tiCrypt 2.18.1

Running VMs

Prerequisites

User Role:

Sub-admin, Admin, Super-admin

Permission Requirements

• View their VMs and VMs shared with them (Virtual Machines): Shows the Running VMs table, together with the Sub-admin role or higher.
• Shut down their VMs (Virtual Machines): Shows the Power action.
• Tag anything with any project (Project Administration): Shows the Set project action.
• View the logs of any VM (VM Administration): Shows View logs and JSON Export for VMs you are not authorized on.

The Libvirt XML description action is shown only to Super-admins.

A running VM is an instance started from a VM configuration. A configuration pairs a VM image with a set of drives; starting it boots that image and attaches those drives in the order and access mode, read-write or read-only, that the configuration specifies. This page covers the actions available on running VMs from the Management console.

Which VMs these actions apply to

The Management console surfaces user actions; it does not confer access to other people's data. Connecting to a VM and reaching its desktop, files, terminals, or SFTP pathway work only on VMs you own or have been explicitly added to. An administrator can connect to a VM because it is their VM, in exactly the way any user can.

Access to a VM is granted by its Owner, never by your role. Nothing in tiCrypt is shared by default, for administrators and ordinary users alike. Reaching another person's VM or its drives requires an explicit share, or the VM Owner adding you to the machine, and the Owner is whoever started it. Holding the Admin or Super-admin role does not change this. See VM Roles and Permissions.

A few administrative actions work on any VM in the table, because they act on the machine rather than on the data inside it. The following table describes which actions appear for which VMs.

Action	Selection	Who sees it
Open remote application, Transfer files to/from Vault, File explorer, Open SFTP pathway, Open Terminal Hub	One VM	You are the VM's Owner or an authorized user, and the VM's project is active in your session. The action stays disabled until you are connected to the VM.
Sync user permissions, Restart controller	One VM	Same as above.
Disconnect from VM	One VM	Same as above, while you are connected.
Repair corrupted database	One VM	You are a manager of the VM.
View logs, JSON Export	One VM	You are the VM's Owner or an authorized user, or you have the View the logs of any VM permission.
Libvirt XML description	One VM	Super-admins.
Open VNC terminal	One VM	Everyone who can see the table.
Add Co-owners	One VM	You are an owner of the VM configuration the VM was started from.
Bulk email	One or more VMs	Everyone who can see the table.
Set project	One or more VMs	You have the Tag anything with any project permission.
Power	One or more VMs	You have the Shut down their VMs permission.

Running VMs table columns

The following table describes the columns of the Running VMs table.

Column	Description
Name	The name of the VM. Click it to open the VM's details pane.
Runtime	The time elapsed since the VM started.
Started	The date the VM started.
Last Ping	The date and time the VM last reported to tiCrypt.
Owner	The user who started the VM. For a VM started by another VM, the column shows the user who owns that VM, followed by the VM's name.
Users	The number of users authorized on the VM.
Project	The project the VM is tagged with.
Team	The team the VM belongs to.
Debug	Whether the VM's hardware setup is in debug mode.
Conn	Whether the VM is ready to accept a connection.
VM Hardware Setup	The hardware setup the VM was started from.
Cores	The number of cores the VM runs with.
Memory	The memory the VM runs with.
VM ID	The VM's ID, with a copy button.
Host Server	The Libvirt host the VM runs on, with a copy button.
IP Address	The VM's IP address, with a copy button.
MAC Address	The VM's MAC address, with a copy button.

View the Details of a Running VM from Management

The details pane in Management is not the VM panel of the Virtual Machines view. It is a read-only summary, headed Virtual machine with the subtext Management details, and it offers the same actions as the table. To manage the users, drives, groups, and access directories inside a VM, open the VM from the Virtual Machines view instead; see Manage the Inside of a Running VM.

1. Go to the Management icon in the top left taskbar.
2. Navigate to the Virtual Machines section.
3. Click the Running VMs in the left panel.
4. Select the running VM to view.
5. Click the View button in the top right panel, or click the VM's name.
6. In the left panel, review the following cards.

The following table describes the cards of the running VM details pane.

Card	Contents
VM information	State, Started, Runtime, Last ping, Connectable, ID, IP address, and MAC address.
Owner	The user, or the VM, that started the VM.
Managers	The managers of the VM, or "No managers are assigned to this VM."
Authorized users	The users authorized on the VM, each with their user ID under their name, or "No users are authorized for this VM." Click a user to open their details.
Placement and resources	Realm, Project, Team, VM config, VM hardware setup, Debug, Host server, Cores, and Memory. Rows with a link open the related item.
Attached drives	The drives attached to the VM, or "No drives are attached to this VM."

Result: The details pane shows the VM's state, placement, people, and attached drives.

Start an RDP Connection of a Running VM from Management

1. Go to the Management icon in the top left taskbar.
2. Navigate to the Virtual Machines section.
3. Click the Running VMs in the left panel.
4. Select the running VM to open an RDP connection.
5. Click the Open remote application button in the top right panel.
6. In the new local window, click Connect.
7. In the tiCrypt pop-up, click Copy to copy the password.
8. In the new local window, paste the password.
9. Click OK.
10. Click Yes to confirm the remote desktop connection.
11. Once your work is done, click Close to exit the RDP connection.

info

You must be connected to the VM before you start an RDP connection. Until then the button is disabled. To connect, see Connect to a Virtual Machine.

Move Files Between Vault and the Running VM from Management

1. Go to the Management icon in the top left taskbar.
2. Navigate to the Virtual Machines section.
3. Click the Running VMs in the left panel.
4. Select the running VM to transfer the files.
5. Click the Transfer files to/from Vault button in the top right panel.
6. In the new prompt, drag and drop files from the Vault (left panel) to the VM drives and access directories (right panel) and vice versa.

info

View more details about transfer options in Transfer.

Explore Files of a Running VM from Management

1. Go to the Management icon in the top left taskbar.
2. Navigate to the Virtual Machines section.
3. Click the Running VMs in the left panel.
4. Select the running VM to explore its files.
5. Click the File explorer button in the top right panel.
6. In the left panel, explore all drives and access directories associated with the VM configuration.

Open Terminal of a Running VM from Management

1. Go to the Management icon in the top left taskbar.
2. Navigate to the Virtual Machines section.
3. Click the Running VMs in the left panel.
4. Select the running VM to open the terminal.
5. Click the Open Terminal Hub button in the top right panel.

info

For terminal settings, see Terminals.

Perform an SFTP to VM Transfer of a Running VM from Management

1. Go to the Management icon in the top left taskbar.
2. Navigate to the Virtual Machines section.
3. Click the Running VMs in the left panel.
4. Select the running VM to perform the SFTP transfer.
5. Click the Open SFTP pathway button in the top right panel.
6. In the pop-up, click Copy to copy the username, password, host and port to your SFTP client.

info

For LFTP or SSHFS transfers, visit the Remote File System section.

Manage the Inside of a Running VM

Users, VM profiles, groups, access directories, attached drives, live quotas, and video annotation templates live inside the VM and are managed from the VM panel of the Virtual Machines view, not from Management. The Management details pane does not show them. Open the VM from the Virtual Machines view and use the following pages:

• VM User Management: Add users, teams, and groups to a VM, and manage VM profiles and permissions.
• Groups and Access Control: Create groups, and create, sync, and edit access directories.
• Create and Manage Drives: Attach, create, and mount the drives of a VM.
• Projects and Quotas: View the live quota consumption of a VM.
• Advanced Operations: View VM details and controller logs, and manage video annotation templates.

Sync User Permissions of a Running VM from Management

1. Go to the Management icon in the top left taskbar.
2. Navigate to the Virtual Machines section.
3. Click the Running VMs in the left panel.
4. Select the running VM to sync user permissions.
5. Click the Open full menu button in the top right panel.
6. Select Sync user permissions.

View Logs of a Running VM from Management

1. Go to the Management icon in the top left taskbar.
2. Navigate to the Virtual Machines section.
3. Click the Running VMs in the left panel.
4. Select the running VM to view its logs.
5. Click the Open full menu button in the top right panel.
6. Select View logs.
7. In the pop-up, view the timestamp and log entry of each line.
8. Optionally, click REFRESH to load the latest entries.
9. Once done, click Close.

Add Co-Owners to Running VM from Management

1. Go to the Management icon in the top left taskbar.
2. Navigate to the Virtual Machines section.
3. Click the Running VMs in the left panel.
4. Select the running VM to add co-owners to.
5. Click the Open full menu button in the top right panel.
6. Select Add Co-owners.
7. In the pop-up, enter the user names to add as co-owners of the VM configuration.
8. Click Update followed by the configuration name.

caution

When you add co-owners to a VM configuration, its associated drives are also shared. Users with co-owner access can restart and mount these drives. Proceed with caution.

Copy the VM ID of a Running VM from Management

1. Go to the Management icon in the top left taskbar.
2. Navigate to the Virtual Machines section.
3. Click the Running VMs in the left panel.
4. Select the running VM to copy its VM ID.
5. Scroll right to the VM ID column.
6. Click Copy.
7. Paste the VM ID where necessary.

note

VM IDs of running VMs are usually strings of numbers and characters. For example: 71b232c7-73a5-450c-93c6-48r12a3d4567.

Copy the Host Server of a Running VM from Management

1. Go to the Management icon in the top left taskbar.
2. Navigate to the Virtual Machines section.
3. Click the Running VMs in the left panel.
4. Select the running VM to copy its host server.
5. Scroll right to the Host Server column.
6. Click Copy.
7. Paste the host server where necessary.

Copy the IP Address of a Running VM from Management

1. Go to the Management icon in the top left taskbar.
2. Navigate to the Virtual Machines section.
3. Click the Running VMs in the left panel.
4. Select the running VM to copy its IP address.
5. Scroll right to the IP Address column.
6. Click Copy.
7. Paste the IP address where necessary.

note

IP addresses of running VMs are usually four sets of up to three digits. For example: 192.168.123.101.

Make a JSON Export of a Running VM from Management

1. Go to the Management icon in the top left taskbar.
2. Navigate to the Virtual Machines section.
3. Click the Running VMs in the left panel.
4. Select the running VM to export in JSON format.
5. Click the Open full menu button in the top right panel.
6. Select JSON Export.
7. In the VM Info pop-up, click Expand all fields button in the top left panel.
8. View the running VM by users, groups, drives, accessDirectories and profiles categories.
9. Once done, click Copy to copy the JSON data or click Download to download the JSON data.
10. Click Close.

View the Libvirt XML Description of a Running VM from Management

1. Go to the Management icon in the top left taskbar.
2. Navigate to the Virtual Machines section.
3. Click the Running VMs in the left panel.
4. Select the running VM to view its XML description.
5. Click the Open full menu button in the top right panel.
6. Select Libvirt XML description.
7. In the pop-up, view the backend Libvirt XML description.
8. Click Copy to copy the XML description or click Download to download the XML description.
9. Once done, click Close.

note

Viewing Libvirt XML descriptions requires the Super-admin role.

Open a VNC Terminal of a Running VM from Management

1. Go to the Management icon in the top left taskbar.
2. Navigate to the Virtual Machines section.
3. Click the Running VMs in the left panel.
4. Select the running VM to open a VNC terminal.
5. Click the Open full menu button in the top right panel.
6. Select Open VNC terminal.
7. In the new window, access the VNC terminal.

note

The VNC terminal is meant for VMs whose hardware setup is in Debug mode. If the setup is not in debug mode, an error says so and offers a Try anyways button that opens the terminal regardless.

Restart Controller of a Running VM from Management

1. Go to the Management icon in the top left taskbar.
2. Navigate to the Virtual Machines section.
3. Click the Running VMs in the left panel.
4. Select the running VM to restart the controller.
5. Click the Open full menu button in the top right panel.
6. Select Restart controller.
7. In the pop-up, click Restart.

note

Restart controller appears only on VMs you own or are authorized on, and the restart also needs the Restart VM controller VM permission. Without it, the message "You are not authorized to restart this VM" appears. For VM permissions, see VM Roles and Permissions.

Forcefully Restart Controller of a Running VM from Management

1. Go to the Management icon in the top left taskbar.
2. Navigate to the Virtual Machines section.
3. Click the Running VMs in the left panel.
4. Select the running VM to force restart the controller.
5. Click the Open full menu button in the top right panel.
6. Select Restart controller.
7. In the pop-up, tick I know the risks of force restarting the controller, and wish to force restart anyways.
8. Click Force Restart.

Bulk Email Users of Running VM(s) from Management

bulk-action

1. Go to the Management icon in the top left taskbar.
2. Navigate to the Virtual Machines section.
3. Click the Running VMs in the left panel.
4. Select the running VM(s) to bulk email their users.
5. Click the Open full menu button in the top right panel.
6. Select Bulk email.
7. In the pop-up, click Copy to copy the emails or click Download to download the emails.
8. Once done, click Close.

note

• The list contains the authorized users of the selected VMs.
• The Prefer contact email? checkbox is ticked by default, and the list uses each user's contact email, or the login email for users without one. Untick it to use the login email of every user.

Set or Remove the Project of Running VM(s) from Management

bulk-action

1. Go to the Management icon in the top left taskbar.
2. Navigate to the Virtual Machines section.
3. Click the Running VMs in the left panel.
4. Select the running VM(s) whose project you want to set or remove.
5. Click the Open full menu button in the top right panel.
6. Select Set project.
7. In the pop-up, select the project to tag the VM(s) with, or select No project (unlocked) to remove the project.
8. Click Force change with admin privilege.

info

• Set project always uses the Tag anything with any project permission, so it ignores the usual classify and declassify rules. The VM configuration of each VM is updated to the same project.
• All selected VMs must have the same project. Otherwise, the message "You cannot re-tag VMs with different projects simultaneously" appears.

caution

Changing a project tag on a running VM does not take effect until the VM is restarted, even if the VM configuration reflects the updated project tag.

Disconnect from a Running VM from Management

1. Go to the Management icon in the top left taskbar.
2. Navigate to the Virtual Machines section.
3. Click the Running VMs in the left panel.
4. Select the running VM to disconnect.
5. Click the Open full menu button in the top right panel.
6. Select Disconnect from VM.

Restart Running VM(s) from Management

bulk-action

1. Go to the Management icon in the top left taskbar.
2. Navigate to the Virtual Machines section.
3. Click the Running VMs in the left panel.
4. Select the running VM(s) you want to restart.
5. Click the Open full menu button in the top right panel.
6. Select Power.
7. In the pop-up, click Restart.

info

• You can restart only VMs you own, in Management as in the user view. If any selected VM belongs to someone else, Restart is disabled and the pop-up shows "Only VMs you own can be restarted."
• Restart shuts the VM down and starts its VM configuration again. A VM started without a VM configuration is only shut down.

Shut Down Running VM(s) from Management

bulk-action

1. Go to the Management icon in the top left taskbar.
2. Navigate to the Virtual Machines section.
3. Click the Running VMs in the left panel.
4. Select the running VM(s) you want to shut down.
5. Click the Open full menu button in the top right panel.
6. Select Power.
7. In the pop-up, click Normal Shutdown.

Hard Shut Down Running VM(s) from Management

bulk-action

1. Go to the Management icon in the top left taskbar.
2. Navigate to the Virtual Machines section.
3. Click the Running VMs in the left panel.
4. Select the running VM(s) you want to hard shut down.
5. Click the Open full menu button in the top right panel.
6. Select Power.
7. In the pop-up, read the risks.
8. Tick the box I accept the risk.
9. Click Hard shutdown.

warning

Use hard VM shutdowns only as a last resort, as they can severely damage the VMs.