This topic describes the billable items and payment options for CloudBox resources.
Billable items
The following table details the billing for each type.
Type | Resource | Description | Billing method | References |
Cloud services deployed with CloudBox hardware (Required) | computing resource (Required) | Billing for computing SKUs (vCPUs and memory) is based on unit price, quantity, and subscription duration. | subscription | |
block storage (Required) | Billing for SSD or ESSD cloud disks is based on capacity, unit price, and subscription duration. | subscription | ||
object storage (Optional) | Billing for object storage is based on storage capacity, unit price, and subscription duration. | subscription | ||
Network resources (Required) | You can select one of the following network connection methods:
| Billed separately | ||
Cloud services deployed on CloudBox (Optional) | Cloud products, such as ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL, Container Service for Kubernetes, and other cloud products | Each product on CloudBox is billed according to its own rules. | pay-as-you-go | See the documentation for each product. |
Cloud services that manage local CloudBox resources from the public cloud (Optional) | Security Center, Application Real-Time Monitoring Service, and other cloud products | Each product is billed according to its existing public cloud billing rules. | subscription, pay-as-you-go, and others | See the documentation for each product. |
Notes:
Your CloudBox order includes only the fees for the cloud services deployed with the hardware, such as computing resources, block storage, and object storage. Fees for other cloud products are not included.
When you purchase a CloudBox, you must purchase at least one computing SKU and a minimum capacity of block storage (at least 12 TiB of PL0 ESSD cloud disks). Alibaba Cloud then deploys the corresponding hardware to your data center. You are purchasing the cloud services that run on the hardware, not the hardware itself. Alibaba Cloud retains ownership of the hardware.
You are not charged again for included resources that you have already paid for, such as computing and storage resources. However, other resources incur separate charges. For example, when you create an ECS instance in a CloudBox, you are not charged for the instance type (computing resource) or the cloud disk (block storage resource). However, if you use a cloud database service, you must pay for it separately.
Payment options
You must pay in advance when ordering CloudBox resources, such as computing, block, and object storage, from the CloudBox console. The following payment options are available:
Parameter | Description |
Payment option |
Note To learn how to view your CloudBox bills, see View bills. |
Payment method |
|
Billing period
The billing period for your CloudBox does not start immediately after you pay for the order. Alibaba Cloud initiates a delivery and deployment process that takes one to two months to set up the CloudBox hardware in your data center. After the deployment is complete, you can accept the delivery. The billing period starts upon acceptance.
For payment options other than All Upfront, an installment bill for the remaining balance is generated on the first day of each month during the billing period. The amount of each installment is calculated as: Remaining Balance / Number of Subscription Months.
For example:
On 2021-01-01, you purchase a CloudBox with a 3-year term and accepted it on 2021-02-15.
In this case:
Expiration date: The service expires 3 years after the acceptance date, which is 2024-02-15.
Billing period: From 2021-02-15 to 2024-02-15.
Billing cycle: The first installment bill is generated on 2021-03-01. The second installment bill is generated on 2021-04-01. Subsequent bills are generated on the first day of each month. The final installment bill is generated on 2024-02-01, for a total of 36 installments.
Scale-up
If your current CloudBox resources are insufficient for your business needs, you can scale them up. You can scale up computing, storage, and other resources separately. The following resources can be scaled up:
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Compute resources: You can purchase compute SKUs, compute expansion packages, and SLA value-added service packages.
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Compute SKU: Purchase new compute SKUs to scale out compute resources by adding full racks.
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Compute expansion package: Scale out compute resources within your existing racks.
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SLA value-added service package: Purchase a value-added service for a Service Level Agreement (SLA) on your compute resources.
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Storage resources: You can expand storage capacity based on your existing storage resources. When you scale out block storage, the type of the new block storage must be the same as the type you originally purchased.
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Network resources: You can purchase a local Express Connect bandwidth expansion package to increase the bandwidth of your local Express Connect (the network bandwidth between your Alibaba Cloud Box and on-premises devices).
For more information, see Scale up a CloudBox.
Renewal
After your CloudBox enters the billing period, or when the subscription is about to expire, you can renew it to extend the term. You must renew the entire CloudBox order and cannot renew a single order item. For more information, see Renew a CloudBox.
Overdue payments
Your account is considered overdue if your available credit (including your account balance and vouchers) is less than the outstanding bill amount. If your account is overdue for more than 15 days, your CloudBox service will be suspended. To avoid service interruptions, pay your overdue bills as soon as possible.
For cloud products that run on CloudBox or that fully reuse public cloud capabilities, overdue payments are handled based on the overdue payment policies of each specific product.
Return
When you purchase a CloudBox, you are purchasing cloud services, not the physical hardware. If you no longer need the CloudBox, you can terminate the service, and Alibaba Cloud will reclaim the hardware. The following return options are available:
Terminate the service upon expiration
Return the hardware before expiration (breach of contract)
For more information, see Return policy.
FAQ
Q: I accepted my CloudBox on March 21, 2021, and only used it for 10 days in March. Why did I receive a full one-month bill on April 1 instead of a 10-day bill?
A: After you accept the CloudBox, the billing period starts. The system automatically calculates a fixed monthly installment amount based on the remaining balance and the number of subscription months, so each installment is the same. Therefore, the bill you received on April 1 is the first installment bill, not a prorated bill for the remaining 10 days of March.