Projects and Quota

In a Nutshell

Each bwCloud-OS project has predefined quotas for vCPU, RAM, storage, and networks. Quota increases can be requested via the bwSupportPortal Group projects allow shared access to resources. Members can manage instances collaboratively. Quotas can be assigned in multiple regions. Every group project requires a named owner as the primary contact. Instances cannot be moved between projects directly. Use snapshots and volume transfer as described here.

Group Projects

In which situations is a group project useful?

Group projects allow multiple users to share and jointly manage resources within a single bwCloud-OS project. This is particularly useful for:

• Collaborative administration of servers with a long-term or operational purpose
• Teaching or training scenarios, where students or participants need to work together
• Projects that involve users from multiple bwCloud-OS regions

Such collaboration is also supported through the use of access tokens (Application Credentials).

💡 Note:

If the only goal is to allow multiple users to connect to the same virtual machine, you can simply add their SSH public keys to the ~/.ssh/authorized_keys file on the VM.

In that case, a group project is not required.

How can I request a group project?

To create a group project, you need to submit a support ticket with specific information about your request. Please note:

• Only users who are already registered in bwCloud-OS can be added as project members.
• The project must have a designated owner. Please review the role of the project owner, who is responsible for managing the project and its quota usage.

Use the following template in your request:

SUBJECT:        NEW_PROJECT
REGION:         NAME
MOTIVATION:     TEXT
OWNER_UUID:     UUID
PROJECT_NAME:   NAME (maximum 16 characters)
MEMBER_UUIDS:   UUID, UUID, ...
NUMBER_VM::     INTEGER
RAM_GB:         INTEGER
VCPU:           INTEGER
STORAGE_GB:     INTEGER
SPECIAL_QUOTA:  TEXT
CUT_OFF_DATE:   dd.mm.yyyy

Why is it necessary to specify a group project owner?

The person designated as the group owner is needed for several important reasons:

1. Billing and accountability If cost allocation is introduced in the future, any billing or formal communication related to the group project will be directed to the group owner's institution or department. (Note: The owner can be changed later if needed.)
2. Primary contact for the bwCloud-OS team The group owner acts as the main contact person for bwCloud-OS administrators — for operational issues, incidents, and support inquiries.
3. User and membership management The owner is responsible for managing group membership. We can only accept requests to add or remove members from the owner (or a designated replacement), since all group members have the same technical permissions and we otherwise cannot verify authority.

Are the group members alterable?

At bwCloud-OS registered users can be added to a group project. Members can also be removed from the project. Requests to change group members can only be made by the group owner. Answer the questions below and use the template for your request:

SUBJECT:         MEMBER_PROJECT
NEW_OWNER:       UUID
PROJECT:         UUID
MEMBERS_ADD:     UUID, UUID, ...
MEMBERS_REMOVE:  UUID, UUID, ...

Write us a Ticket. We will check your request and, if possible, grant the request.

How can I switch between projects?

A user can be a member of several group projects. The quota of a project is bound to exactly one bwCloud-OS region.

The target region and project can be choosen via the button at the top left of the dashboard.

File:Select project region.png

Can the group owner be a functional account?

No, all identifiers must be assigned to individual persons. This applies to both: the group owner(s) and the members of the group project. Group projects are no exception in this respect, the same rules apply here as for individual user projects.

What does the administration of resources (instances, images, etc.) look like in a group project?

OpenStack has a very simple rights and role model: there is the role of "Administrator:in", who is allowed to do everything and see everything, and there is the normal user:in. The "Administrator" role is reserved for members of the bwCloud-OS operating group. Members of bwCloud-OS have the normal standard permissions.

A group project is therefore no different from a personal user:in project. There are only more than one person assigned to this project. This also means that any member of a group project can see all resources (running instances, security groups, images, etc.), create new resources, edit or delete them. A group project is therefore particularly suitable for scenarios in which several people look after resources on an equal footing, for example for the operation of web servers.

How do I move an instance to another project?

An instance cannot be moved to another project per se. However, the following work around is possible. rerequisite is appropriate quota in the target project.

Source Project

1. Create a Snapshot/ a shadow copy of the instance. -> Snapshot appears under 'Images'.
2. Under Images from the snapshot create a Volume. -> The volume appears under Volumes.
3. Under Volumes create a Transfer for the volume and note the Transfer ID and the Authorization Key.

Target Project

1. Under Volumes select Accept transfer.
2. Specify the saved Transfer ID and Authorization Key.-> The volume appears under Volumes.
3. Convert/upload the volume to an Image. -> The image appears under Images (, this may take some time).
4. Under Images start the image.

Quota

Project Quota

Quota refers to the resource limits assigned to a project – such as vCPUs, RAM, networks, and storage. There are two types of projects:

• Private User Project: Owned by a single individual; no additional members can be added. Quotas depend on the region and the assigned entitlements.
• Group Project: Multiple users collaborate and can flexibly allocate (quota) resources.

Request Quota increase

Answer the points below and use that template for your request via our Support Portal:

SUBJECT:        NEW_QUOTA
MOTIVATION:     TEXT
USER_UUID:      UUID
PROJECT_UUID:   UUID (or ask for a new one) 
NUMBER_VM::     INTEGER
RAM_GB:         INTEGER
VCPU:           INTEGER
STORAGE_GB:     INTEGER
SPECIAL_QUOTA:  TEXT
CUT_OFF_DATE:   dd.mm.yyyy

We will check your request and, if possible, grant the request.

Specific Rules for Individual Institutions

Special rules apply to users at the University of Stuttgart, which are explained in more detail here.