Server Settings

Overview

Each server has a “Settings” tab in the Ascienth console at https://console.advinservers.com. Open the server from “Virtual Servers” and click “Settings”. The sections are listed on the left. On a phone, pick a section from the list instead.

Section	What it is for
”General”	The server’s display name, hostname and icon.
”Hardware”	Boot firmware, the virtual TPM and the guest agent.
”Measured Boot”	AMD SEV-SNP memory encryption and measured direct boot.
”Boot Order”	Whether the server starts from its disk or a mounted ISO.
”Reverse DNS”	PTR records for the server’s IP addresses. See Setting Up PTR/RDNS.
”Reset Password”	A new root or Administrator password. See Password Reset.

To reinstall the operating system, use the “Reinstall” tab instead. See Server Reinstallation. You only see the sections your role allows. See Team Permissions.

General

Display Name and Hostname

The “Server Name” card has two fields:

Display Name is what the server is called in the console. It can be up to 40 characters. Changing it does not touch the server itself.
Hostname is the name set on the server’s operating system. It must be a valid hostname, such as web1.example.com.

Change either field and click Save.

A new hostname is applied to the operating system the next time the server boots. Restart the server for it to take effect.

You can also change either name from the server list: click the menu at the end of the server’s row and choose Rename or Change hostname.

Server Icon

The “Server Icon” card sets the logo shown beside the server everywhere in the console. It is only cosmetic, so nothing on the server changes. Pick a logo, or pick Automatic to use the logo of the operating system it was installed with. Then click Save. This is useful if you installed a different operating system yourself, for example from an ISO.

Hardware

The “Advanced Hardware” card has three settings. Change what you need and click Save.

Setting	What it does
`Boot firmware`	Choose legacy BIOS or modern UEFI firmware. The installed operating system must support the mode you choose.
`Virtual TPM 2.0`	Adds a software TPM 2.0 device. Windows 11 needs one, together with UEFI firmware.
`QEMU Guest Agent`	Enables the guest agent device. Turn it on only when the QEMU Guest Agent is installed and running in the operating system. This switch does not install it.

Firmware and TPM changes only apply after a full shutdown and start. Click Stop in the console, wait for the server to stop, then click Start. Restarting from inside the operating system is not enough. If you choose firmware that the operating system does not support, the server may not start. Switch it back to recover.

Turning off Virtual TPM 2.0 destroys the TPM’s state when you save. Anything sealed to the TPM, such as BitLocker recovery keys, cannot be recovered afterwards.

If the section shows Hardware unavailable, we could not read the server’s settings just now. Wait a moment and click Refresh.

Measured Boot

This section is for advanced confidential computing setups. Most customers do not need it.

AMD SEV-SNP

The “AMD SEV-SNP” card only appears on servers that support it. Turn on Enable AMD SEV-SNP to protect the server’s memory from the system hosting it, then click Save. SEV-SNP needs UEFI firmware, so set Boot firmware to UEFI in the “Hardware” section first. Like firmware changes, it applies after a full shutdown and start.

Measured Direct Boot

The “UKI and Measured Boot” card lets the server start from your own Linux kernel and initramfs with SEV-SNP launch measurement, instead of the bootloader on its disk. It is experimental. Keep SEV-SNP turned on while measured direct boot is in use. How to prepare boot files, upload them and use them on a server is covered in Boot Images. If the card says Measured boot is not available for this server., the feature is not offered for this server.

Boot Order

The “Boot Device” card sets which device the server starts from:

Boot from main disk starts the operating system installed on the server’s disk. This is the normal setting.
Boot from mounted ISO starts from the ISO currently mounted on the server. It is only available while an ISO is mounted. See ISO Mounting.

Click an option to choose it. It is saved straight away, and the server uses it on its next restart.

When you have finished installing from an ISO, set the boot device back to Boot from main disk. Otherwise the server starts the installer again on every restart.

Team Permissions

The team owner can always change every setting. Members need these permissions in their role:

Permission	Allows
`View servers`	See the “General” section. Without the next permission, the name fields are read-only.
`Change server settings`	Change the display name, hostname and icon, and use the “Hardware” and “Measured Boot” sections.
`Reinstall servers`	Use the “Boot Order” section, because booting from an installer can replace what is on the disk.
`View networking`	See the “Reverse DNS” section.
`Change server passwords and SSH keys`	Use the “Reset Password” section.

Frequently Asked Questions

I changed the hostname but the server still shows the old one

The new hostname is applied when the server next boots. Restart the server from the console.

My server will not start after I changed the firmware

The installed operating system probably does not support the firmware you chose. Change Boot firmware back to what it was, save, then stop and start the server.

Why is Boot from mounted ISO greyed out?

No ISO is mounted on the server. Mount one from the “Mount ISO” tab first. See ISO Mounting.

Why don't I see the AMD SEV-SNP card?

It only appears on servers that support SEV-SNP.

Using the API

Endpoint	Permission
`POST /servers/{server}/settings/rename`, `PUT /servers/{server}/settings/icon`	`Change server settings`
`GET /servers/{server}/settings/hardware/options`	`View servers`
`PATCH /servers/{server}/settings/hardware/options`	`Change server settings`
`GET /servers/{server}/settings/hardware/boot-order`	`View servers`
`PUT /servers/{server}/settings/hardware/boot-order`	`Reinstall servers`

This request renames a server. Both name and hostname are required:

curl https://console.advinservers.com/api/v1/client/servers/<server_id>/settings/rename \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_KEY>" \
  -H "Accept: application/json" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name": "Web server", "hostname": "web1.example.com"}'

See the API introduction for how to create a key and for the full list of endpoints.

Getting Started

Server Management

Networking

Billing

Teams

Custom ISOs

Account

Overview

General

Display Name and Hostname

Server Icon

Hardware

Measured Boot

AMD SEV-SNP

Measured Direct Boot

Boot Order

Team Permissions

Frequently Asked Questions

Using the API

​Overview

​General

​Display Name and Hostname

​Server Icon

​Hardware

​Measured Boot

​AMD SEV-SNP

​Measured Direct Boot

​Boot Order

​Team Permissions

​Frequently Asked Questions

​Using the API

Overview

General

Display Name and Hostname

Server Icon

Hardware

Measured Boot

AMD SEV-SNP

Measured Direct Boot

Boot Order

Team Permissions

Frequently Asked Questions

Using the API