# Quickstart

Deploy a VM, connect to it via SSH, then submit a request to create and attach a block storage volume.

## Prerequisites

- A ZSoftly Public Cloud account ([sign up](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/public-cloud/getting-started/account-signup))
- An SSH client (Terminal on macOS/Linux, PowerShell or Windows Terminal on Windows)
- An SSH key pair

If you already have an SSH key, display the contents of its `.pub` file. Otherwise, generate an Ed25519 key:

```bash
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your@email.com"
```

Copy the public key contents for Step 2. For the Ed25519 key generated above, run:

```bash
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
```

## Step 1: Create a network

Your VM needs a network. For a simple setup, use a Public Network.

1. In the portal, go to Networks → Public Network
2. Click the + icon. The page title is Create Isolated Network.
3. Complete Choose Project, then Select Location.
4. In Network Details, enter a Network Name.
5. Under Choose Network Plan, select a network plan.
6. In Network Configuration, ZSoftly has not verified whether Gateway and Netmask are required. If the portal populates a field with a value for the selected network, leave that value unchanged. If either field is blank or appears to show placeholder text, do not enter or infer a value. Stop and contact Support.
7. Choose a Billing Cycle and review the Price Summary.
8. Click Create Network.

If the wizard rejects an input, record the exact field and error message. Open [Support](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/troubleshooting#raise-a-support-ticket) and include the project, location, exact message, and non-sensitive resource details.

## Step 2: Create a VM

1. In the portal, go to Instances
2. Click the + icon
3. Configure:
   - Location: same as your network
   - Image: choose an OS (e.g., Ubuntu 24.04)
   - CPU Type: Shared CPU for dev/test, Dedicated CPU for prd workloads
   - Plan: General Compute, pick the smallest that fits
   - Project: assign to your project
   - Network: select the public network you just created
   - Public IPv4: enable this
   - SSH Key: in Server Settings, click Add now beside Add SSH Key To Your Instance. In the dialog, either enter a key name and paste your public key, or select an existing key.
   - Server Name: give your VM a name
   - Server Hostname: review the prefilled value and change it if your naming standard requires it
4. On the OS Disk Offering step, choose the tier and the size of the root disk. Plans cover CPU and memory only, and the root disk is billed per GB. The minimum is the template size.
5. Choose a Billing Cycle (Hourly for testing)
6. Click Review & Deploy

After deployment, refresh the instance list or Overview page until the VM shows as Running. Startup time varies. If the status does not change, open the instance details and record the exact error message. Open [Support](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/troubleshooting#raise-a-support-ticket) if the portal cannot start the VM or the error remains. Include the project, location, instance name, and exact message.

## Step 3: Connect via SSH

Once the VM shows as Running:

1. Go to the VM’s Overview page to find the Public IP Address
2. In VM Settings, add a [firewall](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/public-cloud/compute/settings/firewall) rule for TCP 22. Then add a [port-forwarding](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/public-cloud/compute/settings/port-forwarding) rule that maps port 22 on the public IP to port 22 on the VM.
3. Connect from your terminal. For an Ubuntu image, use:

```bash
ssh ubuntu@203.0.113.10
```

Replace `203.0.113.10` with the public IP address from the portal. Ubuntu images use `ubuntu` by default. For other images, use the default username listed in [Connect With SSH](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/public-cloud/compute/connect-ssh). Use `root` only when the image identifies it as the default user.

If SSH does not connect, record the terminal error, confirm that the VM is Running, and confirm the public IP, firewall rule, and port-forwarding rule allow TCP port 22. Then review [SSH key settings](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/public-cloud/compute/settings/ssh-keys) and [Connect With SSH](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/public-cloud/compute/connect-ssh) for the image username and authentication method. If it still fails, open [Support](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/troubleshooting#raise-a-support-ticket) with the project, location, instance name, and non-sensitive error details.

## Step 4: Attach block storage (optional)

To add persistent storage separate from the root disk, submit a volume creation and attachment request for the target VM.

1. Go to Volumes in the portal
2. Click the + icon
3. Under Choose Project, select the project assigned to your VM
4. Under Select Location, select the VM’s location
5. Under Select Instance to attach Volumes, select your VM
6. Under Choose Storage Type, select a storage type, then select the size under Select Volumes Size
7. Under Choose Name, enter a Volumes Name, choose a Billing Cycle, and review the Price Summary
8. Click Review & Deploy
9. Review the summary, then click Create Volumes

If the wizard rejects an input, record the exact field and error message. [Create Volume](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/public-cloud/storage/block-storage/create-volume) documents the published screenshots and visible labels. If the message is unclear or the portal still rejects the value, open [Support](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/troubleshooting#raise-a-support-ticket) with the project, location, non-sensitive resource details, and exact message.

The published wizard screenshot shows the text `Minimum 8GB storage is required`. This screenshot is for reference only. Use the current value shown for the selected storage plan in the portal.

The public documentation ends after you submit the volume creation and attachment request. Do not format a disk based only on a transient device name or a manual selection. Ask [Support](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/troubleshooting#raise-a-support-ticket) whether the portal volume can be mapped to the guest device and whether a tested initialization and mount procedure is available. If an error appears, include the project, location, and exact error. In all cases, include non-sensitive resource details.

## Next steps

- [VPC networking](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/public-cloud/networking/vpc/create-vpc): isolate your infrastructure with private networks
- [Object storage](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/public-cloud/storage/object-storage/create-bucket): S3-compatible storage for files and backups
- [Kubernetes](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/public-cloud/kubernetes/create-cluster): managed container clusters
- [ZCP CLI](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/public-cloud/cli/installation): manage everything from the terminal