Installation

This guide takes a fresh appliance to a working console you can log into. It mirrors a real first-run: boot, set identity, reach the console, and verify services.

Note

These are representative steps for the v2.0 appliance image. Exact screens may differ slightly by build — the console guides you through anything not shown here.

1. Boot the appliance #

Connect the appliance to your management switch and power it on. On first boot it provisions its internal services (directory, certificate authority, policy, console) — this takes a few minutes.

2. Set the hostname and network #

From the first-boot console, set the appliance identity and management address. You can let Skans run DHCP/DNS for the enclave, or give it a static address alongside your existing services.

BASH
# example: set a static management address (first-boot shell)
skans net set --interface mgmt0 \
  --address 192.168.50.10/24 \
  --gateway 192.168.50.1 \
  --hostname skans-core-01

3. Reach the console #

Point a browser on the management network at the appliance over HTTPS:

TEXT
https://skans-core-01.local     (or the IP you set)

The appliance presents its own certificate from the built-in CA. Sign in with the administrator credential from first boot.

Tip

Can’t reach it? Confirm you’re on the management subnet and that the appliance finished provisioning (the front-panel/console shows READY). Skans never depends on the internet to bring up its own console.

4. Verify core services #

In the console, open System → Services. You should see the identity, certificate, policy, monitoring, and scheduler services all running (green). This confirms the root of trust is live.

BASH
# or from the appliance shell
skans status --services

Expected output (abridged):

TEXT
SERVICE            STATE     DETAIL
directory          running   AD DS · 1 domain
certificate-auth   running   AD CS · issuing
policy             running   NPS · RADIUS ready
monitoring         running   collector + correlation
scheduler          running   0 jobs due

5. Next: enroll your first device #

The appliance is now a working root of trust. Give a real device an identity and watch it appear in the console:

Enroll a device →

Warning

Change the initial administrator password immediately, and store recovery material (CA recovery key, admin credentials) off the appliance in your password manager. Losing them means re-provisioning.