The Plug and Connect (Autoregistration) Procedure

Applies to Platform: Endian Connect Switchboard 5.0
Updated on: 21st of March 2017

This article describes in details the new Plug&Connect procedure, also called Autoregistration, used to add automatically a new gateway to an existing switchboard installation.

Prerequisites

• An existing Switchboard 5.0 installation.
• A valid Activation Code for the device, which in the case of the new Edge 5.0 devices must be of the form 12345-23456-34567-45678-56789, i.e., 25-characters long. For other Endian devices the usual 12 characters long Activation codes can be used.
• An Endian device -corresponding to that activation code- that you want to add to the Switchboard.

Before starting the actual procedure, make sure that your Endian device:

• has not been registered to Endian Network,
• can connect to the Internet and freely access the websites connect.endian.com and network.endian.com during the whole time required by the procedure,
• is allowed to communicate through port TCP/443,
• receives an automatic IP address through DHCP
• can connect to the public IP Address of the Switchboard,
• has no service or zones (besides the default GREEN zone and the RED) enabled. In other words, it must be placed in the local network with factory defaults, and
• is powered off.

Plug&Connect in a nutshell

The Plug&Connect procedure works in three steps:

1. Insert the activation code in the Switchboard GUI
2. Enter the credentials of the device.
3. Boot the device and wait until the device appears on the Switchboard.

Once the device has been brought under the control of the Switchboard, it will have only the GREEN and RED (Uplink) zones configured. At this point, it is possible to modify the network configuration (by adding new zones or modifying the GREEN) or to enable all the services needed by the device.

Switchboard setup

In order to start the procedure, go to Switchboard > Devices, where you find the list of the device already controlled by the Switchboard.

If you use a standalone version of the Switchboard or the Cloud version, you will see an interface like the following one:

In both cases, to add a new device, click on the Plug & Connect (Autoregistration) link above the table to start with the first step of the procedure.

In the text field above the Next >> button insert the 29-characters Activation code, then click the Next >> button to start the second step of the procedure and configure the device.

Configure the Remote Endian Device

After completing the setup on the switchboard, the following page appears. 

Here, you will see a diagram of the appliance you are about to register, along with a number of information:

The activation code, model, and serial number of the device. You are also required to supply the following data:

1. A name for the device, which must be unique within the switchboard. A default, self-generated name is shown but can be customized.
2. An optional description of the device.
3. The password for the admin and root users, to access the device using HTTPS and SSH respectively.

   Note

   You can use the same password for both users by ticking the checkbox next to the use the same password for admin (Web) and root (SSH) option.

Once you have supplied all the required data, you can click on the Next >> Button to start the set up of the Endian device.

Connect the Remote Endian Device

It is possible now to boot up the device and configure it. First, connect the WAN Ethernet cable to the appropriate port of your device, as shown in the next image, then click on the Continue button on the Switchboard's GUI.

Wait a few moments until a green tick mark appears , then you will be prompted to connect the power cord: Do so, then again click on the Continue button on the Switchboard's GUI.

Once you connect the power cord the device starts booting, a new page appears, asking to boot up the remote device. Do so, then click once more on the Continue button. Now, wait for the device to complete the boot-up sequence, which may take a few minutes.

While the Switchboard tries to establish the connection, you will be able to follow the process: Indeed, the progress or any error messages are shown on the Switchboard's GUI. After a few minutes you will see an overlay like the following one. Click on either Edit gateway to configure the device or on Connect to gateway to use an application and directly connect to it.

Troubleshooting

This sections describes some common point of failure that you can encounter during the Plug and Connect procedure.

Appliance disconnected or network failure

If for any reason no communication can be set up between the Switchboard and the device, you will see an error message like the one below.

In this case, make sure that the device has been turned on, and that can access the web sites connect.endian.com and network.endian.com, as well as the public IP Address of the Switchboard.

Make sure that the device can boot up correctly, by e.g., start it and verify that you can see the dashboard using a browser.

Check also that there is no firewall in the local network where the device is located that blocks traffic from and to port TCP 443 of the device.

VPN Timeout or other Timeout

In case some VPN Timeout error is displayed, the VPN tunnel could not be successfully established. The reasons for this to occur are different and require different approaches. As a rule of thumb, the first thing to check is if the OpenVPN server is running correctly on the switchboard, otherwise check the client's connectivity.

In case you receive a generic Timeout error, it is also possible that although the VPN has been established, the registration of the device to the switchboard was not successful. In this case, verify the network connection and try the procedure again.