Data Science Workshop (DSW) provides a cloud-based IDE for AI development. If you are familiar with tools like Jupyter Notebook or Visual Studio Code, you can quickly start developing models. This document shows you how to create a DSW instance and troubleshoot common issues.
Quickly create a basic DSW instance
Log on to the PAI console, select a Region, and in the left-side navigation pane, click Workspace List. Select and enter the target workspace.
In the left-side navigation pane, click Interactive Modelling (DSW) > Create Instance. Configure the following key parameters and leave the others at their default settings. For a complete list of console parameters, see Full list of console parameters.
Parameter
Description
Instance Name
Example:
dsw_test.Resource Type
Select Public Resources. This resource type uses the pay-as-you-go billing method.
Instance Type
Example:
ecs.gn7i-c8g1.2xlarge(1 × A10 GPU, 8 vCPUs, 30 GiB memory).If this instance type is out of stock, try selecting another one from the list.
Image Configuration
Select Official Image, then search for and select
modelscope:1.31.0-pytorch2.8.0-gpu-py311-cu124-ubuntu22.04(Python 3.11, CUDA 12.4).We recommend using ModelScope images for their broad compatibility and comprehensive set of third-party libraries.
Click OK to create the instance. When the instance status changes to Running, it is ready.
If the instance fails to start, see Common issues when you start a DSW instance.
On the DSW instance list page, find the instance and click Open in the Actions column to go to the DSW instance and start developing models.
For more information about the features of the DSW instance interface and how to stop, release, or change a DSW instance, see Access and manage DSW instances in the console.
After you create a DSW instance using public resources, billing starts based on the instance's uptime. To avoid unnecessary charges, stop or delete the instance when not in use.
The system disk for the DSW instance created in this example is a free cloud disk. If the instance remains stopped for more than 15 consecutive days, the data on the cloud disk is permanently deleted and cannot be recovered. Back up important data in a timely manner, or mount a cloud storage service and transfer your data.
Configure for common use cases
A basic DSW instance might not meet all AI development needs. The following table summarizes configurations for common use cases.
Use case | Need / Pain point | Key configuration | Related documentation |
Persistently store code and data | The system disk of a DSW instance provides temporary storage. Data is deleted when the instance is deleted or remains stopped for an extended period. | Use Mount Dataset or Mount Storage Path to mount cloud storage, such as Object Storage Service (OSS), to a specified folder on an instance. | Mount a dataset, OSS bucket, NAS file system, or CPFS file system |
Increase public network download speed | DSW instances use a shared gateway by default. Due to bandwidth limitations, download speeds for large files might be insufficient. | In the network information section, configure a Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) and use a Dedicated Gateway. This also requires a NAT Gateway and an Elastic IP Address (EIP) for the VPC. | |
Develop remotely using SSH | Use local tools like VSCode or PyCharm for development and debugging instead of being limited to a web-based IDE. | In the access configuration, select Enable SSH, enter the SSH Public Key, and select Public Network Access. Associate an existing NAT Gateway and Elastic IP Address (EIP). | Use a dedicated gateway to increase the public network access speed |
Access web services within the instance | Publish a web application running inside the instance to the public internet so it can be accessed or shared via a URL. | In the access configuration, add a Custom Service, configure the service port, and enable public network access. Add an inbound rule to the security group to allow traffic on that port. |
Full list of console parameters
Basic information
Parameter | Description |
Instance Name | Enter a unique, descriptive name for the instance. |
Tags | Add tags to the instance based on business needs to facilitate multi-dimensional search, location, batch operations, and billing. |
Resource information
Parameter | Description |
Resource Type |
|
Environment information
Parameter | Description |
Image Configuration | In addition to Official Image, the following image types are supported:
|
System Disk | Used to store files during development. When you set Resource Type to Public Resources, or when you set Resource Quota to subscription general computing resources (CPU cores ≥ 2 and memory ≥ 4 GB, or equipped with a GPU), each instance receives a 100 GiB free disk as a system disk. You can expand the disk. The expansion price is subject to the console interface. Warning
To use permanent storage, configure Dataset Mounting or Storage Path Mounting. |
Dataset Mounting | Stores datasets for reading or persists files created during development. The following two dataset types are supported:
Mount Path: The path where the dataset is mounted in the DSW instance, for example, Note
For more information about mounting, see Mount a dataset, OSS bucket, NAS file system, or CPFS file system. |
Storage Mounting | Use storage mounting to access datasets or persist files.
For more information about mounting, see Mount a dataset, OSS bucket, NAS file system, or CPFS file system. |
Working Directory | The startup directory for JupyterLab and the Web IDE. The default is |
Network information
Parameter | Description |
VPC Configuration | This parameter is available only when Resource Type is set to Public Resources. To use a DSW instance within a Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), create a VPC in the same region as the DSW instance and configure this parameter. You also need to configure a VSwitch and a Security Group. For details on configuration policies for different scenarios, see DSW network access and configuration. |
Public Network Gateway | The following configuration methods are supported:
The following parameters are available only when a CPFS dataset is mounted:
Note If a CPFS dataset is mounted, you must configure a VPC, and the selected VPC must be the same as the one used by CPFS. |
Access configuration
Parameter | Description |
Enable SSH | For remote connection to the instance. This option is available only after you select a VPC. When enabled, a Custom Service named SSH appears. If you use a custom image, ensure that |
SSH Public Key | You can configure this parameter after turning on the SSH Configuration switch. Note To support both VPC and public network login, add public keys from multiple clients. Add each public key on a new line. You can add up to 10 public keys. |
Custom Service | Used to configure SSH remote access or access services in an instance over the Internet.
|
Create Domain Name For VPC Access | Creates an internal authoritative domain (PrivateZone). Use this domain within the VPC to access the instance's SSH service or other custom services, which avoids the inconvenience of a changing instance IP address. Creating a PrivateZone domain incurs charges. For more information, see Alibaba Cloud DNS Product Billing. |
NAT Gateway | When accessing a service in the instance from the public network, this gateway maps public requests ( |
Elastic IP Address | Provides a public IP address for accessing services in the instance from the public network. |
Roles and permissions
Parameter | Description |
Visibility | Choose Visible Only To Instance Owner or Publicly Visible Within Workspace. |
Instance Owner | Only the workspace administrator can change the instance owner. |
FAQ
Common issues when starting a DSW instance
Q: DSW instance fails to start
Troubleshooting: Click the DSW instance name. The error message is displayed on the Events tab.
The following are common errors and the corresponding solutions:
Cause: The system disk is full. You must expand the system disk.
To view the system disk usage:
Solution: Click Change Configuration to expand the system disk.
ImportantAfter you expand the system disk, billing for the system disk continues regardless of whether the instance is running. To stop all billing for a DSW instance, you must delete the instance. Before you delete the instance, make sure that you have backed up all necessary data.
Cause: A VPC is configured for the DSW instance. The vSwitch in the VPC has a zone property. After the vSwitch is configured, the search for computing resources is limited to the zone where the vSwitch is located, which may cause a resource shortage.
Solution: You can change the configuration of the DSW instance and set the VPC to empty.
NoteIf you want to use a VPC, we recommend that you switch to another zone and create a new vSwitch and DSW instance. This expands the range of available resources and prevents shortages caused by a limited resource scope.
Cause: The available disk space is insufficient for the instance image.
Solution: Go to the instance details page and scale out the system disk. Note that scaling out the system disk incurs additional fees based on its capacity.
Other reasons for startup failure:
Creation failure due to overdue payment
If your account has an overdue payment, you cannot create a DSW instance. Vouchers cannot be used to offset overdue payments. You can log on to the User Center to check if your account has an overdue payment.
Q: Can I run a Python file when a DSW instance starts?
Yes, you can set a Custom Startup Script when you create a DSW instance or change the instance configuration.
You can use this feature to customize the environment or run initialization tasks when an instance starts. The custom script runs after the image and resources are ready and before developer applications such as JupyterLab and Code Server start.
A custom script increases the instance startup time and has a 3-minute timeout. To prevent the script from timing out, do not run long-running tasks, such as downloading large files or images, in the custom script.
After the instance starts, you can find the logs generated by the custom script in the /var/log/user-command/ path.
Q: Cannot find a DSW instance?
On the overview page, you can view the different types of instances created in different regions. Try switching between regions to find your instance.
Q: What should I do if the DSW page is abnormal or unresponsive?
Problems such as a blank page, a Notebook that keeps loading, or a Terminal that does not accept commands are usually related to your local environment. Try the following troubleshooting steps:
Clear your browser cache and try again.
Use your browser's incognito or private mode to access the page.
Change your network environment. For example, switch from your company's internal network to a mobile hotspot to check for firewall restrictions.
Try using another browser, such as Chrome or Firefox.
Q: Will data on the system disk lost when a DSW instance that uses a disk as its system disk is stopped, restarted, has its instance type changed, or has its image replaced?
DSW instances that use a cloud disk as the system disk include instances created in a public resource group and general-purpose resource instances for which you select Disk as the system disk. The data on the system disks of these instances is affected as follows:
Stopping an instance: Data might be lost. If the disk has not been expanded and the instance remains stopped for more than 15 days, the data is deleted and cannot be recovered. If the disk has been expanded, or if the instance is stopped for 15 days or less, data is not lost.
Restarting an instance: Data is not lost. After an instance is stopped or restarted, all packages installed using
pip, code files, and other data on the system disk are retained.Changing the instance type: Data is not lost. Adjusting the instance type, such as the CPU, memory, or GPU configuration, does not affect data on the system disk.
Replacing the image: Some data might be lost. Changing the image does not affect data in mounted datasets or in OSS. However, content on the system disk might be reset. Therefore, save your instance data before you change the image. For example, you can copy or move the data to a dataset or to OSS. For more information, see Mount a dataset, OSS, NAS, or CPFS.
For general-purpose resource instances that use Temporary Storage as the system disk, all data on the system disk is lost when the instances are stopped, restarted, or have their specifications or image changed, regardless of whether their AI resource group is configured with subscription disks.
Q: Can DSW instances created using public resources be recovered if they are released after not being logged into for more than 15 days?
For DSW instances created with public resources, if the cloud disk system disk has not been expanded and the instance has not been started for more than 15 consecutive days, its system disk is automatically cleared and cannot be recovered.
Common issues when stopping or releasing a DSW instance
Q: How do I release a DSW instance?
On the DSW instance list page, click Stop or Delete for the instance.
Note: If you expanded the system disk when you created the DSW instance, billing for the system disk continues regardless of whether the instance is running. To stop all billing for a DSW instance, you must delete the instance.
Q: Why can't I find my DSW instance?
If you cannot find an instance, try switching to a different region and workspace.
Q: How do I release a free trial resource plan?
Free trial resource plans do not need to be released or stopped.
Q: How do I completely stop billing for a DSW instance? What is the difference between "Stop" and "Delete"?
Stop instance: This operation releases the instance's computing resources (CPU/GPU) and pauses billing for computing. Note: The expanded system disk continues to be billed.
Delete instance: This operation permanently deletes the instance and all its resources, including the system disk. All related billing stops.
How to choose:
Stop: Use this if you do not need the instance temporarily but want to keep the data and environment for future use.
Delete: Use this if you no longer need the instance and want to stop all billing. You must back up your data before you perform this operation.
Q: Why is my DSW instance stuck in the "Stopping" or "Deleting" state and the operation cannot be completed?
Stopping or deleting an instance takes time because the system needs to safely terminate tasks, save the state, and reclaim resources. If an instance is unresponsive for a long time, the common reasons are as follows:
The instance has processes that have not terminated properly.
High memory usage prevents the instance from responding to the shutdown command.
In this situation, wait for a few moments and then refresh the page. The instance status should change to Stopped.
Q: Will my data and code be lost after stopping or deleting a DSW instance?
Whether data is retained depends on your operation and the instance's resource group type.
Stop instance:
The data retention policy varies by resource group type.
For most pay-as-you-go and general-purpose instances that use a cloud Disk as the system disk, data is deleted and cannot be recovered if the disk has not been expanded and the instance is stopped for more than 15 days. The data is retained if the disk has been expanded or the instance is stopped for 15 days or less.
Instances using temporary storage as the system disk: Data is stored in temporary storage. Stopping the instance deletes the data, and it cannot be recovered.
Delete instance:
All data on its system disk is permanently erased and cannot be recovered. Therefore, you must back up all important data before deletion.
Q: Why does my running DSW instance stop automatically?
The instance is configured with an idle auto-shutdown policy. This policy is designed to save resources and is enabled by default for free trial instances.
Trigger condition: The instance's CPU and GPU usage are continuously below the set threshold for 3 hours.
Recommended action:
Manual stop: To ensure resource savings, manually stop the instance when it is not in use. The auto-shutdown policy is not guaranteed to be triggered every time.
Modify policy: To run long-term tasks, you can modify or disable this policy. The steps are as follows:
Go to the Workspace Details page and click Workspace Configuration > Scheduling Configuration.
Find the DSW configuration area, where you can modify the DSW shutdown policy and exclusion policy.
Q: I have stopped or deleted all my DSW instances. Why does it still show "Running" or why do I receive billing notifications?
Check for the following common reasons:
Confusing resource plans with instances. The "Running" status you see may refer to a resource plan (such as "250 billable hours per month"), not an instance. A resource plan is always active within its validity period, and its status is independent of the instance.
The expanded system disk is still being billed. Stopping an instance only pauses computing fees. An expanded system disk continues to incur storage fees.
There is a delay in billing. Billing is not in real time. A bill may be generated several hours after you use the resource. For example, fees incurred in the morning may not appear on the bill until the afternoon.