Suggestion to move "SSH server port for new systems" from "Cloudmin Configuration" to "Create KVM Instance"

Submitted by yngens on Thu, 09/11/2014 - 03:04

Very often we need to deploy guest systems with different custom SSH ports. Unfortunately Cloudmin has one setting for SSH port for all guest systems and it is located in Cloudmin Configuration. Moving "SSH server port for new systems" from "Cloudmin Configuration" to "Create KVM Instance" page (in our case. In other cases in could be "Create XEN Instance", etc) would make Cloudmin even more nimble - Cloudmin admins could indicate different SSH ports for different guest systems on the fly.

Thank you for consideration!

Status: 
Closed (fixed)

Comments

Submitted by JamieCameron on Thu, 09/11/2014 - 12:50

Actually, you can change the port after creation on a per-VM basis. This can be done at Change Password -> Change login used by Cloudmin - however, it doesn't actually re-configure the SSH server, changes the port Cloudmin uses to connect.

Submitted by yngens on Thu, 09/11/2014 - 15:30

I understand that, but why confuse a user with non-connected status just after creation? Why to make him to take one more step to get connected to a newly created guest system with custom port number? I mean we create our guest systems from a custom image with already modified port.

Of course, we indicate that port on "Cloudmin Configuration" page. However from time to time we need to deploy guest systems from stock images with standard port 22, which are not immediately available just after creation as we need to take extra step indicated by you. Which is fine, we can live with this. But every time I personally face this issue of taking another step to set the correct SSH port I feel that the most logical place for this setting would be "Create KVM Instance" page.

After all I am reporting all these minor or major issues to get Cloudmin even better and its interface more intuitive. So to me letting a Cloudmin admin to choose any port number on system creation page makes the whole system more intuitive.

Submitted by JamieCameron on Thu, 09/11/2014 - 16:55

Ok, I think I mis-understood the original bug report.

So do you have VM images in which SSHd has been configured with a non-standard SSH port? If so, it sounds like Cloudmin should be storing this in the image, and using the correct port when a VM is created from that image.

Submitted by JamieCameron on Thu, 09/11/2014 - 17:00

Actually, ignore that last comment - I got it backwards.

Cloudmin already should set the SSH port for new VMs based on whatever you have set on the Cloudmin Configuration page. So even if the image uses port 22 in the initial ssd config, it should get changed as part of the creation process, in the /etc/ssh/sshd_config file.

Submitted by yngens on Fri, 09/12/2014 - 15:54

Right, we do not have to do anything on guest (image) part as everything is set there internally, but the problem with pointing Cloudming to the right SSH port manually after creation of a new guest system remains. And what if a Cloudmin admins decided to deploy lot's of guest systems with different SSH ports each? I mean let Cloudmin to set some defaul SSH port in its main configuration pages, that's completely fine. But at the same time sounds quite logical to point Cloudmin settings for certain guest systems to different SSH port during creation rather than changing the port afterwards manually. Do you follow my idea?

Submitted by JamieCameron on Fri, 09/12/2014 - 16:25

Ok, so if there was simply a field on the creation form for the SSH server port, would that work?

Interestingly the create-system API command does accept a flag for the SSH port already.

Submitted by yngens on Fri, 09/12/2014 - 20:42

Ok, so if there was simply a field on the creation form for the SSH server port, would that work?

Yep, that would be much helpful.

Interestingly the create-system API command does accept a flag for the SSH port already.

Just one more reason to provide the same functionality on UI side.

Submitted by JamieCameron on Sat, 09/13/2014 - 12:43

Ok, I will add that in the next release (4.11), when a port is specified on the Cloudmin Configuration page.

Submitted by Issues on Sat, 09/27/2014 - 12:47

Automatically closed -- issue fixed for 2 weeks with no activity.