to delete now.
• Deletion Not Confirmed Yet means we couldn’t confirm the server is gone. Select Refresh to check again.
• If the status shows Couldn’t Be Deleted, try again. If it stays, open a support ticket.

If something goes wrong

• Error means the server failed. Server Details can show an Error Code. A server that Couldn’t Be Created or whose Creation Was Interrupted can be deleted. Open a support ticket with the error code.
• Taking Longer Than Usual means the server is still working on its last change and Lighthouse stopped checking. Select Refresh.
• We Couldn’t Refresh This Server means the page shows the last known state. Select Try Again.
• Read Only means the server wasn’t created or adopted in Lighthouse, so it can’t be changed here. To adopt it, see the section on servers created outside Lighthouse, near the top of this page.