Rebooting, stopping and starting a server
What the “Reboot”, “Stop” and “Start” buttons do, how long they take and what to do if the server doesn't respond.
On this page
The “Reboot”, “Stop” and “Start” buttons are on the server card, on the “My Servers” page of the app.blackbox.md panel (app.blackbox.md/my-servers, sidebar → “Infrastructure” → “My Servers”). From blackbox.md you can go straight to the server card through “Contul meu” (My account) → “Comenzi” (Orders) → “Gestionează în app.blackbox.md” (Manage in app.blackbox.md).
Available to: the server owner (the blackbox.md account the server was ordered from). The buttons are not shown on a server marked “Managed”. If the BLACKBOX team has given you management rights to a company server, the card usually shows only “Reboot”.
The blackbox.md website is available in Romanian and Russian; this article quotes the Romanian labels with their English meaning.
What each button does
| Button | Browser confirmation | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| “Reboot” | “Reboot SERVER_NAME?” | A normal (soft) reboot through the operating system: services shut down cleanly, then the server starts up again. |
| “Stop” | “Stop SERVER_NAME?” | A clean (graceful) shutdown: the operating system shuts down, and the server stays off until you click “Start”. |
| “Start” | “Start SERVER_NAME?” | Starts a stopped server; the operating system boots just as it does on a normal power-on. |
In place of SERVER_NAME you see the server's private name, if you have set one (Renaming a server (private name)). Otherwise you see the original name, for example bbx-bbx-2026-000023, and if there is none, the IP address.
How to reboot, stop or start your server
- Open “My Servers” and find the server card.
- Click “Reboot”, “Stop” or “Start”.
- Confirm in the browser window (for example, “Reboot bbx-bbx-2026-000023?”). If you cancel, nothing is sent.
- While the request is being sent, all three buttons are inactive. If the buttons become active again and no error appears, the request was accepted. The panel doesn't show a success message: only errors appear, in a red box below the server details.
- The command runs in the background. After “Reboot” or “Start”, wait 30–60 seconds before you connect over SSH: Connecting to your server over SSH (Windows, macOS, Linux).
Tip Don't click again if the server doesn't respond right away. A new command sent while the server is still carrying out the previous one may be rejected with
power_action_failed, and it still counts toward the limit.
The panel doesn't show whether the server is on
The card doesn't show the server's power state (on or off), which is why “Stop” and “Start” are always shown together. The green “active” label on the card only means that the server is active in your account, not that it is running.
To find out the state:
- try to connect over SSH or to open the website hosted on the server;
- if you have an AI assistant connected to your account, ask it what state the server is in (see the questions at the end of this article).
The power_action_failed message after “Start” or “Stop” usually means that the server was already in the requested state. “Reboot” doesn't work on a stopped server: click “Start”.
Rebooting and shutting down from the operating system
You can also reboot the server from your SSH session. The server starts up again by itself:
rebootIf you shut it down from the system, the server stays off until you click “Start” in the panel:
shutdown -h nowBilling while the server is stopped
Important A stopped server is still billed at the plan's monthly price: stopping it doesn't suspend the service. Billing stops only when the server is deleted: Permanently deleting a server.
If the server doesn't respond
- Click “Reboot” and wait a few minutes.
- Try to connect over SSH again. If you can't, follow the steps in I can't connect over SSH.
- If the server still doesn't respond, write to us: How to contact BLACKBOX support. Include the server's IP address, the order number (
BBX-…), what you have tried and when the server stopped responding. For an urgent issue during business hours, call +373 78 003948, Monday–Friday, 09:00–18:00 (Moldova time), and also open a support ticket.
Note The panel has no forced reboot (hard reset) button, and no web console or VNC either. If a normal reboot doesn't help, only the BLACKBOX team can step in.
Once the server responds again, look for the cause (memory exhausted, disk full, stuck processes): Diagnosing server load (CPU, RAM, disk, network).
Limits
At most 6 actions in 60 seconds, for all your servers combined. On a company server that you manage, an additional limit applies: at most 3 reboots in 10 minutes for that server. Every confirmed click counts, including clicks rejected with power_action_failed, and clicks made after you reach the limit extend the wait. Both limits show the same message, the one in the table below. All limits: The “Too many attempts” message and usage limits.
Error messages
Some errors appear as technical codes or as short system messages.
| Message | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
power_action_failed |
The command was rejected. Usually the server was already in the requested state (for example, “Start” on a server that is already running) or is still carrying out the previous command. Less often, another operation is running on the server (for example, an upgrade) or the infrastructure service is temporarily unavailable. | Check whether the server responds; if it is off, click “Start”. Otherwise, wait a minute and try again; if the error repeats, write to us |
| “Rate limit exceeded — power actions are limited to 6 requests per 60 seconds” | You have exceeded the action limit | Wait at least a minute without clicking the buttons (on a company server, up to 10 minutes) |
no_instance_id |
This server can't be stopped or started from the panel | Write to us |
invalid_action |
The panel sent an unknown action | Reload the page and try again |
| “Not found” | The server is no longer available in your account (for example, it was deleted) | Reload the page |
| “Unauthorized” | Your panel session has expired | Sign in to the panel again from blackbox.md: Opening the app.blackbox.md panel from your account |
“Failed to reboot.” / “Failed to stop.” / “Failed to start.” or a technical message beginning with [POST] |
The request didn't get a clear response, for example because your internet connection dropped | Check your connection, reload the page and try again; if it happens again, write to us |
All panel errors: Panel error messages and what they mean.
Frequently asked questions
Will I lose data or get a new IP address when I reboot or stop the server? No. The files on the disk and the IP address stay the same. Only what was in memory is lost, so important services should start automatically at boot. For example, for nginx:
systemctl enable nginxCan I reboot the server through an AI assistant? Yes. The API token needs the “Controlează alimentarea serverelor (repornire/oprire/pornire)” (Control server power (reboot/stop/start)) permission. With the “Citește lista și statusul serverelor mele” (Read the list and status of my servers) permission, the assistant can also tell you whether the server is on or off, which the panel doesn't show. Details: List of MCP tools.
Why don't I see these buttons on the card? The server is marked “Managed” or can't be controlled from the panel. If it needs a reboot, write to us.