[TriLUG] recommendations for on-line Linux VM

[Joseph Mack NA3T via TriLUG]

On Tue, 11 Feb 2025, Joseph Mack NA3T wrote:

> I want a Linux machine on-line, that I can logon at the command line, like I 
> do with my home machines, and pilot. I want it to run a lightly used a 
> website. I also want to be able to install and remove files at will had not 
> have any blocked ports.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions.

This is quite a morass. I just want a VM I can spin up and do what I want 
with, like I do at home. The VM will be running my azimuthal equidistant 
map generator, which has been making maps for 30 years now. It makes a 
couple of maps (maybe 5mins of CPU) a day. I don't need performance - eg 
nvmeSSDs and multiple CPUs. If I wanted performance, I would be hosting it 
myself.

Many years ago, Linode just offered VMs. That's what they did. Now their 
webpage is a blizzard of bullshit (yes I can find their VMs, but you have 
to search, indicating that VMs aren't really their business any more). 
Others are offering Linux VMs, but don't tell you the distribution they're 
using. Other people offer things that aren't VMs, like droplets. If they 
were selling cars, what would they call them? When I have to contact them, 
they aren't going to be talking my language - no thanks. Other people 
(hertzner) are offering webservers with webFTP - I don't control that 
machine - accessing it will be like peering through a keyhole. Then 
there's paravirtualisation, which I'd never heard of, where the host and 
the VM talk to each other, which I would have thought is the opposite of 
what you want. Other providers hide their offerings and are only 
interested in telling you how great they are. Some won't tell you want 
they've got till you sign up. Clearly most customers aren't looking for 
just a VM anymore.

I'm not planning on having my own e-mail server, although it would be nice 
to have one. It would seem that the big tech companies are making sure 
that only they can do e-mail, by squeezing out the small players by 
assigning reputation in blocks. I would have to take them on and deal with 
their requirements. I'm reassured to find that I have the same 
understanding of the problems of setting up e-mail as Scott Blaydes (an 
opinionated person, which is what I was hoping for) has.

Linode had a break-in about a decade ago, that resulted in a crypto-heist, 
which involved poor security on their part (it seems a compromised admin 
machine was able to get into the customer's machines) and they never 
compensated (even partially) the people who were affected. This doesn't 
look good. However they are the people who are the nearest to talking my 
language.

It would be nice to find a provider like Linode was 10 years ago, who had 
a webpage that said "here are our VMs" and just left it at that. I expect 
I'll have to wrestle what I want out of even Linode.

Thanks
Joe

-- 
Joseph Mack NA3T EME(B,D), FM05lw North Carolina
Don't upgrade a working machine - it won't work any
better - it could work worse; it may not work at all.
Homepage http://www.austintek.com/ It's GNU/Linux!