Massed Compute

Starting a new project on Massed Compute shouldn’t require manual VM configuration, security hardening, and optimization tweaks. This guide automates the complete onboarding flow: intelligent SKU selection based on your project goals, automated provisioning via MCP, security passes, kernel optimization, and optional multi-VM connectivity.

The process captures your project requirements, provisions the right VM shapes, applies security and performance optimizations, and hands off clean infrastructure ready for your specific stack deployment.

Massed Compute VM Pricing

Pricing data fetched July 20, 2026

Step-by-Step Deployment

# Verify MCP connection
export MC_TOKEN="your-api-token"
# MCP tools will use this for authentication

# Update system packages
sudo apt-get update && sudo DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get upgrade -y

# Configure UFW firewall
sudo ufw allow OpenSSH
sudo ufw --force enable

# Disable password authentication
sudo sed -i 's/#PasswordAuthentication yes/PasswordAuthentication no/' /etc/ssh/sshd_config
sudo systemctl restart ssh

# Optimize network settings
echo 'net.core.rmem_max = 16777216' | sudo tee -a /etc/sysctl.conf
echo 'net.core.wmem_max = 16777216' | sudo tee -a /etc/sysctl.conf
echo 'net.ipv4.tcp_congestion_control = bbr' | sudo tee -a /etc/sysctl.conf

# Apply changes
sudo sysctl -p

# Configure inter-VM communication
# (Automated by MCP based on cluster manifest)
sudo ufw allow from PEER_PRIVATE_IP to any port YOUR_APP_PORT

Troubleshooting

SSH Connection Issues

If you can’t connect to a newly provisioned VM:

# Remove old host key
ssh-keygen -R YOUR_VM_IP

# Verify instance is running
# Check status via MCP instances_get

Wrong VM Configuration

If the MCP resolver selected an inappropriate SKU:

• Re-run the project goal resolver with more specific requirements
• Terminate non-protected instances that don’t match
• Relaunch with corrected configuration

Firewall Lockout

If UFW blocks your SSH access:

• Use the Massed Compute dashboard console access
• Allow your IP address on port 22 before re-enabling deny rules
• Test firewall changes in a separate SSH session first

Multi-VM Communication Failures

If VMs can’t communicate with each other:

• Verify UFW allows traffic from peer private IPs
• Check that application ports are open between instances
• Re-run cluster configuration scripts if needed

Skip All of This: Deploy with an AI Agent

This entire deployment process exists as a tested, machine-readable recipe in the Massed Compute MCP. Instead of running commands manually, connect an AI agent and automate the full workflow.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "massed-compute": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://vm.massedcompute.com/api/mcp",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer MC_TOKEN" }
    }
  }
}

Then say:

The agent matches your request against the recipe catalog, provisions the right VM configuration, runs the security and optimization steps above, and reports back with SSH details and next steps. If any step fails, deployment stops and you get detailed error output for troubleshooting.

Recipe last tested: June 10, 2026

Quick Setup Reference

For experienced users, here’s the condensed workflow:

1. Define goals: Specify project type, VM count, and connectivity needs
2. MCP provision: instances_launch with resolved SKU and naming
3. Security pass: Update packages, configure UFW, disable password auth
4. Optimize: Apply kernel tuning and capture health baseline
5. Connect VMs: Configure private networking if multi-VM setup
6. Verify: Test connectivity, security, and performance
7. Handoff: Generate documentation for stack-specific deployment

Total deployment time: ~45 minutes for complex multi-VM setups, ~15 minutes for single instances.

Frequently Asked Questions