WinSCP cannot connect to my Google Cloud Instance

[Burnsoir]

My WinSCP file transfer app cannot connect to my Google Cloud VM Instance. Everything looks Ok, and the instance appears as it should.

I have an Eve-ng networking simulator on the Instance which usually uploads Networking device images. It was working, and I was able to upload the images using WinSCP.

I deleted the VM Instance and created a new one because some of the images were not functioning as expected. Since I created the new VM instance (with identical settings according to the Eve-ng instructions) WinSCP can no longer access it. I've checked the Firewall settings etc but i cannot find the reason why it's not working.

Has anyone got any ideas what it could be?

[Willbin]

Hello @Burnsoir,

Welcome to Google Cloud Community!

Can you post the error message or logs? If there's any. Thanks

[Burnsoir]

Hello,

thank you for getting in touch with me. I am having a few problems with my Google Cloud portal where I cannot upload image files to my VM Instance with WinSCP.

I have the Eve-ng lab simulator app running on the VM instance and it looks OK, but I cannot upload images to it, and only have the default images (see Screenshot - "Add a new Node")

Initially, I could upload images but they weren't functioning properly, so I deleted the first Instance and created a new one.

Since then the WinSCP File transfer cannot access the VM Instance at all - I have no idea why.

I have tried lots of things, deleting and creating VM instances, checking Firewall rules etc - but no success.

Sometimes I cannot SSH to the VM - sometimes I can.

I would be very grateful for any help.

Best regards
Paul Burns

[Willbin]

Hello @Burnsoir,

We really have to identify the root cause of this. Check the logs on your VM instance for any SSH-related errors. You have to pay attention to it as it can provide valuable insights into the issue. 

However, you might also want to:

Ensure that SSH/SFTP is properly set up on your VM instance. SSH should be installed, and the SSH server should be running. Verify that you have the correct username and password (or SSH key) for authentication.

Ensure that you are using the correct WinSCP Protocol for your VM instance. WinSCP supports both SCP and SFTP for file transfer. SFTP is preferred since it is more secure and works over SSH. 

If you are running your VM instance in a VPC network, ensure that the firewall rules and security groups allow traffic on the necessary ports for SSH/SFTP.

You might also need to check WinSCP documentation.

Thanks