Search for ECS resources in the current account-Elastic Compute Service(ECS)-阿里云帮助中心

Search for resources, invoke actions, access menus, and find documents from one search box. An AI assistant matches queries to resources, actions, and documentation.

Feature overview

Global search supports the following features:

Feature	Description
Find resources	Find resources such as instances, images, security groups, ENIs, disks, and snapshots by ID, name, or keyword.
Invoke actions	Invoke common actions such as restarting an instance or establishing a remote connection by entering an action name.
Query documents	Find related user guides and API documentation by keywords such as batch start or batch stop.
Go to menus	Jump directly to a console page without navigating through menus.
Favorites and history	Save favorite actions or view search history for quick reuse.
AI search assistant	Chat with AI, invoke actions, and query resources for an intelligent management experience.

Access points

Open the global search page in any of the following ways:

Method 1: In the application sidebar, click the icon.

Note
If the sidebar is collapsed, click the icon in the lower-right corner to open it.
Method 2: On the Overview page, click the search box.
Method 3: Press ⌘+/ (macOS) or Ctrl+/ (Windows) anywhere in the ECS console.

See Keyboard shortcuts for global search shortcuts.

Keyboard shortcuts

Use keyboard shortcuts to search more efficiently. Available shortcuts are listed under Search Guide in the lower-left corner of the global search page.

Note

The shortcuts below are for macOS. For Windows shortcuts, refer to the interface.

Keyboard shortcuts:

Function	Keyboard shortcut (macOS)	Keyboard shortcut (Windows)
Invoke: Toggle global search.	`⌘+/`	`Ctrl+/`
Back: Go back one step.	`Esc`	`Esc`
Move: Move the selection up or down.	`↑`, `↓`	`↑`, `↓`
Run: Execute the selected action.	`⏎`	`Enter`
Actions: Open the action panel.	`⌘+⏎`	`Ctrl+Enter`
Favorite: Add to favorites.	`⌘+J`	`Ctrl+J`

How to use global search

Find resources

Enter a resource ID or name to find resources such as instances and disks, then navigate to the resource details page.

In the search box, enter a resource ID, name, or IP address. To query multiple resources, separate keywords with commas (,).

For example, enter the instance ID prefix i- to search. The search results display matching ECS instances. Each record shows the instance name, instance ID, running status, region, network type, and IP address. Click More > to view the complete results list.
Click a resource in the search results, or click More for additional details.

Note
The shortcuts below are for macOS. For Windows shortcuts, refer to the interface.

On the resource details page, you can:
- ① View details: Click View Details or press ⏎ to open the resource details page.
- ② Perform actions: Click Actions or press ⌘+⏎. Use the search box to find more actions.
- ③ Export: Click Export to export the resources on the current page.

Invoke actions

Enter an action name in the search box to invoke it on an instance.

For example, enter Connect or Replace System Disk to invoke the related action.

After invocation, the action panel displays available actions on the left and the configuration form for the selected action on the right. For example, to use VNC Remote Connection, select the Region and Instance, then click Execute.

Query documents

Search for ECS user guides or API operations with global search.

To find instructions on running a Docker container on an ECS instance, enter Docker. Click the target document to open it in the Help Center.
To create multiple ECS instances with custom configurations such as hostnames and tags, enter batch create. Click the target API operation to open the RunInstances page, where you can run the API or view its documentation.

Go to menus

Navigate directly to a console page with global search.

Enter a menu keyword such as Instance, Images, or Security Group, then click the target menu to go to that page.

Favorites and history

Click the icon next to a search result to save it as a favorite. Saved items appear in the Favorite area. Recent searches appear in the History area.

AI search assistant

Use the AI search assistant for AI chat, action invocation, or resource searches.

Important

Results generated by the AI search assistant cannot serve as the basis for final technical support conclusions or business decisions. Alibaba Cloud is not liable for any direct or indirect loss resulting from actions based on AI assistant output.
AI-generated information may not be fully accurate. Use it for reference only.

Permissions

RAM users must obtain the required permissions from the Alibaba Cloud account administrator. See Control access to ECS resources using RAM.

Access policy for a RAM user to use the AI search assistant

Required for AI chat, action invocation, and resource search features of the AI search assistant.

{
    "Version": "1",
    "Statement": [
        {
            "Action": "ecs:*",
            "Resource": "*",
            "Effect": "Allow"
        },
        {
            "Action": [
                "agent:ChatMessages",
                "agent:ModifyConversationsName",
                "agent:ChatMessagesTaskStop",
                "agent:GetConversations",
                "agent:DeleteConversations",
                "agent:GetMessages",
                "agent:ModifyMessagesFeedbacks",
                "agent:GetMessagesSuggested"
            ],
            "Resource": "*",
            "Effect": "Allow"
        }
    ]
}

Access policy for a RAM user to perform a global search using the AI search assistant
Required for global resource search via the AI search assistant. This policy allows querying all Alibaba Cloud resources under the account, including ECS, Elastic Block Storage, Server Load Balancer, virtual private cloud (VPC), and Elastic IP Addresses. See Cloud services and resource types supported by Resource Center for supported resources.
```
{
  "Version": "1",
  "Statement": [
    {
      "Action": "resourcecenter:*",
      "Resource": "*",
      "Effect": "Allow"
    },
    {
      "Action": "resourcecenter:GenerateSQLQueryByAI",
      "Resource": "*",
      "Effect": "Allow"
    }
  ]
}
```

AI chat

The AI chat feature helps you understand ECS-related topics.

After entering the ECS Search Assistant, the page displays a welcome message and three preset common question shortcuts:

Please restart an instance in the Hangzhou region (or start, stop, release, change the operating system, etc.)
I cannot remotely connect to my ECS instance. How do I troubleshoot?
My ECS server is stuck in Stopping status. How do I resolve this?

You can also enter your own questions in the input box at the bottom.

Invoke actions

Enter your requirement to let the AI assistant invoke the related action. For example, enter Restart Instance. The assistant invokes the restart action. Select the region and instance, click Restart, and follow the on-screen instructions.

Supported actions:

Supported actions	Description
Start	If an instance is stopped, start the instance before using it.
Stop	Stop an instance normally or set it to economical mode.
Restart	Restart an instance to apply system updates or save configurations.
Release	Release an instance when it is no longer needed.
Reboot	After paying an overdue bill, a stopped pay-as-you-go instance is automatically restarted.
Reset instance password	If you did not set a password at creation time or forgot it, reset the instance logon password.
Change operating system	If the current OS does not meet your needs, change the operating system.
Edit instance properties	Modify instance properties to improve resource management and readability.
Change public IP address	Assign a static public IP address to meet business or security requirements.
Re-initialize disk	Re-initialize a disk to purge data and restore it to its initial state.
Attach disk	Attach a data disk to an instance in the same zone to expand storage.
Modify VNC password	Modify the VNC logon password as needed.
Remote connection	Connect via Workbench or connect via VNC.
Create custom image	Create a custom image from an instance for rapid deployment of staging environments.
Unsubscribe	A subscription instance cannot be released before expiry. Convert it to pay-as-you-go and release it, or unsubscribe. See Release an instance.
Purchase instance with the same configuration	Purchase an instance with the same configuration for efficient horizontal scaling.
Change security group	If the current security group does not meet your needs, change the security group.
Change instance type	If the instance type does not match your workload, change the instance type.
Convert subscription to pay-as-you-go	Change a subscription instance to pay-as-you-go for cost recovery and flexibility. See Change the billing method of an instance from subscription to pay-as-you-go.
Change bandwidth	Modify the bandwidth configuration as needed.
Send command	Send a remote command to one or more instances for routine maintenance.
Associate with an EIP	Associate an Elastic IP Address with an instance as needed.
Upgrade or downgrade resources	Modify instance type, public bandwidth, and data disk billing method. See Overview of instance configuration changes.
Upgrade configuration	Upgrade instance type and public bandwidth. See Overview of instance configuration changes.
Clone instance	Clone an instance for environment replication, scaling, disaster recovery, or migration.

Search for resources

The AI search assistant supports global search across all Alibaba Cloud resources, such as ECS, Elastic Block Storage, Server Load Balancer, VPC, and Elastic IP Addresses. See Cloud services and resource types supported by Resource Center for supported resources.

Note

The AI search assistant may take 1 to 2 minutes to find resources.

For example, enter Please find resources related to 172.16.xx.xx. The assistant queries all resources with IP address 172.16.xx.xx under your account. Click View More to see the resource list and details.

References

If you have attached tags to your ECS resources, you can retrieve them by tag.
If your ECS resources are in a resource group, you can retrieve them by resource group.