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Sessions

Connect to machines and containers launched by your formations.

Overview

When you launch a formation, RosettaHub creates a session -- your live connection to the infrastructure that the formation provisions. A session gives you access to one or more machines (cloud instances) or containers, depending on the formation type.

Concept Description
Formation Recipe/template defining infrastructure
Session Live connection to the launched infrastructure
Machine Cloud instance (EC2, Azure VM, GCE, ECS, OVH instance, OpenStack instance) within a session
Container Docker container running inside a managed image

RosettaHub provides real-time cost tracking on every session, so you always know what you are spending.

Session Types

Different formation types produce different session structures:

Type Created By Structure
Single-Machine Machine, Docker formations One cloud instance or container with direct SSH, RDP, or browser access
Multi-Machine Pool, Virtual Lab, Cluster formations Multiple machines managed independently within one session

Multi-Machine Session Structures

Formation Type Session Structure
Machine Pool Pool of identical machines for batch processing or workshops
Virtual Lab Proxy machine (browser gateway) + target machine (your workstation)
EMR/Dataproc Cluster Proxy + master node + worker nodes
HPC Cluster Head node + compute nodes + shared storage

Machine States

Machines within a session transition through these states:

State Description
Pending Instance is being provisioned
Running Instance is active and accessible
Stopped Instance is stopped (storage preserved)
Hibernated Instance state saved to disk
Terminated Instance has been deleted

Session Actions

Lifecycle Actions

Control the state of machines within your session:

Action Description
Start Resume a stopped or hibernated machine
Stop Stop the machine (preserves root volume)
Hibernate Save machine state to disk for later resumption
Reboot Restart the machine
Force Reboot Hard restart without graceful shutdown
Shutdown Graceful shutdown of the machine
Force Stop Immediate stop without graceful shutdown
Force Hibernate Immediate hibernate without graceful shutdown
Delete Terminate the machine permanently

Spot Instances

Spot/Preemptible instances may be terminated by the cloud provider with little notice. Use snapshot features to preserve your work.

Connection Actions

Action Description
Connect Open connection options for the machine
Remote Desktop Browser-based graphical desktop access
RDP Windows Remote Desktop Protocol connection
Get RDP File Download RDP connection file
Putty Open SSH connection via PuTTY
SSH Connect Terminal SSH connection

Image Actions

Capture the state of a running machine or container as a reusable image:

Action Description
Snapshot Create a machine image from current state
Snapshot Container Create image of the Docker container (managed images)

Managing Sessions

Starting and Stopping

To conserve costs when not actively using a session:

  1. Select the machine in the Machines panel
  2. Right-click and choose Stop
  3. The machine stops but retains its root volume
  4. To resume, select the stopped machine and choose Start

Cost Savings

Stopped instances don't incur compute charges, but you still pay for attached storage volumes.

Hibernating

Hibernation saves the machine's memory state to disk -- including for spot instances, where hibernation can preserve your work when the cloud provider reclaims capacity (saving 60-90% compared to on-demand pricing):

  1. Select a running machine
  2. Right-click and choose Hibernate
  3. The machine state is saved and the instance stops
  4. When started, the machine resumes exactly where it left off

Hibernation Requirements

  • Root volume must have enough space for memory contents
  • Instance type must support hibernation
  • Not all operating systems support hibernation

Creating Images from Sessions

Capture customizations from a running session:

  1. Configure your machine as needed (install software, configure settings)
  2. Select the machine in the Machines panel
  3. Right-click and choose Snapshot or Snapshot Container
  4. Enter a name and description
  5. The new image appears in your Images panel

Before Snapshotting

  • Clean up temporary files
  • Remove sensitive data and credentials
  • Stop unnecessary services
  • Consider the root volume size

Session vs Formation

Aspect Formation Session
Nature Template/Recipe Live connection to running infrastructure
State Static definition Dynamic (running/stopped/hibernated)
Actions Clone, Customize, Update Start, Stop, Connect, Delete
Cost No cost Incurs cloud charges
Persistence Permanent Temporary (until deleted)

Best Practices

Resource Management

  • Stop sessions when not in use
  • Delete terminated sessions to clean up resources
  • Use Spot instances for cost-sensitive workloads
  • Set up auto-stop for idle machines

Data Persistence

  • Important data should be stored on attached volumes, not the root volume
  • Create snapshots before major changes
  • Use object storage for long-term data persistence

Monitoring

  • Check session status regularly -- RosettaHub shows real-time cost tracking per machine
  • Monitor aggregate costs through Cloud Accounts
  • Review running sessions at end of day