Purchasing a FlexusX Instance

Scenarios

This section describes how to purchase FlexusX instances on the management console. When purchasing a FlexusX instance, you need to configure the specifications, image, storage, network, and security group for the instance.

Prerequisites

Before purchasing a FlexusX instance, you must have a HUAWEI ID, enable Huawei Cloud services, and add enough money to your account. For more information, see Preparations.

Procedure

1. Log in to the FlexusX console, in the upper left corner, click , and select a region and project.
2. Click Buy FlexusX.
3. Select a billing mode.

   FlexusX instances support the yearly/monthly and pay-per-use billing modes to meet your requirements in different scenarios. You can change the billing mode from yearly/monthly to pay-per-use, and vice versa. For more information, see Billing.

   • Yearly/Monthly: You can select a required duration and pay for the subscription in a single payment.
   • Pay-per-use: You do not need to select a required duration. Instead, you will be billed based on how long you use the service.
4. Select a region.

   For latency-sensitive services, to reduce network latency and speed up access, select a region close to your services. For services that need to communicate with existing cloud services on a private network, select the region where the existing cloud services are deployed.

   Exercise caution when selecting a region. Once a FlexusX instance is created, the region cannot be changed.

5. Select instance specifications.

   By default, performance mode is enabled. It can provide ultimate, stable performance assurance at additional costs. For more information, see Enabling Performance Mode for a FlexusX Instance.

   You can select either preset or custom FlexusX instance specifications.

6. Select an image.
   • Public images are standard, widely used images. A public image contains an OS and pre-installed public applications. After your instance is created using a public image, you can deploy applications or software on the instance as required.
   • Private images are created on IMS. You can create a private image from a cloud server on Huawei Cloud or another cloud platform, or you can download a third-party image.

     Before selecting a private image, you are advised to learn about the usage and constraints of private images described in Creating a FlexusX Instance from a Private Image or Using a Private Image to Change the OS.

     

     The FlexusX instance you are creating and the private image you want to select must belong to the same region. Otherwise, the image cannot be selected for the FlexusX instance. For example, if you want to create a FlexusX instance in the CN-Hong Kong region, you can only select images from the CN-Hong Kong region. If you want to use an image from another region, replicate that image to the current region. For details, see Replicating Images Across Regions.

   • A shared image is a private image another user has shared with you.
7. Set storage parameters, including the type and size of the system and data disks.
   • If the private image you selected is not encrypted, the system disk will not be encrypted, either. If the image you selected is encrypted, the system disk will be encrypted automatically.
   • You can attach up to 23 data disks to a FlexusX instance.
     Click Show to set the following parameters if required:

     • SCSI: If you select this option, the device type of the data disk is SCSI. For more information about SCSI disks and supported FlexusX instances, see Device Types and Usage Instructions.
     • Share: If you select this option, the data disk is sharable. Such a disk can be attached to multiple FlexusX instances.
8. Set network parameters.
   1. Select an available VPC and subnet from the drop-down list and specify how a private IP address will be assigned.
   2. Click Add NIC to add multiple extension NICs and specify IP addresses for them (including primary NICs).
      

      If you specify an IP address when creating multiple FlexusX instances in a batch:

      • This IP address serves as the start IP address.
      • The required IP addresses must be consecutive and available within the subnet.
      • The subnet that contains the specified IP address cannot overlap with other subnets.
      • IPv6 not required/Automatically-assigned IPv6 address: This parameter is available only for FlexusX instances of specific flavors in a VPC with IPv6 enabled. For details about how to enable IPv6 on a subnet, see IPv4 and IPv6 Dual-Stack Network. For details about how to check whether a FlexusX instance supports IPv4 and IPv6 dual stack, see "Constraints" in Dynamically Assigning IPv6 Addresses.

        By default, the system assigns IPv4 addresses. If you select Automatically-assigned IPv6 address, the system assigns IPv6 addresses. In a VPC, a FlexusX instance uses an IPv6 address to access the dual-stack intranet. To access the Internet, you must enable IPv6 Bandwidth and select a shared bandwidth. The FlexusX instance then can access the IPv6 Internet through the IPv6 address.

        After you create a FlexusX instance, you need to enable IPv6 so that the instance dynamically obtains an IPv6 address. For details, see Dynamically Assigning IPv6 Addresses.

        

        • IPv6 can only be enabled during instance creation. Once enabled, this setting cannot be modified. If IPv6 Bandwidth is not enabled during instance creation, you can enable it after the instance is created.
        • Dedicated bandwidth is not supported.
   3. Set Security Group. You can select an existing security group from the drop-down list or create a new one.

      This configuration controls access to FlexusX instances within a security group or among security groups, enhancing instance security. You can define access rules for a security group to protect the FlexusX instances in the group.

      When creating a FlexusX instance, you can select multiple security groups (no more than five is recommended). The access rules of all the selected security groups apply to the instance.

      The security group rules affect the access and use of FlexusX instances. For details about how to configure a security group rule, see Configuring Security Group Rules for a FlexusX Instance. Enable the following common protocols and ports as needed:

      • Port 80: default port for web page access through HTTP.
      • Port 443: port for web page access through HTTPS.
      • ICMP: used to ping FlexusX instances to check their communication statuses.
      • Port 22: reserved for logging in to Linux FlexusX instances using SSH.
      • Port 3389: reserved for remote desktop login to Windows FlexusX instances.
9. Set EIP parameters.

   An EIP is a static public IP address bound to a FlexusX instance in a VPC. The EIP enables the instance to communicate with the Internet.

   1. You can select one of the following options:
      • Auto assign: The system automatically assigns an EIP with a dedicated bandwidth to the FlexusX instance. The bandwidth is configurable.
      • Using existing: An existing EIP will be assigned to the FlexusX instance. If you select an existing EIP, batch creation of FlexusX instances is disabled.
      • Not required: A FlexusX instance without an EIP cannot access the Internet. However, it can still be used as a FlexusX instance or be deployed in a cluster on a private network.
   2. Set the EIP type.
      This parameter is mandatory when Purchase Mode is set to Auto assign.

      • Dynamic BGP: If there are changes on a network using dynamic BGP, network configurations can be promptly adjusted using the specified routing protocol, ensuring network stability and optimal user experience.
      • Static BGP If there are changes on a network using static BGP, network configurations cannot be promptly adjusted and user experience may be affected.
   3. Set Billed By.

      This parameter is mandatory when Purchase Mode is set to Auto assign. If you select Bandwidth or Traffic, the system will allocate a dedicated bandwidth for you, and the bandwidth is dedicated for one EIP.

      • Bandwidth: You will be billed based on the amount of bandwidth you configure.
      • Traffic: You will be billed based on the actual traffic you have used.
      • Shared bandwidth: You will be billed by the bandwidth shared by multiple EIPs.
   4. Set Bandwidth Size. Select the bandwidth size (in Mbit/s) based on service requirements.
   5. Set Release Option. If you select this option, the EIP will be released when the FlexusX instance is deleted.
10. (Optional) Select Associated Service.

    Enable Cloud Eye or HSS if needed.

    • If you enable Cloud Eye, an agent will be automatically installed on your FlexusX instance to provide 1-minute fine-grained monitoring of its metrics, such as vCPUs, memory, network, disks, and processes.
    • If you enable HSS, your FlexusX instance will be provided with host security services that scan for weak passwords, system vulnerabilities, brute-force attacks, and unauthorized logins.

      There are three HSS editions: basic edition, enterprise edition, and basic protection trial edition. You can use the basic protection trial edition for free for one month. If you do not pay for it after the free trial expires, host security will become unavailable.

11. Set FlexusX Instance Name and Login Mode.
    1. You can create a custom FlexusX instance name. If you purchase multiple FlexusX instances at a time, the system automatically sequences these instances.
    2. Set Login Mode.
       • Password: A username and its initial password are used for FlexusX instance login authentication.
       • Key pair: A key pair is used for FlexusX instance login authentication. You can select an existing key pair, or click Create Key Pair to create a new one.
         

         If you choose to use an existing key pair, ensure that it is available locally, or you will not be able to log in to your FlexusX instance.

       • Password from image: If a password has been set for the private image, you can select this option to use that password.
       • Set password later: You can choose to set a password for your FlexusX instance later. If you select this option, remember to set a password after your FlexusX instance is created.
12. Set Cloud Backup and Recovery.

    Cloud Backup and Recovery (CBR) lets you back up disks and FlexusX instances and use the backups to restore data. After you set Cloud Backup and Recovery, the system associates the FlexusX instance with the cloud backup vault and applies the selected backup policy to periodically back up the instance.

    For CBR billing details, see How Is CBR Billed?

    You can select one of the following options:

    • Create new
      1. Set the name of the cloud backup vault, which consists of 1 to 64 characters, containing only letters, digits, underscores (_), and hyphens (-). For example, vault-f61e. The default naming rule is vault_xxxx.
      2. Enter the vault capacity, which is required for backing up the ECS. The vault capacity cannot be smaller than that of the ECS to be backed up. Its value ranges from the total capacity of the ECS to 10,485,760 in the unit of GB.
      3. Select a backup policy from the drop-down list, or log in to the CBR console and configure a desired one.
    • Use existing
      1. Select an existing cloud backup vault from the drop-down list.
      2. Select a backup policy from the drop-down list, or log in to the CBR console and configure a desired one.
    • Not required

      Skip this configuration if CBR is not required. If you need to enable CBR after creating an ECS, log in to the CBR console, locate the target vault, and bind the ECS to the vault.

13. (Optional) Set Advanced Options.
    1. User Data: You can inject user data to customize your FlexusX instance. With this configuration, the FlexusX instance automatically injects data the first time it starts up.
       • As text: allows you to enter the user data in the text box.
       • As file: allows you to inject script files or other files when you create a FlexusX instance.

       For example, if you activate user root with a script, you can log in to the FlexusX instance as root. For details about how to pass user data, see Passing User Data to ECSs.

    2. Tag: Adding tags to FlexusX instances helps you better identify and manage your FlexusX instances. You can add up to 10 tags to each instance.
       

       Tags added during the instance creation will also be added to the EIP and EVS disks (including the system disk and data disks) of the FlexusX instance. If the instance uses an existing EIP, the tags will not be added to that EIP.

       After creating the instance, you can view the tags on the pages providing details about the FlexusX instance, EIP, and EVS disks.

    3. Agency: If your FlexusX instance resources need to be shared with other accounts or are delegated to professional personnel or team for management, the tenant administrator creates an agency in IAM and grants permission to manage your FlexusX instance resources.

       The delegated account can log in to the cloud system and switch to your account to manage resources. This way, you do not need to share security credentials (such as passwords) with other accounts, ensuring the security of your account.

       If you have created an agency in IAM, select the agency from the drop-down list. For more information about agencies, see Account Delegation.

    4. FlexusX Group: Select the FlexusX instance group you want to add your FlexusX instance to. A FlexusX instance group applies the anti-affinity policy to the instances in it so that they can be distributed on different hosts. For details about how to create a FlexusX instance group, see Managing a FlexusX Instance Group.
14. Click Next: Confirm.

    On the displayed page, confirm the configuration details of your FlexusX instance.

    • You can select Set scheduled deletion time and set the time for deleting the FlexusX instance. This way, the FlexusX instance will be deleted automatically as scheduled.
      However, before the scheduled time arrives, you can change it on the instance details page.

      

      Back up data before you set the scheduled deletion time.

    • Read and agree to the disclaimer.

    Hover your mouse over the price to learn about price details.

15. Click Submit and complete the payment.

Follow-Up Operations

• After creating a FlexusX instance, you can remotely connect to the instance to deploy it. For details, see Logging In to a FlexusX Instance. If you did not create a password for your FlexusX instance or if you have forgotten the login password, reset the password and then log in to the instance.
• If you want to deploy your FlexusX instance by yourself, refer to the instructions in Setting Up Websites.
  

  When you set up the environment by referring to Setting Up Websites, ensure that the image version used by the FlexusX instance is the same as that in the tutorial to prevent command execution failures caused by version incompatibility.