Create Slice
=============

Syminet Slices are Virtual Private Servers (VPS) that run on "bare metal" hardware.  
They are your own private server with full root access.  You can choose a variety of 
different Operating Systems (OS) and resource plans (CPU / RAM / Disk) according to 
your needs.  

#. Click the :guilabel:`Create` button in the upper left of the panel and select :guilabel:`Slices`.
#. Select an image type at the top, which can be:

    - **Distribution:** "vanilla" OS (debian, ubuntu, etc.) - this is the default. 
    - **Marketplace:** One-click app install from the :doc:`../marketplace/index`.
    - **symScript:** "vanilla" OS install that also runs a one-time :doc:`symScript <../symscripts/index>` on first boot.
    - **Snapshot:** Create from :doc:`../images/snapshots`
    - **Backup:** Create from :doc:`../slices/backups`
    - **Clone Slice:** :doc:`Clone <clone>` an existing slice.

#. Choose a **Region**.
#. Choose a **Plan**.
#. Enter a **Hostname**.
#. Enter a **Password**.

This is enough to create a slice, so if you're in a hurry you can scroll to the bottom now 
and click :guilabel:`Create Slice`.  However, there are a number of additional options:

Additional Options
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SSH Keys
  You can add an :doc:`SSH Key <../account/ssh_keys>` here, and select any existing SSH Keys which you
  would like automatically preinstalled on your slice.

Enable Automated Backups 
  :doc:`Enabling backups <../slices/backups>` is *strongly recommended* if you want to protect your data.  There is 
  also an option in account settings, :ref:`auto_enable_backups` to have this box automatically checked on create pages.

IPv6 Address
  A public IPv6 IP allows communication using the next generation IPv6 protocol.  IPv6
  use is encouraged, due to IPv4 address exhaustion.

Private IP
  A :ref:`private_ip` allows for local communication between slices in the same region:
   
    - Private IP traffic is not counted toward bandwidth usage.
    - Often faster / lower latency since they communicate over the local "backplane" nextwork. 

  You will likely know if you need one.  If you do not, then it is recommended to skip.  You can add it
  any time later.  See :ref:`private_ip` for more details. 

.. WARNING:: Although Private IPs are more secure due to not being open on the public internet, they are
   still reachable by all other slices in the same region.  Firewall accordingly.  

Assign Firewall
  Assign one of your :doc:`../networking/firewalls` to secure network traffic. 

Custom symScript Variable
  This option is only displayed when creating from a :doc:`symScript <../symscripts/index>`. Any value entered 
  here will be assigned to the variable SYMSLICE_CUSTOMVAR in your script.  See :doc:`../symscripts/index` for 
  more information.


The Build Process
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Upon clicking :guilabel:`Create Slice`, you will be taken to the new :ref:`slice_details`.  Slice creation 
involves a series of steps, which will be shown realtime at the top of the page.  For **Distribution** ("vanilla OS") 
creates, this typically takes a minute or two since there's only the small OS image to copy to your new disk.  
For creates from :doc:`../images/snapshots` and :doc:`../slices/backups`, this time will vary depending on the 
amount of data that needs to be copied.  In all cases, a progress bar is displayed. 

Once your build is complete, you should be able to **SSH as root** to your new slice's 
:doc:`Public IP address <../slices/addresses>`.