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In this article, technology expert for the IBM
SmartCloud Enterprise shares knowledge on how to perform
tasks in the cloud.
Tasks range from surprisingly easy to more complex
and difficult tasks so that designers, developers, and deployers of all skills
levels can learn.
Now that images are supported on Windows, the topics in this series focus on Windows instances. But, that doesn't mean we won't cover other really neat tasks. In fact, if you have a task that you'd like to see in this series, let us know and we'll consider it.
Let's get started uploading and downloading files from a Windows instance.
Upload and download files from a Windows instance
There are 3 ways you can perform this task. We'll cover all of them.
- Use a remote desktop connection: Use the remote desktop tool to upload and download one or more files from a Windows instance in the cloud.
- Access the drive using the $ sign: Navigate and connect to a specific drive that contains files to upload or download.
- Access a shared folder: Create a folder to organize files for uploading or downloading.
Following are the detailed steps for each of those tasks. Everything is done from the cloud web interface.
Using a remote desktop connection
To use a remote desktop connection, first enable and configure the Remote Destop Connection tool on the Windows system, then access the files.
- Select Start > Control panel > System > Remote settings.
Remote desktop settings
- Select Allow connections from computers running any version of Remote Desktop.
- Click Apply and then OK.
- To access the files and folders from a Windows instance, open the Remote Desktop
Connection. Click Start > Run to open the Run window.
Run window
- Type
mstscand click OK. The Remote Desktop Connection window opens.
Remote Desktop Connection window
- Enter the target IP address or computer name in the Computer field.
- Click
Options >> to see the Remote Desktop Connection options.
Remote Desktop Connection options
- Enter your user name in the User name field.
- Select the Local Resources tab.
Local Resources tab
- Click More to see local devices and resources.
Local devices and resources
- Click the + sign next to Drives to expand the list of available drives.
Drives list
- Select the drive that you want to share with the Remote Desktop Connection and click OK.
- On the Local Resources tab, click Connect.
The Windows Security window opens.
Windows Security window
- Enter your administrator password and click OK. You can now successfully connect to a Windows instance.
- Click the Computer button at the bottom of the window to see the shared C: drive of the host machine.
The Computer button can also be found in the Windows start menu.
Computer window
- Double-click the shared C: drive to open it and copy all the required files and folders from host instance to the remote desktop connection instance or vice versa. You're done.
Accessing the drive using the $ sign
To access the drive using the $ sign:
- Select Start > Run to open the Run window.
Run window
- Type the IP address or instance name in the Open field.
Start with
\\, then the drive that you want to access, followed by$sign. For example,\\172.16.8.49\c$. Click OK. - If asked for authentication, provide your administrator credentials. You should see a
listing of all the files and folders on C: drive.
File listing window
Copy all required files and folders from the host instance to the remote desktop connection instance and vice versa. Done.
To access a shared folder:
- Create a folder (such as test), then right-click on that folder and
select Share.... A window opens to set up sharing.
Share folder option
- Select Start > Run to open the Run window.
- Type in the IP address or instance name again, for example
\\172.16.8.49. Click OK. A window opens with only one shared folder, test.
Shared folders
- Open the test folder. Copy all required files and folders from host instance to the remote desktop connection instance and vice versa.
And that's all there is to it. Easy, wasn't it?
Shake hands with IBM Cloud Release 1.2
So what's new other than the support for the Windows Server 2008 R1 and R2 (64-bit) and Windows Server 2003 R2 images in Release 1.2 of the IBM SmartCloud Enterprise?
In the Cloud itself, there are some important performance enhancements:
- Performance of stateless virtual machines has been improved.
- Performance capabilities for local disk partitions storage has also increased.
Working in the cloud has been enhanced with better usability and more flexible ways to meter and bill for cloud usage. Also, the cloud now enables collaboration via RAM communities, multiple disk mounts, persistent storage copy support, and support for multiple IPs.
There's a new set of virtual development and test infrastructure services for enterprise users that provides:
- A choice of virtual server configurations.
- The option to add persistent storage or network bandwidth charged per usage.
- A choice of pre-configured software images for Rational Application Lifecycle Management software and Lotus, WebSphere, DB2, and Informix stacks.
- Your choice of base operating system: Linux, SUSE , Red Hat, and coming ... Microsoft® Windows.
Learn
- For more on Release 1.2, listen to the Brian Snitzer podcast.
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