Knowledge Base | Hivelocity Hosting https://www.hivelocity.net/kb/ Dedicated Servers, Private Cloud & Colocation Mon, 21 Oct 2024 16:32:40 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6 Text Editors in Linux and How to Use Them https://www.hivelocity.net/kb/text-editors-in-linux-and-how-to-use-them/ Fri, 18 Oct 2024 14:07:45 +0000 https://www.hivelocity.net/?post_type=hv_knowledgebase&p=35251 Text editors are essential for anyone working in a Linux environment, whether you’re a system administrator, developer, or enthusiast. They allow you to quickly create, modify, and manage files from the terminal or through graphical interfaces. Linux offers a variety of editors, from lightweight command-line options like nano and vim to more feature-rich graphical editors …

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Text editors are essential for anyone working in a Linux environment, whether you’re a system administrator, developer, or enthusiast. They allow you to quickly create, modify, and manage files from the terminal or through graphical interfaces. Linux offers a variety of editors, from lightweight command-line options like nano and vim to more feature-rich graphical editors like VS Code and Sublime Text. In this article, we will explore some of the most popular text editors in Linux, highlighting their unique features and providing practical usage guides. Whether you need a simple tool for quick edits or a powerful editor for complex programming, you’ll find the right fit here. We will specifically focus on vim and nano, offering detailed instructions for each

Popular Text Editors in Linux

There are quite a few options for text editors for Linux. The most popular ones are listed below for reference while this article will focus on Vim and Nano.

  • Vim: A highly configurable and powerful text editor that is an improved version of the original Vi. It offers advanced features like syntax highlighting, code folding, and a robust plugin system.

  • Nano: A user-friendly, lightweight text editor that is easy to use, making it a great choice for beginners. It provides simple commands displayed at the bottom of the interface, making navigation intuitive.

  • Emacs: A highly extensible and customizable text editor known for its powerful editing capabilities. It supports a wide range of programming languages and comes with built-in tools for version control, debugging, and more.

Vim

Vim serves as a powerful command-line text editor designed for efficient text manipulation and navigation. Its modal editing system enables users to perform tasks quickly using keyboard shortcuts. Although it has a steep learning curve, Vim offers extensive features like syntax highlighting and customizable macros, making it ideal for coding and advanced editing. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced developer, Vim equips you with the tools you need for a streamlined editing experience.

Vim Installation

Vim could be provided with your distro but might also require manual installation. Proceed with the commands below to install based on the distribution you’re using.

  • Debian/Ubuntu
    • sudo apt update
    • sudo apt install vim
  • Fedora
    • sudo dnf install vim
  • CentOS/RHEL
    • sudo yum install vim
  • Arch Linux
    • sudo pacman -S vim
  • openSUSE
    • sudo zypper install vim

Operating with Vim

  1. Once installed proceed to open the software by typing vim filename.txt. The command will create filename.txt in your current working directory and open vim to edit it. Alternatively, you can type vim /path/to/filename.txt to create the file in a specific path.
  2. Vim works in two modes, Normal mode and Insert mode. Normal mode works for reviewing while insert works for adding text to it and making changes. Proceed to press “i” on your keyboard to enter insert mode. 
    1. At this point, the bottom left of the editor will have “–INSERT–” displayed.
  3. Proceed to enter text as needed.

    Vim Text Editor
    Vim Text Editor
  4. Once done, proceed to press the “Esc” key on your keyboard to exit the Insert mode and enter Normal mode.
  5. Type :w to save the file. To save and quit type :wq!. To quit without saving changes type :q!.
  6. The content of the file can be reviewed within the editor or by using the cat command.

    Text File Output Confirmation
    Text File Output Confirmation

Additional Vim Operations

Within Normal mode there are other basic functions which can help make changes.

  • Deleting a line can be done with dd once you’re on the line you wish to remove.  
  • Undoing a change can be done with u.
  • Redoing a change can be done with Ctrl+r.
  • Searching can be done with a forward slash / and then search term so for example /search_term to search forward.
    • Searching backwards is done as such ?search_term.
    • Navigating the results is done with n to go to the next occurrence of the search term or N to go to the previous one.

GNU nano

GNU Nano is a lightweight, user-friendly command-line text editor that simplifies file editing for everyone. Its straightforward interface displays helpful commands at the bottom, guiding you through the process. With features like syntax highlighting and search functionality, Nano is perfect for quick edits and simple coding tasks, ensuring a smooth editing experience.

Nano Installation

Nano could be provided with your distro but might also require manual installation. Proceed with the commands below to install based on the distribution you’re using.

  • Debian/Ubuntu
    • sudo apt update
    • sudo apt install nano
  • Fedora
    • sudo dnf install nano
  • CentOS/RHEL
    • sudo yum install nano
  • Arch Linux
    • sudo pacman -S nano
  • openSUSE
    • sudo zypper install nano

Operating with Nano

  1. Once installed proceed to open the software by typing nano filename.txt. The command will create filename.txt in your current working directory and open nano to edit it. Alternatively, you can type nano /path/to/filename.txt to create the file in a specific path.
  2. Nano is more straightforward than Vim as it allows to write text immediately upon opening it.

    Nano Text Editor
    Nano Text Editor
  3. Once you wish to save the file, proceed to press Ctrl+O to save it. You will see a prompt that says “File Name to Write: filename2.txt.” In this case, I am saving the file in the current working directory as filename2.txt. Press “Enter” to confirm.
  4. To exit the editor press Ctrl+X.
  5. The content of the file can be reviewed within the editor or by using the cat command.

    Nano Text File Output
    Nano Text File Output

Additional Nano Operations

Nano provides the ability to perform other tasks such as the items below.

  • Searching for text can be done with Ctrl+W followed by typing the search term and pressing “Enter”.
  • Undoing changes can be done with Ctrl+Z.
  • Cutting a line is done with Ctrl+K and pasting it with Ctrl+U
  • For further help check with Ctrl+G to open the manual.

Further Assistance

For any further assistance involving text editing in Linux, do not hesitate to reach out to the Hivelocity Support team via a chat, support ticket, or phone at 888-869-4678. 

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Creating Bootable Flash Drives (USB) in Windows and MacOS https://www.hivelocity.net/kb/creating-bootable-flash-drives-usb-in-windows-and-macos/ Fri, 18 Oct 2024 14:06:50 +0000 https://www.hivelocity.net/?post_type=hv_knowledgebase&p=35217 Creating bootable flash drives is a crucial skill for anyone who wants to install operating systems, run diagnostic tools, or troubleshoot computer issues. Whether you use Windows or Mac, knowing how to make a bootable USB drive can save you time and effort in critical situations. In this article, we will walk you through the …

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Creating bootable flash drives is a crucial skill for anyone who wants to install operating systems, run diagnostic tools, or troubleshoot computer issues. Whether you use Windows or Mac, knowing how to make a bootable USB drive can save you time and effort in critical situations. In this article, we will walk you through the simple steps to create bootable flash drives on both platforms, equipping you with the tools you need for a smooth installation experience. From selecting the right software to formatting your USB drive, we’ll cover everything you need to get started.

Case Uses

Creating bootable flash drives can be incredibly useful for a variety of tasks. Moreover, each of these use cases highlights the versatility of bootable flash drives in both personal and professional settings. As a result, they become a valuable tool for various computing tasks.

  1. Operating System Installation: Install new operating systems like Windows, Linux, or macOS on a computer without a CD/DVD drive.

  2. System Recovery: Boot from a flash drive to access recovery tools for troubleshooting or repairing a malfunctioning operating system.

  3. Data Recovery: Use bootable drives with recovery software to retrieve lost or corrupted data from hard drives.

  4. Testing New Operating Systems: Run live versions of operating systems (e.g., Linux distributions) from a USB drive to test functionality without installing it on your hard drive.

  5. Creating System Backups: Boot from a USB drive to create system backups using backup software.

  6. Malware Removal: Use bootable antivirus tools to scan and remove malware from an infected system.

  7. Firmware Updates: Update BIOS or firmware on systems that do not support direct updates from within the operating system.

  8. Network Booting: Boot a computer over a network using PXE (Preboot Execution Environment) configurations set up on a flash drive.

  9. Portable Applications: Carry portable versions of applications that can run directly from the USB drive without installation on the host system.

  10. Custom Recovery Solutions: Create tailored recovery environments with specific tools and applications for troubleshooting.

  11. Secure Environments: Set up bootable drives for secure environments to ensure that sensitive tasks are performed without traces left on the local system.

  12. System Performance Testing: Run diagnostic tools and benchmarking software from a USB drive to assess hardware performance without interference from the main operating system.

  13. Multi-Boot Systems: Create a multi-boot USB drive to install or run multiple operating systems from a single flash drive.

  14. Software Deployment: Deploy software packages or updates across multiple systems in an organization.

  15. Virtual Machine Creation: Use bootable USB drives to install operating systems in virtual machines for development or testing purposes.

ISO Files

ISO files, short for International Organization for Standardization files, are disk image files that contain the complete contents and structure of a CD, DVD, or Blu-ray disc. These files serve as a digital replica of the original disc, preserving not only the data but also the file system information.

Creating a Bootable Flash Drive in Windows

Popular Flashing Software

Here are some popular applications to flash ISO files onto USB drives in Windows.

  • Rufus:
    A lightweight and user-friendly tool, Rufus allows you to create bootable USB drives from ISO files quickly. It supports various file systems and partition schemes.

  • UNetbootin:
    This cross-platform tool enables you to create bootable USB drives for a variety of operating systems, including Linux distributions. It offers a straightforward interface and can also download some ISO files directly.

  • Etcher (balenaEtcher):
    Known for its simple and intuitive interface, Etcher is a cross-platform tool that lets you flash images to USB drives and SD cards easily. It supports a wide range of image formats, including ISO.

ISO Flashing Procedure

For our example we will use Rufus. The software can be installed in Windows OS and downloaded from https://rufus.ie/downloads/.

  1. Ensure to download the latest version that is not in beta. An example of the correct version to get is shown in the image below.

    Rufus Download Page
    Rufus Download Page
  2. Select the USB Flash Drive within “Device” section. 
  3. Select the type of boot requirement within “Boot Selection” section, for this we would be flashing an ISO file so we would need to select “Disk or ISO image”.
  4. Press on the “SELECT” button to select the ISO file.

    Rufus ISO Selection
    Rufus ISO Selection
  5. Once the ISO is selected the “Boot Selection” field will be populate with the ISO filename.
  6. For “Partition Scheme” select the appropriate one for your system. Normally I go with “GPT”.
  7. Proceed to press the “START” button, note that all data on the USB Flash drive will be removed.
  8. If prompted with a window related to “ISOHybrid image detected” proceed with “Write in ISO Image mode (Recommended)”.

    ISOHybrid Image Detection Check
    ISOHybrid Image Detection Check
  9. The next prompt will explain that all data will be destroyed on the Flash drive as part of the process. Confirm and proceed.

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  10. Once the process starts you will see the progress bar filling up until the Status shows a green “Ready” bar.

    Flashing in Progress
    Flashing in Progress
  11. At this point, you could begin to use the drive for whichever purpose. In the example I’ve used systemrescue from https://www.system-rescue.org/ to enter a rescue environment.

Creating a Bootable Flash Drive in MacOS

Popular Flashing Software

Here are some popular applications to flash ISO files onto USB drives in MacOS.

  1. Etcher (balenaEtcher):

    Etcher offers a user-friendly, cross-platform solution that lets you quickly create bootable USB drives and SD cards from ISO files. It features a clean interface and supports a wide range of image formats. Etcher actively verifies the flashing process, ensuring the integrity of the data written to the USB drive.

  2. UNetbootin:
    UNetbootin is another cross-platform tool that enables users to create bootable USB drives for various operating systems, including many Linux distributions. It allows you to either select an ISO file from your computer or download one directly within the application. UNetbootin provides a straightforward interface and is suitable for both beginners and advanced users.

  3. Terminal (using dd command):
    While not a standalone application, you can use the built-in Terminal on macOS to create bootable USB drives by using the dd command. This method is more technical but offers great flexibility for users who are comfortable with command-line interfaces. It allows you to specify the exact source and destination for the ISO image and the USB drive.

ISO Flashing Procedure

For our example we will use UNetbootin. The software can be installed in MacOS and downloaded from https://unetbootin.github.io/.

  1. Download the required version of UNetbootin from the portal.

    UNetbootin Download Page
    UNetbootin Download Page
  2. Install the downloaded application and proceed to open the “Disk Utility” application.
  3. Initialize/erase your USB flash drive while selecting “ExFAT” for “Format” and “GUID Partition Map” for “Scheme”.

    Disk Utility Drive Formatting
    Disk Utility Drive Formatting
  4. Proceed to open UNetbootin and select either the distribution you want the software to download or the ISO Diskimage. Select the USB drive and the the correct drive. Once ready, press on “OK”.

    UNetbootin ISO Selection and Prompts
    UNetbootin ISO Selection and Prompts
  5. Once the process began you shall see the steps being taken as the USB flash drive is being flashed with the ISO of choice.

    UNetbootin ISO Flashing in Progress
    UNetbootin ISO Flashing in Progress
  6. At this point, you could begin to use the drive for whichever purpose. In the example I’ve used systemrescue from https://www.system-rescue.org/ to enter a rescue environment.

Further Assistance

For any further assistance involving ISO flashing and mounting, do not hesitate to reach out to the Hivelocity Support team via a chat, support ticket, or phone at 888-869-4678.

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TCP/IP Information in Linux https://www.hivelocity.net/kb/tcp-ip-information-in-linux/ Fri, 18 Oct 2024 14:05:30 +0000 https://www.hivelocity.net/?post_type=hv_knowledgebase&p=35166 TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) is the fundamental communication protocol suite that underpins the internet and networking in Linux-based web hosting environments. It not only ensures reliable transmission of data across networks but also enables seamless connectivity between servers, clients, and other network devices. For web hosting professionals, understanding TCP/IP in a Linux environment is …

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TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) is the fundamental communication protocol suite that underpins the internet and networking in Linux-based web hosting environments. It not only ensures reliable transmission of data across networks but also enables seamless connectivity between servers, clients, and other network devices. For web hosting professionals, understanding TCP/IP in a Linux environment is crucial because it empowers them to configure and troubleshoot network issues effectively, ultimately ensuring the smooth operation of hosted websites and applications. Furthermore, this article will delve into the essentials of TCP/IP within Linux, thoroughly covering key concepts such as IP addressing and routing.

TCP/IP Within a Linux OS

Overview

In this example, we will review the networking information within AlmaLinux, a RHEL-based distribution.

To display network interface details, you can use the ip addr command. Additionally, this command and its output prove particularly useful, as they help users understand which configurations are currently running and on which interface within the system. Moreover, this information aids in troubleshooting and effectively managing network settings.

ip addr Output to Display Network Interface Details

ip addr Output to Display Network Interface Details

ip addr Information Breakdown

  • Interface Information:
    • Each network interface is represented by a numbered section (e.g., 1: for lo and 2: for ens18).
    • The name of the interface follows the number. Here, lo is the loopback interface, and ens18 is the Ethernet interface.
    • The status (UP/DOWN) and the MTU (Maximum Transmission Unit) size are listed:
      • mtu 65536 for lo means it can handle packet sizes up to 65536 bytes.
      • mtu 1500 for ens18 means it can handle packet sizes up to 1500 bytes, a typical value for Ethernet.
  • Link Information:
    • link/loopback for lo indicates that it is a loopback interface, which is used for internal communication within the host.
    • link/ether for ens18 shows that this is an Ethernet interface.
    • The MAC address is listed after link/ether. For example, b6:ea:ae:71:00:c3 is the MAC address of the ens18 interface.
  • IPv4 Address:
    • The line inet 127.0.0.1/8 for lo indicates the loopback address, which is commonly used for internal server communication.
    • In contrast, inet 23.111.182.195/29 for ens18 is the public IP address assigned to this server. The /29 denotes the subnet mask, which means that this address is part of a network with up to 8 IP addresses.
  • Broadcast Address:
    • Furthermore, brd represents the broadcast address used for sending data to all devices in the network. Specifically, for ens18, brd 23.111.182.199 serves as the broadcast address within the /29 subnet.
  • Scope:
    • Additionally, scope host means that the address is limited to the host itself, which is typical for the loopback interface (127.0.0.1). On the other hand, scope global indicates that the address is publicly accessible and used for external communication, as seen with 23.111.182.195.
  • IPv6 Address:
    • inet6 shows IPv6 addresses assigned to the interface. 2604:4500:6:6db::2/64 is a global IPv6 address, while fe80::b4ea:aeff:fe71:c3/64 is a link-local address, used for communication within the local network.
  • Status and Additional Information:
    • The state keyword indicates the current state of the interface:
      • UNKNOWN for lo means it is not associated with an actual physical link.
      • UP for ens18 means the interface is active and ready to send/receive data.
    • qlen 1000 shows the queue length, which determines how many packets can be held in the queue before being processed.

Checking Routing Information

Routing is a fundamental aspect of network configuration within the TCP/IP protocol, especially on Linux servers used in web hosting. It involves determining the path that data packets take to reach their destination across interconnected networks. Proper routing is crucial because it ensures that data travels efficiently from one network to another, thereby enabling smooth communication between clients, servers, and other networked devices.

Additionally, a routing table is a set of rules that the Linux kernel uses as part of the TCP/IP protocol to determine where to forward network traffic. Specifically, each entry in the table specifies a destination network and how to reach it. Furthermore, the routing table helps the system make decisions about the most efficient routes, ensuring optimal network performance and connectivity.

To review the current routes in the system ip route command can be used. 

ip route Used to Show the Routing Table of the Linux Server
ip route Used to Show the Routing Table of the Linux Server

ip route Information Breakdown

  1. The default route is used for any network traffic that does not match a more specific route.

    1. default via 23.111.182.193 dev ens18 which indicates the default route, via the gateway IP, using dev (Network interface) ens18.

  2. The Local Network Route 23.111.182.192/29 dev ens18 proto kernel scope link src 23.111.182.195 represents the network route, with /29 as the subnet mask, the ens18 network interface, and proto kernel indicating that the kernel added the route. The src specifies the source IP used when sending packets.

  3. The link-local route handles traffic for the 169.254.0.0/16 range, which devices typically use when they cannot obtain an IP address via DHCP. You can observe this behavior even if you do not enable DHCP, thanks to the automatic functions of the network stack.

Network Configuration Files

Network configuration in Linux involving the TCP/IP protocol establishes how a system connects to networks by defining IP addresses, gateways, and DNS servers. Consequently, this configuration enables communication within local networks or with the internet, ensuring proper data routing. Moreover, tools like ifcfg files, netplan, or /etc/network/interfaces manage this across different distributions, allowing for stable and secure network connections.

Furthermore, the configuration varies between each OS, and we will detail it below according to the main OSs that Hivelocity offers.

AlmaLinux/CentOS Configuration

  • The configuration file location should be present at “/etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-<interface_name>”.
    • Note that AlmaLinux does come equipped with NetworkManager in some cases and might require utilizing nmtui instead of performing the in-file configuration changes.
  • You can find the example configuration below.

TYPE=Ethernet
PROXY_METHOD=none
BROWSER_ONLY=no
BOOTPROTO=none
DEFROUTE=yes
IPV4_FAILURE_FATAL=no
IPV6INIT=yes
IPV6_AUTOCONF=no
NAME=ens18
UUID=910cd91f-8798-4435-9070-dcf556b3f82b
DEVICE=ens18
ONBOOT=yes
IPADDR=192.168.1.100
PREFIX=24
GATEWAY=192.168.1.1
DNS1=8.8.8.8
DNS2=8.8.4.4
IPV6ADDR=2604:4500:6:6db::2/64
IPV6_DEFAULTGW=2604:4500:6:6db::1

Ubuntu Configuration

  • The configuration file location should be present at “/etc/netplan/*.yaml”.
    • The settings are applied using the netplan apply command.
    • Note that the spacing in the file is crucial.
  • You can find the example configuration below.
network:
  version: 2
  ethernets:
      ens18:
          dhcp4: no
          addresses:
               – 192.168.1.100/24
          gateway4: 192.168.1.1
          nameservers:
               addresses:
                    – 8.8.8.8
                    – 8.8.4.4

Debian Configuration

  • The configuration file location should be present at “/etc/network/interfaces”.
  • You can find the example configuration below.

auto ens18
iface ens18 inet static
  address 192.168.1.100
  netmask 255.255.255.0
  gateway 192.168.1.1
  dns-nameservers 8.8.8.8 8.8.4.4

Further Assistance

For any further assistance involving TCP/IP and configuration, do not hesitate to reach out to the Hivelocity Support team via a chat, support ticket, or phone at 888-869-4678. The team can assist with recommendations, explanations, and reviewing/adjusting configuration files in your Linux OS.

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Private Cloud Product Guide: VMware by Broadcom https://www.hivelocity.net/kb/private-cloud-product-guide/ Tue, 17 Sep 2024 17:09:08 +0000 https://www.hivelocity.net/?post_type=hv_knowledgebase&p=32095   Private Cloud Introduction Private Cloud (VMware) offers our clients all of the features of a state of the art, multi-tenant VMware cloud environment in combination with Hivelocity’s managed services and infrastructure expertise. Leveraging Hivelocity’s expertise ensures that the your cloud environment is supported by cutting-edge technologies and adheres to industry best practices, guaranteeing optimal …

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Private Cloud Introduction

Private Cloud (VMware) offers our clients all of the features of a state of the art, multi-tenant VMware cloud environment in combination with Hivelocity’s managed services and infrastructure expertise. Leveraging Hivelocity’s expertise ensures that the your cloud environment is supported by cutting-edge technologies and adheres to industry best practices, guaranteeing optimal performance and reliability. The infrastructure is engineered to provide high performance, scalability, high availability (no single points of failure), and secure cloud services to our clients, ensuring efficient operations and robust data management.

The core of Private Cloud is powered by VMware’s industry leading virtualization platform as well as Pure Storage. VMware’s robust features provide our clients with flexible resource allocation, seamless migration, and efficient workload management. This ensures a highly responsive and adaptable infrastructure capable of meeting diverse tenant requirements. Pure Storage provides our clients with high-performance, low-latency storage solutions with several performance options based on their application requirements. The integration of Pure Storage ensures that Private Cloud delivers rapid data access and supports demanding workloads, contributing to an optimized and responsive user experience.

To offer flexibility when it comes to management, Hivelocity will be offering two options to our clients. Those options will be broken out into Advanced Managed and Base Managed based to meet each client’s requirements.

Advanced Managed (Multi-Tenant and Dedicated Hosts*)

For clients looking to offload many of the daily management tasks to an MSP, Hivelocity offers a 24x7x365 managed option that includes initial solutioning/design and infrastructure setup for VMware (compute and networking, infrastructure monitoring/alerting, as well as Hivelocity SRE support. This option relieves our clients of having to perform ongoing operational actions and frees them up to do what is important to them, focus on their business applications and running their business.  

 With the Advanced Managed option, clients are provided access to the Cloud Director console to allow visibility of their cloud environment as well as view the usage currently deployed resources. Clients will be provided remote console access to the VM(s) to install and manage their applications. As changes are needed in the cloud environment, clients will be able to simply contact Hivelocity Support via the normal ticketing process to have additional VM’s created, started, stopped, restarted, updated or deleted as well as request changes to the network access and connectivity to and from their VM(s).

Base Managed (Multi-Tenant and Dedicated Hosts*) 

For Clients who are looking for more of a hands-on solution, Hivelocity offers a self service option which allows them to provision and manage their resources within the Private Cloud platform. For this option, the Client retains the responsibility to provision and maintain full control their own VM(s) as well as maintain the patch levels of their operating systems, network configurations and alert remediation specific to their configuration. Hivelocity will be responsible for the initial setup of the account to ensure proper client access as well as the initial infrastructure monitoring setup and monitoring within the Private Cloud— Multitenant Cloud environment. Hivelocity will provide monitoring and remediation services for the infrastructure and will send non-infrastructure related alerts to the client for remediation purposes.

 Clients will have full access to the Cloud Director portal to perform management functions of their Private Cloud — Multitenant Cloud environment. Clients will have the ability to create, modify, start, stop and remove virtual servers, virtual CPUs (vCPU), virtual RAM (vRAM), network, and storage resources. Some advanced configuration requests may require that a ticked be submitted to Hivelocity support to assist with the deployment of the request.

Private Cloud Optional Add On Services:

Advanced Load Balancer

  • VMware NSX Advanced Load Balancer (formerly known as Avi Networks) uses a software-defined architecture that separates the central control plane (Avi Controller) from the distributed data plane (Avi Service Engines). NSX Advanced Load Balancer is 100% REST API based, making it fully automatable and seamless with the CI/CD pipeline for application delivery. With predictive autoscaling NSX Advanced Load Balancer can scale based on elastic application loads across multi-cloud environments, including bare metal servers, virtual machines, and containers.
  • For security, NSX Advanced Load Balancer features an Intelligent Web Application Firewall (iWAF) that covers OWASP CRS protection, support for compliance regulations such as PCI DSS, HIPAA, and GDPR, and signature-based detection. It deploys positive security model and application learning to prevent web application attacks. Additionally, built-in analytics provide actionable insights on performance, end-user interactions and security events in a single dashboard (Avi App Insights) with end-to-end visibility. For container-based microservices applications, NSX Advanced Load Balancer offers a container ingress that provides traffic management, service discovery, and application maps.

Advanced Patch Management

  • Hivelocity will be providing operating system patching to all of the current vendor supported Operating System’s (as detailed here: https://help.automox.com/hc/en-us/articles/5352186282644-Supported-Operating-Systems) on a monthly basis as patches are released. Hivelocity will set up a new account in Automox and provide client access credentials. Once access is established Hivelocity will set up all client VMs that need to receive patching which requires a small agent to be installed on each OS which will require OS access. Once the agents are installed, Hivelocity will set up the initial patching schedule based on client requirements, provide console training, and handover Automox access to the client. Automox will notify our clients when patches are available to provide proper application testing (UAT) and will only deploy patches based on an agreed upon maintenance window as configured in the patching schedule. Clients will have access in the Automox portal to install Emergency/on-demand patches as needed. Any assistance needed can be requested by support ticket.  
  • Automox Powered

Advanced Virtual Gateway Firewall

  • VMware NSX Gateway Firewall is a software-only, layer 2-7 firewall that enables you to achieve consistent network security coverage and unified management for all of your workloads, regardless of whether they’re running on physical servers, in a private or public cloud environment or in containers. When deployed together with the NSX Distributed Firewall, the Gateway Firewall extends its capabilities to deliver consistent protection across the entirety of the infrastructure.
  • VMware NSX Gateway Firewall is a software-only, layer 2-7 firewall that incorporates advanced threat prevention capabilities such as intrusion detection/prevention (IDS/IPS), URL filtering and malware detection (using network sandboxing and other techniques) as well as routing and virtual private networking (VPN) functionality.
  • When the NSX Gateway Firewall is deployed in conjunction with the NSX Distributed Firewall, it’s easy to extend consistent layer 2-7 security controls across all applications and workloads.

Advanced Virtual Distributed Firewall

  • The VMware NSX Distributed Firewall is a software-defined Layer 7 firewall purpose-built to secure multi-cloud traffic across virtualized workloads. It provides stateful firewalling with IDS/IPS, sandboxing, and NTA/NDR— delivered as software and distributed to each host. With complete visibility into applications and flows, the NSX Distributed Firewall delivers superior security with policy automation that’s linked to the workload lifecycle. Unlike traditional firewalls that require network redesign and traffic hair-pinning, the NSX Distributed Firewall distributes the firewalling to each host, radically simplifying the security architecture. This allows security teams to easily segment the network, stop the lateral movement of attacks, and automate policy in a vastly simpler operational model.

Advanced Firewall with Advanced Threat Protection

  • VMware’s NSX Advanced Threat Prevention (ATP) provides network security capabilities that protect organizations against advanced threats. NSX ATP combines multiple detection technologies – Intrusion Detection/Prevention System (IDS/IPS), Network Sandboxing, and Network Traffic Analysis (NTA) – with aggregation, correlation, and context engines from Network Detection and Response (NDR). These capabilities complement each other to provide a cohesive defensive layer. As a result, ATP increases detection fidelity, reduces false positives, and accelerates remediation while decreasing security analysts’ manual work.
  • IDS/IPS: This technology inspects all traffic that enters or leaves the network, detecting and preventing known threats from gaining access to the network, critical systems, and data. IDS/IPS looks for known malicious traffic patterns to hunt for attacks in the traffic flow. When it finds such attacks, it generates alerts for use by security analysts. Alerts are also logged for post-incident investigation.
  • Network Sandbox: This is a secure isolation environment that detects malicious artifacts. It analyzes the behavior of objects, such as files and URLs, to determine if they are benign or malicious. Because it does not rely on signatures, the sandbox can detect novel and highly targeted malware that has never been seen before.
  • NTA: This technology looks at network traffic and traffic flow records using machine learning (ML) algorithms and advanced statistical techniques to develop a baseline of everyday activities. NTA can identify protocol, traffic, and host anomalies as they appear. Of course, not all anomalies represent threats; that’s why VMware’s NTA implements additional ML and rule-based techniques to determine if the anomaly is malicious. This analysis pipeline keeps false positives to a minimum, reducing the security team’s work so the team can focus on real issues.
  • NTA : Utilizes machine learning algorithms to develop a secure baseline of activities from network traffic, log files, and flow records and then alert to deviations from the secure baseline.
  • NDR: NDR consists of aggregation, correlation, and context engines. The aggregation engine collects signals from individual detection technologies. It combines them to reach a verdict (malicious or benign) on network activities. The correlation engines combine multiple related alerts into an “intrusion campaign.” The context engines collect data from various sources (including sources outside NSX) to add helpful context to the information provided to security analysts.
  • Advanced VPN
  • Additional VPN tunnels
  • Advanced Backup powered by Veeam. 
  • Advanced DRaaS Powered by Zerto. 
  • Microsoft SPLA and other 3rd Party Licensing
  • Advanced VMware Migration Services (vCDA). 
  • Professional Services Migration (Via Partner, Complex Migrations

Cloud Storage Powered by Pure Storage

The Hivelocity Cloud 2.0 is built using best in class storage array from Pure Storage. Pure allows our clients to utilize various tiers of storage to ensure their applications have the performance they need depending on workload as well as more budget friendly options to ensure our client’s data retention policies are met.  

  • Performance Tier 1 Storage
  • Standard Tier 2 Storage
  • Backup Tier 3 Storage

Performance Tier 1 Storage:

Experience unparalleled performance Hivelocity’s Performance Tier, designed to meet the demanding requirements of modern businesses. Our cutting-edge flash storage technology ensures lightning-fast access to your data, delivering the speed and responsiveness needed for critical applications. With ultra-low latency and high throughput, the Performance Tier empowers your organization to thrive in the era of real-time analytics and data-driven decision-making.

Key Features:

  • NVMe Flash Technology: Leverage the power of Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) to unlock the full potential of flash storage, providing a quantum leap in speed and responsiveness.
  •  Predictive Analytics: Proactively address potential issues with Pure1® predictive analytics, ensuring optimal performance and minimizing disruptions.
  • Scalability: Seamlessly scale your storage infrastructure to accommodate growing data demands without sacrificing performance or worrying about procuring additional hardware as your storage requirements grow.

Standard Tier: Reliable and Cost-Efficient Storage Solutions

Hivelocity’s Standard Tier offers a robust and reliable storage solution that balances performance with cost-effectiveness. Ideal for a wide range of workloads, this tier provides a cost-efficient way to store and manage your data without compromising on quality or reliability. Whether you’re running business applications, virtualized environments, or databases, the Standard Tier delivers the reliability you need at a price point that makes sense for your budget.

Key Features:

  • All-Flash Array: Benefit from the speed and efficiency of all-flash storage, ensuring consistent performance across diverse workloads.
  • Data Reduction: Maximize storage efficiency with inline deduplication and compression, reducing your overall storage footprint and optimizing costs.
  • Reliability: Rely on Pure Storage’s proven track record for high availability and data integrity, minimizing the risk of downtime or data loss.

Backup Tier: Safeguarding Your Data Assets

Ensure the resilience and security of your data with Pure Storage’s Backup Tier. This tier is specifically designed to address the critical need for data protection, providing robust backup and recovery capabilities. With comprehensive features such as snapshot technology, data replication, and integration with leading backup solutions, the Backup Tier offers a solid foundation for building a reliable data protection strategy.

Key Features:

  • Snapshots and Replication: Create point-in-time snapshots for rapid data recovery and replicate data across geographically dispersed locations to ensure business continuity.
  • Integration with Backup Solutions: Seamlessly integrate with leading backup solutions, streamlining your backup and recovery processes.
  • Compliance and Security: Adhere to regulatory requirements and enhance data security with encryption, access controls, and audit trails.

Data Protection Services Powered by Veeam

Safeguard your VMware virtualized infrastructure with Hivelocity’s Data Protection service (Powered by Veeam) designed to address the unique challenges of VMware environments. Veeam Backup for VMware combines powerful features with seamless integration, providing comprehensive data protection tailored specifically for VMware-based workloads. Elevate your virtualization strategy with Veeam’s advanced backup options and ensure the availability, reliability, and recoverability of your critical data.

Service Offerings

  • Veeam Backup & Replication for VMware: Veeam’s flagship solution, Backup & Replication, offers specialized capabilities for VMware environments, providing seamless backup, replication, and recovery processes. Ensure the protection of your virtual machines (VMs) with a solution optimized for VMware’s unique architecture.
  • Veeam Explorer for VMware: Gain granular visibility into your VMware backups with Veeam Explorer, allowing for efficient recovery of individual items, such as files or application objects, directly from the backup.
  • VMware vSphere Integration: Benefit from tight integration with VMware vSphere, leveraging Veeam’s capabilities to enhance your vSphere environment’s data protection and recovery.

Key Backup Options

  • Image-Based VM Backups: Veeam’s image-based backup approach captures entire VM images, ensuring comprehensive protection and enabling efficient recovery of entire VMs.
  • Incremental Backups with Advanced Deduplication: Minimize backup storage requirements and optimize performance with Veeam’s advanced deduplication technology, capturing only changed data since the last backup.
  • Instant VM Recovery: Reduce downtime with Veeam’s instant VM recovery, allowing you to restart failed VMs directly from a backup file in minutes.
  • Application-Aware Processing: Ensure consistent and reliable backups of applications running in VMs with Veeam’s application-aware processing, supporting applications like Microsoft Exchange, SQL Server, and Active Directory.
  • VeeamZIP for Quick Ad-Hoc Backups: Perform ad-hoc backups of VMs with VeeamZIP, providing a quick and easy way to create point-in-time backups for testing, development, or archival purposes.
  • SureBackup Verification: Validate the recoverability of your backups with Veeam’s SureBackup, automatically verifying the integrity of VM backups and ensuring they can be successfully recovered.

Secure your VMware virtualized environment with confidence, leveraging Veeam’s tailored backup solutions. Whether you’re dealing with data loss, system failures, or simply need to ensure compliance, Veeam Backup for VMware environments delivers the reliability and flexibility your organization requires for efficient data protection.

Getting Started

How to:

Virtual Machines:

vApps

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Create a Virtual Machine using a Template https://www.hivelocity.net/kb/create-a-virtual-machine-using-a-template/ Fri, 06 Sep 2024 16:42:46 +0000 https://www.hivelocity.net/?post_type=hv_knowledgebase&p=34324 1. Navigate to https://cloud.hivelocity.net 2. Click on your Datacenter 3. Go to Virtual Machine 4. Click “NEW VM” 5. Enter the Name, Computer Name, and Description. Tip! Computer Name Can not Have Spaces 6. Click on the Template you want to use. 7. Click this dropdown for Storage Policy if you want to change the …

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1. Navigate to https://cloud.hivelocity.net

2. Click on your Datacenter

cloud dashboard

3. Go to Virtual Machine

4. Click “NEW VM”

dashboard with all virtual machines

5. Enter the Name, Computer Name, and Description.

Tip! Computer Name Can not Have Spaces

dashboard new VM description field

6. Click on the Template you want to use.

new vm select template window

7. Click this dropdown for Storage Policy if you want to change the what storage is used.

new vm storage policy dropdown

8. Click on the Connected network if you want the network connected on power on. This will have to be enabled if you want to domain join.

new vm enable network connected on power on

9. Click this dropdown if changing Adapter Type

new vm network adapter dropdown

10. Click this dropdown and Choose the Network you want the nic to reside on.

new vm choose network dropdown

11. Click “OK” to Create the Machine

dashboard new VM save button

12. Click “DETAILS”

dashboard with created VMs

13. Here you will see the different options for Guest Customization

vm details and customization page

14. Once the VM is deployed, you will be able to power on the VM and Customize it as needed.

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Create a Virtual Machine Using an ISO https://www.hivelocity.net/kb/create-a-virtual-machine-using-an-iso/ Fri, 06 Sep 2024 16:41:49 +0000 https://www.hivelocity.net/?post_type=hv_knowledgebase&p=34300 1. Navigate to https://cloud.hivelocity.net and access the Location you want to build the new Virtual Machine 2. Click on Virtual Machines 3. Click “NEW VM” 4. Type the name of the VM 5. Click the “Computer Name” field. Enter the Computer Name with no spaces. 6. Click the “Description” field. 7. Click “New” to create …

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1. Navigate to https://cloud.hivelocity.net and access the Location you want to build the new Virtual Machine

2. Click on Virtual Machines

3. Click “NEW VM”

dashboard with all virtual machines

4. Type the name of the VM

5. Click the “Computer Name” field.

Enter the Computer Name with no spaces.

dashboard new VM name field

6. Click the “Description” field.

dashboard new VM description field

7. Click “New” to create a new vm from ISO

dashboard new VM type radio button

8. Type “Create a VM using an ISO”

9. Click this dropdown to select the Guest OS Family

dashboard new VM Guest OS family

10. Click this dropdown to choose the Guest OS

dashboard new VM guest OS dropdown

11. Click “Select…” to choose the ISO or Bootable image

dashboard new VM boot image field

12. Click the radial next to you Bootable Image

dashboard new VM boot image dropdown

13. Assign CPU resources

dashboard new VM CPU field

14. Click the “Memory” field and allocated memory needed

dashboard new VM Memory field

15. Click this dropdown to choose the storage policy you are wanting to provision to. You can also create Additional storage at this stage

dashboard new VM add storage button

16. Click under Size to define the disk size.

dashboard new VM define disk size

17. Repeat process to add additional storage

18. Configure the network Settings, First choose the Network to connect this VM to.

dashboard new VM network settings

19. Choose the Network adapter type, usually VMXNET3

dashboard new VM network adapter type

20. Choose IP Mode

dashboard new VM IP mode

21. Repeat Steps 18-20 to create any additional network connections

22. Click “OK”

dashboard new VM save button

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Adding a Port Forwarding Rule to a vApp Network https://www.hivelocity.net/kb/adding-a-port-forwarding-rule-to-a-vapp-network/ Thu, 05 Sep 2024 13:19:24 +0000 https://www.hivelocity.net/?post_type=hv_knowledgebase&p=34633 Add Port Forwarding Rule: On the Virtual Data Center dashboard screen, select vApps from the left panel. Choose the vApp, click Details, and select the Networks tab. Select the Services tab, click Edit, and toggle on NAT. Select Port Forwarding as the NAT type and configure the rule (external port, internal port, virtual machine interface, …

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  • Add Port Forwarding Rule:

    • On the Virtual Data Center dashboard screen, select vApps from the left panel.

    • Choose the vApp, click Details, and select the Networks tab.

    • Select the Services tab, click Edit, and toggle on NAT.

    • Select Port Forwarding as the NAT type and configure the rule (external port, internal port, virtual machine interface, protocol).

    • Click Save.

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    Adding Static Routing for a vApp Network https://www.hivelocity.net/kb/adding-static-routing-for-a-vapp-network/ Thu, 05 Sep 2024 13:18:21 +0000 https://www.hivelocity.net/?post_type=hv_knowledgebase&p=34631 Add Static Route: On the Virtual Data Center dashboard screen, select vApps from the left panel. Choose the vApp, click Details, and select the Networks tab. Select the Routing tab, click Edit, and then Add under Static Routing. Enter the route details (name, network address, next hop IP address) and click Save.

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  • Add Static Route:

    • On the Virtual Data Center dashboard screen, select vApps from the left panel.

    • Choose the vApp, click Details, and select the Networks tab.

    • Select the Routing tab, click Edit, and then Add under Static Routing.

    • Enter the route details (name, network address, next hop IP address) and click Save.

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    Adding a Network to a vApp https://www.hivelocity.net/kb/adding-a-network-to-a-vapp/ Thu, 05 Sep 2024 13:17:38 +0000 https://www.hivelocity.net/?post_type=hv_knowledgebase&p=34629 Add Network: On the Virtual Data Center dashboard screen, select vApps from the left panel. Choose the vApp, click Actions, and select Add network. Choose the network type (Organization VDC Network or vApp Network) and configure the settings. Click Add to complete the addition.

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  • Add Network:

    • On the Virtual Data Center dashboard screen, select vApps from the left panel.

    • Choose the vApp, click Actions, and select Add network.

    • Choose the network type (Organization VDC Network or vApp Network) and configure the settings.

    • Click Add to complete the addition.

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    Viewing and Editing General Network Details https://www.hivelocity.net/kb/viewing-and-editing-general-network-details/ Thu, 05 Sep 2024 13:16:45 +0000 https://www.hivelocity.net/?post_type=hv_knowledgebase&p=34627 View/Edit Network Details: On the Virtual Data Center dashboard screen, select vApps from the left panel. Choose the vApp, click Details, and select the Networks tab. Click on a network to view details, click Edit to modify, and then save changes.

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  • View/Edit Network Details:

    • On the Virtual Data Center dashboard screen, select vApps from the left panel.

    • Choose the vApp, click Details, and select the Networks tab.

    • Click on a network to view details, click Edit to modify, and then save changes.

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    Fencing a vApp Network https://www.hivelocity.net/kb/fencing-a-vapp-network/ Thu, 05 Sep 2024 13:15:56 +0000 https://www.hivelocity.net/?post_type=hv_knowledgebase&p=34625 Enable Fencing: On the Virtual Data Center dashboard screen, select vApps from the left panel. Choose the vApp, click Details, and select the Networks tab. If the vApp is not fenced, click Edit, toggle on the Fence vApp option, and click OK.

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  • Enable Fencing:

    • On the Virtual Data Center dashboard screen, select vApps from the left panel.

    • Choose the vApp, click Details, and select the Networks tab.

    • If the vApp is not fenced, click Edit, toggle on the Fence vApp option, and click OK.

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