Technical guide on provisioning a new VPS via SolusVM 2. Learn to select optimal server locations, choose between Linux distributions, and automate deployments with cloud-init scripts.

Deploying a New VPS: OS Templates, Locations, and Cloud-Init

Deploying a Virtual Private Server (VPS) at Hovixa is an automated process handled by the SolusVM 2 orchestration layer. This guide covers the critical technical decisions required during the provisioning phase—from geographic placement to post-deployment automation using cloud-init.

1. Selecting Geographic Locations

The physical location of your server determines the latency (ping) experienced by your users. For optimal performance, deploy your VPS closest to your primary audience.

• Low Latency: Choosing a node in the same region as your users reduces Round-Trip Time (RTT).
• Regulatory Compliance: Certain data privacy laws (like GDPR) may require data to be stored in specific geographic jurisdictions.

2. OS Templates vs. ISOs

Hovixa provides two methods for installing an Operating System:

3. Automating with Cloud-Init

Cloud-init is a multi-distribution package that handles early initialization of a cloud instance. It allows you to inject scripts that run automatically upon the first boot, eliminating the need for manual SSH configuration.

Common Cloud-Init Tasks:

• User Provisioning: Automatically creating a non-root sudo user.
• Package Updates: Running apt update && apt upgrade -y during the first boot.
• SSH Key Injection: Adding your public SSH key to authorized_keys for passwordless login.

Example Cloud-Init Config (YAML):

#cloud-config
users:
  - name: hovixa_admin
    groups: sudo
    shell: /bin/bash
    sudo: ['ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD:ALL']
    ssh_authorized_keys:
      - ssh-rsa AAAAB3Nza...user@domain
package_update: true
packages:
  - nginx
  - fail2ban
    

4. Finalizing Deployment

1. Log in to vm.hovixa.com.
2. Click Create Virtual Machine.
3. Select your Plan (e.g., NVMe Pro).
4. Choose your Location and OS Template (e.g., Ubuntu 24.04).
5. (Optional) Paste your Cloud-Init script into the Advanced section.
6. Click Create. The system will allocate NVMe storage and compute cores immediately.

5. Technical Implementation Details

• KVM Virtualization: All Hovixa VPS instances utilize KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine), ensuring dedicated resources and high isolation.
• Network Provisioning: During deployment, a primary IPv4 address is automatically pulled from the pool and injected into the VM's network configuration via DHCP or cloud-init.
• Root Password: If not using SSH keys, the system will generate a random root password and display it once the build status reaches 100%.