--- title: "Shelve or pause an instance" description: "As part of the configuration of a high-availability infrastructure, you may need to cut access to your instances to perform different tests. OpenStack allows yo" url: https://docs.us.ovhcloud.com/en/public-cloud/compute/suspend-or-pause-an-instance lang: en --- > For AI agents: the complete documentation index is available at https://docs.us.ovhcloud.com/en/llms.txt, the full documentation bundle is available at https://docs.us.ovhcloud.com/en/llms-full.txt. # Shelve or pause an instance As part of the configuration of a high-availability infrastructure, you may need to cut access to your instances to perform different tests. OpenStack allows you to [suspend](#suspend-shelve-an-instance), [turn off](#turn-off-suspend-an-instance), or [pause](#pause-an-instance) your instance. In each case, your IP is maintained. **Warning:** **NOTE:** The naming of these options in the OVHcloud Control Panel is different from the naming in OpenStack/Horizon. If you are doing this via the OVHcloud Control Panel, make sure you select the correct option.   ## Requirements - An [OVHcloud Public Cloud instance](https://docs.us.ovhcloud.com/en/public-cloud/compute/getting-started.md) - Access to the [OVHcloud Control Panel](https://manager.us.ovhcloud.com/) or [Horizon interface](https://docs.us.ovhcloud.com/en/public-cloud/cross-functional/create-and-delete-a-user.md) - Knowledge of [OpenStack API](https://docs.us.ovhcloud.com/en/public-cloud/cross-functional/compute-prepare-openstack-api-environment.md) and [OpenStack variables](https://docs.us.ovhcloud.com/en/public-cloud/cross-functional/compute-set-openstack-environment-variables.md)   ## Instructions **Scope:** This guide applies to all Public Cloud instances billed hourly or monthly. Behavior can differ by instance type; instances with local NVMe passthrough disks (e.g., T2-180) lose the data on those disks when shelved. See the warning in the [Suspend (shelve)](#suspend-shelve-an-instance) section. **Monthly billing:** An instance that remains shelved for the entire month will not be billed. As soon as the instance is unshelved, even briefly, the full month's billing applies. **Warning:** **NOTE:** You will be billed for an instance as long as it is not deleted. The table below allows you to differentiate the options available on your instances. Continue reading this guide by clicking on the option of your choice. **The terminology used in the Horizon interface is in parentheses.** | | | | | --------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | **Term** | **Description** | **Billing** | | [Suspend (shelve)](#suspend-shelve-an-instance) | Retains the resources and data on your disk by creating a snapshot; all other resources are released. The main IP is also maintained.**Data on local NVMe passthrough disks (e.g., T2-180) will be lost. See the warning below.** | Hourly billing: You are only billed for the snapshot. Monthly billing: See the NOTE above. | | [Turn off (suspend)](#turn-off-suspend-an-instance) | Stores the VM state on disk; the resources remain reserved. | You are billed at the same rate. | | [Pause](#pause-an-instance) | Stores the VM state in RAM; the instance remains frozen. | You are billed at the same rate. |   Content Overview - Suspend (shelve) an instance - Reactivate (unshelve) an instance - Turn off (suspend) an instance - Pause an instance   ### Suspend (shelve) an instance **Important:** **WARNING:** Shelving an instance with local NVMe passthrough disks (e.g., T2-180) removes it from the host and permanently erases the data on those disks. The snapshot created by shelving includes only the root disk, not the NVMe passthrough data. **Manual snapshots of the instance do not include this data either.** Copy any data you need to Object Storage or Block Storage before shelving. This option releases the resources dedicated to your Public Cloud instance, but the IP address will remain. The data on your root disk will be stored in a snapshot automatically created once the instance is shelved. Data stored in the memory and elsewhere will not be retained. #### OVHcloud Control Panel From the [OVHcloud Control Panel](https://manager.us.ovhcloud.com/), navigate to the `Public Cloud` section, select your project, and click on `Instances` in the left side menu. Click on the _more options_ `⋮` button to the right of the instance you want to suspend, then click on `Suspend`. In the pop-up window, take note of the message and click on `Confirm`. Once the process is completed, your instance will now appear as _Suspended_. To view the snapshot, go to the left side menu and click on `Instance Backup`. A snapshot named _xxxxx-shelved_ will now be visible: #### Horizon To proceed, you need to [log in to the Horizon interface](https://horizon.cloud.ovh.us/auth/login/). - To log in with OVHcloud Single Sign-On: Use the `Horizon` link in the left-hand menu under **Management Interfaces** after opening your Public Cloud project in the [OVHcloud Control Panel](https://manager.us.ovhcloud.com/). - To log in with a specific OpenStack user: open the [Horizon login page](https://horizon.cloud.ovh.us/auth/login/) and enter the [OpenStack user credentials](https://docs.us.ovhcloud.com/en/public-cloud/cross-functional/create-and-delete-a-user.md) previously created, then click on `Connect`. If you have deployed instances in different regions, make sure you are in the correct region. You can verify this on the top left corner in the Horizon interface. Click on the `Compute` menu on the left side and select `Instances`. Select `Shelve Instance` in the drop list for the corresponding instance. Once the process is completed, your instance will now appear as _Shelved Offloaded_. To view the snapshot, in the `Compute` menu, click on `Images`. #### OpenStack API Before proceeding, it is recommended that you consult these guides: - [Prepare the environment to use the OpenStack API](https://docs.us.ovhcloud.com/en/public-cloud/cross-functional/compute-prepare-openstack-api-environment.md) - [Set OpenStack environment variables](https://docs.us.ovhcloud.com/en/public-cloud/cross-functional/compute-set-openstack-environment-variables.md) Once your environment is ready, type the following at the command line: ```bash openstack server shelve ===================================== nova shelve ```   ### Reactivate (unshelve) an instance This option will allow you to re-up your instance so that you can continue using it. Please note that once this is done, the regular billing will resume. **Important:** **WARNING:** Any actions on the snapshot other than _unshelve_ can be very dangerous for your infrastructure in case of misuse. Once you _unshelve_ an instance, the snapshot is automatically deleted. It is not recommended to deploy a new instance from any snapshot created as a result of shelving (suspending) an instance. #### OVHcloud Control Panel In the OVHcloud Control Panel, select your project from the `Public Cloud` section and click on `Instances` in the left side menu. Click on the _more options_ `⋮` button to the right of the instance, then click on `Reactivate`. In the pop-up window, take note of the message and click on `Confirm`. Once the process is completed, your instance will now appear as _Enabled_. #### Horizon In the Horizon interface, click on the `Compute` menu on the left and then select `Instances`. Select `Unshelve Instance` in the drop list for the corresponding instance. Once the process is completed, your instance will now appear as _Active_. #### OpenStack API Once your environment is ready, type the following at the command line: ```bash openstack server unshelve ========================================= nova unshelve ```   ### Turn off (suspend) an instance This option shuts down your instance and stores the VM state on disk, including memory. #### OVHcloud Control Panel In the OVHcloud Control Panel, select your project from the `Public Cloud` section and click on `Instances` in the left side menu. Click on the _more options_ `⋮` button to the right of the instance you want to stop, then click on `Turn off`. In the pop-up window, take note of the message and click on `Confirm`. Once the process is completed, your instance will now appear as _Off_. To **resume** the instance, perform the same steps as mentioned above. Click on the _more options_ `...` button to the right of the instance and select `Start`. In some cases, you might need to do a cold reboot. #### Horizon In the Horizon interface, click on the `Compute` menu on the left and then select `Instances`. Select `Suspend Instance` in the drop list for the corresponding instance. The confirmation message will appear, indicating that the instance has been suspended. To **resume** the instance, perform the same steps as mentioned above. In the drop list for the corresponding instance, select `Resume Instance`. #### OpenStack API Once your environment is ready, type the following at the command line: ```bash openstack server suspend ========================================= nova suspend ``` To **resume** the instance, type the following at the command line: ```bash openstack server unsuspend ========================================= nova unsuspend ```   ### Pause an instance This action is **only** possible in the Horizon interface or via the OpenStack/Nova API. It allows you to _freeze_ your instance. #### Horizon In the Horizon interface, click on the `Compute` menu on the left and then select `Instances`. Select `Pause Instance` in the drop list for the corresponding instance. The confirmation message will appear, indicating that the instance has been paused. To **unpause** the instance, perform the same steps as mentioned above. In the drop list for the corresponding instance, select `Resume Instance`. #### OpenStack API Once your environment is ready, type the following at the command line: ```bash openstack server pause ========================================= nova pause ``` To **unpause** the instance, type the following at the command line: ```bash openstack server unpause ========================================= nova unpause ```   ## Go further Browse all the [Compute guides](https://docs.us.ovhcloud.com/en/public-cloud/compute/landing-page-compute.md). Browse the rest of the [OVHcloud US documentation](https://docs.us.ovhcloud.com/en/index.md) for guides on our other products and services. Learn more about [Public Cloud Compute](https://us.ovhcloud.com/public-cloud/compute/) on the OVHcloud US website.