Every server Unmetered traffic, DDoS protection and IPMI included. No setup fees, no contract. Unmetered traffic on every server See pricing

FlexDedi
Custom quote Log in Deploy a server

Documentation

Getting started with your FlexDedi server

Choose and order a FlexDedi server, find your IP addresses, root or Administrator and IPMI credentials, then log in and secure access in a few steps.

  • 5 min read
  • Updated
  • FlexDedi Engineering

About this page

Applies to
Every FlexDedi dedicated server
Updated
November 2, 2026
On this page
  1. 1. Choose a server and a location
  2. 2. Place your order
  3. 3. Find what you received
  4. 4. Log in for the first time
  5. 5. Change the credentials you were given
  6. 6. Add your SSH keys
  7. 7. Update the system and check the hardware
  8. Next steps

This guide takes you from choosing a server to a first secure login. Most steps assume a Linux image; where Windows Server or Proxmox VE differ, the difference is noted.

Examples use documentation addresses: 203.0.113.10 for IPv4 and 2001:db8:1234:5678::/64 for IPv6. Replace them with the addresses of your server.

1. Choose a server and a location

FlexDedi offers 10 configurations from $299/mo to $2,999/mo, grouped in five series. Every one is single-tenant bare metal with unmetered traffic, so pick on CPU, memory, storage and port speed rather than on expected traffic.

SeriesServersTypical use
CoreCore 16, Core 16XWeb apps, APIs, game servers, CI runners
ProPro 32, Pro 48, Pro 64Databases, SaaS back ends, virtualization
MaxMax 96, Max 192Dense virtualization, in-memory analytics, HPC
GPUGPU L40S, GPU RTX PROAI inference, rendering, fine-tuning
StorageStorage 264Backups, object storage, media libraries

Compare full specifications on the dedicated servers page. Then choose a location close to your users. Not every configuration is offered everywhere: the Core series is available in all 10 locations, while Max 192 and GPU RTX PRO are available in Ashburn, Amsterdam and Frankfurt.

Two location rules save trouble later:

  • Servers that talk to each other privately must be in the same location, because private networking does not span cities.
  • If latency matters, put the server in the city closest to most of your users, not closest to you.

2. Place your order

  1. Open the order page and select the configuration and the location.
  2. Choose an operating system image: Ubuntu, Debian, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, Windows Server or Proxmox VE. To run something else, you can boot your own ISO later through the KVM console.
  3. Add your SSH public key if you install Linux or Proxmox VE. You can also add keys after the first login, as shown in step 6.
  4. Pay for the first month. There are no setup fees and no contract: billing is monthly in advance, and if you cancel, the server stays active until the end of the paid period.

Configurations marked "Ready in minutes" are pre-racked and burn-in tested, and are usually delivered within 15 minutes of payment with the OS installed. Configurations marked "Same-day" (Storage, GPU and Max) are assembled to order and usually delivered the same day.

3. Find what you received

When the server is ready, open it in the control panel. You will find:

  • One public IPv4 address. Additional IPv4 addresses are available on request.
  • A /64 IPv6 block, more than 18 quintillion addresses for this server. See Configure IPv6 on your server.
  • Login credentials: root for Linux and Proxmox VE, Administrator for Windows Server.
  • IPMI and HTML5 KVM access, the out-of-band console that works even when the operating system does not.

4. Log in for the first time

On Linux, connect over SSH from your workstation:

bash
ssh root@203.0.113.10

The first connection asks you to confirm the server's host key fingerprint. To check it rather than accept it blindly, open the KVM console from the control panel, log in, and compare the output of this command with what your SSH client shows:

bash
ssh-keygen -lf /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ed25519_key.pub

On Windows Server, connect with Remote Desktop as Administrator:

powershell
mstsc /v:203.0.113.10

On Proxmox VE, open https://203.0.113.10:8006 in a browser and sign in as root with the Linux PAM realm. Your browser will warn about the self-signed certificate until you install your own.

5. Change the credentials you were given

Replace the initial password as soon as you are in. On Linux and Proxmox VE:

bash
passwd

On Windows Server, press Ctrl+Alt+End in the Remote Desktop session and choose Change a password, or run net user Administrator * in an elevated prompt.

Change the IPMI password too, and keep it different from your root password. Use IPMI and the HTML5 KVM console explains how.

6. Add your SSH keys

If you did not add a key at order time, create one on your workstation and copy it to the server:

bash
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "you@workstation"
ssh-copy-id -i ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub root@203.0.113.10

Open a new terminal and confirm that ssh root@203.0.113.10 logs you in without a password prompt. Only then disable password logins, following Connect to your server with SSH, which also covers Windows workstations.

7. Update the system and check the hardware

Install pending updates before you deploy anything:

bash
# Ubuntu and Debian
apt update && apt full-upgrade -y

# AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux
dnf upgrade -y

Then confirm that what you see matches what you ordered:

bash
lscpu | grep -E 'Model name|^CPU\(s\)'
free -h
lsblk -o NAME,SIZE,TYPE,MOUNTPOINTS
ip -br addr

Check how the drives are laid out before you store data on them. If you want a mirror across the NVMe drives, see the software RAID guide.

Our engineers are available 24/7 through support tickets for hardware, network and platform issues. Attach your server to your client area with the code from your welcome message to open them.

Next steps