You can use the Management Terminal, also called VNC, to connect to an ECS instance, especially when the remote access software program that you are using, such as PuTTy, Xshell, or SecureCRT, cannot work.

Usage scenarios

The Management Terminal is used to:

• Check the status of an ECS instance if boot speed is slow.
• Reconfigure the firewall if a remote connection fails due to a software error within the ECS instance.
• End abnormal processes consuming excessive CPU usage or bandwidth.

Note:The Management Terminal can be used to connect to an instance even if purchased bandwidth is insufficient.

Procedure

1. Log on to the ECS console.

2. Go to the ECS instance to connect to, and click VNC on the right.

3. Follow the tips below to connect to the Management Terminal:

   • If you connect the Management Terminal for the first time, follow the steps below:
     1. On the VNC Connection Password dialog, copy the password. This dialog appears only once, but you need to enter the connection password each time you want to connect to the Management Terminal, so write down the password.
        
     2. Click the Close button to close the VNC Connection Password dialog.
     3. On the Enter VNC Password dialog, paste the connection password that you copied, and then click the OK button to connect to the Management Terminal.
        
   • If this is not your initial connection to the Management Terminal, the Enter VNC Password dialog appears, and you need to enter the connection password and click the OK button to connect to the Management Terminal.
   • If you forget the password, you can follow the steps below to connect to the Management Terminal:
     1. Change password.
     2. On the upper left corner of the Management Terminal interface, click Send remote command > Connect to management terminal.
     3. On the Enter VNC Password dialog, enter the new password to finish connection.

4. Follow the steps below to connect to an instance:

   • For a Linux instance, enter the user name (“root”) and the password to connect to it. Your screen may go black constantly, which occurs when the Linux instance is in sleep mode. Click the mouse or press any key to wake it up.
     If you are operating several Linux instances, you can click Send remote command > CTRL+ALT+Fx, of which Fx can be any one from F1 to F10, to switch management terminals.
     

   • For a Windows instance, on the upper left corner of the Management Terminal interface, click Send remote command > CTRL+ALT+DELETE to get to the logon screen. Enter the user name, Administrator, and password to log on.
     

Change password

If you prefer a password that you are familiar with rather than the password displayed on the VNC Connection Password dialog, or if you forget your password, you can change the connection password.

Note: If the instance that you are connecting to is not I/O optimized, you need restart your instance to make the new VNC connection password take effect after you change it. The restart operation will stop the work of your instance and interrupt your business. So you must be cautious to change the password.

1. Log on to the ECS console.

2. Go to the ECS instance to connect to, and click VNC on the right.

3. Close the VNC Connection Password dialog or Enter VNC Password dialog, and on the upper right corner of the Management Terminal interface, click the Modify management terminal password button to start changing the password.
   

4. Enter a new password, which must be of 6-character length, composed of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, digits, or a combination of them, but not special characters.

5. Make the new password take effect:

   • If the instance that you are connecting to is I/O optimized, the new password takes effect immediately.
   • If the instance that you are connecting to is not I/O optimized, restart the instance through the Management Console for the new password to take effect. Restarting within the instance does not work.

FAQ

Q: Can multiple users be simultaneously connected to the Management Terminal?
A: No. Only one user can be connected to the Management Terminal at any given time.

Q: Why can I not connect to an instance using the Management Terminal after changing the password?
A:Ensure you are entering the right VNC connection password. If the instance that you are connecting to is not I/O optimized, you must restart the instance through the Management Console for the new VNC connection password to take effect. Restarting directly within the instance will not make the password take effect.

Q: Why do I see a black screen after logging on to my instance?
A: A black screen indicates that the instance is in sleep mode.

• For a Linux instance, press any key to wake it up.
• For a Windows instance, click Send remote command > Ctrl+ALT+DELETE to bring back the logon interface.

Q: Why can I not access the Management Terminal?
A: To address login issues, open your browser and connect to the Management Terminal. Press the F12 key to open the developer tool. The Management Terminal information can then be analyzed to locate faults under the Console tab.

Q: I cannot use IE8.0 or Firefox to open the Management Terminal. How can I resolve this?
A: Only IE10 or higher is supported, and only certain versions of Firefox are supported.
To resolve this issue, update or change your browser to a compatible version.
Note: Google Chrome offers the best support for the Management Terminal function, and is recommended for use when you connect to the Management Terminal.