Renting a Windows VPS from OVHcloud

🤓 Learning objective

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

• Navigate the OVHcloud dashboard to locate and order a Windows Virtual Private Server (VPS) through the Bare Metal Cloud menu.
• Select an appropriate VPS plan by evaluating specs (vCores, RAM, SSD storage, bandwidth) relative to their game server needs.
• Configure a VPS order, including commitment period, server quantity, datacenter location (choosing based on player proximity for lowest latency), OS image, and storage type.
• Complete the checkout process, including reviewing billing details, accepting terms of service, and selecting a payment method.
• Locate and interpret server details in the OVHcloud dashboard's Home tab (status, configuration, and public IP address) after provisioning.
• Explain what KVM (Keyboard, Video, Mouse) access is and use it to remotely connect to and log into a newly rented Windows server via web browser.
• Describe, at a conceptual level, how a VPS functions as a always-on remote computer that allows players worldwide to connect to a hosted game server (e.g., Minecraft, Rust, GTA V, Project Zomboid).

📝 Key takeaways

Here are some key takeaways after watching the lesson:

• Renting a Windows VPS on OVHcloud starts from Bare Metal Cloud → Order → Virtual Private Servers, where you pick a plan based on your game server's resource needs (e.g., VPS-2: 4 vCores, 8GB RAM, 75GB SSD, unlimited traffic, 400 Mbps bandwidth).
• Server location should match your players' location — choosing a datacenter region close to where most players are located reduces latency and improves connection quality.
• The "image" is just the operating system — for this course, that means selecting the Windows Server image during configuration.
• No long-term commitment is required — VPS plans can be billed monthly with "No commitment," making it flexible for beginners to test out hosting.
• Total cost is transparent upfront — in this example, the configured server came out to $19.60/month before checkout.
• After purchase, OVHcloud sends confirmation emails — one for the order, one with server details — and the new server appears immediately in the dashboard.
• The dashboard's Home tab is the control center — it shows server status (active), configuration (hardware specs), and critically, the public IP address players will use to connect.
• KVM = Keyboard, Video, Mouse — it's a browser-based remote access tool that lets you control the Windows server as if you were sitting in front of it physically, regardless of where the data center is located.
• Logging in remotely uses a virtual "Ctrl+Alt+Delete" — since a physical keyboard shortcut can't be sent through a browser, OVHcloud provides a "Send Control Alt Delete" button instead.
• The big-picture concept: a VPS is essentially a dedicated, always-on computer in a specific region of "the internet" — once set up, it can host any game server (Minecraft, Rust, GTA V, Project Zomboid, Red Dead Redemption 2, etc.) and be reached by players worldwide.