Genesis VMs FAQs
How long does it take to provision a VM?
Usually, VMs are provisioned within a minute or two. Windows images can take a bit longer since they are larger than Linux images. In addition, Windows performs the sysprep process upon first boot, so that can take a couple minutes.
An email is sent when the order is placed. Another email is sent when the VM has been provisioned. For Windows VMs, wait a couple more minutes for the sysprep process to finish.
Do you use hyperthreading?
Our Intel servers (AMD EPYC will be available mid-2020) have hyperthreading disabled to mitigate MDS and other vulnerabilities.
How are you mitigating various Intel CPU-related attacks?
We have all current mitigations in place, including disabling hyperthreading and the latest microcode, deployed by the latest BIOSes for our servers. All mitigations checked by https://github.com/speed47/spectre-meltdown-checker are reported as mitigated.
How is bandwidth charged?
We include 5TiB of outbound data transfers from your VM at no additional cost. Beyond 5TiB, We charge for all outbound data transfers originating from your VM, regardless of where that traffic is headed. We have a very low data transfer price ($0.005/GiB), so typically data transfer charges are minimal, including those for Internet-bound traffic.
Can I run a nested hypervisor in a VM?
We enable this capability in the hypervisor, but we can not support this since there are too many factors that can go wrong. So, we suggest you use this only for testing for DR environments where nested hypervisors is an absolutely necessity.
Are boot disks ephemeral (local to the server)?
No - boot disks are volumes on our replicated NVMe storage, so if a physical server dies at Genesis, your data is not lost.
Do you offer refunds?
Yes! If you don't like your purchase for any reason, within 24 hours of the purchase, we will refund your purchase. Terms and conditions apply, however. If we find that the machine was used for any form of abuse, you will waive your right to a refund.
Do you support reverse DNS?
Yes! However, you need to request a PTR record by submitting a ticket.
Do you support jumbo frames?
Not with Genesis VMs, unfortunately. We do support Jumbo Frames with our Genesis Public Cloud service.
How do backups work?
Genesis VMs come with 6 free backups included, but you must enable automatic backups after purchasing. Manual backups can also be created. For a more advanced backup solution, including file-level backups, please see our Genesis Backup service, which is an agent-based solution that can create file, image, and/or database-level backups depending on the license purchased.
Can I upgrade/change the size of my VM?
Yes, however VMs can only be upgraded such that the storage is the same size or larger due to the fact that block storage devices cannot be resized smaller. Upgrades must be performed by submitting a ticket. We will simply charge the difference in cost pro-rated.
How fast is the network?
Genesis VMs are provisioned as VMs on our Genesis Public Cloud platform, which is connected via redundant 100Gbps links to each compute node. Network bandwidth is restricted based on the flavor of VM selected and ranges anywhere from 25Mbps up to 40Gbps. See our specifications page for flavor definitions.
When are payments due? Upfront or In-arrears?
Genesis VMs is paid in advance every month, due on the 1st of each month. Backups and egress data transfer charges are paid in-arrears and appear on the invoice following the service period. If an order is placed after 3 weeks into a month, the order will include the last week of the current month and the following month. Otherwise, the order is pro-rated for the remaining days in the current month.
Can you clone a VM?
Yes, however this must be done by our staff currently, so you will need to order a new Genesis VM and submit a ticket requesting a clone of an existing Genesis VM.
Can you migrate our VM to Genesis VMs?
Yes, but we would need to evaluate the scope of work required for the migration and provide a proposal.
Free free to contact us if you have any questions or would like to discuss options.
