Elastic Compute Service:Manage ECS instances with Alibaba Cloud Client

Connect to an instance

Start and stop an instance

• Start an instance

  1. In the instance list, find the target instance, and in the corresponding Actions column, choose Change Instance Status > Start Instance.

  2. In the dialog box that appears, confirm the instance information and click Start Instance.

• Stop an instance

  1. In the instance list, find the target instance, and in the corresponding Actions column, choose Change Instance Status > Stops an instance..

  2. In the dialog box that appears, configure the stop mode and click Stops an instance..

• Reboot an instance

  1. In the instance list, find the target instance, and in the corresponding Actions column, choose Change Instance Status > Restart Instance.

  2. In the dialog box that appears, confirm the instance information and click Restart Instance.

Reset an instance password

The client transmits the new password over an encrypted channel and it takes effect immediately without a reboot.

1. In the instance list, find the target instance, and in the corresponding Actions column, choose Instance System Management > Reset Password.

2. In the Reset Password dialog box, enter and confirm the new password, choose whether to enable or keep the original password sign-in method, and then click Reset Password.

Enable release protection

If a pay-as-you-go instance runs critical services, you can enable release protection for the instance to prevent its accidental release.

1. On the Homepage page of Alibaba Cloud Client, click ECS. Above the instance list, select the region where your instance is located.

2. In the instance list, find the target instance, and in the corresponding Actions column, choose Change Instance Status > Add Instance Protection.

Manage security groups

1. In the instance list, find the target instance, and in the corresponding Actions column, choose View Security Groups.

   You can view the security group ID, name, type, inbound and outbound rules, and description.

2. Manage the security group.

   • Add an inbound or outbound rule.

     1. In the Actions column for the security group, click Add Inbound Rule or Add Outbound Rule.

     2. Enter the rule details. For parameter information, see Security group rules.

   • Modify the authorization policy.

     1. In the row for the security group, click the number in the Outbound Rules or Inbound Rules column.

     2. In the Actions column for the security group rule, choose Modify Authorization Policy.

     3. Select Allow or Deny, and then click Modify Authorization Policy.

Upload and download files

1. On the Homepage page of Alibaba Cloud Client, click ECS. Above the instance list, select the region where your instance is located.

2. In the instance list, find the target instance, and in the corresponding Actions column, choose File Management (SFTP)....

3. In the dialog box, configure the User Name and Port. Then, select an Authentication:

   • Temp KeyPair: A temporary key pair is generated. Cloud Assistant sends the public key to the instance, allowing you to sign in using the private key. This method is simpler because you do not need to manage passwords or key files.

   • Password: Enter the password of the ECS instance.

   • key file: Sign in with an SSH private key file. You can obtain a private key file in one of the following ways:

     In the Actions column for the target instance, choose Instance System Management > Add SSH Key to bind an SSH key to the ECS instance. This enables password-free sign-in for future connections.

     • Create a key pair (.pem file) on the ECS console and bind it to the ECS instance.

     • Manually bind a key pair to the ECS instance.

4. In the file list, find the target file or directory.

   You can use the client to transfer files between an ECS instance and an OSS bucket.

   • To download files: In the corresponding Actions column, choose Download this file or Download this directory.

   • To upload files: Above the file list, choose Upload local directory or Upload Local File.

Port forwarding (via Cloud Assistant)

1. On the Homepage page of Alibaba Cloud Client, click ECS. Above the instance list, select the region where your instance is located.

2. In the instance list, find the target instance, and in the corresponding Actions column, choose Port Forwarding (Cloud Assistant).... In the dialog box that appears, enter the server port (the access port for the service inside the instance) and the local port (the listening port on your local machine). Optionally, select whether to print request/response content or open the local port in a browser after startup. Then, click Start.

3. View the port forwarding logs in the client. After clicking Start, the following output in the terminal indicates that port forwarding is successfully enabled:

   # Checking the running status of the instance...
   # Checking the SessionManager protocol status for the current user [Enabled]
   > localhost: start server socket  : { address: '127.0.0.1', family: 'IPv4', port: 8088 }
   > localhost: start socket listen  : { address: '127.0.0.1', family: 'IPv4', port: 8088 }
   > Start listening on local port localhost:8088. This listener only accepts connection requests from the local machine.

Send remote commands

To quickly perform routine maintenance, such as batch-installing or uninstalling software, resetting user passwords, or running automated O&M scripts, you can send remote commands to your ECS instances.

1. On the Homepage page of Alibaba Cloud Client, click ECS. Above the instance list, select the region where your instance is located.

2. In the instance list, find the target instance, and in the corresponding Actions column, choose Instance System Management > Send Remote Commands. In the Send Remote Commands dialog box, enter an automated O&M script and click Send.

Release an instance

1. On the Homepage page of Alibaba Cloud Client, click ECS. Above the instance list, select the region where your instance is located.

2. In the instance list, find the target instance, and in the corresponding Actions column, choose Change Instance Status > Release Instance.

3. In the dialog box that appears, confirm the instance information and click Release Instance.

FAQ