Edge Node Service (ENS) lets you connect to instances using third-party clients or VNC. After you create an edge instance, you can choose a connection method based on the operating system of the target instance and the operations that you need to perform.
Prerequisites
To connect to an instance using Secure Shell (SSH), you must open port 22 for inbound traffic in the security group of the instance.
You have the administrator account and logon password for the instance. If you forget the password, you must reset it.
Log on using the public IP address of the instance
Log on to the ENS console.
In the left navigation pane, choose Resources and Images > Instances.
In the Actions column of the target instance, click Details.
On the instance details page, click Instance Details to retrieve the instance’s public IP address.
You can log on using a remote logon tool. This topic uses PuTTY as an example to show how to log on to a Linux instance from an on-premises computer that runs Windows.
Download and install PuTTY.
Start PuTTY.
Configure the settings required to connect to the Linux instance.
Host Name (or IP address): Enter the public IP address of the edge instance.
Port: Enter 22.
Connection Type: Select SSH.
Saved Sessions: (Optional) Enter a session name. Click Save to save the session. The next time you log on, you do not need to re-enter the public IP address and other information.
Click Open.
If this is the first time you log on to the instance, PuTTY displays a security warning dialog box that prompts you to accept the server's security certificate. Click Yes to save the certificate to the local registry.
After an SSH connection is established, enter the username and password at the prompt to log on to the instance.
Log on using VNC
If you cannot use a remote connection tool to log on to an instance, you can use a VNC connection to log on to the instance and view the running status of the operating system.
By default, a VNC remote connection session lasts for 300 seconds. If you are inactive for more than 300 seconds, the connection is automatically disconnected and you must reconnect to the instance.
Log on to the ENS console.
In the left navigation pane, choose Resources and Images > Instances.
In the Actions column for the target instance, click Remote Connection.
In the Remote Logon dialog box, click Connect.
Log on to the instance operating system.
Linux instances
Enter the logon username, such as `root` or `ecs-user`, and press
Enter.Enter the logon password for the instance and press
Enter.NoteWhen you log on to a Linux instance, the password is not displayed as you type. Make sure that you enter the correct password.
You can switch between different VNC management terminals to connect to a Linux instance. The default terminal is CTRL+ALT+F1. Up to 10 terminals are supported. For example, in the upper-left corner of the interface, click to switch to CTRL+ALT+F2.
Windows instances
In the upper-left corner, click .
Select a user account (the default is Administrator), enter the logon password for the instance, and press Enter.
To copy a long text string, such as a file download address, from your on-premises device to the instance, you can use the copy command input feature.
You have successfully logged on to the ECS instance using VNC.
In the upper-left corner, click Copy Command Input.
In the Text Content dialog box, enter the content that you want to copy and click OK.
FAQ
What do I do if I cannot connect to a Linux instance?
What do I do if a black screen appears after I connect using VNC?
What do I do if the console VNC is inaccessible?
Log on using a key pair
An SSH key pair is a secure and convenient authentication method for the SSH protocol. It consists of a public key and a private key and is supported only on Linux instances. A key pair helps meet business requirements for high security, convenience, and automation. You can use an SSH key pair to remotely log on to an instance without a password. This method also lets you perform secure, automated operations, such as server configuration and application deployment, without manual intervention.
To use an SSH key pair to log on to a Linux instance, you must first create a key pair. When you create the instance, you can specify the key pair. You can also attach the key pair after the instance is created. Then, you can use the private key to connect to the instance.
Limits
The maximum length of a key pair is 1,024 bytes.
Only Linux instances are supported.
Only instances of the x86-computing, heterogeneous virtual machine, and ARM computing types are supported.
If you use an SSH key pair to log on to a Linux instance, password-based logon is disabled to improve security.
When you attach a key pair in the console, you can attach only one key pair to a Linux instance. If your instance already has a key pair attached, the new key pair replaces the old one.
Create a key pair
Log on to the ENS Management Console.
In the navigation pane on the left, choose Resources and Images.
On the Key Pairs page, click Create Key Pair.
Enter a name for the key pair.
Select a Creation Mode for the key pair. You can select Automatically Create Key Pair or Import Key Pair.
Automatically Create Key Pair: The system creates a key pair and automatically downloads the private key. This is your only chance to download the private key. Save the private key file in a secure location.
Import Key Pair: You can import a Base64-encoded public key.
Click OK. Once the key pair is created, the private key file (key_pair_name.pem) is automatically downloaded to your computer.
Attach a key pair
After you attach a key pair to or detach a key pair from an instance, you must restart the instance for the change to take effect. If the instance is stopped, you must start it.
Log on to the ENS Management Console.
In the navigation pane on the left, choose Resources and Images.
On the Key Pairs page, find the key pair that you want to attach and click Associate in the Actions column.
In the Attach Key Pair dialog box, select the instance to which you want to attach the key pair.
Click OK.
Restart or start the ENS instance for the operation to take effect.
Delete a key pair
Make sure that the SSH key pair you want to delete is not attached to any ENS instances.
Log on to the ENS Management Console.
In the navigation pane on the left, choose Resources and Images.
On the Key Pair List page, find the key pair you want to delete and click Delete in the Actions column.
In the Delete Key Pair dialog box, confirm the key pair to be deleted.
After you confirm the key pair information, click OK.
Connect to an instance using Workbench
Workbench is a remote connection tool provided by Alibaba Cloud that lets you connect to ENS instances from a browser without a password. During a remote connection, you can copy and paste text, log on to the same instance as multiple operating system users, and visually browse system file resources. This tool is fast and efficient.
Limits
The instance must be in the Running state and its operating system must be running.
The instance must have a public IP address or have Cloud Assistant installed.
For more information about Workbench features and how to use Workbench, see Log on to a Linux instance using Workbench.
Reset the instance password
You can reset the password using the Reset Password or Reset Instance feature.
Reset Password: If you reset the password of a running instance, you must restart the instance for the new password to take effect. If you reset the password of a stopped instance, you must start the instance for the new password to take effect.
Reset Instance: This feature is not supported for heterogeneous ARM instance types. It is supported only for bare machine and bare metal instances that are in the Stopped state. You can reset the password only when you also reset the image.
Reset the password:
Log on to the ENS Management Console.
In the left navigation pane, choose Resources and Images.
On the Instance Management page, find the target instance, and in the Actions column, choose Instance Settings > Reset Password.
In the Reset Password dialog box, set a New Logon Password and click OK.
Reset the instance:
Log on to the ENS Management Console.
In the navigation pane on the left, you can choose Resources and Images.
On the Instance Management page, find the target instance. In the Actions column, choose Instance Settings > Reset Instance.
In the Reset Instance dialog box, set a new password and click OK.