Virtual Infrastructure Setup and VM Deployment 💻

Create a Virtual Network

Purpose & Summary:

Create a private virtual network exclusive to your project that acts like a secure switch within the cloud, enabling VMs to communicate internally without exposure. Details: This network is the foundation for VM communication and network isolation. The network should be “Up” and assigned to your project. Steps: Go to Networking → Networks.

Click on Virtual Networks

Click Create Network. Select your project (e.g., web-project) and then Name the network (e.g., private-net).

After filling the details click on Create.

Add a Subnet

Under the network we just created, we now need to create a subnet.

Purpose & Summary: Define a subnet within your virtual network that specifies the IP address range your VMs will use, e.g., 192.168.50.0/24. Configure DHCP to automatically assign IP addresses and specify DNS servers for name resolution. Details: The subnet determines the IP range and gateway for the network. You should avoid IP conflicts with your existing networks. Steps: When creating your network, proceed to add a subnet. Provide: Subnet Name (e.g., private-subnet) Network Address (CIDR), e.g., 192.168.50.0/24 Gateway IP (usually 192.168.50.1) Enable or disable DHCP as per your setup (default enabled) Add DNS Nameservers (8.8.8.8, 1.1.1.1)

Create a Virtual Router

Purpose & Summary: Set up a virtual router to enable routing between your private network and external networks (such as the internet), acting as a Layer 3 device managing traffic flow. Details: The router must be active (Admin State: Up) and assigned to your project. Steps: Navigate to Networking → Routers.

Click Create New, Select the Project, name the server (e.g., internet-router) and then click on Review and Create.

Attach Subnet to Router

Purpose & Summary: Connect the subnet to the router by adding the subnet interface to allow VMs on that subnet to route traffic outside the private network. Details: This links your private subnet with external networks via the router.

Steps: Open your newly created router (internet-router). Go to the Interfaces tab. Click Add Interface. Select your subnet (e.g., private-subnet). Confirm the interface addition

Create a Security Group (Restrict by IP)

Purpose & Summary: Configure a security group to control inbound and outbound traAic to your VM, acting like a virtual firewall. Restrict SSH access to your specific public IP for security. Details: Default security usually denies inbound access; explicitly allow needed ports and IP ranges. Steps: Go to Network → Security Groups.

Create a new group called (e.g., ssh-only).

Upon Submission, click on the name of the particular Security Group and add an ingress rule: Protocol: TCP Optionally add a description Port Range: 22 (SSH) Remote IP Prefix: Your public IP with /32 mask (e.g., 203.0.113.25/32) Optionally, add rules for HTTP (80) and HTTPS (443) if hosting web apps. Tip: Find your public IP at whatismyipaddress.com.

Launch a Virtual Machine (Instance)

Purpose & Summary: Deploy a virtual machine in your environment with the OS, compute resources, network, and security settings defined. Details: Select an image (Linux/Windows), an VM plan for CPU/RAM sizing, and upload/select an SSH key or set a password for access. Attach the VM to the private network and security group. Steps: Navigate to Virtual Machines → Instances (VMs). Click Create Instance.

Provide: Compute Offering (e.g., GP1.micro) OS Image (e.g., Ubuntu 22.04)

Disk Offering (e.g., Standard NVMe 10 GB) Network: Attach to your private network (private-net). Security Group: Select the group you created (e.g., ssh-only). Key Pair: Upload or select your SSH public key (ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1...your-key...) or define a strong password. Startup Script: If you have start script while provisioning VM. Monitoring: Enable/Disable

Server Name & Server Hostname (e.g., web-server) Review & Deploy the VM.

Allocate and Assign a Floating IP

Purpose & Summary: Assign a floating (public) IP to your VM to enable internet access, mapping a public IP to the VM’s private address. Details: Floating IPs provide NAT (network address translation) so your VM can be accessed externally without exposing its internal IP. Steps: Go to Networking → Floating IPs. Allocate a new floating IP. Associate it with your VM instance (e.g., web-server).

Final Notes

After deploying, test connectivity by SSHing to the floating IP. Verify security group rules to ensure only intended ports/IPs are open.