Elastic GPU Service:Connect to an instance using VNC

Get the instance logon username

The default logon usernames are root or ecs-user for Linux instances and administrator for Windows instances. To look up the initial logon username in the ECS console:

1. Go to the ECS console - Instance.

2. Find the instance and click the icon, then click Reset Instance Password.

3. The initial logon username appears as shown below.

   

For more information, see Manage logon users for instances.

Reset a forgotten or missing logon password

If you forgot the logon password or used an SSH key pair as the logon credential, reset the password before connecting:

1. In the ECS console, find the instance.

2. Click the icon and select Reset Instance Password.

   

3. Follow the prompts to set a new password.

For more information, see Reset the logon password of an instance.

Grant permissions to a RAM user

If you are using a Resource Access Management (RAM) user, attach the following policy to grant the minimum required permissions. For details on attaching policies, see Grant permissions to a RAM user.

{
  "Version": "1",
  "Statement": [
    {
      "Effect": "Allow",
      "Action": [
        "ecs:DescribeInstances",
        "ecs:DescribeInstanceVncUrl"
      ],
      "Resource": "*"
    }
  ]
}

The ecs:DescribeInstances action queries instance information. The ecs:DescribeInstanceVncUrl action retrieves the VNC connection URL. Use the Resource element to restrict access to specific instances. For more information, see Resource.

Step 1: Find the instance

1. Go to ECS console - Instance.

2. In the top navigation bar, select the region and resource group of the instance.

   

3. On the Instance page, click the instance ID to open the instance details page. The following figures show an instance in the Running state.

Step 2: Open the VNC connection page

1. Click Connect. In the Remote connection dialog box, click Show Other Logon Methods, then click Sign in now in the VNC section. The VNC connection page opens.

   Important

   If the message "You do not have the permissions to perform this operation. Ask the Alibaba Cloud account to grant the permissions in the RAM console and try again later." appears, check that your RAM user has the required permissions. See Grant permissions to a RAM user above.

Step 3: Log on to the instance OS

The VNC connection page displays the OS interface of the instance. Log on using the instance logon username and password.

Linux instance

In this example, an instance running Alibaba Cloud Linux 3 is used.

1. Enter the username (such as root or ecs-user) and press Enter.

2. Enter the password and press Enter.

   Important

   Password characters are hidden as you type. If you see a Login Incorrect error, reset the logon password and try again. See Reset the logon password of an instance.

3. Verify that you are logged on. The following figure shows a successful logon.

   

Windows instance

In this example, an instance running Windows Server 2025 is used.

1. In the upper-left corner, choose Send Remote Commands > CTRL+ALT+DELETE to unlock the OS.

2. Select a username, enter the password, and press Enter. The default username is Administrator.

Copy and paste content

Direct copy-paste from your local machine to the instance is not supported. Use the Enter Copy Commands feature instead.

1. Connect to the instance by using VNC.

2. Position the cursor at the location where you want to paste content.

3. In the upper-left corner of the VNC connection page, click Enter Copy Commands.

4. In the Copy and Paste Commands dialog box, enter the content and click OK.

Send remote commands

Use Send Remote Commands to send keyboard shortcuts to the instance. For Linux instances, select CTRL+ALT+F1 through CTRL+ALT+F10 to switch VNC management terminals. For Windows instances, select CTRL+ALT+DELETE to unlock the OS.

1. Connect to the instance by using VNC.

2. In the upper-left corner of the VNC connection page, click Send Remote Commands and select a command.

   In this example, Windows is used.