What's new in the ITS Private Cloud? (2024-06)
We are excited to announce the following features and improvements to the ITS Private Cloud and Billing services - all designed to enhance your experience and streamline your computing needs:
Announcements
Ubuntu Pro Workloads on FD4 Cluster
We are excited to announce that as of June 23, 2024, our FD4 compute cluster is now licensed to run Ubuntu Pro workloads. This enhancement complements our existing FD1 and FD3 clusters, offering you more flexibility in virtual machine domain placement.
Mandatory Multi-Factor Authentication for ITS Private Cloud Portal, API, and CLI
Starting June 18, 2024, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) will be mandatory for accessing the ITS Private Cloud Portal, API, and command-line interface (CLI). Full announcementhttps://eis-vss.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/VSSPublic/blog/2024/05/28/1722089519 .
Multi-Factor Authentication for the ITS Private Cloud VPN (VSS VPN)
tarting June 25, 2024, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) will be available for the ITS Private Cloud VPN (VSS VPN). Full announcement https://eis-vss.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/VSSPublic/blog/2024/06/04/1729921031.
Artificial Intelligence
Prompt Engineering Part 1
In the fast-evolving field of artificial intelligence (AI), prompt engineering stands out as a crucial skill. This practice involves crafting effective prompts to guide large language models (LLMs) in generating accurate and relevant text. Understanding and mastering prompt engineering is essential for leveraging the full potential of AI in various applications, from content creation to problem-solving. Read more:https://eis-vss.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/VSSPublic/blog/2024/05/23/1711570961 .
ITS Private Cloud Portal
Multi-Factor Authentication Workflow
Starting June 18, 2024, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) will be mandatory. The Portal will guide you through the setup process once you log in.
Command Line Interface
v2024.5.0
Get usb and usb-xhci controllers summary
vss-cli compute vm get vm-id controller
scsi.count : 1
usb.count : 0
usb-xhci.count : 0Get usb and usb-xhci controller instance
vss-cli compute vm get vm-id controller usb-xhci
bus_number type label
------------ ------- -------------------
0 usbxhci USB xHCI controllerv2024.6.0
Handle mandatory multi-factor authentication
vss-cli compute vm ls
error: status: 403; error: user error; message: TotpEnforcement: Must enable TOTP before requesting token. HTTP Code: 403
Run vss-cli account --no-load set mfa mk {EMAIL|AUTHENTICATOR|SMS} to enable MFA.Manage VSS VPN multi-factor authentication gateway
New core option --vpn-server, environment variable VSS_VPN_SERVER, and configuration setting general.vpn_server in ~/.vss-cli/config.yaml or equivalent.
Enable VSS VPN MFA gateway with vss-cli vpn gw on with the option of adding --totp to the line:
vss-cli vpn gw on
Provide Timed One-Time Password: {code}
Attempting to enable VPN GW: {vpnEndpoint}
VPN GW https://vsams-gw.eis.utoronto.ca MFA enabled on: ['OpenVPN', 'WireGuard'] via AUTHENTICATOR
Successfully enabled. Ready to connect to {vpnEndpoint} 🚀Verify logs with vss-cli vpn gw log
vss-cli vpn gw log
20240604170413Z totp auth-save {username} {ipAddress} fail ## usages: with: { OpenVPN, WireGuard } ##
20240604170431Z totp auth-save {username} {ipAddress} fail ## usages: with: { OpenVPN, WireGuard } ##
20240604170452Z totp auth-save {username} {ipAddress} pass ## usages: with: { OpenVPN, WireGuard } ##
20240604170703Z totp auth-save {username} {ipAddress} pass ## usages: with: { OpenVPN, WireGuard } ## Shutdown gateway with: vss-cli vpn gw off:
vss-cli vpn gw off
Attempting to disable VPN GW: {vpnEndpoint}
Successfully disabled VPN GW. Virtual Machine Cost Calculator
Simplified Pricing
The following changes have been implemented: Default months set to 12 and the “Pricing year” field has been removed to streamline the calculation. The calculator automatically applies correct pricing based on the current year and adjusts properly based on the required months.
Billing
UTORrecover Backups included
If you have ITS Private Cloud virtual machines with backups or have non-ITS instances using UTORrecover, you should’ve received a bill with the following line items:
An example to better understand your bill has been added to https://eis-vss.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/VSSPublic/pages/1336639489/Understanding+Your+ITS+Private+Cloud+Bill#Debit-Memo-with-UTORrecover-Backups .
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