This guide presents the Infomaniak Public Cloud offer, an Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) solution based on OpenStack that provides the resources you need to develop your projects.

Preamble

• The Infomaniak Public Cloud, a platform powered by the open-source and free technology OpenStack, offers virtual instances with several performance profiles:
  • IOPS-optimized instances
  • RAM-optimized instances
  • Instances with latest generation GPU
• Tools available:
  • Object storage (S3 compatible)
  • Managed Kubernetes service
  • Managed databases
  • Load balancers
  • DNS management
  • Private network services
• Many integrations, including:
  • A unified API
  • A Terraform/OpenTofu connector
  • An Ansible collection
• The infrastructure is available in several regions in Switzerland, with several availability zones.

To get started

• The Infomaniak Public Cloud User Guide offers numerous tutorials, step-by-step guides, and best practices to follow.
• Also check out all Public Cloud FAQs and in particular:
  • Create a new project
  • Action on an existing project
• Discover the Public Cloud presentation (replay of the 2022 Infomaniak Webinar):
  
  
   
  • Simply understand what a Public Cloud (IaaS) is, its uses and who it is for
  • Complete tutorial to deploy WordPress with OpenStack in Infomaniak Public Cloud (scripts included)
  • Frequently asked questions about Infomaniak Public Cloud (2022)

Pricing

• Billing process
• Estimate the cost of resources used
   

Community Space & Feedback

• Click here to share your opinion or suggestion about an Infomaniak product.
• Check out the Reddit page created to facilitate technical exchanges with the user community.

This guide addresses an issue that may occur when starting an instance on Public Cloud Infomaniak.

Using the image ID

The images of the different operating systems, offered by Infomaniak in the Images section and listed in the Source section when you launch a new instance of your Public Cloud, are regularly updated but without their name being changed.

Having a stable name can cause issues with automation tools like heat or terraform with the risk that they recreate the VMs undesirably.

This issue can be avoided by using the image ID or a personal image:

This guide explains the differences between the web hosting offers from Infomaniak to help you choose the best solution according to your IT needs.

Web Hosting Starter

The free web hosting

The Starter Web hosting is offered for free with each domain name registered with Infomaniak. It provides 10 MB of disk space to create a site (basic pages in HTML language only - no PHP, no database) even without particular knowledge thanks to the Welcome Page.

• Register or transfer a domain name with Infomaniak
• Learn more about the benefits included with a domain name

Shared Web Hosting

The flagship offer to create your sites

These web hostings are shared offers (the websites will be hosted on servers whose resources are shared with other customers). To ensure the reliability of these shared services, Infomaniak servers use on average only 40% of the CPU power and are equipped with professional-grade, latest-generation SSD drives.

Web hosting offers a minimum of 250 GB of disk space and allows you to manage multiple websites with multiple domain names. This offer includes all the technologies commonly used to create professional sites: PHP, MySQL, FTP and SSH access, SSL certificates, Site Creator and easy installation of WordPress or common CMS, etc.

Cloud Server

Professional Web hosting

With a Cloud Server, the resources allocated to you are not shared with other clients and you can customize the hardware and software configuration of your server according to your needs. A Cloud Server also allows you to use components that are not available on shared web hosting (Node.js, mongoDB, Sol, FFMPEG, etc.).

• A Cloud Server allows you to easily manage your server via the same administration interface as Web hosting - you manage the sites in the same way.
• A VPS allows you to manage your server completely autonomously with the version of Windows or the Linux distribution of your choice (Debian, Ubuntu, openSUSE, ...) - solid technical skills are required to use a VPS, including VPS Lite.

Public Cloud (and Kubernetes Service)

Open, proven, and secure IaaS solution

For Infomaniak, it is the infrastructure that drives kDrive, Swiss Backup and the Webmail, services used by several million users. But Public Cloud is accessible to everyone and provides the resources you need to develop your projects.‍

With customized and tailored offers, you will have no trouble managing your development budget. No setup fees. No minimum amount. Cancelable at any time. You only pay for the resources actually used with Public Cloud at the end of each month, same for Kubernetes Service.

Jelastic Cloud

Web hosting tailored to your chosen technologies

Jelastic Cloud allows you to create custom development environments with the technologies of your choice (PHP, Node.js, Java, Docker, Ruby, etc.). It is a flexible cloud offering:

• Horizontal and vertical scaling of resources.
• Payment based on actual resource consumption.
• Easy customization of your infrastructure (redundancy, IP, SSL, load balancing, etc.).

Infomaniak does not directly provide VPN, tunnel, or secure network services built between two points (VPN = Virtual Private Network, virtual private network). However, you can consider an alternative solution using Infomaniak services such as Public Cloud. This guide explains how to use this Infomaniak hosting product to create a VPN.

Create a VPN with Infomaniak Public Cloud

Infomaniak suggests using one of the following alternatives to manually create a VPN VM:

• setting up a VPN via IPsec
• setting up a VPN using the OPNSense tool

This guide explains how to create a new project with Public Cloud Infomaniak.

Prerequisites

• Have read and understood the Guide de démarrage.
• Have Public Cloud on your Manager Infomaniak.

Create a new project

To access Public Cloud:

1. Click here to access the management of your product on the Manager Infomaniak (need help?).
2. Click directly on the name assigned to the relevant product, on which a new project will be created
   
3. Click on the Create a project button:
   
4. Name your project.
5. An OpenStack identifier is automatically created (in the form PCU-XXXX).
6. It is possible to add a description (to specify who the identifier is intended for, for example).
7. Set a password (or send the procedure by email).
8. Click on Create to complete the project creation:
   

Resource level

The highest level of resources to which your organization has access is automatically assigned to the project. You can change it at any time once the project is created.

Also refer to this other guide if you are looking for information about actions on an existing project.

This guide details the billing process for your Public Cloud Infomaniak.

Billing operation

What payment methods are accepted?

It is only possible to pay the invoices for the Public Cloud service with a credit card.

When is the credit card charged?

The billing period runs from the first day to the last day of the month. The credit card is typically charged on the first day of the following month (depending on your bank, there may be a few days delay in the deduction). An invoice is issued at the time of the card charge.

Are turned-off instances billed?

Inactive instances are not billed, except for:

• storage that continues to use space even if it is unused
• the GPU and the IPv4 address of instances placed on a public network

I started an instance for less than an hour, how will I be billed?

In this case, the calculation includes the median use of resources each hour, multiplied by the hourly rate.

Example: an instance with an hourly rate of CHF 10 and was in service for 15 minutes in the last hour, it will therefore be billed CHF 10 * 15 / 60 = CHF 2.50

What are Infomaniak ICU?

Openstack bases its billing through tokens, which is why the Infomaniak Cloud Unit or ICU was created. This token allows the cost of using resources on Openstack to be converted into CHF or EUR.

Conversion table ICU to CHF or EUR:

Learn more

• Getting Started Guide: Public Cloud
• Public Cloud: Action on an existing project
• Complete product documentation: https://docs.infomaniak.cloud

This guide explains how to manually create a discussion list system with your Mail Service, this thanks to Mailman and Public Cloud Infomaniak!

Preamble

• Mailman is a free application for managing mailing lists, discussion lists, and newsletters.
• These files are prepared so that you can easily set up Mailman.
• The server and its firewall are deployed using TerraForm, an Infrastructure as a Code (IaaC) tool, and the server is configured with Ansible.
• The software allows you to create discussion lists for your various contacts (direction@, ecommerce@…).

Preparation…

… of your environment

• Have a Infomaniak Mail Service to complete this tutorial.
• The files related to the deployment of Mailman on Public Cloud are to be downloaded from this Infomaniak GitHub.

... of the Mail Environment

1. Create an address mailman@domain.xyz (help) and keep the created password safe (it will be used in the server configuration).
2. Add the following aliases (help):
   • postorius
   • mylist
   • mylist-bounces
   • mylist-confirm
   • mylist-join
   • mylist-leave
   • mylist-owner
   • mylist-request
   • mylist-subscribe
   • mylist-unsubscribe

Your Mail environment is ready for deployment!

… of the Public Cloud

1. First, create a Public Cloud project and 1 user (help)
   • Be careful with the Public Cloud password, 2FA authentication on your Infomaniak account is strongly recommended.
2. Click here to access the Openstack dashboard and enter the PCU-XXXXXX with the password set previously.
3. Download your openrc file, which allows you to identify yourself as an administrator of your environment from the command line; it contains information such as the datacenter where your machines are located, your identifier, password, etc.

You now have the file you can use to connect to the Openstack administration.

... of the instance

To make your future instance accessible on its various communication ports (SSH & HTTP & HTTPS), create a security group to assign a set of rules to a machine with the following command:

openstack security group create —description "Port 22 - 80 - 443 pour Mailman" mailman-sec

Add rules to the security group: mailman-sec

openstack security group rule create --dst-port 80 --protocol TCP mailman-secopenstack security group rule create --dst-port 443 --protocol TCP mailman-secopenstack security group rule create --dst-port 22 --protocol TCP mailman-sec

You can perform all of these commands graphically from the Horizon dashboard in the Network -> Security Group tab (refer to the cloud documentation for more information).

Deploy the instance that will contain MailMan. For command line use, you can use the following command:

openstack server create --flavor a1-ram2-disk20-perf1 --security-group mailman-sec --network ext-net1 --key-name <votre-clé> --image "Debian 11.5 bullseye" mailman3

Once you are connected to the machine, update it:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Install the openstack client:

sudo apt install python3-openstackclient -y

Installation of Ansible (allowing to deploy mailman automatically):

sudo apt install ansible -y

Deployment of Mailman

To deploy Mailman on the machine, import the SSH key and your OpenRC file via SFTP into the machine running the Ansible configuration.

Use software/clients like putty, termius, mobaxterm... (any tool that handles SSH / SFTP) to easily perform the import, you will just need to enter the following information to connect to the machine:

• IP of the previously created machine
• port: 22
• previously created SSH key: import the .pem file
• user: debian

In this guide, the software Termius was used to transfer files via SFTP to the machine.

Download the folder containing the installation files:

wget https://github.com/reneluria/mailman-cloud 

You must now move the SSH key and the PCP file into the downloaded folder:

mv cle.pem mailman/mv PCP-XXXX.sh mailman/

Navigate to the file:

cd mailman/

Set the permission 600 on the key to protect and execute it:

sudo chmod 600 tf-keypair.pem

Create a file inventory to define the parameters: SMTP, Domain…

nano inventory

You need to fill in this file with the following template, modifying the commented lines with your environment variables:

mailman ansible_host = Public IP of the target VM

mailman ansible_host=xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
[all:vars]
ansible_python_interpreter=/usr/bin/python3
ansible_user=debian
ansible_ssh_private_key_file=id_tf_keypair
fqdn=mailman.<yourdomain>
mail_host=mail.infomaniak.com
mail_account=mailman@<yourdomain>
mail_password=<email_password>
mailman_user=mailman
mailman_password==<interface_password>
mailman_domain=parano.ch
mailman_email=<your_email>

Run the command ctrl + s then ctrl + c to exit Nano.

Still in the mailman directory, run the script with ansible:

ansible-playbook playbook.yml -D

Mailman is now deployed on your IP address: X.X.X.X/mailman3

Log in

Log in to mailman with the credentials provided in the inventory file mentioned above to then:

• > Create a domain -> create my list "maliste"

In the list of settings, change:

• DMARC Attenuations: it is recommended to use "Replace from with the list address"
• Modify messages: it is recommended to use "Reply to list" and "Reply to sender"

This guide lists the various Linux distributions and Windows versions that you can deploy in 1 click when launching a new instance of your Public Cloud.

Available operating systems

The images of the different operating systems, offered by Infomaniak in the Images section and listed in the Source section when you launch a new instance of your Public Cloud, are currently the following:

• Alpine Linux 3.17
• Amazon Linux 2
• Arch Linux
• CentOS 7
• CentOS 8 Stream
• CentOS 9 Stream
• CirrOS 0.6.1
• Debian 10.13 buster
• Debian 11.6 bullseye
• Fedora Cloud OS 37
• Fedora Core OS 37
• FreeBSD 13.1
• Infomaniak Rescue Image
• OPNsense 22.1.2_2-amd64
• Oracle Linux 9
• RancherOS 1.5.8
• RedHat Enterprise Linux 9
• Rocky Linux 9
• Ubuntu 18.04 LTS Bionic Beaver
• Ubuntu 20.04 LTS Focal Fossa
• Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Jammy Jellyfish
• openSUSE Leap 15.4 JeOS
• Microsoft Windows Server 2019 Standard
• Microsoft Windows Server 2019 Datacenter
• Microsoft Windows Server 2022 Standard
• Microsoft Windows Server 2022 Datacenter
• Microsoft Windows Server 2025 Standard
• Microsoft Windows Server 2025 Datacenter

Be sure to always prioritize the ID of the image over its name during deployment.

This guide helps resolve any issues with activating your Windows Server license.

Change the registered key

Open the Run utility (key Windows logo + R).

Remove the registered key

Run the following command:

cscript.exe c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs -upk

Add a new key

Relaunch the Run utility and then execute the following command:

cscript.exe c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs -ipk {CLE}

replacing {CLE} with the key from your configuration below:

Activate Windows

Restart the Run utility and then run the following command to associate the key with the Infomaniak activation bot:

cscript.exe c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs -skms kms.infomaniak.cloud

Restart the Run utility and then run the following command to activate your Windows system:

cscript.exe c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs -ato

This guide explains the various actions that can be performed from the Manager with Public Cloud.

Access additional options for a project

To access Public Cloud:

1. Click here to access the management of your product on the Infomaniak Manager (need help?).
2. Click directly on the name assigned to the relevant product:
   
3. Click directly on the name of the concerned project to access additional actions:
   
4. You can:
   
   1. rename the project
   2. access the OpenStack Horizon dashboard directly
   3. delete the project (you will need to enter your Infomaniak login password)
   4. manage user access information:
      1. add or modify the user description
      2. change the password for user access to the project
      3. download a configuration file to access your project from the CLI
      4. delete the user from the project