First Deployment Runbook

Start with the right region and complete your first Xcode build

This guide breaks down your first Cloud Mac session into verifiable steps: prepare project requirements, choose a dedicated Apple Silicon physical node, complete the order and secure connection, then run and verify the build. No virtual-machine resource pool is involved.

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Configuration: 2 dedicated physical hosts
Regions: 5 available regions
Term: Day, week, month, or quarter

DEPLOYMENT SHEET

First-build path

5 execution stages

Workload Project size, toolchain, and storage needs

Prepare

Physical node M4 or M4 Pro; choose your target region

Choose

Order configuration Term, storage add-ons, and payment method

Review

Secure connection Update credentials and establish a graphical or command-line session

Connect

Xcode build Verify the toolchain, dependencies, signing, and artifacts

Verify

Preflight checklist

Prepare these five inputs before opening the configuration page

An order delivers computing resources only. Decide how the project will be accessed, which toolchain it needs, and where data will live before ordering. The more specific your preparation, the less cleanup you will need after the first connection.

MAIL

Account email

Use an email address that can continuously receive order and support messages. For team purchases, decide who will manage the account, billing records, and support tickets.

SOURCE

Project access

Confirm repository access, dependency sources, and artifact upload locations. Never place sensitive tokens in repositories, build scripts, or shared documents.

XCODE

Required development environment

Record the Xcode version, command-line tools, package manager, SDK, build target, and signing requirements to avoid discovering version incompatibilities after connecting.

TERM

Rental term

Start with a daily term for a one-off validation. For release sprints or continuous pipelines, compare weekly, monthly, and quarterly terms against the task duration rather than looking only at a single build.

REGION

Target region

Choose a region based on team access paths, code and dependency locations, and data flows. Actual availability is determined by the real-time response from the console.

Step 1 · Choose a configuration

Match the configuration to the workload—not just the chip name

ArmVMS offers exactly 2 configurations, both dedicated Apple Silicon physical nodes. Review project size, peak memory, parallel tasks, and local data volume before choosing where to start.

Everyday development

ArmVMS M4

M4-16-256

Chip: M4
Memory: 16GB RAM
Storage: 256GB SSD

Suitable for lightweight iOS or macOS projects, everyday debugging, dependency checks, single-pipeline execution, and short compatibility tests. If caches and artifacts are substantial, evaluate a storage add-on as well.

Single-project iteration Standard Xcode builds Short-term testing

Choose ArmVMS M4

High-load workloads

ArmVMS M4 Pro

M4PRO-64-2TB

Chip: M4 Pro
Memory: 64GB RAM
Storage: 2TB SSD

Suitable for large codebases, multi-module compilation, parallel builds, larger dependency caches, and memory-intensive LLM inference or extended AI experiments.

Large-project compilation Parallel CI/CD LLM inference

Choose ArmVMS M4 Pro

Choose ArmVMS M4 first A clearly scoped project with low concurrency and manageable caches—ideal for validating the full workflow first.

Choose ArmVMS M4 Pro first High memory peaks, many modules, parallel tasks, or large models and data files.

Step 2 · Choose a region

Choose the node that best matches your project’s data path from 5 regions

Singapore, Japan (Tokyo), South Korea (Seoul), Hong Kong, and the US East all offer both configurations. Standard catalog combinations are generally orderable; check the console for real-time availability.

Singapore

Best for projects whose code sources, collaborators, or delivery targets are primarily in Southeast Asia.

Japan (Tokyo)

Best for work involving teams, dependency services, or testing collaboration concentrated in Japan and nearby regions.

South Korea (Seoul)

Best for teams whose main collaboration paths are in South Korea or that need nearby handling of local testing tasks.

Hong Kong

Best for projects with collaborators across Asia that need centralized handling of repositories and build artifacts.

US-E

US East

Best for projects whose repositories, dependency services, automation, or collaborators are primarily in eastern North America.

Team access paths

Start with where developers connect from each day, not just the organization’s registered address.

Code and dependency locations

Repository, package source, model-file, and artifact-storage locations affect the complete workflow.

Project data flows

When customer data or internal materials are involved, confirm your team’s data-handling requirements first.

Step 3 · Place the order

Review the term, region, configuration, and add-ons line by line before submitting

The console returns the currently available options. Do not confirm only the model name; also check that the term, region, and storage add-ons match your preflight checklist.

ORDER REVIEW

Order review sequence

Before submitting

Choose a model

Confirm ArmVMS M4 or ArmVMS M4 Pro, then verify the chip, memory, and base storage item by item.

Choose a term

Rent by the day, week, month, or quarter based on task duration and environment-retention needs.

Choose a region

Choose one of Singapore, Japan (Tokyo), South Korea (Seoul), Hong Kong, or US East.

Review add-ons

Add storage capacity or Thunderbolt 5 expansion only when needed, and avoid confusing prices for different terms.

Confirm the order record

Save the order number and confirmation details for acceptance, billing checks, and future support requests.

Term planning

Choose the term around the task boundaries

Short terms suit temporary validation; for ongoing iteration, parallel pipelines, or cache retention, choose based on the full project duration.

Review all term prices

Submission

Create the order after confirmation

Check the model, region, term, and add-ons again before submitting. Actual availability and available gateways are determined by the backend response.

Open the management panel to create an order

Payment details

USD settlement with two supported payment options

All order amounts are recorded in US dollars (USD). Check the network, amount, order number, and payment status before paying; available gateways are returned by the backend.

USDT

USDT-TRC20

Verify the network and order requirements before transferring, then pay using the information shown on the page. Do not use a transfer record from another network for this order.

CARD

Visa / Mastercard / Amex

Card payments are processed by Stripe, while orders remain settled in US dollars (USD). Payment results and available methods are shown in real time on the checkout page.

CurrencyAll orders are settled in US dollars (USD)

AmountUse the term and add-ons shown on the current order confirmation page

RecordsKeep the order number and payment confirmation for future checks

Step 4 · Connect securely

Once you receive connection details, tighten your credentials before migrating the project

The goal of the first connection is not to run the full pipeline immediately. First confirm the node, account, address, and local network conditions, then establish a secure access method you can repeat.

ACCESS CHECK

First-session checklist

01
Verify delivery details
Confirm that the region, connection address, account identifier, and order number belong to the current order.
02
Update account credentials
Update your credentials immediately after the first login; do not continue working with the initial credentials.
03
Restrict key scope
Configure access according to least privilege, remove expired keys, and never store tokens in plain text in scripts.
04
Set up the work directory
Separate code, dependency caches, build artifacts, and temporary files for easier cleanup and backup.

Graphical remote work

Best for Xcode UI work, simulator testing, and tasks requiring desktop interaction. After connecting, check display settings, clipboard policy, and how sessions are ended.

View connection help

Command line and automation

Best for dependency installation, background tasks, build scripts, and log collection. Give each task a defined directory, output location, and exit condition.

View the automation guide

Step 5 · First build

Run a minimal build path that is traceable and reproducible

Treat the first build as an environment validation. Verify the toolchain and dependencies first, then handle signing, disk space, and artifact export; do not start by running multiple unverified tasks in parallel.

Check the toolchain

Record the Xcode, SDK, and command-line tool versions, and confirm that the required build target is recognized by the current environment.

Environment

Restore project dependencies

Restore dependencies from the lockfile and check architecture compatibility and command paths. Do not copy old caches from unknown sources.

Dependencies

Review signing configuration

Confirm that the target, team permissions, provisioning profiles, and version number match the current release workflow. Keep sensitive materials in controlled locations only.

Signing

Check disk space

Reserve space separately for source code, dependencies, derived data, archives, and exported artifacts, and remove unrelated temporary files before building.

Storage

Save the build record

Record the command, environment versions, start and end times, exit status, log location, and artifact path as the baseline for future automation.

Record

Build fields worth retaining BUILD RECORD

Environment: Xcode version, SDK, command-line tools
Inputs: Commit, dependency lockfile, build target
Execution: Command, start time, end time, exit status
Outputs: Log location, archive path, exported artifact location

Delivery acceptance checklist

Beyond a successful build, confirm that the delivered resources match the order

Acceptance should cover hardware details, region, term, and connection status. If you find a discrepancy, save the current state before submitting a support request; do not repeatedly modify the environment first.

CHIP

Chip

Confirm that the order specifies M4 or M4 Pro; do not substitute project build results for a hardware-field check.

RAM

Memory

ArmVMS M4 should have 16GB; ArmVMS M4 Pro should have 64GB.

SSD

Storage

Verify the base storage and selected add-ons, and confirm that available space meets cache, archive, and model-file requirements.

NODE

Node

Confirm that the region matches the order and record the node code for billing and support correlation.

TERM

Term

Verify the daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly term and the start and end details shown in the order to avoid scheduling work against the wrong term.

ACCESS

Connection status

Verify each required graphical session, command-line task, and artifact export path separately.

Issue handling

Submit an information package that can go straight into troubleshooting

Prepare the order number, node, error time, local client OS, reproduction steps, error message, and redacted logs. For an existing order, sign in to the console and submit a linked support ticket so the service team can access the order context.

With your environment checklist ready, create your first Cloud Mac

Choose ArmVMS M4 or ArmVMS M4 Pro, then select one of Singapore, Japan (Tokyo), South Korea (Seoul), Hong Kong, or US East. Check the console for real-time availability.

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