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Yandex Compute Cloud

Creating a Windows VM

Create a Windows virtual machine using Compute Cloud from the Yandex.Cloud management console and connect to it.

Before you start

  1. Log in to or register in the management console. If you aren't registered, go to the management console and follow the instructions.
  2. On the billing page, make sure you linked a billing account, and it has the ACTIVE or TRIAL_ACTIVE status. If you don't have a billing account, create one.
  3. If you don't have a folder, create one.

Creating VMs

To create a VM:

  1. In the management console, select a folder to create a VM in.

  2. In the list of services, select Compute Cloud.

  3. Click Create VM.

  4. Under Basic parameters:

    • Enter a name and description for the VM. Naming requirements:

      • Length — from 3 to 63 characters.
      • The name may contain lowercase Latin letters, numbers, and hyphens.
      • The first character must be a letter. The last character can't be a hyphen.

      Note

      The VM name is used to generate the FQDN only once, when creating the VM. If the FQDN is important to you, choose an appropriate name for the VM at the creation stage.

    • Select the availability zone to host the VM in.

    • (optional) Select or create a service account. By using a service account, you can flexibly configure access rights for your resources.

  5. Under Images from Cloud Marketplace:

    • Select Windows.
    • Select the operating system version and edition.

  6. (optional) Configure the boot disk under Disks:

    • Specify the necessary disk size.
    • Select a disk type.

  7. (optional) If you want to create an instance from an existing disk, go to Disks to add a disk.

  8. Under Computing resources:

  9. Under Network settings:

    • Specify the subnet ID or select a cloud network from the list. If you don't have a network, click Create a new network to create one:
      • In the window that opens, enter a name for the new network and choose a subnet to connect the virtual machine to. Each network must have at least one subnet (if there's no subnet, create one). Then click Create.
    • In the Public IP field, choose a method for assigning an IP address:
      • Auto: Assign a random IP address from the Yandex.Cloud IP pool.
      • List: Select a public IP address from the list of previously reserved static addresses. For more information, see Making a dynamic public IP address static.
      • No address: Don't assign a public IP address.
    • (optional) Enable DDoS protection.

  10. When you create a VM, the Administrator user is automatically created in the operating system. In the Password field, set a password for this user to log in to the VM via RDP.

    Do not use passwords that are easy to guess. Passwords must meet the Windows security policy.

    In Windows Server images from Yandex.Cloud, the Administrator user's password expiration is disabled by default.

  11. Click Create VM.

The virtual machine appears in the list. When a VM is being created, it is assigned an IP address and hostname (FQDN). You can use this data to access the VM via RDP.

Connecting to VMs

Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) with Network Level Authentication (NLA) is enabled for images of all versions and editions of the Windows operating system prepared for Yandex.Cloud. Before connecting to a VM, make sure that NLA is enabled in your desktop settings. When the VM starts (its status is RUNNING), you can connect to it using RDP.

To connect using RDP, specify the public IP address or the FQDN of the VM. Access using FQDN is possible from another Yandex.Cloud VM if it's connected to the same network. You can find out the IP address and FQDN in the management console. Go to the Network section on the virtual machine's page.

To connect to the VM:

  1. Click Start.
  2. In the search box, type Remote Desktop Connection and select the appropriate item.
  3. In the Remote Desktop Connection window, enter the public IP address of the VM to connect to in the Computer field.
  4. Click Connect.
  5. Specify the account settings:
    • User name Administrator.
    • The password you set when creating the VM.
  6. Press OK.

You can monitor VM instance statuses in the list of VMs in your folder.

Note

It usually takes up to 6 minutes to start a VM and initialize the RDP. In rare cases, loading may take much longer than the time specified. For example, when using:

See also

  1. Install and run Microsoft Remote Desktop (free official RDP client for Mac).
  2. Press → Desktop.
  3. In the Add Desktop dialog enter the public IP address of the virtual machine to connect to in the field PC Name.
  4. In the User Account field select Add User Account.
  5. In the Add User Account dialog specify the account settings:
    • User Name Administrator.
    • Password: The password that you set when creating the VM.
  6. Press Save twice.
  7. Connect to the remote machine by double-clicking the connection you created in the main Microsoft Remote Desktop window.

See also

  1. Install Remmina (a free RDP client for Linux) using the commands:

    sudo apt-add-repository ppa:remmina-ppa-team/remmina-next

    sudo apt-get update

    sudo apt-get install remmina remmina-plugin-rdp

  2. Start Remmina.

  3. Click .

  4. Fill in the Profile block as follows:

    • Name: a name for the connection.
    • Protocol: RDP - Remote Desktop Protocol.

  5. In the Basic tab specify the details for connection and authorization:

    • Server: the public IP address of the virtual machine to connect to.
    • User Name: Administrator.
    • Password: the password that you set when you created the virtual machine.

  6. Click Save.

  7. Connect to the remote machine by double-clicking the connection you created in the quick access connection list.

See also

Configuring the serial console

Using the serial console, you can connect to a VM regardless of the network or OS state (for example, if there are RDP loading or access issues).

Make sure you configure access to the VM via the serial console in advance.

Deleting VMs

If you no longer plan to use a virtual machine, delete it.

What's next

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