For additional guidance, please see our
two-minute video. While using the product, please refer to the orange "Guide Me" button on each page.
Please follow the steps below to get started. We hope you enjoy CloudSharing!
Step 1: Preparation (optional)
CloudShare provides remote access to virtual machines using an embedded browser object. The embedded browser object provides web acceleration, firewall tunneling, and also detects usage to provide cost savings by suspending your environment while away.
Our browser object works on all stable builds of common browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari) for PC or Mac. If you’d like to prepare better, you can use the link below to check your browser’s ability to access the remote machines. Click here.
Step 2: Create an Environment by adding or uploading machines
The first step in CloudSharing is to create an environment. Your environment is the set of one or more virtual machines, networked together, that you can invite others to access. An environment might consistent of a server, database, and directory. Or, a desktop and server. Or, just one desktop.
To create an environment select a template machine from the carousel. A template includes the machine along with operating system and application. Enter the machine name and description, and click the “Add Machine” button.
Once you’ve added one or more machines, click the button to continue to step 3, where you will be asked to enter a description of your environment.
Step 3: Add a title and description to your Environment
When you invite peers to access their own copy of the environment you’re building, they will receive an email with an URL.
When they click on the URL, they’ll arrive at a mini-website showing a system layout of your machines, the description of each machine that you entered in step 2, and an overall environment name and description (like “Rachel’s Demo” and “Welcome to my demo, remember to start the Windows server named Rachel2003 first”).
Click the button to continue to step 4, where you will finish and run your environment.
Step 4: Finish and Run your Environment
Ready to launch your environment? Click the “Finish and Run” button!
Remember, after setting up your initial environment, you can always go back and edit it, adding or removing machines. If you are a CloudShare Pro subscriber, you are limited to three machines per environment. CloudShare ProPlus subscribers can have up to six machines per environment.
Step 5: Launch your Environment
Congratulations! You have created your environment.
If you’d like to change anything (description, machines), just click on the “Edit Environment” button on the right side of your screen. Or, choose one of the “View” buttons on your machines’ description to log in and further customize or install software. (See step 6.)
Once you’re ready to share copies with peers, click the “Take Snapshot” button on the right. It will make an exact copy of your system in its current state, either for you to share with others, or revert your environment to the latest snapshot if you goof during later experimentation. (See step 7.)
We encourage snapshots even if you’re not sharing yet – they’re a great way to avoid hours of wasted work. Always take a snapshot before a risky install, for example.
Step 6: Log in and customize your Environment
To log in and further customize or install software, simply click the “View” button on the description of any one of your machines.
A new window will open, and in a few seconds, show you the machine’s desktop. The first time you do this, your browser may ask to install an RDP remote viewing plugin. Please allow this.
When you see the desktop, you’ve successfully logged in to one of your machines. You can configure it as desired, and install new things. It’s all yours.
For example, you may want to load data or software. There are two ways to do that.
Option #1: From this machine, you have full internet access. Use FTP, Telnet, webmail, or browse to your favorite site.
Option #2: If you click to re-enable file sharing (marked as disabled by default for security), then click on My Computer on the desktop you see, you’ll see your local hard drives – and can copy via "drag and drop” to the desktop you see. Be warned, this approach requires a high-speed connection or small files. We do not recommend attempting to upload hundreds of MB on your home dialup or 128kbps DSL line.
Step 7: Take a Snapshot, for backup or to share your Environment with others
To start the process of taking a snapshot, click the “Snapshot” button on the right side of the screen. On the bottom of the screen, a place to enter name and description will appear.
Before a snapshot of your environment is captured, you’ll need to enter a name and description for this environment, much like you did for your main environment.
When you have entered that information, click the “Take Snapshot” button directly below where you entered the information.
When you click the “Take Snapshot” button, the system will ask you for confirmation – whether you really want to publish.
If you confirm, the system will lock you out for up to 10 minutes while it processes the snapshot.
Step 8: Share your brilliance – give a copy of your Environment to others
Once you have taken a snapshot (step 7), you can click the “Share Environment” button.
You have multiple ways of sharing your environment: you can send individual copies of the environment to peers, by sending invitations. Or, alternatively, use the Permalink feature to post a link in your blog, twitter or anywhere else: anyone who clicks that link receives a copy of your environment
You can send an unlimited number of invitations per month. Each will allow the recipient 48 hours inside their environment copy (note that the demo environment auto-suspends after 60minutes of inactivity).
Again, it is important to emphasize that your Environment and the copy you’re sending operate completely independently.
So you could build a base environment, snapshot it, and send it to one colleague – then further modify your environment, snapshot, and send to customer prospect – and you’d now have three copies, each operating independently (and thus configurable separately).
Step 9: Track usage – see what your invitees are doing
Once you have shared copies of your environment (step 8), you can sit back and watch your colleagues’ use of your various issued mini-data-centers from the "Invitations" page.
Please note: When you issue a copy of your environment to others, they start from your snapshot, and can add or reconfigure the software, but cannot change the number or types of machines, or issue new copies to other people unless they “take ownership” of the environment copy you have issued.
If they click on the “Take Ownership” link in the upper right corner of their environment home page, they’ll become like you – able to add or change machines too, and issue invites – but with the advantage of starting from the environment they’ve been using as their base environment (and without affecting yours). While usually speedy, the “take ownership” process can take up to 30 minutes.
