Help Needed: Unable to Access JATOS Instance and Recover Research Data

[abaanggg]

Hello,

I am facing an urgent issue with accessing my JATOS instance, which contains critical research data. Here are the details:

Issue Description:

1. My JATOS instance was previously accessible at http://34.67.243.56:9000/jatos.
2. I suspect the issue arose due to an expired payment method, which I recently updated.
3. After updating, I noticed that the external IP may have changed.
4. I tried accessing the suspected new IPs:
   • http://34.101.102.116:9000/
   • http://34.128.91.249:9000/
     But neither worked.

Actions Taken:

1. Checked All Instances: I reviewed all active VMs in my GCP projects but couldn’t find any instance with JATOS or access to port 9000.
2. Firewall Rules: Verified firewall rules to ensure port 9000 is open.
3. Activity Log: Looked for deleted instances but couldn’t locate relevant logs.
4. Persistent Disks: Checked for detached disks or snapshots but didn’t find anything.
5. Billing: Reviewed billing reports but didn’t identify any clues about the missing instance.

Request:

1. How can I locate the VM or project hosting the JATOS instance?
2. Is there a way to recover data if the instance was deleted or the external IP reassigned?
3. Are there any other steps I can take to troubleshoot and regain access to my JATOS data?

Thank you for your assistance!

[KyleMari]

Hi @abaanggg,

Welcome to the Google Cloud Community!

Setting up JATOS with Google Cloud is considered a third party and with that, it may no longer be my area of expertise. Likewise, I'll do my best to share my insights about the issue you're facing.

Though I'm not sure the exact steps on how you've set up Google Cloud for your JATOS project/instance, my best guess here is that you've set up JATOS like a web server within a Compute Engine Virtual Machine (VM), so one way or the other, at some point in your steps, it's expected that one knows the name of the VM instance where JATOS was set up, or if not, at least the containing project ID that's linked to it.

You can try to look for the missing VM via gcloud compute instances list, but if you have multiple projects, ensure that you're pointing to the right one in GCP console or in GCloud CLI (via gcloud config set). You can also check this related Stack Overflow post that talks about searching for a missing instance.

The possibility of recovering your JATOS data would only depend on the following conditions:

• If you've initially considered backing up your current instance via Google Cloud
  • Setting up deletion protection on a VM
  • Creating a disk snapshot from which you can create a new instance in case of disaster
  • Creating a machine image
  • Creating a backup recovery plan through Backup and DR
• If you were able to look into the supported JATOS data backup methods through its official documentation

In the case of billing concerns surrounding a Google Cloud project, some resources attached to a Google Cloud project gets removed, usually after a 30-day grace period, in the event that your Google Cloud services have stopped due to expired free trial, unsettled payment or Google Cloud project suspension. I won't be able to fully confirm if this is what happened to your JATOS instance. Likewise, to verify its overall status, it would be best to contact Google Cloud support so that they could further investigate the issues surrounding your missing instance and identify the next best course of action for your case. 

Was this helpful? If so, please accept this answer as “Solution”. If you need additional assistance, reply here within 2 business days and I’ll be happy to help.