# Getting started

A VPS Ultra goes into service in four steps: you choose your size and your system, you send us your public SSH key, you pay, and our team prepares your server.

## 1. Choose your size and your system

On the [VPS Ultra page](https://www.simafri.com/en/vps-ultra/), each size carries a button, **Choose Ultra 1** to **Choose Ultra 3**: it opens the contact form, already filled in with the chosen size. From your client area [my.simafri.com](https://my.simafri.com/), the **Our services** section also shows the **VPS Ultra** family: **See the offer**, then **Write to us**.

In your message, specify:

* the **size** you want, or what your project needs, so that we can advise you;
* the **system**: the Linux distribution of your choice (Ubuntu, Debian, Rocky Linux, AlmaLinux...), or **Windows Server**, whose licence is added to the subscription;
* the **cycle**: monthly, or yearly with one month free;
* your project's **domain name**, if there is one;
* whether your project needs to **send mail directly** from the server (see [Network and sending email](/en/vps-ultra/reseau-et-e-mails.md)).

Our team then sends you your proforma, which you find in the **Billing** section of your client area.

## 2. Send your public SSH key

Your Linux server opens with your SSH key. Create it on your computer if you do not have one yet:

```
ssh-keygen -t ed25519
```

then send us the content of the `id_ed25519.pub` file, your **public** key, in reply to our message or from the **Support** section. Your private key, the file without `.pub`, stays on your computer and is shared with no one. The details are in [Connecting](/en/vps-ultra/connexion.md).

For a server running Windows Server, our team tells you on delivery how to open your first session.

## 3. Pay the proforma

Pay your proforma from the **Billing** section, with one of the payment methods it shows for your country (see [Invoices and payments](https://docs.simafri.com/en/espace-client/facturation/)). No setup fee is added.

## 4. Preparing your server

As soon as your payment is recorded, our team prepares your VPS Ultra: the virtual machine, its system, its dedicated IPv4 address and your key. Meanwhile, your server's card, **VPS** section of your client area, shows **Being prepared**.

As soon as it is ready, the card moves to **Running**, with its IPv4 and IPv6 addresses and its **SSH connection** command, and we write to you. Your subscription runs from the date the server goes into service, shown in the card: **In service since**.

## Your first connection

Copy the **SSH connection** command from your card into your computer's terminal. It has the form:

```
ssh root@203.0.113.20
```

The address is your server's dedicated IPv4 address: use the one from your card. On the first connection, your computer asks you to confirm the server's fingerprint: answer `yes`.

You are now the administrator of your server. To begin, on Ubuntu or Debian:

```
apt update && apt upgrade
```

then install what your project needs, with the help of the guides [Putting a site or an application online](/en/vps-ultra/mettre-en-ligne.md) and [System and security](/en/vps-ultra/systeme-et-securite.md).

## Frequently asked questions

### Can I order a VPS Ultra without a domain name?

Yes. Your server can be reached at its dedicated IPv4 address as soon as it goes into service, and you add your domains whenever you wish.

### Can I install Windows?

Yes. The VPS Ultra runs Windows Server, with the licence billed separately. Say so when ordering: your server is delivered with Windows Server installed.