If you cannot connect to your Linux instance by using the remote connection software such as PuTTY, Xshell, and SecureCRT, you can use the management terminal VNC in the ECS console to connect to the Linux instance and view the real-time status of the instance in the ECS operation interface.

Prerequisites

  • You have created an instance.
  • You have set a logon password for the instance. If not, you can reset the password for the instance. For more information, see Reset an instance logon password.

Background information

The remote connection password is used to connect to the management terminal in the ECS console, while the instance password is used to log on to the instance.

If you cannot connect to the instance by using software, you can connect to the instance through the management terminal VNC. For example, you can do this in the following scenarios
Scenario Resolution
The instance started slowly due to startup self-check. Check the progress of the self-check.
The firewall of the operating system is enabled by mistake. Disable the firewall.
The ECS instance is hacked into and causes a high CPU utilization rate and high bandwidth usage. Troubleshoot and terminate abnormal processes.

Procedure

The following figure shows the workflow.Workflow
  1. Log on to the ECS console.
  2. In the left-side navigation pane, choose Instances & Images > Instances.
  3. In the top navigation bar, select a region.
  4. On the Instances page, click Connect in the Actions column corresponding to the instance that you want to connect to.
  5. Connect to the management terminal.
    • If you use the Alibaba Cloud account to connect to the management terminal for the first time, perform the following operations:
      1. In the VNC Password dialog box, copy the password.
        Note The VNC password is displayed only once at the time when you connect to the management terminal for the first time. Keep the password properly.
      2. Click Close.
      3. In the Enter VNC Password dialog box that appears, paste the password and click OK.
    • If you forget your password or connect to the management terminal for the first time as a RAM user, perform the following operations:
      1. Modify the VNC password.
      2. In the upper-left corner of the interface, choose Send Remote Call > Connect VNC.
      3. In the Enter VNC Password dialog box that appears, enter the new password.
      4. Click OK.
    • If you connect to the management terminal once more by using your Alibaba Cloud account or as a RAM user, perform the following operations:

      In the Enter VNC Password dialog box, enter the password and click OK.

  6. Enter the username root and press the Enter key.
  7. Enter the instance logon password and press the Enter key.
    In the upper-left corner of the interface, choose Send Remote Call > CTRL+ALT+Fx (You can press function keys 1 to 10) to switch between different management terminals for connecting to the Linux instance. A persistent black screen indicates that the instance is in sleep mode. Press any key to wake up the system.
    Note When you log on to the Linux instance, the password characters are not displayed as you type. Press the Enter key after you type the password.

Modify the VNC password

When you connect to the management terminal as a RAM user for the first time, you must modify the VNC password. You can also change the password when you forget or need to update the VNC password.
Note After modifying the VNC password for a non-I/O optimized instance, you must restart the instance in the ECS console for the new password to take effect. Restarting the instance will stop your instance, which will lead to service interruption. Proceed with caution.
  1. On the Instances page, click Connect in the Actions column corresponding to the instance that you want to connect to.
  2. Close the VNC Password dialog box or the Enter VPC Password dialog box.
  3. In the upper-right corner of the interface, click Modify VNC Password.
  4. In the Modify VNC Password dialog box, enter and confirm the new password, and then click OK.
  5. Optional: If the instance is a non-I/O optimized instance, restart the instance.
    For more information, see Restart an instance.

Copy long commands

If you need to copy a long text item such as a download URL from the local device to the instance, you can use the copy command input function.

  1. On the Instances page, click Connect in the Actions column corresponding to the instance that you want to connect to.
  2. Connect to the management terminal.
  3. In the upper-right corner of the interface, click Enter Copy Commands.
  4. In the Copy and Paste Commands dialog box that appears, enter the content to be copied and then click OK.