VPS Setup Guide

What Is A VPS?

A Virtual Private Server (VPS) is simply a PC that runs in the cloud (a remote server). While you can run MT4 on your own PC at home, a VPS is much better and highly recommended because it frees up your own PC and is not prone to restarts, electricity cutouts, etc (which could cause the BladeMiner forex bot to stop running and incur losses).

Get Your VPS at Cloudzy

Most VPS providers have Windows machines available. We have done the research and found Cloudzy to be a highly reliable provider at cheap cost. They also provide Windows Server 2012 R2 machines which are great for running MetaTrader 4 on (since MT4 is rather old software). MT4 will run on newer versions of Windows too.

Get Your VPS at Cloudzy

When registering and configuring your VPS at Cloudzy, ensure the following (see screenshot below, you can click on it to zoom in):

• - Get the $9.95/month option (on the homepage it may be listed as $8.95/month, that's the yearly rate which you can also get if you wish).
• - Make sure to get Windows Server 2012 R2.
• - Note when selecting your server location (it doesn't matter where it is), that some require a setup fee and some do not (at the time of writing Germany, Frankfurt had no setup fee, but this may have changed). Select one which has no setup fee.

Once you have signed up, you will receive an email containing your server information. It may take up to 45 minutes for your VPS to be loaded (ready for connecting to). You can use this information to connect to your VPS from your local PC (please see guides below).

NEVER delete this server info email, as you will need it to connect to your VPS.

Connect To Your VPS

• How to connect to your VPS from your (local) Windows machine
• How to connect to your VPS from your (local) Mac machine
  Note Mac users: Enter the server IP address ('Main IP' in your Cloudzy email) in the 'PC Name' field when adding a new PC in Microsoft Remote Desktop.

Once you've logged in to your VPS, you should see the following (yes, a rather old version of Windows! :):

Disable Automatic Windows Updates

To keep Windows running continuously (to safely run the BladeMiner bot Monday to Friday), we need to disable automatic Windows updates as sometimes they will cause a restart of the machine (killing the Meta Trader 4 application - where BladeMiner runs - in the process).

In Windows Server 2012 R2 you can disable automatic updates as follows:

Go to Start > Control Panel > Windows Update (search for it if not visible). Click 'Change Settings' (upper left hand side).

In the dropdown list, select 'Check for updates but let me choose whether to download and install them', then click 'OK':

You can still do updates when you log in to your VPS (you will be prompted for new available updates) but ensure that the updates have completed while you are logged in (and that the machine doesn't restart). If ever your VPS is restarted, you must ensure to re-open MT4 to keep the bot running.

Disable Password Expiry

The default password expiry age (how long before you need to select a new password) is 42 days. While password changing is usually a good idea, it can get rather annoying to keep updating the password.

While this step is entirely optional, having password troubles with your VPS can be quite painful and usually involves having to create a support ticket, so it is recommended to disable password expiry and make a note of your current password somewhere safe (it is also in your Cloudzy server email). Never share this password with anyone.

To disable password expiry on Windows Server 2012 R2, do the following:

Go to Start > Administrative Tools > Local Security Policy (window pops open).

Select (on LHS), Account Policies > (on RHS) Password Policy.

Update the 'Maximum Password Age' to be '0' (this disables expiry). Click 'Apply' (then OK).

Well done! Your VPS is now set up and ready for the next step: Setting Up Meta Trader 4.