Operation instructions and limits

To guarantee the proper operation of your ECS instance, read ECS operation instructions and limits carefully before using your instance.

Create and manage ECS instances

Basic operations

1. Create an ECS instance.
2. Connect to the ECS instance. Depending on the operating system running on your ECS instance and your actual scenario, use one of the following methods:
3. Stop the ECS instance.
4. Release the instance (i.e. Delete the instance).

To use an ECS instance, follow these steps:

Change configurations

You can change the instance type, IP address, and network bandwidth of your instance.

• Subscription instances: Upgrade configurations of Subscription instances or renew for configuration downgrade
• Change configurations of Pay-As-You-Go instances
• Change public IP address
• Convert public IP address to EIP address

If the current operating system no longer meets your business needs, you can change the operating system.

Billing

You can switch from Pay-As-You-Go to Subscription.

Select either of the following methods to renew your Subscription instances:

• Manual renewal
• Auto-renewal

The refined management of and control over ECS instances

You can use the following features to refine your management of and control over ECS instances:

• User data
• Metadata, including instance identity
• Instance RAM roles

Create and manage cloud disks

Basic operations

To use a cloud disk as a data disk, follow these steps:

1. Create a cloud disk.
2. Attach a cloud disk.
3. (Linux) Format and mount a data disk or (Windows) Format a data disk.
4. Create snapshots to back up data.
5. Detach a cloud disk.
6. Release a cloud disk.

Change configurations

To adjust the capacity of your system disks or data disks, you can increase the system disk size or resize the data disks. For more information about resizing a data disk, see Linux _ Resize a data disk and Windows _ Resize a data disk.

Manage data on a cloud disk

If data errors occur on a cloud disk, you can use a snapshot to roll back a cloud disk and restore data.

If you want to restore a cloud disk to its initial status after it is created, you can reinitialize a cloud disk.

If you want to copy data on an existing cloud disk to a new, empty cloud disk, you can create a cloud disk from a snapshot.

Create and manage snapshots

Basic operations

To use a snapshot, follow these steps:

1. Create a snapshot by using either of the following methods:
2. View a snapshot chain.
3. Delete unnecessary snapshots to reduce charges and free disk space

Using snapshots

To copy or back up data, you can use a snapshot to create a cloud disk from a snapshot, or roll back a cloud disk.

To simplify deployment, you can use a system disk snapshot to create a custom image using a snapshot, and create an instance from a custom image.

Create and manage custom images

Only custom images can be operated in the ECS console.

You can run a custom image by using the following methods:

• Create a custom image using a snapshot
• Create a custom image by using an instance
• Use Packer to create a custom image
• Copy custom images across different regions.
• Share custom images across different accounts.
• Import custom images
• Create and import custom images stored on an on-premises server by using Packer

You can also export custom images to back up your environment and delete custom images when they are no longer required.

Create and manage security groups

Basic operations

To use a security group, follow these steps:

1. Create a Security Group.
2. Add security group rules.
3. Add to or remove from a security group
4. Delete a security group rule.
5. Delete a security group.

Manage security groups and their rules

To simplify business deployment, you can clone a security group across regions or network types.

If new security group rules disrupt your online business application, you can restore security group rules fully or partially.

Create and manage SSH key pairs

To use an SSH key pair, follow these steps:

1. Create an SSH key pair, or import an SSH key pair.
2. Bind a SSH key pair, or bind the SSH key pair after a Linux instance is created or when you create an instance.
3. Connect to a Linux instance by using an SSH key pair.
4. Unbind an SSH key pair.
5. Delete a SSH key pair.

Create and manage ENIs

To use an ENI, follow these steps:

1. Create an ENI.
2. Attach an ENI to an instance, or attach an ENI when creating an instance.
3.  Configure an ENI. ( Optional. )
4. Detach an ENI from an instance.
5. Delete an ENI.