Settings

Sub-Account Setting

What is Sub-Account?

A sub-account can be created by the admin or synced from a SSO system and is managed by the admin. Resources created under a sub-account are managed by the sub-account. You can use a sub-account to create and delete resources under its management and implement fine-grained control over the permissions on resources.

Figure 1. Sub-account Management


Concepts

  • admin: The admin has super privileges over resources and shall be owned by the IT system administrator.
    • The admin can share instance offerings, disk offerings, networks, images, and other cloud resources with sub-accounts or revoke the resources from sub-accounts. Sub-accounts can only manage resources to which they are granted access.
    • The admin can modify resource quotas granted to a sub-account based on different business scenarios.
    • After the admin created a VXLAN pool, sub-accounts can create VXLAN networks based on the VXLAN pool.
    • Changing the owner of a VM instance will change the owner properties of the EIPs associated with the VM instance.
  • Sub-account:
    • Sub-accounts can be categorized into local sub-accounts and SSO sub-accounts:
      • A local sub-account is created by the admin. A SSO sub-account is synced from a SSO server.
        • SSO: The SSO authentication service, powered by the Cloud, supports seamless access to SSO systems. Through the service, related users can directly login to the Cloud and manage cloud resources. Currently, OIDC servers can be added.
          • OIDC server: A SSO server that applies the OIDC protocol. It authenticates and authorizes SSO users to log into the Cloud without password and syncs user information to the Cloud based on the mapping rule.
      • A sub-account has management permissions on VM instances, images, volumes, and security groups created under the sub-account. A sub-account can perform read operations on resources shared by the admin, but cannot delete the resources.
      • Deleting a sub-account will delete all resources created by the sub-account, such as VM instances, volumes, and images.
      • The names of sub-accounts must be unique.
      • Resource quotas that the admin shares with a sub-account is displayed on the homepage of the sub-account.
      • Before a sub-account can create a VM instance, the admin must share an instance offering, disk offering, network, and other required resources with the sub-account. Otherwise, a VM instance cannot be created.
      • A sub-account can use an image that it adds to the Cloud or use an image shared by the admin.
  • Quota:

    Resource quotas that the admin shares with a sub-account specify the maximum resources that the sub-account can manage, including computing resource quotas, storage resource quotas, network resource quotas, and other resource quotas.

    The admin uses the preceding resource quota settings to manage the maximum resources granted to sub-accounts. If a resource is deleted but not expunged, the resource still occupies storage space of primary storage and volumes.

Sub-Account

Create a Sub-Account

On the main menu of ZStack Cube Ultimate, choose Settings > Sub-Account Setting > Sub-Account Management. On the Sub-Account page, click Create Sub-Account. Then, the Create Sub-Account page is displayed.

On the displayed page, set the following parameters:
  • Type: Select the sub-account type.
    Note: ZStack Cube Ultimate supports two sub-account types.
    • Local Sub-account: The account information is stored locally. If you add a ZStack IAM server, you cannot create a local sub-account.
    • SSO Sub-account: The account information is synchronized to the SSO server for cross-platform SSO. You can create an SSO sub-account only after you add a ZStack IAM server.
  • Name: Enter a name for the local sub-account.
  • Description: Optional. Enter a description for the local sub-account.
  • Password: Enter a password for the local sub-account.
  • Confirm Password: Confirm the local sub-account password.
  • Pricing List: Optional. Select a pricing list. If left blank, the default pricing list is used.
Figure 2. Create Local Sub-account


Manage a Sub-Account

On the main menu of ZStack Cube Ultimate, choose Settings > Sub-Account Setting > Sub-Account Management. Then, the Sub-Account page is displayed.

Manage a Local Sub-Account

The following table lists the actions that you can perform on a local sub-account.
Action Description
Create Sub-Account Create a new sub-account.
Change Password Change the password of an account.
Note: After changing the password of admin, you need to log out of the account and log in again to take effect.
Change Pricing List Change a pricing list attached by an account.
Delete Sub-Account If you delete a sub-account, the sub-account cannot be used to log in to the platform. VPC vRouters managed by the sub-account will be deleted. VM instances and volumes will be deleted based on the policy configured by the admin:
  • If the deletion policy is set to Direct, deleting a sub-account will expunge VM instances and volumes managed by the sub-account.
  • If the deletion policy is set to Delay, deleting a sub-account will change the state of VM instances and volumes managed by the sub-account to Deleted and change their owner to admin.
  • If the deletion policy is set to Never, deleting a sub-account will change the state of VM instances and volumes managed by the sub-account to Deleted and change their owner to admin.

Manage an SSO Sub-Account

The following table lists the actions that you can perform on an SSO sub-account.
Action Description
Change Pricing List Change a pricing list attached by an account.
Delete Sub-Account If you delete a sub-account, the sub-account cannot be used to log in to the platform. VPC vRouters managed by the sub-account will be deleted. VM instances and volumes will be deleted based on the policy configured by the admin:
  • If the deletion policy is set to Direct, deleting a sub-account will expunge VM instances and volumes managed by the sub-account.
  • If the deletion policy is set to Delay, deleting a sub-account will change the state of VM instances and volumes managed by the sub-account to Deleted and change their owner to admin.
  • If the deletion policy is set to Never, deleting a sub-account will change the state of VM instances and volumes managed by the sub-account to Deleted and change their owner to admin.
  • If you delete an SSO sub-account, the source sub-account in the SSO authentication server is not affected.

SSO

Add an SSO Server

On the main menu of ZStack Cube Ultimate, choose Settings > Sub-Account Setting > Single Sign On. On the Single Sign On page, click Add SSO Server. Then, the Add SSO Server page is displayed.

The following lists the SSO server addition scenarios:
  • Add SSO Server | ZStack IAM
  • Add SSO Server | Other Identity Provider

Add SSO Server | ZStack IAM

On the displayed page, set the following parameters:
  • Name: Enter a name for the SSO server.
  • Description: Optional. Enter a description for the SSO server.
  • Type: Only supports OIDC Server. It is an SSO server that applies the OIDC protocol. It authenticates and authorizes SSO users to log into the Cloud without password and syncs user information to the Cloud based on the mapping rule.
  • Identity Provider: Select ZStack IAM.
    Note: The ZStack IAM server is dedicated to SSO across multiple regions.
  • Server Address: Enter the ZStack IAM server address. Enter a complete URL.
Figure 3. Add SSO Server | ZStack IAM


Add SSO Server | Other Identity Provider

On the displayed page, set the following parameters:
  • Name: Enter a name for the SSO server.
  • Description: Optional. Enter a description for the SSO server.
  • Type: Only supports OIDC Server. It is an SSO server that applies the OIDC protocol. It authenticates and authorizes SSO users to log into the Cloud without password and syncs user information to the Cloud based on the mapping rule.
  • Identity Provider: An IdP collects and stores user identity information, such as usernames and passwords, and authenticates users during login. Supported identity providers include default, ZFIAM, Alibaba Cloud IDaaS (Private), MaxKey SSO System, and uploaded SSO plugins.
  • Redirect URL: The URL used to redirect to the Cloud when the authentication server is certified.
  • Redirect Template: The redirect template used to realize a password-free login inside the cloud platform system. You can modify the IP address and port of this parameter when the Cloud is configured with a reverse proxy.
  • Client ID: Enter the unique ID that the authentication system assigns to the Cloud.
  • Client Secret: Enter the secret that the authentication system assigns to the Cloud.
  • Scope: The Scope is used to specify the scope of user attributes to be obtained when requesting an access token or ID token, such as name, email, phone number, and so on. After specifying the scope, the returned token will contain the corresponding attributes.
  • Authorization Request URL: Enter the request URL used to obtain an authorization grant in authorization code mode.
  • Token Request URL: Enter the request URL used to obtain an access token from the authentication server.
  • Userinfo Request URL: The request URL used to obtain the user information from the authentication server.
  • Logout URL: The URL used to log off sessions after logging out of the Cloud. When logging in to the Cloud again, you need to re-enter the authentication server. If left blank, the login information will not be immediately cleared after logging out of the Cloud, and you can still log in to the Cloud without a password as long as the session is valid.
  • User Mapping Rule: Through the user mapping rule, the SSO user has local user attributes after it is synced to the Cloud. The rule used to map SSO attributes of an SSO user to Cloud local attributes.
    • Name: Specify a rule to map the attribute of OIDC users to the name of Cloud users. The name is the unique identification of a user. Make sure that the name that you fill in also has a unique identity in the authentication system.

      For example, if a Name maps username, the Name whose user is created in the Cloud can use the value (such as Xiaoming) matching username.

    • Description: Optional. Specify a rule to map the attribute of OIDC users to the description of Cloud users.

      For example, if a Description maps description, the Description whose user is created in the Cloud can use the value (such as dev-backend) matching description.

Figure 4. Add SSO Server


Manage a SSO Server

On the main menu of ZStack Cube Ultimate, choose Settings > Sub-Account Setting > SSO. Then, the SSO page is displayed.

The following table lists the actions that you can perform on a SSO server.
Action Description
Edit SSO Server Edit the name and description of a SSO authentication server.
Delete SSO Server Delete a SSO server.
Note: Deleting a SSO server also deletes the related SSO user information. The source user and organization information is not affected.

Theme and Appearance

What is Theme and Appearance?

You can customize the theme and appearance of the Cloud.

Customize Theme and Appearance

Prerequisites

This scenario describes how to customize the product logo and release information after you install ZStack Cube Ultimate.

Procedure

  1. Enter the Theme and Appearance page.

    On the main menu of ZStack Cube Ultimate, choose Settings > System Setting > Theme and Appearance. Then, the Theme and Appearance page is displayed.

    Figure 5. Theme and Appearance


  2. On the Theme and Appearance page, you can customize following settings:
    • Global Appearance:
      • Theme: Choose a global theme color. 8 options are provided.
        Note: This setting takes effect on pages displayed to all Cloud managers, accounts, and users.
    • Title Setting:
      • Browser:
        • Favicon: Upload an icon for the browser.
          Note: You can upload a file only in ICO format and the file must no greater than 2 MB in size.
        • Chinese Title: Enter a Chinese title for the browser.
          Note: The title must be 1 to 25 characters in length.
        • English Title: Enter an English title for the browser.
          Note: The title must be 1 to 25 characters in length.
      • Login Interface:
        • Logo: Upload a logo for the login interface.
          Note: You can upload a JPG, JPEG, ,or SVG image that is within 250*70px and 2 MB.
        • Chinese Title: Enter a Chinese title for the login interface.
          Note: The title must be 1 to 25 characters in length.
        • English Title: Enter an English title for the login interface.
          Note: The title must be 1 to 25 characters in length.
      • Platform Interface:
        • Logo: Upload a logo for the platform interface.
          Note:
          • You can upload a JPG, JPEG, PNG, or SVG image that is within 110*40px and 2 MB.
          • We recommend that you upload a white or light-colored logo on a dark background.
        • Chinese Title: Enter a Chinese title for the platform interface.
          Note: The title must be 1 to 25 characters in length.
        • English Title: Enter an English title for the platform interface.
          Note: The title must be 1 to 25 characters in length.
        • Front Size: Select a front size for the platform interface title. Valid values: Large, Medium, and Small. Default: Medium.
    • Monitor:
      • Title and Appearance:
        • Chinese Title: Enter a Chinese title for the monitor.
          Note: The title must be 1 to 18 characters in length.
        • English Title: Enter an English title for the monitor.
          Note: The title must be 1 to 18 characters in length.
        • Theme: Choose an appearance for the monitor. Valid values: Classic and Technology. Default: Classic.
      • Monitoring Mode: Choose a monitoring mode. Valid values: External Monitoring and Internal Monitoring. Default: External Monitoring.
  3. Reset to default settings.
    You can cancel all custom settings and reset the product theme and appearance to default configurations by clicking Reset to Default Settings.
    Note: After you click Reset to Default Settings, all custom logo images and release information stored in /var/lib/zstack/static are deleted.

Time Management

What is Time Management?

Time Management: Manages the Cloud system time and allows you to configure time servers for the Cloud. After you configure NTP time servers for the Cloud, the clock of the time servers is synced with all nodes of the Cloud.

Concepts

Time management involves the following concepts:
  • Internal time server: Uses a management mode or host as an NTP time server of the Cloud system time so the other nodes of the Cloud may sync time with the time server.
  • External time server: Uses a node that does not belong to the Cloud as an NTP time server, which directly syncs time with all nodes of the Cloud or syncs time with the Cloud nodes via the internal time server.
  • Time sync: The process in which the time of a node on the Cloud is synced with a time server.

Fundamentals

The time sync of the nodes on the Cloud with a time server is achieved mainly via network time protocol (NTP) and related algorithms. The following lists the sync process:
  1. You configure an internal or external time server for time sync.
  2. The nodes on the Cloud connect to the time server to obtain its timestamp information.
  3. Based on the timestamp, the nodes on the Cloud calculate their time difference with the time server.
  4. Based on their respective time difference, the nodes on the Cloud alter their local time to achieve time sync.
  5. The nodes on the Cloud implement process 2 to 4 regularly for sustained time sync.
The Cloud supports the following three time protocol modes:
  • Internal: Uses a management mode or host as an NTP time server of the Cloud system time so the other nodes of the Cloud may sync time with the time server. You can add up to 2 internal time servers for the Cloud.
  • Internal and External: Uses a node that does not belong to the Cloud as an NTP time server and uses a management mode or host as an NTP time server of the Cloud system time. The external time server syncs time with the internal time server first and then the internal time server syncs time with the other nodes of the Cloud. You can add up to 2 internal time servers and 2 external time servers for the Cloud.
  • External: Uses a node that does not belong to the Cloud as an NTP time server, which syncs time with all nodes of the Cloud. You can add up to 2 external time servers for the Cloud.

Benefits

Time management has the following benefits:
  • Accurate: The time clock adjustment algorithm used ensures an accurate time sync.
  • Automatic: The time sync mechanism is auto implemented regularly. Manual interference is not required.
  • Reliable: You can configure multiple time servers to ensure the reliability and stability of the time sync mechanism.
  • Intuitive: Time server configuration and its relationship with the Cloud time are displayed in a topology. In addition, the current Cloud time and the time zone are displayed.

Scenarios

Time management applies to the following scenarios:
  • Network management: The logs collected from different network devices require accurate time records for efficient troubleshooting. The time sync mechanism provided can well satisfy this demand.
  • Billing: Time management can ensure consistent and accurate time records for billing systems so that the billing info is correct.
  • Collaboration: Time management can ensure unified time for multiple systems so that they can well collaborate with each other based on the preconfigured execution time sequence when handling a complex task.

Manage Time Server

On the main menu of ZStack Cube Ultimate, choose Settings > System Setting > Time Management. Then, the Time Management page is displayed.

The following table lists the actions that time management supports:
Action Description
Modify NTP Time Server Modify NTP time servers. The following three modes are supported:
  • Internal: Uses a management mode or host as an NTP time server of the Cloud system time so the other nodes of the Cloud may sync time with the time server.
  • Internal and External: Uses a node that does not belong to the Cloud as an NTP time server and uses a management mode or host as an NTP time server of the Cloud system time. The external time server syncs time with the internal time server first and then the internal time server syncs time with the other nodes of the Cloud.
  • External: Uses a node that does not belong to the Cloud as an NTP time server, which syncs time with all nodes of the Cloud. You can add up to 2 external time servers for the Cloud.
Note:
  • You can add up to 2 internal time servers and 2 external time servers for the Cloud. You can enter an IP address or domain name of an external time server.
  • Before you modify a time server, make sure that the management node is in Connected status.
  • Modifying an NTP time server may cause the time of the nodes on the Cloud inconsistent with each other and monitoring data errored or corrupted, and may affect operating tasks. Proceed with caution.
Forced Sync Time by Force If the system time has relatively large difference with the time of the NTP time server, The auto time consistency adjustment may take a while. You can implement forced time sync to eliminate the time difference in a short time.

Email Server

What is Email Server?

If you select Email as the endpoint of an alarm, you need to set an email server. Then alarm messages are sent to the email server.

Add an Email Server

On the main menu of ZStack Cube Ultimate, choose Settings > System Setting > Email Server. On the Email Server page, click Add Email Server. Then, the Add Email Server page is displayed.

On the displayed page, set the following parameters:
  • Name: Enter a name for the email server.
  • Description: Optional. Enter a description for the email server.
  • User Name: Enter a user name.
  • Password: Enter the password for the user.
    Note: If you add a third-party email server to the Cloud, you need to enable the SMTP service in advance. In addition, enter the authentication code in the Password field.
  • Email Server Type: Valid value: smtp.
  • Email Server: Enter the IP address of the email server.
  • Port: Enter the port of the email server. Default value: 25.
  • Encryption Type: Optional. Select an encryption type to encrypt data communications of the email server port. Valid values: STARTTLS, SSL/TLS, and NONE.
    • STARTTLS is selected by default. The corresponding port is 25 by default.
    • If you select SSL/TLS, the corresponding port is 465 by default.
    • If you do not need encrypted communications, select NONE.
Figure 6. Add Email Server


After you click OK, the system automatically checks whether the user name, password, email server IP address and port, and encryption type parameters are correct. The response time is expected to be no longer than five seconds. If a parameter setting is incorrect, modify the setting based on the tips propped out on the upper-right corner of the page and then submit again. If the configuration settings are correct, you are automatically redirected to the Email Server page. The email server is successfully added to the Cloud.
Note:

Configure the settings as needed. Contact the email server provider for support in case of any email server related problems.

Manage an Email Server

On the main menu of ZStack Cube Ultimate, choose Settings > System Setting > Email Server. Then, the Email Server page is displayed.

The following table lists the actions that you can perform on an email server.
Action Description
Add Email Server Add an email server.
Enable Email Server Enable a disabled email server.
Disable Email Server Disable an enabled email server.
Edit Email Server Edit the name and description of an email server.
Set Sharing Mode Share an email server to all projects/accounts (if you have installed the Tenant Management license).
Change Owner Change the owner of an email server.
Test Check whether an email server is connected.
Delete Email Server Delete an email server.

Log Server

What is Log Server?

A log server is used to collect logs of the management node. You can add a log server to the cloud and use the collected logs to locate errors and exceptions. This makes your O&M more efficient.

Add a Log Server

On the main menu of ZStack Cube Ultimate, choose Settings > System Setting > Log Server. On the Log Server page, click Add Log Server. Then, the Add Log Server page is displayed.

On the displayed page, set the following parameters:
  • Name: Enter a name for the log server. The name must be 1 to 128 characters in length and can contain Chinese characters, letters, digits, spaces, hyphens (-), underscores (_), periods (.), parenthesis (), colons (:), and plus signs (+) and cannot begin or end with spaces.
  • Description: Optional. Enter a description for the log server.
  • IP Address: Enter the IP address of the log server.
  • UDP Port: Enter a port that uses the UDP protocol to provide services.
  • Log Identifier: Specify the log identifier. The log identifier is customized in the local system based on your business needs. Valid values: LOCAL0 to LOCAL7. It has nothing to do with log severity such as DEBUG, INFO, and ERROR, but is used to match log servers.
    Note: The log severity must be consistent with the setting configured in the log server. Otherwise, log information cannot be received as expected.
  • Test Connection: Check whether the configured IP address is reachable.
    Note:
    • If the IP address is unreachable, check whether the IP address is correct, the network is normal, and the log severity setting is consistent.
    • Configure the settings as needed. Contact the log server provider for support in case of any email server related problems.

Figure 7. Add Log Server


SNMP Management

What is SNMP Management

SNMP Management: SNMP Management is a service that allows a 3rd-party platform to monitor resources and events on ZStack Cube Ultimate, as well as receive alarms from ZStack Cube Ultimate.

Concept

The following are concepts involved in SNMP Management
  • SNMP: SNMP stands for Simple Network Management Protocol, a protocol used to manage the devices in the network. In SNMP Management, it is through this protocol that the 3rd-party platform obtains the monitoring data of ZStack Cube Ultimate resources and receives alarms from ZStack Cube Ultimate.
  • NMS: NMS stands for Network Management System, a system that monitors and manages the devices in the network through SNMP. NMS sends requests to the agent of managed devices to query the device parameters, and receives the trap messages sent from the agent. In SNMP Management, NMS refers to a 3rd-party platform.
  • SNMP Agent: The agent of the managed objects. This agent is responsible for response to the requests from the NMS and send Trap message to the trap receivers proactively. In SNMP management, the management nodes of ZStack Cube Ultimate undertakes the role of SNMP agent.
  • Managed Object: In SNMP Management, Managed Object refers to resources on ZStack Cube Ultimate.
  • MIB: MIB is a database that is maintained by the SNMP Agent and defines the properties of managed objects, such as the object name, state, access permission, and object data type. A 3rd-party platform uses the MIB as a reference to collect the monitoring data ZStack Cube Ultimate resources and parse the alarms received. ZStack Cube Ultimate provides its dedicated MIB for you to download and refer to.
  • SNMP Trap Receiver: SNMP trap receiver is a 3rd-party server used to receive alarms pushed by Cloud. You can add an SNMP trap receiver as an endpoint and attached to alarms, so that Cloud can push specified alarm messages to this SNMP trap receiver.

Enable SNMP Service

On the main menu of ZStack Cube Ultimate, click Settings > Platform Setting > SNMP Management. On the SNMP Management page, click Enable. Then, the Enable SNMP Management page is displayed.

Set the following parameters on the displayed page:
  • SNMP Agent Port: Set an SNMP agent port to receive and response to the request from the 3rd-pafrty platform.
    Note: SNMP SNMP Agent port is a port on the management node. Default: 1161. Valid values: 1024-65565.
  • Protocol Version: Select a SNMP version. Supported two protocol version: v2c and v3.
    • If you choose v2c, set the following parameters:
      • Community: Set a community. This community is used for the connectivity authentication between ZStack Cube Ultimate and the 3rd-party platform.
    • If you choose v3v, set the following parameters:
      • Username: Set the username.
      • User Authentication: Optional. If set to true, a security authentication is enabled for the connectivity between ZStack Cube Ultimate and the 3rd-party platform and you need to set the following parameters:
        • Authentication Protocol: Select an authentication protocol. Supported protocols: MD5, SHA, SHA224, SHA256, SHA384, and SHA512.
        • Authentication Password: Set an authentication password.
        • Confirm Password: Enter the password again to confirm it.
      • Data Encryption: Optional. Choose whether to encrypt the data transmitted between ZStack Cube Ultimate and the 3rd-party platform. To enable Data Encryption, you need to enable User Authentication first and set the following parameters:
        • Encryption Protocol: Choose an encryption protocol. Supported protocols: DES,AES128, AES192, AES256, and 3DES.
        • Encryption Password: Set an encryption password.
        • Confirm Password: Enter the password again to confirm it.
  • SNMP Trap Receiver: Optional. Enter the IP address and port of a 3rd-party server which is used to received alarms sent from ZStack Cube Ultimate.
Figure 8. Enable SNMP Management


Manage SNMP Service

On the main menu of ZStack Cube Ultimate, choose Settings > System Setting > SNMP Management. Then, the SNMP Management page is displayed.

The following lists the actions you can perform on the SNMP Management page:
Action Description
Enable SNMP Management Enable the SNMP management.
Modify SNMP Config Modify the SNMP protocol configurations, such as the SNMP agent port, protocol version, community, and username.
Add SNMP Trap Receiver Add a new SNMP trap receiver.

An SNMP trap receiver can be added as an endpoint and attached to alarms, so as ZStack Cube Ultimate can push specified alarm messages to the SNMP trap receiver.

Edit SNMP Trap Receiver Modify the IP address and port of the SNMP trap receiver.
Delete SNMP Trap Receiver Delete an SNMP trap receiver.
Note: If the SNMP trap receiver has been added as an alarm endpoint, this alarm endpoint will be deleted synchronously.
Download MIB Download the MIB file provided by ZStack Cube Ultimate. The 3rd-party platform relies on this file to collect the data of ZStack Cube Ultimate resources and parse alarms from ZStack Cube Ultimate.
Disable SNMP Management Disable the SNMP management.
  • After the enabling, the 3rd-party platform will no longer collect resource data from ZStack Cube Ultimate proactively. However, the SNMP trap receivers added as alarm endpoints can continue received alarms sent from ZStack Cube Ultimate.
  • ZStack Cube Ultimate will keeps the SNMP parameters you set so as you can re-enable the SNMP service conveniently on the next time.

Global Setting

Global Setting allows you to configure settings that take effect on the whole platform.

In the top-right corner of the Global Setting page, click Reset to Default Settings. Then all settings are reset to the initial settings.

Global Setting provides Basic and Advanced settings. ZStack Cube Ultimate provides over a hundred of advanced settings. You can configure the settings based on your business needs.

Scenario Template

Scenario Template provides multiple templates that encapsulate scenario-based global settings. You can apply a template globally with one click based on your business needs. This improves your O&M efficiency.

HA Policy

What is HA Policy?

HA Policy is a mechanism that ensures sustained and stable running of the business if VM instances are unexpectedly or scheduled stopped or are errored because of errors occurring to compute, network, or storage resources associated with the VM instances. By enabling this feature, you can customize VM HA policies to ensure your business continuity and stability.

Concepts

The HA Policy feature involves the following key concepts:
  • HA mode: Specifies whether to enable auto restart if VM instances are unexpectedly stopped or are errored because of errors occurring to compute, network, or storage resources associated with the VM instances. None and NeverStop are supported:
    • None: VM instances are not auto restarted no matter it is planned to be stopped or unexpectedly stopped.
    • NeverStop:
      • Unexpectedly stopped VM instances are auto restarted on another host depending on the failover strategy you configure for them.
      • VM instances do not restart automatically after they are stopped manually or through scheduled jobs.
  • VM Failover Strategy: Specifies whether to migrate a VM instance to another host if errors occur to the compute resource, storage resource, or network resource associated with the VM instance.
    The VM failover mechanism inspects the following resource status:
    • Management Network Connectivity Status:
      • Management network connectivity status indicates the status of the network that connects the management node and the host where VM instances reside.
      • This status may turn Abnormal if errors occur to the management node or to the management network.
    • Storage Network Connectivity Status:
      • Detects the connectivity status of the network that VM instances use to access the primary storage where the root volumes of these VM instances reside.
      • This status may turn Abnormal if errors occur to the primary storage or to the storage network.
    • Business NIC Status:
      • Business NIC status may turn Abnormal if errors occur to the host business NIC or the switch port directly connecting to the host business NIC that is associated with the L2 network of VM instances.
    Based on the resource status inspection, the Cloud provides the following truth table for configuring VM failover strategies:
    Management Network Connectivity Status Storage Network Connectivity Status Business NIC Status Fail Over
    Normal Normal Abnormal Yes/No
    Normal Abnormal Normal Yes/No
    Normal Abnormal Abnormal Yes/No
    Abnormal Normal Normal No

Fundamentals

ZStack Cube Ultimate HA Policy has the following mechanisms:
  • The Cloud polls the running status of VM instances. If a VM instance is unexpectedly stopped, its HA mode is checked. If the HA mode of the VM instance is NeverStop, then the VM instance is restarted on the current host or another host.
    Figure 9. VM HA Started After Unexpectedly Stopped


  • The Cloud polls the status of the hosts where VM instances reside. Either of the management network connectivity status, storage network connectivity status, and business NIC status of the host turns abnormal, the corresponding VM failover strategy and VM HA mode are checked. If the corresponding failover strategy is Yes and VM HA mode is NeverStop, then related VM instances are migrated to another host.
    Figure 10. VM HA Started After Host Business NIC Turns Down


Characteristics

HA Policy has the following characteristics:
  • Comprehensive & Powerful: Covers all mainstream HA scenarios, including various failures, and ensures the stability and continuity of your business.
  • Flexible & Visualized: Provides a simple table that allows you to configure VM failover strategies with one click. This table functions together with the HA Mode that can be configured on all and individual VM instances, thus greatly improving the flexibility of your business HA configuration.

Scenarios

The following describes the scenarios of the HA Policy feature.

  • Host Business NIC Turns Down:
    If a host business NIC turns down, to ensure high availability of business, all VM instances associated with this NIC are expected to migrate to other hosts.
    • For example, your business VM instances are running MySQL database service which is required to achieve high availability. In this case, you can set the HA mode of these VM instances to NeverStop and turn on the switch corresponding to Abnormal Business NIC Status. Then as long as host resources are sufficient, in case that a host business NIC associated with these VM instances turns down, these VM instances will be auto started on other hosts.
  • VM Unexpectedly Stops:
    If a VM instance is unexpectedly stopped, it is expected to auto HA start.
    • For example, your VM instances are running important business applications. To ensure business auto-recovery in case of VM stops due to reasons such as host powered-offs or business overloads, you can set the HA mode of these VM instances to NeverStop. Then if these VM instances are stopped, they are auto started.

Manage HA Policy

On the main menu of ZStack Cube Ultimate, choose Settings > Platform Setting > HA Policy. Then, the HA Policy page is displayed.

HA Policy supports the following actions:
Action Description
Enable HA Policy Enables the HA Policy feature.
Disable HA Policy Disables the HA Policy feature.
Note: If you disable HA Policy, VM instances will not be auto restarted if they are stopped. This may cause business interruptions. Proceed with caution.

HA Policy|Failover Policy

On the Enable HA Policy page or the Overview page of HA Policy, you can modify the following true table to configure failover policies for VM instances.
Management Network Connectivity Status Storage Network Connectivity Status Business NIC Status Fail Over
Normal Normal Abnormal Yes/No
Normal Abnormal Normal Yes/No
Note: If the storage type is SharedBlock and this status is Abnormal, VM instances will auto fail over regardless of this configuration.
Normal Abnormal Abnormal Yes/No
Note: The failover policy of this scenario follows the preceding two failover policies of this table. If you set both the preceding two policies to No, then this failover policy is set to No. If you set either of the two to Yes, then this failover policy is set to Yes.
Abnormal Normal Normal No
Note: If the management network is in Abnormal status, you cannot set this failover policy.
Note:
  • For Storage Network Connectivity Status, only shared storage is detected. Local storage is not supported.
  • If an L2 network of a VM instance is of the VXLAN type or the L2 network applies the SR-IOV or Smart NIC, and errors occur to the host business NIC associated with this L2 network or occur to the switch port directly connecting to the host business NIC, this VM instance will not fail over.
On the Enable HA Policy page or the Overview page of HA Policy, you can modify the following host error inspection settings to modify the inspection intervals of the preceding failover policy.
Name Description
Host Self-Inspection Interval The interval at which a host inspects its own status. Default: 5 seconds. If this interval is too long, detection of host abnormal or recovered status may be delayed. We recommend that you keep this value consistent with Abnormal Host Check Interval in Advanced Settings.
Maximum Host Self-Inspection Attempts The maximum number of attempts that a host inspects its own status. If the self-inspection of a host fails by the maximum attempts, it is determined that network errors occur with the host. Default: 6.

HA Policy|Advanced Settings

On the Enable HA Policy page or the Overview page of HA Policy, you can modify the advanced settings of HA Policy. They can be classified into the following two categories:
Category Name Description
VM Instance VM Cross-Cluster HA Specifies whether to enable VM migration across clusters to achieve high availability. Default: false. If set to true, hosts across clusters can be detected to achieve VM high availability.
Note: Before you enable this feature, make sure that clusters are well connected.
Maximum GC Retry Interval of NeverStop VM The maximum interval of garbage collection (GC) attempts to start up NeverStop VM instances that are stopped unexpectedly. Default: 300. Unit: second.
Delay of NeverStop VM Startup Attempt The delay of another retry to start up a NeverStop VM instance after the last startup attempt fails. Default: 60. Unit: second.
NeverStop VM Scanning Interval The interval of scanning NeverStop VM instances that fail to start up. Default: 60. Unit: second.
Sync Speed of HA VM State Update
  • The synchronization speed of the state of highly available VM instances on the UI. Default: 1. Valid values: -1 to 5, integer.
  • A higher value indicates a lower synchronization speed. However, a higher value lowers system loads because outdated status update notifications are ignored.
  • The value -1 indicates the state of HA VM instances on the UI does not automatically change.
VM HA Mode Default Value Sets the default value of HA mode when creating VM instances. Valid values: None and NeverStop.
  • None: The HA mode of a newly created VM instance is set as None by default. If an unexpected stopping occurs, the VM instance does not reboot automatically.
  • NeverStop: The HA mode of a newly created VM instance is set as NeverStop by default.
    • The VM instance attempts to reboot automatically when it is unexpectedly stopped because of its own errors.
    • The VM instance attempts to migrate to another host automatically if errors occur to the compute, network, or storage resource it is residing on.
    • The VM instance does not reboot automatically if it is stopped manually or through a scheduled job.
Note:
  • If you choose NeverStop, make sure that you have enabled HA Policy in Platform Setting. Otherwise, the NeverStop mode does not take effect.
  • You can modify the HA mode of a VM instance individually during or after the creation. After the modification, the VM instance uses the HA mode you specified for it and is not affected by this default value.
Host Abnormal Host Check Interval The interval at which the system detects and updates status changes of abnormal hosts. Default: 5 seconds. If this interval is too long, updates of abnormal host status may be delayed. We recommend that you keep this value consistent with Host Self-Inspection Interval on the Overview page.
Maximum Attempts to Determine Host Disconnection The maximum number of failed connections that are required to determine that a host is disconnected. Default: 12.
Host Successful Connection Period The time period of a successful connection to a host. Default: 5. Unit: second. If a connection request is responded within the specified time, the connection succeeds.
Host Successful Connection Possibility The possibility of successful connections in contrast to failed connections that determine whether a host is successfully connected. Default: 50. Unit: %.
Minimum Attempts to Determine Successful Host Connection The minimum number of successful connections that are required to determine that a host is successfully connected. Default: 5.
Timeout Period of Primary Storage Inspection by Host The timeout period that a host checks its connection with primary storages. Default: 5. Unit: second.

HA Log

On the main menu of ZStack Cube Ultimate, choose Settings > Platform Setting > HA Policy. Then, the HA Policy page is displayed. If HA policy is enabled and the HA mechanism is triggered, then HA logs are generated.

This page displays all VM HA logs in the Cloud. You can view the log information such as task result, VM name, VM owner, host information, and start and end time. These logs can be applied in O&M and audit.
  • You can select a time span to view HA logs. Available time spans: recent 7 days and recent 1 month. By default, logs generated in recent 7 days are displayed.
  • You can customize a time span to view the HA logs in the specified time span.
  • You can search for HA logs by VM name or VM owner.
  • You can filter HA logs by task result. The task results include succeeded and failed.
  • You can sort HA logs by creation or completion time.
  • You can export the HA logs in CSV format.
  • You can adjust the number of HA logs displayed on each page. Optional values: 10, 20, 50, and 100.

Certificate Management

Certificate Management

ZStack Cube Ultimate allows you to configure and manage SSL certificate. After successfully configuring the SSL certificate, you can log in to the UI via HTTPS protocol. The HTTPS protocol ensures that data transmission is effectively encrypted for the Cloud.

You can import a SSL certificate by one of the following modes:
  • Import a third-party certificate.
  • Import a system self-signed certificate.

Add a Certificate

On the main menu of ZStack Cube Ultimate, choose Setting > System and Security > Certificate Management. On the Certificate Management page, click Add Certificate. The Add Certificate page appears.

The following lists the two certificate addition scenarios:
  • Add a third-party certificate
  • Add a system self-signed certificate

Add a Third-Party Certificate

On the displayed page, set the following parameters:
  • Import Mode: Select Third-Party Certificate.
  • Certificate Document: Enter or import a certificate content.
    Note:
    • The imported certificate must be in CTR or PEM format.
    • The certificate starts with ----BEGIN CERTIFICATE---- and ends with ----END CERTIFICATE----.
  • Certificate Private Key: Enter or import a certificate private key.
    Note:
    • The certificate private key must be in CTR or PEM format.
    • The certificate starts with ----BEGIN (RSAIEC) PRIVATE KEY---- and ends with ----END (RSAIEC) PRIVATE KEY----.
  • Certificate Chain: Optional. Enter or import a certificate chain.
    Note:
    • The certificate chain must be in CTR or PEM format.
    • The certificate starts with ----BEGIN CERTIFICATE---- and ends with ----END CERTIFICATE----.
  • HTTP Redirection: Optional. If enabled, requests are redirected by default from port 5000 of the HTTP address to port 5443 of the HTTPS address.
Note: When you update the certificate, the system automatically detects the new certificate path and write the certificate information into this path.
Figure 11. Add a Third-Party Certificate


Add a system self-signed certificate

On the displayed page, set the following parameters:
  • Import Mode: Select System Self-Signed Certificate.
  • Duration: You can specify a validation duration for the system self-signed certificate. Valid values: 3 months, 1 year, 3 years, 5 years, and 10 years. By default, 10 years is selected.
  • HTTP Redirection: Optional. If enabled, requests are redirected by default from port 5000 of the HTTP address to port 5443 of the HTTPS address.
  • Custom Certificate Information: Optional. If enabled, you can customize your self-signed certificate information.
    • Common Name: Optional. Set a common name. By default, the common name is localhost.
      Note: The input must be 1 to 64 characters in length and can contain letters, digits, and special characters. Supported special characters include ~`@#$%^&*()-_+={}[]|:;'<>.?/
    • Organization Name: Optional. Set a name for your organization. By default, the organization name is localhost.
      Note: The input must be 1 to 64 characters in length and can contain Chinese characters, letters, digits, and special characters. Supported special characters include ~`@#$%^&*()-_+={}[]|:;'<>.?/
    • Organization Unit Name: Optional. Set a name for your organization unit.
      Note: The input must be 1 to 64 characters in length and can contain Chinese characters, letters, digits, and special characters. Supported special characters include ~`@#$%^&*()-_+={}[]|:;'<>.?/
    • Country/Region Name: The country/region name can only be set as CN.
    • State/Province Name: Optional. Set the state or province name.
      Note: The input must be 1 to 128 characters in length and can contain Chinese characters, letters, digits, and special characters. Supported special characters include ~`@#$%^&*()-_+={}[]|:;'<>.?/
    • Locality Name: Optional. Set a city name.
      Note: The input must be 1 to 128 characters in length and can contain Chinese characters, letters, digits, and special characters. Supported special characters include ~`@#$%^&*()-_+={}[]|:;'<>.?/
    • Email Address: Optional. Set an email address.
Figure 12. Add a System Self-Signed Certificate


Manage a Certificate

On the main menu of ZStack Cube Ultimate, choose Setting > System and Security > Certificate Management. Then, the Certificate Management page is displayed.

The following table lists the actions that you can perform on a certificate.
Action Description
Add Certificate Add a SSL certificate.
Note:
  • You can add a maximum of one SSL certificate.
  • After you add a certificate, the Cloud will automatically redirect to port 5443 for login.
Update Certificate Update the current SSL certificate.
Switch back to HTTP Switch back to HHTP to log in to the Cloud UI.
Note: The session is reestablished after you switch to HTTP. You need to log in to the UI again via HTTP protocol.

Version Detection

What is Version Detection?

ZStack Cube Ultimate Version Detection periodically detects the latest version and provides information about the version number and the highlights if the latest version is available.

Overview

ZStack Cube Ultimate Version Detection provides information about the current product version, including license version, version number, and the installation time of the current version. You can specify the detection duration and pull strategy. If you enable Version Detection, the Cloud auto detects if a new production environment recommended version or technical preview version is available based on the specified duration and pull strategy. This way, you can be informed of the highlights of the new product version. You can also implement manual detection. If you do, the Cloud detects version updates for one time based on the specified version pull strategy.

Enable Version Detection

On the main menu of ZStack Cube Ultimate, choose Settings > System and Security > Version Detection. Then, the Version Detection page is displayed. Click the version detection button, the Version Auto Detection window is displayed.

On the displayed window, set the following parameters:
  1. Check Network Connectivity: Check whether the management node is connected with ZStack Cube Ultimate Version Maintenance Center which hosts version information.
    Note: If the management node is disconnected from the Center, Version Detection cannot be enabled.
  2. Version Pull Strategy: Specify the type of version whose information is to be pulled. The following two types of versions are supported:
    • Production Environment Recommended: If you specify this version type, the Cloud auto detects if a new production environment recommended version is available. If there is one available, the latest production environment recommended version is pulled. This version type is for production environments with high requirements for stability and reliability and does not include the latest features.
    • Technical Preview: If you specify this version type, the Cloud auto detects if a new technical preview version is available. If there is one available, the latest technical preview version is pulled. This version type is for testing and internal environments and includes all the latest features.
  3. Auto Detection Duration: Specify the auto detection duration. Unit: day, week, month, and year. The default detection duration is once every month.

Version Push

If you enable Version Detection and uses auto or manual detection for a potential new version, and if a new one is available, the information of this version is displayed on a window.
  • If the version type is Production Environment Recommended, highlights of this version are provided. If you need to upgrade to this version, contact the technical support.
  • If the version type is Technical Preview, highlights of this version are provided. You can also scan the QR code or click the link provided on the window to view more information about the highlights. If you need to upgrade to this version, contact the technical support.

Disable Version Detection

ZStack Cube Ultimate disables Version Detection by default. If you enabled this feature and want to disable it again, turn off the switch.

Experience Improvement Program

What is Experience Improvement Program

Experience Improvement Program: Experience improvement program is launched with the purpose to improve the product performance and using experience. After you agree to relevant terms and conditions and join in the program, ZStack Cube Ultimate begins to make a statistic on your Cloud usage data. The statistic and the analysis based on it will be used for the product optimization and help us provide an even better service in the future.
Figure 13. Experience Improvement Program


Statistic Scope

After you join the experience improvement program, the following data is collected:
  • Product Configuration Data: gathers your product information, browser information, and access terminal information.
    • Product Information: product name, type, and version number.
    • Browser Information: browser name, version, language, and encoding.
    • Access Terminal Information: access terminal OS, OS version, and screen resolution.
  • Feature Usage Data: gathers your feature usage habits and page activities on the Cloud, including your username, user UUID, and user type; the current page URL, previous page URL, visit duration, dwell duration, and button click records.
  • Product Performance Data: gathers the Cloud performance and page response indicators, including the page loading duration.
Note: The program aims to analyze your feature usage habits, and the collected data does not contain any sensitive resource or personal information. The statistic begins after you join in the program and end as soon as you opt out from the program.

Data Storage and Use

  • The data collected mentioned above is retained locally by default and will not be uploaded to any other platform or storage media automatically.
  • Only when you authorize official technical supports to perform platform maintenance, fault checks, configuration changes, inspection, or other actions that require analysis based on the above data will them be transmitted to the specific storage media.
  • The experience improvement program aims to guide a better service provided by ZStack Cube Ultimate, and the statistic and analysis based on it are used only for the optimization of the product features and using experience.

Join in and Opt out from Experience Improvement Program

Join in Experience Improvement Program

On the main menu of ZStack Cube Ultimate, choose Settings > System and Security > Experience Improvement Program. On the Experience Improvement Program, click Join In. Then, the Join in Experience Improvement Program page is displayed.

Before you confirm to join the program, read Customer Agreement and Personal Information Authorization Letter carefully, and make sure that you fully understand and agree to all terms and conditions. Then, select the check box I have read and agree to Customer Agreement and Personal Information Authorization Letter and click OK to join in the experience improvement program.
Note: If you join in the experience improvement program through any other method, you are deemed to agree to all terms and conditions in Customer Agreement and Personal Information Authorization Letter and allow ZStack Cube Ultimate to make relevant statistics.

Opt out from Experience Improvement Program

You can click Opt Out on the Experience Improvement Program page to opt out from the experience improvement program whenever you want.

After you opt out from the program, ZStack Cube Ultimate stops the statistics on your product usage data.

User Guide | 2.4.8.38 | Flagship Edition · HCI | ZStack Resource Center