Skip to content

How-to

Windows images

Find Breqwatr Cloud's Windows Server images, launch an instance from one, and sign in for the first time.

What to know

Fact What it means for you
Windows Server images are visible to every project Launch from them as you would any image; there's nothing to request
Their price includes the Windows licence No licence keys to bring or activate
They need a boot volume of at least 80 GB and a flavour with at least 2 GB of memory Set the boot volume to 80 GB or more when you launch. The course uses v1.c2r8
They include cloudbase-init User data runs at first boot, as PowerShell: see cloudbase-init
The first sign-in is on the console Windows asks you to set the Administrator password there, before you can use RDP

Find the images

In the Breqwatr Cloud Portal (Strata), the Image picker on New instance lists the Windows Server images with the other public images.

openstack --os-cloud <cloud-name> image list --property os_distro=windows-server
openstack --os-cloud <cloud-name> image show "<windows-image>" -c name -c min_disk -c min_ram

The first lists only the Windows Server images. min_disk is in GB, and min_ram in MB.

data "openstack_images_image_v2" "windows" {
  name        = "<windows-image>"
  most_recent = true
}

Launch and sign in

  1. Launch an instance from the image, with a boot volume of 80 GB or more, as in Launch your first instances. Its security group needs RDP (TCP 3389) from your own IP address only.
  2. When it's running, open its console: Console on the instance's page in the portal, or openstack --os-cloud <cloud-name> console url show <instance-name> and open the address it gives.
  3. On the console, choose Send CtrlAltDel, then Sign in as Administrator. Windows says "The user's password must be changed before signing in." Choose OK, and set a new password.
  4. Connect with an RDP client to the instance's floating IP, as Administrator, with that password.

Launch your first instances shows each screen of the first sign-in.

Check it worked

  • openstack --os-cloud <cloud-name> server show <instance-name> -c status -c image shows ACTIVE and the Windows Server image.
  • The RDP session opens on the Windows desktop.