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Remote Access

After your colocated machine is mounted in the data center, you have several options for remote access. The specific choice depends on the hardware type and your needs.

Remote Access Methods

Pre-installed Operating System

Before shipping the machine, you can install an operating system of your choice and configure remote access (e.g., SSH for Linux or Remote Desktop for Windows). After installation in the data center, the machine will be accessible directly over the assigned IP address.

Tip

This is the simplest method and is recommended when you know exactly what software you'll use and don't expect frequent OS-level changes.

Advantages:

  • Immediate access after installation
  • No specialized hardware required (IPMI)
  • Work directly with the chosen operating system

Disadvantages:

  • If the OS fails to boot, the machine is not accessible remotely
  • Installation must be done before shipping

IPMI over OpenVPN

If your hardware supports IPMI (Intelligent Platform Management Interface), you can get remote access to the machine at a level below the operating system. This includes:

  • Powering the machine on and off
  • Rebooting (soft and hard reboot)
  • Monitoring hardware metrics (temperature, voltage, fan speeds)
  • Remote KVM console (see the screen and control the keyboard/mouse)
  • Mounting ISO images through a virtual drive

The IPMI interface is provided over an OpenVPN connection for secure access. After service activation, you receive an OpenVPN configuration file and IPMI credentials.

Warning

IPMI must be activated before shipping the machine. This includes setting an IP address, username, and password in the BIOS or BMC (Baseboard Management Controller). If you don't know how to do this, consult the manufacturer's documentation.

Advantages:

  • Full remote control even when the OS doesn't start
  • Ability to reinstall the OS without physical presence
  • Hardware metrics monitoring
  • Remote power on/off

Disadvantages:

  • Requires hardware with IPMI support (most enterprise servers)
  • Requires pre-shipment configuration
  • OpenVPN connection for access

Physical Access

For cases requiring physical intervention (e.g., disk swap, installing an additional card), you can:

  1. Visit the data center in person — after prior scheduling and access profiling
  2. Request a technical service from our team — remote hands services for standard operations

Note

Physical access to the data center requires prior profiling and scheduling. Self-access without prior approval is not possible due to strict security policies.

Monitoring and Alerting

For colocation, we recommend setting up:

  • OS-level monitoring — tracking CPU, memory, disk space, services
  • IPMI monitoring — temperature, fans, voltages
  • Network monitoring — availability and bandwidth
  • Alerts — automated notifications for anomalies to enable proactive response

For customers with added 24/7 support, our team can configure and monitor these systems.

Tips for Reliable Operation

  • Update firmware/BIOS at regular intervals for security patches
  • Store IPMI passwords securely — they are the key to full machine control
  • Restrict IPMI access to specific IP addresses if possible
  • Make backups — colocation does not include a backup service; see Delta Cloud Backup for a professional solution
  • Watch the logs — both at the OS level and at the hardware level (IPMI SEL logs)