Add a Linux server

A Linux server with no screen of its own becomes a Compute with the uremot binary: Linux on x86_64 or aarch64, with Docker Engine installed. For a computer you sit at, use the desktop app instead: Install and add a Compute.

In the Console, open Computes, press Add a Compute and choose Headless Linux server. Under Install as, choose System service (needs sudo; recommended) or For the current user. The page prints the install and enroll commands for your choice, with your workspace filled in.

1. Install#

As a system service, installed with a systemd unit:

Terminal

$ curl -fsSL https://get.uremot.com | sudo sh -s -- --daemon
--> Detected platform: linux-x86_64
--> By installing you agree to the Software License Agreement: https://uremot.com/legal/software-license
--> Binary URL: https://releases.uremot.com/client/releases/latest/uremot-linux-x86_64
--> Downloading binary...
--> Downloaded uremot 1.1.0
--> Installed uremot to /usr/local/bin/uremot
--> Creating systemd unit at /etc/systemd/system/uremot-compute.service...
--> Service enabled (not started: enroll first, see below)

uremot 1.1.0 installed.

To host Instances on this machine, enroll it into a workspace by signing
in, which records you as its owner (approve the code it prints in your
browser):

  sudo uremot compute enroll --sign-in

Enroll starts the service; it comes online within a few seconds.

On a first install, if no container engine answers, the installer stops and says how to install one. Run it again once Docker Engine is in, or add --no-containers to install without containers.

For the current user, without sudo:

Terminal

curl -fsSL https://get.uremot.com | sh

The binary installs to ~/.uremot/bin, and the machine is a Compute only while uremot compute run runs (step 3).

2. Enroll#

For a machine that's yours, sign in from the terminal and approve the code it prints in your browser. Run the command the Console's page prints: it names your workspace.

Terminal

sudo uremot compute enroll --sign-in --workspace <workspace-id>

Installed for the current user? Drop sudo. Without --workspace, the command works when your account sees one workspace; when it sees more, it stops and lists them.

To share it with the workspace, choose Shared with your workspace on the Console's page instead. Members and their agents can then launch on it. Give it a Compute name and a Grant expiry, press Create enrollment grant, and run the command the page prints. It reads the grant from stdin, so the grant never appears in a process list or your shell history. From a script, pipe it in:

Terminal

printf '%s' "$GRANT" | sudo uremot compute enroll --grant-stdin

Installed for the current user? Drop sudo here too.

3. Check it#

A system-service install starts the service when you enroll. For the current user, run uremot compute run and keep it running. The Console's page ticks off Joined, Online and Can run apps as the machine connects. On the machine:

Terminal

$ uremot compute status
compute            01a1d4f2-8c3e-7b10-9a4d-2f6e8b1c3d05
owner              01a00000-0000-7000-8000-0000000000c1
organization       01a00000-0000-7000-8000-0000000000a1
workspace          01a00000-0000-7000-8000-0000000000b1
public nkey        UDXU4RCSJNZOIQHZNWXHXORDPRTGNJAHAHFRGZNEEJCPQTT2M7NLCNF4
api origin         https://api.uremot.com
session            01a1d4f3-0b27-7c44-8e19-5d0a7f3b2c61
connection epoch   1
inventory revision 4
disk               engine root, volumes, writable layers, images: 182.4 GiB free of 251.0 GiB (72.7%), fine, floor 25.1 GiB
containers         available (container engine 27.3.1)
service            active

It shows the machine's identity, whether a container engine answers, and whether the service runs.

Without systemd#

Install as root without --daemon, which puts the binary in /usr/local/bin:

Terminal

curl -fsSL https://get.uremot.com | sudo sh

Then enroll as root, as above, and keep uremot compute run running under your init system. For OpenRC, /etc/init.d/uremot-compute:

/etc/init.d/uremot-compute

#!/sbin/openrc-run
command=/usr/local/bin/uremot
command_args="compute run"
command_background=true
pidfile=/run/uremot-compute.pid
export HOME=/root
depend() { need net; after docker; }

Then rc-update add uremot-compute default and rc-service uremot-compute start. With runit, the same exec /usr/local/bin/uremot compute run goes in /etc/sv/uremot-compute/run.

Everyday commands#

Command	What it does
`uremot compute status`	The machine's identity, whether a container engine answers, and whether the service runs
`uremot update`	Installs the latest release after checking its signature; restart the service to run it
`uremot uninstall`	Removes the binary and the service, keeping the identity unless `--purge`

Every command and flag: The uremot CLI.

If a machine's identity breaks, stop the service (sudo systemctl stop uremot-compute), then run sudo uremot compute reset and sudo uremot compute enroll --sign-in. To keep its Compute record instead, create a recovery grant on its page in the Console and run sudo uremot compute recover --grant-stdin.

Next: Connect a harness.