Quick Start: Your First POD

This chapter provides a step-by-step tutorial to guide you through creating your first management environment and bringing a node under active management.

ℹ️ Quick Start Guide

  • Available to: POD Admin, Organization Admin

  • Scope: POD level operations

  • Note: Requires at least POD-level Admin permissions for hands-on practice

  • Prerequisites: At least one EnGenius node ready for registration

Prerequisites

Before starting this guide, ensure:

  • EDCC platform is installed and accessible

  • You have Organization Admin or POD Admin credentials

  • At least one EnGenius node is:

    • Physically installed and powered on

    • Network connected (BMC port)

    • IP address is known or in a scannable range

  • You know the BMC credentials for your nodes

Prerequisites

Before starting this guide, ensure:

  • EDCC platform is installed and accessible

  • You have Organization Admin or POD Admin credentials

  • At least one EnGenius node is:

    • Physically installed and powered on

    • Network connected (BMC port)

    • IP address is known or in a scannable range

  • You know the BMC credentials for your nodes

Your Goal: From Zero to a Managed Node

By the end of this guide, you will have a basic management structure (an Organization and a POD) and your first node will be ready for full monitoring and configuration.

The Workflow at a Glance

We will follow a four-step process:

Register Nodes → Build Management Structure → Assign Nodes → Verify Setup

Build Your Management Structure

First, we need to create the containers for your nodes.

Before You Begin: Registering Your Nodes

For this guide to work, EDCC needs to have at least one registered node in the Inventory.

How Node Registration Works:

  • Nodes must be manually registered through the System → Inventory page

  • You'll need to perform an IP scan or manual registration before nodes appear in EDCC

  • Once registered, nodes will appear in the Inventory in an unmanaged state

Your Action:

  1. Navigate to System → Inventory

  2. Click + Register Device

  3. Use the IP Scan method:

  4. Enter a Start IP and End IP range

    1. Click Scan to discover EnGenius nodes

    2. Select the nodes you want to register

    3. Click Register

Alternative Registration Methods

  • Manual Registration: Enter specific serial numbers

  • Bulk Import: Use CSV file for multiple nodes (up to 100) See Chapter 16.1 for detailed registration instructions.

What if no nodes are discovered?

If your IP scan returns no results, check:

  • Network connectivity between the EDCC host and the node's BMC port

  • Verify the IP range includes your node's BMC IP address

  • Ensure the node is powered on and BMC is initialized For advanced registration methods, see Chapter 16.1.

Step 1: Create Your First Organization

The Organization is the top-level container for all your infrastructure.

Process:

  1. Click the hamburger menu (☰) in the top-left corner to open the Management Tree

  2. At the top level of the tree, click the Add Organization icon (+)

  3. In the dialog box, enter a Name, and select your Country / Time Zone

  4. Click Create

Create New Organization" dialog box with fields filled out

Step 2: Create Your First POD

A POD (Point of Deployment) is the essential management unit where your nodes will live and become configurable.

Process:

  1. In the Management Tree, find the Organization you just created

  2. Click the Add POD icon (+) next to your Organization's name

  3. Fill in the POD details:

    1. Name: Give your POD a descriptive name (e.g., "Main Datacenter" or "Lab-Rack-1")

    2. Country / Time Zone: Set the specific time zone for this POD. This is critical for scheduling maintenance windows

    3. BMC Credential: Enter the default administrative ID and password for the BMCs of the nodes that will be in this POD. EDCC will use this to automatically connect to and manage your nodes

  4. Click Apply

Common Mistake: Incorrect Time Zone

All scheduled tasks, like firmware updates, are based on the POD's time zone setting. An incorrect setting can cause maintenance to run during peak business hours.

The "Create New POD" dialog box with fields filled out, highlighting the BMC Credential fields

Assign Your First Node

Now that you have a POD, you can move a node from the unmanaged Inventory into an actively managed state.

Step 3: Select a Node from Inventory

Process:

  1. Click the System icon (gear) in the bottom-left navigation bar

  2. Select Inventory. You will see a list of all discovered nodes that are not yet assigned to a POD

  3. Select the checkbox next to the node you want to manage

Remember: Nodes in the Inventory are just assets. They cannot be managed until assigned to a POD.

The Inventory list with a single node's checkbox ticked.

Step 4: Assign the Node to Your POD

Process:

  1. With the node selected, click the Assign Device button in the toolbar

  2. In the dialog box, select the Organization and the POD you created in the previous steps

  3. For BMC Credential, you have two options:

    1. Default BMC ID/Password: Uses the credentials set when creating the POD (recommended for standard deployments)

    2. Customized BMC ID/Password: Use when this specific server has different BMC credentials than the POD default

  4. Click Apply

When to Use Customized Credentials

  • Legacy servers with unchanged default passwords

  • High-security nodes with unique credentials

  • Test environments with different access requirements

  • Nodes migrated from other management systems

The "Assign Device to" dialog with the target POD selected.

Verify and Next Steps

Finally, let's confirm that your node is now actively managed.

Step 5: Verify Your Managed Node

Process:

  1. Click the MANAGE icon (monitor) in the top navigation bar

  2. Select Node List

  3. Ensure your new POD is selected in the Management Tree

  4. You should now see your assigned node listed in the main table, displaying its status, IP address, and other details

The Node List view showing the newly assigned node.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

No nodes found during IP scan?

  • Verify network connectivity between EDCC and node BMC

  • Check if BMC IP is in the scan range

  • Ensure node is powered on and BMC is initialized

Assignment fails with authentication error?

  • Verify BMC credentials are correct

  • Try using Customized BMC ID/Password option

  • Check if BMC password has been changed outside EDCC

Node appears in Inventory but can't be assigned?

  • Confirm you have selected both Organization AND POD

  • Verify you have Admin permissions for the target POD

  • Check if node is already assigned to another POD

Congratulations!

You have successfully set up your first management environment and brought a node under full EDCC control. You are now ready to explore the full range of monitoring and configuration features.

Next Steps:

  • Chapter 5: Using the Dashboard to get a health overview

  • Chapter 6: In-Depth Node Management to explore the detailed settings of your node

💡 Pro Tip: Now that you have a working POD, you can assign additional nodes from the Inventory using the same process, or explore bulk assignment operations for multiple nodes.

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