.. _slices_overview:

Slices Overview
===============

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


.. _slices_list:

Slices List
-----------

The Slices list page is the "landing" page presented upon login.  If you do not have any slices, 
you will be offered a :guilabel:`Create Slice` button in the middle of the page.  

.. Note::
   If you do not see a :guilabel:`Create Slice` button, ask your Admin for :doc:`create slice
   permissions <../users/edit_permissions>`.

Otherwise, slices are shown in a table with one row per slice: 

.. image:: ../_static/images/slice_list.png
    :target: ../_static/images/slice_list.png

Name
  Slice name, along with the Region and OS version below it.  You can click the slice
  name to access :ref:`slice_details`.

Status
  active, off, snapshot, etc.

Plan
  Represented by RAM.  Details can be reviewed on the :ref:`slice details <slice_details>` page.

IP
  Public Internet IP.  See :doc:`addresses`. 

Last Backup
  Date of last backup (UTC), if :doc:`Automatic Backups <backups>` are enabled.

Power Button
  :doc:`Power control. <power_control>`

Ellipsis
  Click to open a dropdown menu with shortcuts to some of the functions 
  on the :ref:`slice_details` page.

.. Hint::
   Click on a slice name to access it's :ref:`details <slice_details>` page.


Create your first Slice
-----------------------

#. Click the :guilabel:`Create`  button in the upper left of the panel and select :guilabel:`Slices`
#. Scroll down and select a **Plan**.
#. Enter a **Hostname**.
#. Enter a **Password**.
#. Scroll to the bottom and click :guilabel:`Create Slice`

.. Note::
   This is only the bare minimum required.  There are many options and sources from which slices 
   can be created.  These are covered further in the :doc:`create` section.


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

Upon clicking :guilabel:`Create Slice` you will be taken to your new slice details page.  
The build involves a series of steps, which are shown realtime at the top of the page.  
For **Distribution** creates (default), this typically takes only a minute or two.

Once your build is complete, you should be able to **SSH as root** to your new slice's 
public IP address.  


.. _slice_details:

Slice Details
-------------

.. image:: ../_static/images/slice_detail.png
    :target: ../_static/images/slice_detail.png

The Slice Details page can be accessed by clicking a slice name on the :doc:`Slices List <index>` page.  The
default page is the :doc:`graphs` page.  There is a menu on the left containing some of the :doc:`slice_functions`.
You can get full details by clicking :doc:`details` in the left menu.

The :doc:`details` section provides a bit more in-depth information about your slice.  Most of
this page is self-explanatory, but there are a few additional pieces of information here that
deserve mention:

ID
  The unique slice ID in the Syminet Cloud.  This can be helpful for specifically identifying a slice 
  for a support request, especially if it's name has recently been changed.  The slice ID is also used 
  in all billing documents for the same reason.

Monthly Network Usage
  This is the current public (internet) bandwidth utilization for the slice.  It is updated hourly.

Firewall
  What :doc:`firewall <../networking/firewalls>`, if any, is currently assigned to this slice.  
  If there is a firewall assigned, it will be displayed as a link to the firewall details.  Otherwise, 
  there will be a link :guilabel:`Add now` to add one.


Delete a Slice
--------------

See :doc:`delete`