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Getting started with IBM Cloud Internet Services

Getting started with IBM Cloud Internet Services

IBM Cloud® Internet Services (CIS), powered with Cloudflare, offers three main capabilities to enhance your workflow: security, reliability, and performance. You can navigate to features for each of these capabilities after you open the CIS UI.

For each capability, CIS helps you tune its features to suit your specific needs. These features are detailed in the About IBM Cloud Internet Services section.

Before you begin

Before you begin using CIS:

It is recommended that you use the Chrome browser for CIS.

Process overview

You can start using CIS for your internet traffic with just a few steps.

  1. Open the CIS application from your IBM Cloud dashboard.
  2. Add the domain that you want to manage.
  3. Set up your DNS records (optional).
  4. Configure your DNS information with the name servers provided.
  5. Continue getting started with CIS by following a tutorial, or by setting up other features.

Step 1: Open the IBM CIS application

Open the IBM Cloud catalog. Then, select the Networking category in the navigation pane. Click the Internet Services tile to open the IBM Cloud Internet Services application.

The Overview screen

After the CIS application starts up, you'll see the CIS Overview screen, and you'll find the tabs for Security, Reliability, and Performance.

Which plan do I choose?

There are several plans to choose from:

  • Enterprise Usage
  • Enterprise Package
  • Enterprise GLB
  • Enterprise Security
  • Standard (Deprecated as of 30 April 2023)
  • Standard Next (Replaces deprecated Standard plan)
  • No-cost Trial

The No-cost Trial expires after 30 days, at which point you can upgrade to a plan that best suits your needs. The trial plan instance will have the same features available as a Standard Next plan instance would. Both the Standard Next and Enterprise Plans (except for Enterprise Usage plan) have a single domain included, but will allow you to onboard multiple domains under a single service instance for a cost.

Select Create on the Overview screen to begin provisioning your account.

The No-cost Trial is limited to one instance per account.

Begin provisioning

You'll see the first screen of the CIS application, where you select Add Domain to begin.

Select Let's get started from the welcome page to begin setting up CIS.

Step 2. Add and configure your domain

Next, begin protecting and improving the performance of your web service by entering your domain or a subdomain.

Specify DNS zones. You can configure the name servers for these domains or subdomains at the domain's registrar or DNS provider. Do not use CNAMEs.

The Overview screen shows your domain in Pending status and remains Pending until you complete configuring your name servers with the registrar or existing DNS provider, which is covered in Step 4.

You cannot delete the CIS instance after you add a domain. To delete the instance, delete the domain from the instance first.

Step 3. Set up your DNS records (optional)

Before transitioning the traffic for your domain to CIS, it is recommended that you import or recreate your DNS records in CIS. You can choose to skip this step, but if your DNS records are not configured properly in CIS, it might leave parts of your website inaccessible.

Import records by uploading your exported records from your current DNS, or manually create your DNS records. To import records, select Import records.

When you are finished, or to skip this step, select Next step.

Step 4. Configure your name servers with the registrar or existing DNS provider

To begin receiving the benefits of CIS, you must delegate your domain to CIS. To delegate a domain, create an NS record with the name servers provided by CIS at your domain's registrar or existing DNS provider. If you are unsure of who the registrar is for your domain, you can look it up at lookup.icann.org.

If you delegate a subdomain (for instance, subdomain.example.com) from another DNS provider, you must replace the existing name server (NS) records and replace them with a name server record for each of the name servers that are provided by CIS. See Managing DNS records in Cloudflare for detailed instructions by provider.

After you configure your registrar or DNS provider, it can take up to 24 hours for the changes to take effect. When we verify that the specified name servers were configured correctly for your domain or subdomain, the domain's status changes from Pending to Active.

Your domain must move to Active state within 60 days or your domain and any configuration data is removed.

Step 5. Ensure that CIS is resolving the domain information for your application, hostname, or website

To proceed, select Reliability > DNS. Be sure to add the appropriate DNS records. Add the A Record and any AAAA or MX entries that are populated. If you forget to add these records before the registrar's delegation is complete, IBM Cloud Internet Services cannot resolve the domain information for your internet-facing applications.

Next steps

To begin managing CIS functions and features, see Managing your IBM Cloud Internet Services deployment.