> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.ornn.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Connect to your GPU reservation via VM

> Launch VM access for an Ornn reservation, choose the Ornn base image or an approved custom image, and SSH into your GPU environment.

VM access is the default, recommended way to use your Ornn GPU reservation. Ornn launches a managed virtual machine on your reserved hardware, pre-configured with your chosen image and the active reservation SSH keys. Once the VM is ready, the SSH Host and connection details appear on the reservation detail page.

## Prerequisites

Before launching or switching to VM on a reservation:

* The bid has been promoted to a confirmed reservation, and the reservation is visible in your portfolio.
* **Checkout and payment** for the reservation are complete.
* You have at least **one active SSH public key** registered on your account. See [Manage SSH keys](/guides/ssh-keys).

## Set up VM access

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the reservation detail page">
    From Portfolio, click **View** on the reservation you want to configure. The detail page opens at `/portfolio/[reservationId]`. The legacy `/portfolio/access` URL redirects here.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select VM">
    Pick **VM** as the access mode on the reservation. VM is the default on new reservations.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose a VM image">
    Pick the image Ornn should use when launching the machine:

    * **Ornn base image · Ubuntu + CUDA + PyTorch**: the default. A clean Ubuntu environment with NVIDIA drivers, CUDA, and PyTorch pre-installed. The right choice for most workloads.
    * **Approved custom image**: any custom images on your account that have passed Ornn's security scan appear in the dropdown alongside the base image.

    The image selector shows a detail line describing the selected image.

    <Note>
      Pick your image **before launch**. Changing the image after launch is only available where the reservation detail page exposes it, typically by tearing down the current VM and relaunching with a new selection.
    </Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Attach an SSH key and launch">
    In the **SSH Keys** section, add or confirm an active reservation SSH key (use **Add Key**), then launch the VM. Ornn authorizes the active reservation keys on the machine.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Connect via SSH">
    Once the VM is ready, the **SSH Host** and **User** fields (plus a ready-to-run **Quick Connect** command) appear in the Connect section of the reservation detail page. Connect:

    ```bash theme={null}
    ssh <user>@<ssh-host>
    ```
  </Step>
</Steps>

## The Ornn base image

The Ornn base image is an Ubuntu-based environment ready for GPU workloads out of the box:

* **OS:** Ubuntu (22.04 or 24.04)
* **GPU drivers:** NVIDIA drivers pre-installed and validated
* **CUDA:** Installed and configured
* **Framework:** PyTorch included

You don't need to install drivers or CUDA manually when using the base image.

## Custom images

Custom images uploaded to your account appear in the image dropdown once they've been reviewed and approved. The dropdown shows the display name and OS family; the detail line shows the image slug and a partial hash for verification.

<Note>
  Custom images must pass an Ornn security scan before they become available for selection. To submit an image for approval, contact [Ornn support](mailto:support@ornn.com).
</Note>

<Warning>
  Only images with a `clean` scan status appear in the dropdown. Images that are pending review, blocked, or revoked aren't available for selection.
</Warning>

<Warning>
  Switching access modes (VM ↔ Bare Metal) after launch tears down the existing environment. Anything stored on the VM that isn't persisted off the host will be lost.
</Warning>

## VM access and the CLI

<Note>
  Configure and launch VM access from the reservation detail page in the web app. The CLI's `ornn access` commands (`show`, `activate`, `push-keys`) provision and report Bare Metal access, not VM access. See [Bare Metal access](/guides/bare-metal-access) and the [Ornn Compute CLI](/cli) for details.
</Note>

## What's next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Access overview" img="https://mintcdn.com/ornn/fNQRwmmR9H-yzza5/images/banners/access.jpg?fit=max&auto=format&n=fNQRwmmR9H-yzza5&q=85&s=d7f78f5776720abf9eadfbb2519503c6" href="/guides/access-overview" width="1200" height="800" data-path="images/banners/access.jpg">
    Compare VM and Bare Metal and understand the prerequisites for each.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Bare Metal access" img="https://mintcdn.com/ornn/fNQRwmmR9H-yzza5/images/banners/bare-metal-access.jpg?fit=max&auto=format&n=fNQRwmmR9H-yzza5&q=85&s=6276c46ea54e80732c14919ccb9661a1" href="/guides/bare-metal-access" width="1200" height="800" data-path="images/banners/bare-metal-access.jpg">
    Connect directly to the GPU host when you need full hardware control.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>