In CloudShare, a virtual machine (VM) is an isolated, software-based computer that includes its own CPU, memory, operating system, networking capabilities, and installed software.
The Virtual Machines tab of the Environment Details page lists all the VMs in this environment (each row is a VM), as described below:
Virtual Machine Information
The following columns of information are provided for each VM:
- Operating System Logo: Such as the logo for Ubuntu or Linux.
- VM Name: VM’s name. Clicking this name opens a drawer where you can edit the VM configuration. See Editing a VM for more information.
- IP Address: VM’s IP address.
- VM Status: VM status, as one of the following states:
- RUNNING: The VM is powered on and fully operational.
- STOPPED: The VM is powered off and not in use.
- SUSPENDED: The VM has been paused and its current state saved; it is not active but can be resumed.
- INITIALIZING: The VM is starting up and preparing to load into the workspace.
- ERROR: The VM failed to load or encountered a problem; a message typically appears in the workspace.
- RAM: The amount of memory allocated to the VM.
- Disk: The amount of storage allocated to the VM.
- CPU: The number of virtual CPUs allocated to the VM.
-
: Opens this VM in a Viewer so you can access and test the VM from the CloudShare Viewer interface.
-
: Opens the Edit VM pane.
-
Ellipsis
Dropdown Menu – VM: Displays a menu of options for managing the selected VM, as described in Ellipsis
Ellipsis Dropdown Menu – VM
Clicking the ellipsis menu icon on the right of each VM’s row displays a menu of options for managing the selected VM. Each VM may show different actions in this dropdown menu.
Export VM: Exports the selected VM for download and import into a local Virtual Center. The exported VM is created as an OVF file in your cloud folder and is based on the snapshot stored for the environment. See Exporting VMs for more information:
Reset VM: Powers the selected VM off and then on again to resolve issues with the VM itself. The VM retains the current state of the active session, so changes made during the session, such as installing an application, remain available. See Reverting an Environment for more information.
ISO File Configuration: Opens the ISO configuration options for the selected VM. Use this option to connect an imported ISO image to the VM, choose whether to connect it immediately or at power-on, and optionally boot the VM from the ISO image. See Using an ISO Image for more information:
Download RDP File: RDP file download provides an alternative way to access a Windows CloudShare VM with a public IP. CloudShare provides an external RDP file per VM, which you can download directly from the Environment Details page, save to your local machine, and run whenever you want to access the VM. See Downloading RDP Files for more information.
SSH File: Downloads an SSH connection file for the selected VM. Use this option to connect to the VM from an SSH client, when SSH access is available for the VM.
Revert VM: Restores the selected VM to its original default state, as defined in the Experience Editor. This returns the VM to the baseline configuration it had when the experience was first launched. See Reverting an Environment for more information.
Web Access: Opens the selected VM by using the web access URL configured for the VM. Use this option to access a web application or service running on the VM directly from a browser.
Direct Web Access: Opens the VM’s direct web access option, when configured. Use this option to access the web application hosted on the VM without first opening the full VM in the Viewer.
Shutdown VM: Gracefully shuts down the selected VM by invoking the operating system shutdown process. Use this option when you want the VM to close normally. See Machine Shutdown and Power Off for more information:
Power Off VM: Powers off the selected VM without a graceful shutdown. This is similar to disconnecting power from a physical machine and can be used to simulate an outage, failure, or other abrupt shutdown scenario. See Machine Shutdown and Power Off for more information:
Delete VM: Deletes the selected VM from the environment. Use this option only when the VM is no longer needed.
Adding a VM
To add a VM to this environment:
- Click the + Add VM button in the top right corner, as shown below:
Note: A gray colored + Add VM button indicates that you only have Read-Only permission to the configuration of this environment.
See Creating a Custom Environment for more information about adding a VM.
The following is displayed:
Editing a VM
Click the VM name in the Virtual Machines tab on the Environment Details page to open the VM Details drawer. The VM Details drawer displays information about the selected VM and lets you edit its settings, as shown below:
Header of VM Details Drawer
The top of the VM Details drawer shows the following:
- VM Name: The name of the selected VM.
- Last Update Date: The date and time when the VM was last updated in CloudShare.
-
-
: Closes the drawer.
General Tab
The General tab in the VM Details drawer of the Environment Details page enables viewing and editing the selected VM’s basic details.
VM Details
Internal IP: Shows the internal IP address assigned to the VM inside the CloudShare environment. This IP address is used for communication between VMs or resources within the same environment.
VM Name: Enables editing the name of the VM. Use a clear name that helps identify the VM’s purpose, operating system, or role in the environment.
Description: Enables adding or editing a short description of the VM. Use this field to describe the VM’s purpose, installed software, or role in the environment.
Show in VM List in the Participant Viewer: Controls whether the VM is displayed in the VM List in the Participant Viewer. Enable this option for VMs that participants need to see or access. Disable it for backend, infrastructure, or support VMs that should not appear in the participant VM list.
Apply Changes to Snapshot: Applies the VM changes to the snapshot, so the updated configuration is saved at the snapshot level and can be used by future environments created from that snapshot.
VM Hardware
Updating the VM hardware settings will reboot the VM. If the VM becomes unresponsive during the reboot, CloudShare forces the reboot.
Total Memory: Sets the amount of RAM allocated to the VM. Increasing the memory can improve performance for memory-intensive applications, but it also uses more of the environment’s available memory. Clicking the Save changes button will assign the RAM and reboot the machine.
Disk Size: Sets the amount of virtual disk storage allocated to the VM. Increase this value when the VM requires more space for the operating system, applications, files, logs, or lab data. If needed, repartition the hard drive from within the VM’s OS.
vCPU: Sets the number of virtual CPU cores allocated to the VM. Increasing the vCPU value can improve performance for CPU-intensive workloads. Note that the limit is 4 cores, 500 GB disk, and 32 GB RAM.
See Editing Hardware and Increasing Disk, CPU and RAM for more information.
Operating System
Type: Specifies the operating system family for the VM, such as Linux or Windows.
Distribution (Optional): Specifies the operating system distribution or version, such as CentOS 8 64-bit.
VT: Enables Virtualization Technology (VT) for the VM. Use this option when the VM needs to run virtualization tools or hypervisors inside it.
Generate BIOS UUID: Assigns a new BIOS UUID to each VM generated from a snapshot. This is helpful when unique machine identification is required.
Enable Machine Power Off/Shutdown: Enables the Power Off and Shutdown actions for the VM. Shutdown closes the VM by using the operating system shutdown process, while Power Off turns off the VM without a graceful operating system shutdown. See Machine Shutdown/Power Off for more information.
Save Changes Button
Saves the changes made in the General tab. Some hardware changes may require the VM to reboot.
Access Tab
The Access tab in the VM Details drawer of the Environment Details page enables the configuration of the access methods available for the selected VM. These settings determine how the VM opens in the Viewer and whether additional access options are shown or hidden.
Connection Settings
Initial Connection: Specifies the default method for connecting to this VM. Users can still change the connection method manually if additional methods are available. In the screen shown, the selected options are Console and then SSH, which means the VM is configured to use console access and SSH as the preferred connection methods.
Web Access
Enable Browser Access: Allows users to interact with the VM directly in the browser, without a separate RDP or SSH client. This option is required for Vanity URLs and web-based applications.
-
VM URL: Displays the browser access URL generated for the VM. Users can open this URL to access the web-based application or service running on the VM. Click the copy icon to copy the URL.
To use a different address, add a suffix and set it as the default. - Start With HTTPS: Defines whether the generated browser access URL starts with HTTPS. Enable this option when the application or service on the VM supports HTTPS access.
- URL Suffixes: Enables adding one or more URL suffixes to the VM web access URL. Use this option when the application should open at a specific path, page, port, or endpoint after the main VM access URL.
- Add Suffix: Adds a new URL suffix field for the VM web access URL.
Hide Preview VM Button From the VM List: Controls whether the Preview VM button is shown for this VM in the VM List. Enable this option when you do not want users to open this VM directly from the VM List.
Use Secure Connection TLS: Forces TLS encryption for VM access. This option is recommended for Windows 8, Server 2012 and newer if you experience connection or login issues.
Save Changes Button
Saves the changes made in the Access tab.
Users Tab
The Users tab in the VM Details drawer of the Environment Details page enables adding or removing VM users for auto-login and password randomization.
Use this tab to add existing operating system users to the VM configuration, select the user for auto-login, and manage the credentials stored by CloudShare.
Note: Users must already be configured in the VM operating system before they can be added here.
+ Add User Button: Opens the Add User drawer (described below), where you can add an existing operating system user to the VM configuration.
Enable Auto-Login: Enables CloudShare to log in to the VM automatically by using one of the configured users. When this option is enabled, select the user that should be used for auto-login from the Auto-Login column.
Name: Shows the usernames that were added to this VM configuration.
Auto-Login: Selects which configured user is used for automatic login to the VM. Only one user can be selected for auto-login.
Edit: Opens the selected user so you can update the stored user information.
Delete: Removes the selected user from the VM configuration. This does not delete the user from the operating system. It removes the user from the CloudShare VM settings.
Save Changes: Saves the changes made in the Users tab.
Add User Drawer
The Add User drawer enables adding an existing operating system user to the VM configuration so CloudShare can use that user for remote access, auto-login, and password handling.
Before adding the user, make sure the user already exists in the VM operating system.
- For Windows VMs, the user must be part of the Remote Desktop Users group or have equivalent permissions.
- For Linux VMs, the user must have the required permissions for the configured connection method.
Username: Specifies the operating system username to add to the VM configuration.
Password: Specifies the password for the selected operating system user. The password must be at least 8 characters long and include at least three of the following character types: uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, or special characters, such as ,!@#$*.
Customize Password: Enables password customization for this user, so the user can have a unique password across shared environments instead of using a shared or reused password. For better security, CloudShare recommends keeping this option enabled for all users.
Add User Button: Adds the user to the VM configuration. After the user is added, the user appears in the Users tab and can be selected for auto-login, if auto-login is enabled.
Back: Returns to the Users tab without adding the user.