(Optional) Onboard an Edge Device without selecting a Model

Introduction

The new onboarding workflow is a streamlined method for registering an edge device with ZEDEDA Edge Infrastructure Services (previously ZEDEDA Cloud) without requiring hardware information upfront. Instead of pre-configuring hardware identity details before connecting the device, you provide only an onboarding key and a serial number. This is an optional workflow, primarily used for demos and proof of concept.

Onboarding via single EVE OS Installer requires EVE-OS version 17.x-LTS or greater.

Onboard an Edge Device

Onboarding registers an edge device with Edge Infrastructure Services (previously ZEDEDA Cloud) providing only an onboarding key and a serial number. After the device boots and connects to Edge Infrastructure Services, EVE-OS (Edge Virtualization Engine) automatically reports all device information (adapters, storage, and hardware identity) and populates the edge node record. You can then configure adapters and other hardware-specific settings from the Adapters tab.

Use this procedure when you want to pre-register a device in Edge Infrastructure Services before it is physically available, or when you do not have the device's hardware specifications on hand. If you have all  the details, you can use Onboard Edge Nodes using Models instead.  

Prerequisites

• EVE-OS 17.x-LTS or greater installed on the edge device. Earlier versions cannot report their own hardware inventory. If your device runs an earlier version, select a brand and model instead.
• An active onboarding key in. The default onboarding key is prepopulated with 5d0767ee-0547-4569-b530-387e526f8cb9. Note that your Edge Infrastructure Services administrator may have a unique onboarding key for you.
• The edge device’s soft serial number.
• Either the SysManager or SysAdmin role in Edge Infrastructure Services.
• A project with no application policy attached. Edge Infrastructure Services rejects model-less edge nodes in a project that has an application policy, because it cannot validate application deployments against hardware the device has not yet reported. If you use a deployment project and tag the device with a deployment, that deployment must also have no application instance policy.

Navigate to Edge Nodes

1. Log into Edge Infrastructure Services.
2. In the left panel, click Edge Nodes.
3. Click Add New.

The Edge Node wizard has the following tabs: Configure an Edge Node, Device & Adapter Setup, Review & Add, and Get & Install EVE-OS.

Configure the Edge Node

This step creates the edge node record. On this tab you provide identification and the credentials the device uses to authenticate.

1. In the Name field, enter a name for the edge node.

2. In the Title field, enter a display title for the edge node.

3. Optionally, enter a description in the Description field.

4. Click the Project dropdown and select a project. Confirm that the project has no application policy attached.

5. Click the Hardware Identity dropdown and select how the edge device authenticates.

   • The options are Generate Single-Use EVE-OS Installer, Edge Node Certificate, and Onboarding Key. 

   • Any of them works with model-less onboarding. 

   • Each option displays different fields, described in the sections that follow.

6. Complete the fields for the option you selected.

7. Optionally, add tags in the Tags fields to help identify or group the edge node.

8. To configure additional settings, expand the Additional Configurations section. These settings are optional and you can also apply them after onboarding.

   • Asset ID: Any identification specific to your edge node.
   • Asset Location: Location details specific to your edge node.
   • Activate Edge Node: Controls whether the edge node is activated automatically after creation.
   • Activate Default App Network: Controls whether a network instance is created automatically to serve as the default for all edge app instances on this edge node. If you turn it off, create a network instance manually and assign it when you deploy an app instance.
   • Edge Sync: Select Configure to enter an Edge Sync URL.

9. Click Next.

If you selected Generate Single-Use EVE-OS Installer

This option adds no additional fields to this tab. Device authentication is handled by the installation media itself. You configure and download the image later, on the Get & Install EVE-OS tab.

Use the generated image only once, and only for the edge node you generated it for.

If you selected Edge Node Certificate

1. Click Upload Certificate.
2. Select the edge node certificate file for the device.

The installer writes this certificate to the INVENTORY partition of the device's USB installation medium, as device.cert.pem, inside a folder named for the device's soft serial number. Most operating systems can mount that partition.

If you selected Onboarding Key

1. In the Serial Number field, enter the edge device's serial number.
2. Confirm the value in the Onboarding Key field. The console prepopulates the default onboarding key. Replace it if your administrator issued a different key.

Skip the Hardware Model

The Device & Adapter Setup tab is where you choose whether to declare the hardware. Selecting a brand and model is optional, and skipping it is what makes this a model-less onboarding.

1. Do not select a brand or model.
2. Click Next.

The device reports its own hardware information after it connects to Edge Infrastructure Services.

If you select a brand and model instead, the device must match that hardware exactly, including its network and IO adapters. Use the Select Brand & Model option when the edge device runs an EVE-OS version less than 17.0.0-lts, because those versions cannot report their own hardware inventory. See Onboard Edge Nodes using Models instead.

Review and Add the Edge Node

1. Review the configuration summary on the Review & Add tab.
2. If any details are incorrect, click Previous to return to an earlier tab and make corrections.
3. Click Add to create the edge node record.

Edge Infrastructure Services creates the edge node. The Adapters tab and the hardware identity fields remain empty until the device connects.

Get and Install EVE-OS

The Get & Install EVE-OS tab provides the EVE-OS image for the edge device. What you do on this tab depends on whether the device already runs EVE-OS.

Each edge node requires its own single-use image. An image is valid for one device and one use.

If EVE-OS is already installed

1. Turn on I already have EVE-OS installed on my device or I will install it later.
2. Click Finish Onboarding.

Confirm that the installed version is EVE-OS 17.0.0-lts or greater. A device running an earlier version cannot complete model-less onboarding.

Generate an EVE-OS image

1. Select the Architecture Type that matches the edge device, either AMD 64 or ARM 64.

2. Confirm the version shown next to Select EVE-OS version. The console selects the recommended long term support version by default, for example 17.0.0-lts/kvm (LTS-Recommended). To choose a different version, click Select a different version.
   Caution: Model-less onboarding requires EVE-OS 17.0.0-lts or greater. The wizard does not prevent you from selecting an earlier version here. If you do, the edge node cannot come online, and you must reinstall EVE-OS or delete the record and add the device again with a brand and model selected.

3. Choose an image type and click Download.

   • Generate Single-use Installer installs EVE-OS onto the edge device. Write the image to a bootable medium such as a USB drive. When the edge device boots from that medium, it installs EVE-OS on the first available disk. The installer wipes that disk without asking for confirmation. After installation, remove the boot medium and reboot the device from its internal disk. Use this option for initial setup and testing.
   • Generate Single-use Live Image runs EVE-OS directly from the medium without installing it. Use this option to try EVE-OS, or for devices designed to run from removable media such as SD cards.

   To adjust installer settings before you download, click Advanced Configuration.

4. Flash the downloaded image onto a bootable medium, typically a USB drive, using a flashing utility.

5. Click Finish Onboarding.

Start the Edge Node

After you finish onboarding, start the physical edge device so that it can connect and report its hardware.

1. Boot the edge device.

   • If you downloaded a single-use installer, boot the device from the flashed medium, let the installation finish, remove the medium, and reboot the device from its internal disk.
   • If you downloaded a single-use live image, boot the device from the flashed medium and leave the medium in place.
   • If EVE-OS is already installed, reboot the device, or issue a remote reboot command if the device is already accessible.

2. Confirm that the device can reach Edge Infrastructure Services over the network.

When the device boots, EVE-OS sends all device information to Edge Infrastructure Services, including hardware identity, network adapters, and IO adapters.

Verify the Configuration

After the device connects and reports its information, confirm that the edge node record is populated.

1. In Edge Infrastructure Services, navigate to Edge Nodes and click the name of the edge node you created.
2. Click the Adapters tab.
3. Confirm that the Network Adapters and IO Adapters sections contain the device's adapter information.
4. Click the Summary tab and confirm that hardware identity details are present.
5. Confirm that the edge node status has changed to an active status.

Troubleshooting

The edge node cannot be created

If Edge Infrastructure Services rejects the edge node with a message stating that the project or deployment has an application policy configured, the target project cannot accept a model-less edge node.

Select a project that has no application policy attached, or select a brand and model for this edge node.

The edge node shows an EVE-OS version error

If the edge node displays the error Device cannot be brought online: this EVE-OS version requires a model be selected when adding the edge node, the device connected but the EVE-OS version it runs cannot report its own hardware inventory.

This error does not clear on its own. Resolve it in one of two ways:

• Upgrade EVE-OS on the edge device to 17.0.0-lts or greater, then reboot the device.
• Delete this edge node record and add the device again, selecting a brand and model.

The Adapters tab remains empty

If the Adapters tab is still empty after the device has had time to connect, verify the following:

• The edge device runs EVE-OS 17.0.0-lts or greater.
• The edge device has network connectivity to Edge Infrastructure Services.
• The onboarding key entered during registration is valid and has not expired.
• The serial number entered during registration matches the device's serial number.

Configure Adapters

After the device reports its hardware information, assign network instances and configure adapters.

1. On the edge node detail page, click the Adapters tab.
2. For each adapter you want to configure, click Not Configured in the Interface Usage column and select the appropriate network instance.
3. Save your changes.

Next Steps

• Manage an Edge Node
• Use the ZEDEDA CLI to Manage an Edge Node

You might also be interested in the following articles: 

• Add edge applications from the Marketplace, which represents the Metadata manifest of the software application.
  • Add Storage if you’re adding your own app to the local marketplace.
  • Configure inbound and outbound firewall rules for network traffic. For example, see inbound and outbound rules in Add a Container as an Edge App Type or Add a Virtual Machine as an Edge App Type.
• Configure a network instance to enable network connectivity for your edge apps, including enabling edge apps on the same edge node to communicate with one another.
• Deploy the edge application on the edge node.