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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Genostack? What can I do with it?

Genostack allows users to create and run instances. After creation, you can access your instance using SSH commands or via the web (HTTP).

Connection

I don’t have a Genouest account. How can I get one?

If you don’t already have an account, please register first on the GenOuest platform.

The connection to my instance doesn’t work. What’s the problem?

There are several causes to this:

• Your SSH access is not correctly configured. Please read this wiki to correct that.
  Important : if you change your SSH configuration, you must delete and re-launch all instances since SSH authentification is done during the VM’s boot.

• Check that you are logged on the frontend (openstack.genouest.org) before the instance (192.168.xxx.xx). Please read this wiki for more details.

I have an error message with "WARNING: REMOTE HOST IDENTIFICATION HAS CHANGED!"

This issue comes from the re-use of IP addresses with different instances

Simply remove the line with this IP in ~/.ssh/known_hosts

Can I open a virtual desktop?

Yes you can, using the "desktop" images as boot source. Using the X2go client on your local computer, you can open a virtual desktop through the network. More details here.

In addition, you can (on any instance) install your own desktop environment (Gnome, KDE, etc.) and X2go server to open a virtual desktop for any Genostack instance.

Data

Despite choosing a flavor with more space/booting from a volume, only 12 Go is available

There is an issue with images imported from Genocloud

Please install the following packages:

• cloud-utils
• cloud-initramfs-growroot

And do a soft reboot to solve the issue.

My folder /omaha-beach is empty! Where is my data?

Genocloud used a shared folder to store your data. This folder was mounted on /omaha-beach. Genostack, however, uses volumes to store data.

Your data was not deleted. Please contact the support for information regarding how to transfer it.

Is there a way to access the cluster biological databases?

Yes. On most default images, you can access them in the /db folder.

If you use a custom image, please add "192.168.1.74:/db /db nfs ro 0 0" in "/etc/fstab".

Make sure to create a "/db" folder. You can then mount it with "mount -a"

How can I transfer my local data into my instance?

You can transfer your data using the « scp » command (copy through the network). You can found more details here.

How can I share/move data between my different instances?

The easiest way to move data between your instances is to use a volume as a storage. Please refer to this wiki.

My instance's hard drive is full. What can I do?

You can use volumes as an additional storage space (up to 100 Go) for your instances

Can I share data with another user?

Yes. There are two ways:

• If this is a one-time cooperation, you can simply transfer one of your volumes to another user (you will loose it, so make a backup if you need.) Please refer to this wiki to learn more about transfer.

• If this is for a longer cooperation, you can ask to be put in a common project with your coworker. All your volumes and instances are shared between users

Resources

Can I run resource-consuming jobs on the cloud?

Genostack ressources are limited. You are free to create instances as big as you want within the limits of your quota in CPU, RAM and number of instances.

Please do keep in mind that Genostack is a community ressource. Be courteous, and dont forget to delete your instance when you are done.

What are my quotas?

By default, you are limited to:

• 10 instances
• 50 Go of RAM
• 20 CPUs
• 10 volumes
• A total of 100 Go of volume space

Save

Can I save my instance for further use?

There are two possibilities depending on the source type you used

• If you used an image as the source, you can make a snapshot of the image. You can use it as a boot source for later use

• If you used a volume as the source, you only need to use the same volume as the source next time you want to boot the instance. Changes are saved in real-time.

Can I share images with other users?

Yes. There are two possible ways:

• If you are in a common project with other users, all your private images will be available to them.

• If your are not in a common project, the easiest way would be to transfer a bootable volume with another user. You will need to create a volume from the image or snapshot you wish to share, and transfer it. The end user can then either use it as it is, or convert it to an image. Please check this wiki to learn more.

I cannot mount my share or my volume on my instance.

Make sure the package 'nfs-common' is installed on your instance