Cloud Phone:Create and manage instance groups

Prerequisites

Before you create an instance group, complete the following preparations:

• Permissions: If you use a Resource Access Management (RAM) user instead of an Alibaba Cloud account to access the console, the RAM user must have the required access permissions. Otherwise, the operations fail. For more information, see System policies for Cloud Phone.

• VPC setup: Instance groups support shared networks and virtual private cloud (VPC) network. If you want to use a VPC network, you must first create a VPC. For more information, see Create and manage a VPC.

Console access

All operations in this topic are performed in the Cloud Phone console. To navigate to the instance group management page:

1. Log on to the Cloud Phone console.

2. In the left-side navigation pane, choose Manage Resource > Instance Group.

Create an instance group

To provision Cloud Phone instances with a specific configuration, create an instance group that defines the desired specifications, image, and network settings.

1. On the Instance Group page, click Create Instance Group.

2. On the Create Instance Group page, set the following parameters.

   Note

   Quota limits for shared networks: You can have a maximum of 10 shared networks. This quota is shared with WUYING Workspace Enterprise Edition. The combined number of basic office networks created in the WUYING Workspace Enterprise Edition console and shared networks for Cloud Phone cannot exceed 10.

   Note

   The feature to automatically create a VPC network depends on Cloud Architect Design Tools (CADT). If you use a RAM user instead of an Alibaba Cloud account to create the instance group, the RAM user must first be granted the AliyunCADTFullAccess policy permissions.

   Note

   For the pay-as-you-go billing method, billing starts when an instance group is created. A billing cycle is 4 hours. Billing stops at the end of the 4-hour billing cycle in which the instance group is released. If your account has an overdue payment during the deduction process, billing stops immediately and you are not charged for the full 4-hour block. For more information about the billing rules for the pay-as-you-go billing method, see \[Announcement\] Change of billing cycle for pay-as-you-go instances.

   Important

   The running state of a Cloud Phone instance does not affect billing. Billing continues even if you stop a Cloud Phone instance. For more information, see Billing overview.

   Parameter	Description	Example
   Available Region	The region where the Cloud Phone instance group resides. To reduce latency, select a region near your users.	Singapore
   Billing Method	Select a billing method: Subscription: You pay upfront for a specific duration. Pay-as-you-go: You are charged after you use the service.	Subscription
   Specifications	Specifications are categorized into Lightweight, General-purpose, Standard, Enhanced, and Performance types for different business scenarios. For example, the Lightweight type is suitable for hosting lightweight applications, such as community operations and automated text and image web browsing. The Standard type is suitable for various scenarios, including application hosting and interaction.	Lightweight
   Image Type	Select an image type: Public Images Custom Image	Public Images
   Network Type	Select a network type: Basic Shared Network and Advanced Shared Network: Include free basic bandwidth. The peak bandwidth for each Cloud Phone is 5 Mbps. These options are suitable for use cases with low Internet access requirements and do not support public Android Debug Bridge (ADB). VPC: Supports public ADB. For more information about the differences between network types, see Manage networks.	Basic Shared Network
   Network	Select a network option: Use Existing Network Auto Create Network	Use Existing Network
   vSwitch	This parameter appears only when the network type is VPC. Select a vSwitch option: Auto manage Use existing	Auto manage
   Attach	Select a control policy to attach to the instance group.	Keep the default setting
   Instance Group Name	The name can be up to 30 characters in length. It must start with an uppercase or lowercase letter. It cannot start with http:// or https://. It can contain only letters, digits, colons (:), underscores (_), periods (.), and hyphens (-).	DemoGroup
   Quantity	The number of instances in the instance group.	1
   Duration	This parameter appears only when the billing method is subscription. Select a subscription duration and specify whether to enable auto-renewal.	1 Month

3. Read the Product Terms of Service, and then click Buy Now.

4. (Conditional) If the billing method is subscription, confirm the configurations and payment amount on the Purchase page. Then, click Subscribe and complete the payment as prompted.

After the instance group is created, you can view its status on the Instance Group page.

Scale up an instance group

To increase the number of instances in an existing instance group, scale up the group.

1. On the Instance Group page, find the target instance group and click Scale Up in the Actions column.

2. On the Scale Out Instance Group page, enter the number of instances that you want to add (from 1 to 200) and click Buy Now.

3. (Conditional) If the billing method is subscription, confirm the configurations and payment amount on the Purchase page. Then, click Subscribe and complete the payment as prompted.

You can view the latest status of the instance group on the Instance Group page.

Change the policy for an instance group

To apply different access or device management rules to an instance group, you can change the control policy that is attached to it.

1. On the Instance Group page, find the target instance group, click the ... icon in the Actions column, and choose Change Policy.

2. In the Change Policy panel, select a policy in the Policy section and click OK.

Change the image for an instance group

To update the operating system or apply a custom image to all instances in a group, you can change the image for the instance group.

1. On the Instance Group page, find the target instance group, click the ... icon in the Actions column, and choose Change Image.

2. In the Change Image panel, select an image in the Images section and click Confirm.

Migrate the network for an instance group

To expand the IP address range of a vSwitch or change private IP addresses, you can migrate the instance group to another network.

Switch between system and application modes

By default, Cloud Phones in an instance group display the full mobile phone operating system. If you want a Cloud Phone to display only specified applications instead of the entire phone operating system, you can switch the instance group to application mode.

1. On the Instance Group page, find the target instance group, click the ... icon in the Actions column, and choose Switch System/Application Mode.

2. In the Switch Between System Mode and Application Mode panel, select Application Mode or System Mode in the Modes section and click OK.

Renew a subscription instance group

You can manually renew a subscription instance group at any time before it expires to extend the service duration.

1. On the Instance Group page, find the target instance group and click Renew in the Actions column.

2. On the Renew Instance Group page, select a renewal duration, confirm the price details, and click Renew Now.

3. On the Purchase page, click Subscribe and complete the payment.

Other management operations

In addition to the operations described above, you can perform the following tasks from the Instance Group page. Find the target instance group and perform the following operations as needed:

• Modify the instance group name: Hover your mouse over the name of the target instance group, click the edit icon, and modify the name.

• View the list of instances in an instance group: Click the instance group ID to view the list of instances in the group on the instance group details page.

• Delete an instance group:

  • For a subscription instance group, you can delete it only when its status is Expired or Failed. Click Delete in the Actions column and confirm the deletion.

  • For a pay-as-you-go instance group, you can delete it only when its status is Available, Overdue, or Failed. Click Delete in the Actions column and confirm the deletion.