Documentation

Overview

OrbisHub Desktop is a comprehensive DevOps management platform designed for system administrators and DevOps teams. It provides integrated tools for remote desktop management, server monitoring, team collaboration, and infrastructure automation.

Key Components

• Desktop Application - Electron-based interface for managing your infrastructure
• Core Service - ASP.NET Core Windows Service for backend operations
• Orbis Agents - PowerShell-based monitoring agents for remote machines
• SQL Server Database - Centralized data storage

Installation

Prerequisites

• Windows 10/11 or Windows Server 2016+
• .NET 8.0 Runtime (installed automatically)
• SQL Server 2016+ (Express, Standard, or Enterprise)
• Administrator privileges

Installation Steps

Get-Service OrbisHubCoreService

First Launch

When you first launch OrbisHub Desktop, you'll need to configure the database connection and create an administrator account.

Database Configuration

1. Launch OrbisHub Desktop from the Start Menu or desktop shortcut
2. The database configuration wizard will appear
3. Enter your SQL Server connection details:
   • Server: localhost or your SQL Server instance name
   • Database: OrbisHub (will be created if it doesn't exist)
   • Authentication: Windows Authentication or SQL Server Authentication
   • Username/Password: If using SQL Authentication
4. Click "Test Connection" to verify
5. Click "Create Database" to set up the schema

Create Administrator Account

1. After database setup, you'll be prompted to create an admin account
2. Enter a username and secure password
3. Password must meet requirements:
   • At least 8 characters
   • One uppercase letter
   • One lowercase letter
   • One number
   • One special character
4. Click "Create Account"
5. You'll be logged in automatically

Database Setup

Automatic Setup (Recommended)

The desktop application can automatically create and configure the database:

1. Go to Settings → Database
2. Configure connection details
3. Click "Create Database"
4. Click "Run Migrations" to create tables

Manual Setup

For advanced users or custom configurations:

-- Create database
CREATE DATABASE OrbisHub;
GO

-- Create login and user
USE OrbisHub;
CREATE LOGIN [usr/orbisadmin] WITH PASSWORD = 'YourPassword';
CREATE USER [usr/orbisadmin] FOR LOGIN [usr/orbisadmin];
ALTER ROLE db_owner ADD MEMBER [usr/orbisadmin];
GO

Managing Servers

Adding a Server

1. Navigate to Servers in the sidebar
2. Click "Add Server"
3. Fill in server details:
   • Name: Friendly name (e.g., "Production Web Server")
   • Hostname: IP address or hostname
   • Type: Windows or Linux
   • Environment: Select environment
   • Credentials: Associate login credentials
4. Click "Save"

Connecting to a Server

Windows (RDP):

1. Click the server in the list
2. Click "Connect RDP"
3. OrbisHub will launch mstsc.exe with your credentials

Linux (SSH):

1. Click the server in the list
2. Click "Connect SSH"
3. OrbisHub will launch PuTTY with your credentials

Environments

Organize your servers into logical environments (Dev, QA, Production, etc.).

Creating an Environment

1. Navigate to Environments
2. Click "Add Environment"
3. Enter environment details:
   • Name: Development, QA, Production, etc.
   • Description: Brief description
   • URL: Web interface URL (optional)
   • Status: Active or Inactive
4. Click "Save"

Health Monitoring

OrbisHub automatically monitors environment health:

• Green: All servers online
• Yellow: Some servers offline
• Red: Critical servers offline

Credentials

Store and manage server credentials securely with AES-256 encryption.

Adding Credentials

1. Navigate to Credentials
2. Click "Add Credential"
3. Enter credential details:
   • Name: Friendly name
   • Username: Login username
   • Password: Encrypted automatically
   • Type: RDP, SSH, Database, etc.
4. Click "Save"

🔒 All credentials are encrypted with AES-256 before storage.

Team Messaging

Communicate securely with team members directly within OrbisHub.

Sending Messages

1. Navigate to Messages
2. Select a user or channel
3. Type your message
4. Attach files if needed (click 📎)
5. Press Enter to send

Features

• End-to-end encryption with AES-256
• File attachments (up to 50MB)
• Real-time notifications
• Read receipts
• Message history

Orbis Agents

Deploy PowerShell-based monitoring agents to remote machines for automated monitoring and management.

Capabilities

• Remote PowerShell and CMD execution
• System metrics collection (CPU, Memory, Disk)
• Automated job queue processing
• Heartbeat monitoring
• Self-registration with persistent identity

Agent Deployment

Method 1: One-Click Deployment

1. Navigate to Agents
2. Click "Deploy Agent"
3. Select target machine(s)
4. Click "Deploy"
5. OrbisHub will copy and configure the agent automatically

Method 2: Manual Installation

# On target machine
.\Install-OrbisAgent.ps1 -CoreServiceUrl "http://your-server:5000"

Verifying Agent

Check agent status in the Agents view. You should see:

• ✅ Online status
• Recent heartbeat timestamp
• System metrics (CPU, Memory, Disk)

Remote Jobs

Execute PowerShell or CMD scripts remotely on agent machines.

Creating a Job

1. Navigate to Agents
2. Select an online agent
3. Click "Run Command"
4. Choose command type (PowerShell or CMD)
5. Enter your script
6. Click "Execute"

Viewing Results

Job results appear in the job queue view with:

• Execution status (Pending, Running, Completed, Failed)
• Output/Error messages
• Execution time

Core Service

The OrbisHub Core Service is a Windows Service that provides REST API endpoints for agent communication and job orchestration.

Managing the Service

# Check status
Get-Service OrbisHubCoreService

# Start service
Start-Service OrbisHubCoreService

# Stop service
Stop-Service OrbisHubCoreService

# Restart service
Restart-Service OrbisHubCoreService

Configuration

Configuration file location: C:\Program Files\OrbisHub\CoreService\appsettings.json

API Documentation

The Core Service provides a REST API for integration with external systems.

Accessing Swagger UI

Navigate to: http://localhost:5000/swagger

Common Endpoints

GET /health

POST /api/agents/register

POST /api/jobs

User Management

Manage user accounts and permissions (Admin users only).

Creating Users

1. Navigate to Administration → Users
2. Click "Add User"
3. Enter user details
4. Assign role (Admin or Viewer)
5. Set initial password
6. Enable "Force password change on login"

Roles

• Admin: Full access to all features
• Viewer: Read-only access

Security

Password Requirements

• Minimum 8 characters
• At least one uppercase letter
• At least one lowercase letter
• At least one number
• At least one special character

Session Management

• Auto-logout after 10 minutes of inactivity
• Account lockout after 5 failed login attempts
• Password must be changed every 90 days (configurable)

Encryption

• Passwords: PBKDF2 with salt
• Credentials: AES-256
• Messages: AES-256-CBC
• File Attachments: Encrypted in database

Audit Logging

All system actions are logged for compliance and troubleshooting.

Viewing Audit Logs

1. Navigate to Administration → Audit Logs
2. Use filters to search:
   • Date range
   • User
   • Action type
   • Entity type
3. Export logs if needed

Logged Actions

• User login/logout
• Create, update, delete operations
• Server connections
• Credential access
• Configuration changes

Troubleshooting

Database Connection Issues

Problem: "Cannot connect to database"

Solutions:

• Verify SQL Server is running
• Check firewall allows SQL Server port (default 1433)
• Verify credentials are correct
• Ensure SQL Server allows remote connections
• Check connection string in Settings

Core Service Not Running

Problem: Service shows "Stopped"

Solutions:

# View service logs
Get-WinEvent -LogName Application -Source OrbisHubCoreService

# Restart service
Restart-Service OrbisHubCoreService

Agent Not Connecting

Problem: Agent shows offline

Solutions:

• Verify Core Service URL is correct
• Check firewall allows Core Service port
• Restart agent on target machine
• Check agent logs in Event Viewer

RDP Connection Fails

Problem: Cannot connect via RDP

Solutions:

• Verify server is online (ping test)
• Check RDP is enabled on target server
• Verify credentials are correct
• Check firewall allows RDP (port 3389)

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I use SQL Server Express?

A: Yes, SQL Server Express is fully supported for small to medium deployments.

Q: How many servers can I manage?

A: There is no hard limit. Performance depends on your SQL Server capacity.

Q: Can I use Windows Authentication?

A: Yes, both Windows Authentication and SQL Authentication are supported.

Q: Is there a Linux version?

A: Currently OrbisHub Desktop is Windows-only. However, you can manage Linux servers via SSH.

Q: How do I backup my data?

A: Backup the OrbisHub SQL Server database regularly using standard SQL Server backup procedures.

Q: Can I customize the interface?

A: Yes, OrbisHub supports light/dark themes and customizable layouts.

Q: How do I update OrbisHub?

A: OrbisHub will notify you of updates. Download the new installer and run it to upgrade.