Make it clear WHY some balance is required to start a compute server

[novoselt]

At the moment users are rightfully confused:

"I have $2.36 in my balance and when I try to start the server named "Cheap Test Server" which costs $0.02/hour of operation, I get an error that states "You do not have enough credits to spend up to $2.50 since your balance is $2.36, and this would cause your balance to go below your allowed minimum of $0.00. Please add at least $2.50 to your account. There is a minimum payment of $2.50."

The error message should state exactly the balance required to start the server. Is it a flat amount? does it depend on the server configuration? I think it should cover at least one hour of run-time and perhaps some network traffic. I think it also should give some sense of why it is required.

Something like: Your balance of $2.36 is not sufficient to start this server. You need to have at least $3.02 to cover the cost of running the server for 1 hour as well as 20GB of outgoing network traffic.

Regarding the flat component, however, I think it should be substantially less than the minimum transaction, so that those who added the minimum amount possible can experiment with compute servers. With 1 hour and 10GB it would be $1.52.

[novoselt]

Fresh screenshot on the topic:

• It is not clear how $329.15 is related to my server. I would very much like to see a clear explanation for that number, e.g. "To start a compute server you have to have sufficient balance to run it for 3 hours plus $10 for network usage." - whatever formular we want to use is fine, but there should be some clarity on how much do I need to have on my account and WHY. If I want to use this machine for just half an hour, it is perfectly reasonable for me to put only $100 in, but that's obviously not enough.
• I would not mention allowed minimum at all unless it is different from $0.
• Spending limit is discussed in the middle and also on the very bottom, it does not make sense to me to separate them.
• Thinking about "soft budget" transition, I would either not mention it here at all, or show the current value and a link to adjust it, without exposing extra controls in this dialog to keep it as streamlined as possible, especially for repeated users.

[novoselt]

Regarding the formula used - with aggressive enough checking, one hour should be sufficient and it is exactly the amount the user sees while configuring the server. The message in the box, I think, should say:

"In order to start a compute server you should have enough credit to run it for one hour."

That's it! "Current Balance $9.98" is visible below already. "Add at least $99.73 (plus tax) to your account..." is written on the button. Repeating this information adds very little to clarity, but bloats the interface.

While I am at it, "Transfer" in this context linking to a page to BUY a voucher is very out of place. So it would be nice to get to

[williamstein]

We check aggressively now (due to abuse) so can make the required amount of time ~10 minutes (say). We should also make sure you can store your data for at least a couple of days, before it gets automatically deleted.