How to Install MeshCentral on OpenBSD

MeshCentral is a web-based remote computer management and monitoring system that enables you to easily access and control your servers, desktops, and mobile devices from anywhere in the world. In this tutorial, we will guide you step-by-step on how to install MeshCentral on OpenBSD, an open-source free and security-focused operating system.

Prerequisites

OpenBSD installed on your device
Internet Connection

Installation Steps

Step 1 - OpenBSD Package Manager

OpenBSD, like other Unix-like operating systems, has a built-in package management system called pkg_add. Use the following command to update the package repository:

sudo pkg_add -u

Step 2 - Install Node.js

MeshCentral requires Node.js runtime environment to run its backend application. Let's install Node.js using the pkg_add command:

sudo pkg_add node

Step 3 - Download and Install MeshCentral

Now that we have the necessary runtime environment installed, we can proceed with the actual MeshCentral installation.

Create a new directory for MeshCentral:
```
sudo mkdir /var/meshcentral
```
Change directory to /var/meshcentral:
```
cd /var/meshcentral
```
Use the curl command to download the MeshCentral tarball:
```
curl -L https://aka.ms/meshcentral -o meshcentral.tar.gz
```
This will download the latest version of MeshCentral to your device.

Extract the contents of the tarball file:

tar zxvf meshcentral.tar.gz --strip-components=1

MeshCentral requires additional dependencies to be installed, let's install them using npm package manager:
```
npm install
```

Step 4 - Configure MeshCentral

Now that MeshCentral is installed, we must configure it to suit our requirements. We'll use the config.json file to do this.

Copy the default config-sample.json file to config.json:
```
cp config-sample.json config.json
```
Edit the config.json file to make the necessary changes:
```
nano config.json
```

For example, change the following settings:

MeshCentral URL:

"meshServerUrl": "https://your-meshcentral-server.com",

Authentication:

"auth": {
    "require": true,
    "admin": [
        "your-admin-username"
    ],
    "user": [
        "your-user-username"
    ]
},

Step 5 - Start MeshCentral

MeshCentral can be started using the meshcentral.js script:

node meshcentral.js

Step 6 - Access MeshCentral Web Interface

MeshCentral's web interface is accessible using a web browser. Open your favourite browser and type the IP address or hostname of your device followed by :8080. For instance, if your device's IP address is 192.168.0.10, type http://192.168.0.10:8080.

Summary

This concludes our tutorial on how to install MeshCentral on OpenBSD. You can now take advantage of MeshCentral's convenient features to manage your computers and devices remotely.