Servers & Containers·5 min read

Servers and agents

Add machines to PS-pocketEdge, read their status, and remove ones you no longer need.

A server is any machine running the PS-pocketEdge agent. The agent connects to your control plane and runs Docker or Podman commands on that machine. You can manage as many servers as you like from one app.

Add a server

  1. Open Servers and click Add server.
  2. Choose the machine's system (Linux, macOS or Windows) and its container runtime (Docker or Podman).
  3. Copy the install command shown and run it on that machine. Replace <control-plane-host> with the address of your control plane that the machine can reach.
  4. The server appears in the list as soon as its agent connects.

Each platform needs its container runtime installed first:

  • Linux — Docker Engine (check that sudo docker info works) or Podman.
  • macOS — the Docker CLI with Colima running (brew install docker colima, then colima start), or Podman with its machine started. Run the command in Terminal without sudo.
  • Windows — an Ubuntu WSL2 distribution with systemd enabled and Docker Engine or Podman installed inside it. Run the command in the Ubuntu shell. Windows containers are not supported.
The install command contains a token that works once and expires after one hour. On a shared machine, pass it in the PE_ENROLL_TOKEN environment variable instead of on the command line so it does not stay in shell history.

Allow image builds

Servers do not build images from Dockerfiles unless you allow it. Add --allow-builds to the install command on machines where trusted administrators may build images. Building gives the repository's Dockerfile access to that machine's Docker daemon, so only enable it where that is acceptable.

Server status

Open a server to see its CPU, memory and disk, and the containers running on it. From here you can also Deploy app, which offers ready-made apps and databases from a catalog.

  • Online — the agent is reporting normally.
  • Disconnected — the agent has not reported recently. The values shown are the last ones received, and actions on its containers fail until it reconnects.
  • Waiting for agent — the server was added but its agent has not connected yet.

Remove a server

Only disconnected servers can be removed. Removing one deletes its container snapshot, metric history and container schedules, and stops its agent from connecting. Past deployments keep a record of which server they ran on. To bring the machine back, enroll it again with Add server.

CLI commands for this workflow

Example: deploy from a server’s catalog

  1. Open an online server and choose Deploy app.
  2. Filter the catalog by Web / Apps, Databases, AI or Other, and choose an available template.
  3. Fill in the parameters requested by that template and select Deploy.
  4. Follow the new deployment and check its services. For database lifecycle features such as credentials and backup policies, use the Databases marketplace workflow.
← PreviousYour first ten minutesNext →Working with containers