Introduction: Empowering Your Business with a Dedicated Server
In today’s digital landscape, a robust and reliable IT foundation is not just an advantage—it’s a necessity. Whether you’re hosting a critical line-of-business application, a company intranet, or a powerful database, a dedicated server provides the performance, security, and control your operations demand.
OVHcloud offers powerful, scalable dedicated server solutions, and one of the most common and versatile operating systems to run on them is Microsoft Windows Server. This guide is designed for business professionals, managers, and IT decision-makers who may not be seasoned system administrators. We will walk you through the process of ordering your server and making that first all-important connection, using clear, straightforward language.
By the end of this post, you will have a fully operational Windows Server, ready for your software and configurations.
Before You Begin: What You'll Need
To ensure a smooth setup process, please have the following ready:
- An OVHcloud Account: You must have an active account with OVHcloud.
- Payment Method: Have your preferred payment method configured in your OVHcloud account.
- A Remote Computer: This is the computer you will use to access your server. It should be running a modern version of Windows (10 or 11) or Linux that has Openssh installed.
- Approximately 30-60 Minutes:** The initial setup process is quick, but allocating this time will allow you to proceed without rushing.
Phase 1: Adding a License
Before installing any Windows Server OS, you will need a license, which can be acquired from a third-party or from OVHcloud directly.
Adding a License to Your Account
If you have a license from a third-party, you can add it to your account. To begin, log into the OVHcloud Control Panel. On the left-hand sidebar, click Bare Metal Cloud and then Dedicated and virtual servers. Choose Licenses from the menu that follows. On the left-hand side of the ensuing page, click the Actions button and select Add an SPLA license from the drop-down menu.
From the pop-up menu, select the service to which you wish to add the license and click the Next button.
On the following screen, select the type of license you wish to add and then enter the license itself. Click the Next button to proceed.
On the final screen, confirm that the information is correct and then click the Confirm button to add your license to your account. Note: Please allow up to 10 minutes for the license to be accepted.
Phase 2: Install Windows
Navigate to the `Dedicated servers` section via the `Bare Metal Cloud` menu. In the **General information** panel, next to `Operating system (OS)`, select your , click the _more options_ `...` button and select `Install my server`. Then select your Windows server version of choice.
Click `Next` to continue. Then select the operating system from the drop-down menus. If you need to modify the partitioning scheme of your operating system, check the _Customise the partition configuration_ box before clicking on `Next`. Depending on your server plan, this part may vary from user to user.
Phase 3: Using IPMC/KVM to Access Windows Virtual Machine
Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPVM) allows users to access their dedicated server directly without depending on the OS connectivity state. In this guide, we will connect through Remote KVM via web browser. In the Bare `Metal Cloud section`, select your server from `Dedicated Servers` and click on the `IPMI/KVM` tab.
In the **Remote KVM** section, click `Via your web browser (KVM)`.
Activation can take a few seconds, usually no longer than a minute. You will receive a message confirming that the IPMI connection is available. Click `Access the console (KVM)` to open the console in your web browser.
Depending on which Windows Server version you are using, you might need to reset the password to log in. Otherwise you are able to enjoy your newly installed windows server.
Phase 4: System Rescue using SSH
System Rescue is a ubuntu based Linux distribution that is used to trouble shoot any os within a Linux environment. Do not worry as this is the only part that requires the usage of Linux. The SSH (Secure Shell) communication protocol is the main practice for establishing encrypted host connections through untrusted networks. Openssh is a utility software that leverages the communication protocol to allow for secure remote access.
Resetting the admin password using OVHcloud rescue mode
The following steps describe the process of changing the local admin password by using the OVHcloud rescue mode (Linux-based).
- Step 1: Rebooting the server into rescue mode
- Step 2: Mounting the system partition
- Step 3: Clearing the current password
- Step 4: Rebooting the server
- Step 5: Setting a new password
Step 1: Rebooting the server into rescue mode
The system has to be started in rescue mode before the admin password can be changed. Locate Your Login Credentials
The login credentials (username and password) are sent to you by email at the first installation or when a server is reinstalled in the OVHcloud Control Panel.
- Server Name: Looks something like `ns1234567.ip-123-456.net`
- IP Address: Your server’s unique public address on the internet.
- Administrator Username: This will be Administrator.
- Administrator Password: A strong, auto-generated password provided by OVHcloud.
There are multiple ways to authenticate a connection to a remote device via SSH. The following instructions will involve the authentication method with **username and password**.
The username corresponds to the operating system, for example, `ubuntu` or `debian`. To connect, you also need to specify the IP address or the `hostname` of the server. These details are available in the installation email and the OVHcloud Control Panel.
Openssh is usually installed by default on most OS and can be used via the terminal (on Windows, use Powershell, while on Linux, use your preferred terminal) using the command `ssh`:
If you changed the SSH port on the server, specify it using the `-p` flag instead:
When prompted for a password, type the password of the connecting user and press `Enter`.
If this is a new connection, your SSH client will receive a **key fingerprint** from the server. Enter "yes" to confirm and then the password of the connecting user to log in.
Example output:
The fingerprint is then saved on your device and will be verified for each new connection. If the key has changed on the remote host, you will receive a warning message when trying to connect.
It means that one of the following has occurred:
- The server has been reinstalled.
- The SSH service on the server has been reinstalled.
- You are connecting to a different host with the same IP address.
Use the following command with the IP address of your server.
Step 2: Mounting the system partition
Connect to your server via SSH. Since it is a Windows server, you will see partitions labeled “Microsoft LDM data”.
Output:
In the example output, “sda4” must be the (file) system partition, as determined by its size. Usually, there is a mirrored second output which in this case would be “/dev/sdb**X**“. That is because in most cases, the server will have multiple disks with identical partition schemes. For the password reset process, only the first one is important. Next, mount this partition:
Verify mountpoiint
Output:
In the example above, the operation succeeded. If the mounting failed, you might receive an error message like this:
In this case, use the following commands and then try to mount again.
Step 3: Clearing the current password
This step involves manipulating the SAM file with a tool to clear the admin user’s password. Change to the appropriate directory and list the Windows users:
Output:
If the command does not work, install the tool first: `apt get install chntpw`.
Clear the password for the admin user with the following command. (Choose “Administrator” if “admin” does not exist.)
Output:
Type “1” and press Enter (“↩”). (Make use of option 2 first if there is an “X” next to “Disabled”.)
Type “q” and press Enter to quit the tool. Type “y” when prompted and press Enter.
Step 4: Rebooting the server
First, change the netboot back to **Boot from the hard disk** in your OVHcloud Control Panel (repeat the instructions in Step 1 but select `Boot from the hard disk`). Back in the CLI, unmount the partition and restart the server with these commands:
Step 5: Setting a new password (IPMI/KVM)
In your OVHcloud Control Panel, navigate to the (IPMI/KVM) tab to open a KVM session
For a newer version of Windows
There should be a password expiration message in the login interface.
The new password for the admin user must now be entered twice. However, the confirmation field is not yet visible, meaning you need to leave the first field blank, type your new password into the second field, then use the tabulator key (“↹”) on the virtual keyboard to switch to the third field (“Confirm password”). Type the password again and click on the arrow to save it.
Click on `OK` and you will be logged in.
Conclusion: Your Digital Foundation is Ready
You have successfully navigated the process of ordering, deploying, and establishing a secure connection to your very own Windows Server on OVHcloud. What was once a piece of hardware in a remote datacenter is now a familiar desktop environment on your screen, ready to host your business's critical applications and data. This server is a blank canvas. The next steps involve installing your necessary software.