Support — Outpost

Help, questions, and bug reports

Have a question, a suggestion, or found a bug in Outpost? Email me directly: marek.otulakowski@gmail.com. I usually reply within a few days.

Connecting your server

The simplest way is to log into your server in Outpost with the same account you already administer it with — root (Proxmox/Linux) or Administrator (Windows). This works right away, with no extra setup on the server. If you'd rather use an account with limited permissions (recommended for production servers), that takes a few extra, one-time steps described below.

Proxmox VE / PBS — API token or username/password?

Fastest option: in the Add Endpoint form, choose the "Username/Password" login method and enter root@pam with your Proxmox administrator password — works with zero setup on the server.

If you'd rather use a read-only, limited-permission API token (a separate account instead of root), run this on the Proxmox VE server (as root):

pveum user add outpost@pve --comment "Outpost (read-only)"
pveum user token add outpost@pve outpost-token --comment "Outpost app"
pveum acl modify / --users outpost@pve --roles PVEAuditor
pveum acl modify / --tokens 'outpost@pve!outpost-token' --roles PVEAuditor

The token's secret is shown only once — save it right away. In the app: type Proxmox, token outpost@pve!outpost-token=<secret> (note: Proxmox VE uses = between the token ID and the secret).

Proxmox Backup Server is analogous, with a different tool and a colon instead of an equals sign:

proxmox-backup-manager user create outpost@pbs --comment "Outpost (read-only)"
proxmox-backup-manager user generate-token outpost@pbs outpost-token
proxmox-backup-manager acl update / Audit --auth-id outpost@pbs
proxmox-backup-manager acl update / Audit --auth-id 'outpost@pbs!outpost-token'

In the app: type Pbs, token outpost@pbs!outpost-token:<secret>.

Windows Server — how do I set up SSH?

On the server, as Administrator (PowerShell):

Add-WindowsCapability -Online -Name OpenSSH.Server~~~~0.0.1.0
Start-Service sshd
Set-Service -Name sshd -StartupType 'Automatic'
New-NetFirewallRule -Name sshd -DisplayName 'OpenSSH Server (sshd)' -Enabled True `
    -Direction Inbound -Protocol TCP -Action Allow -LocalPort 22
Set-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\OpenSSH' -Name DefaultShell `
    -Value 'C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe'

The simplest option is to connect with the Administrator account — it works right away.

If you'd rather use a dedicated non-admin account, on top of the above you'll additionally need: access to the root\cimv2 WMI namespace ("Enable Account" + "Remote Enable" permissions), adding the account to the local "Performance Monitor Users" group, and for IIS/MSSQL monitoring specifically: icacls "$env:windir\system32\inetsrv\config" /grant "account:(OI)(CI)R" (IIS) and creating a SQL Server login for that account (CREATE LOGIN [COMPUTER\account] FROM WINDOWS; + the db_datareader role). That's quite a bit of one-time setup — if you get stuck on any step, email me and I'll send you the exact, ready-to-paste script.

Frequently asked questions

An endpoint shows "Unreachable" — what should I do?

Check that the server is powered on and reachable on the network from your device (same Wi-Fi/VPN as the server, or a publicly reachable address), and that the credentials (SSH key, password, API token) in the endpoint's settings are still current. You can check this with the "Test connection" button while editing the endpoint.

I see a warning about a change in server identity (host key / certificate) — what does that mean?

Outpost remembers ("pins") your server's SSH key or TLS certificate fingerprint the first time it connects. If that fingerprint ever changes, you get a warning — this is usually the result of reinstalling the OS or renewing a certificate on the server, but it's also exactly the mechanism that protects you from someone impersonating your server. If you knowingly changed the server yourself, accept the new fingerprint in the app.

What are the "Demo — Linux VPS" and "Demo — Windows Server" endpoints?

These are two sample entries added automatically the first time you launch the app (or whenever the endpoint list is empty), so you can immediately see what a working dashboard looks like. They show locally-generated, sample data — they never connect to any real server or network. Feel free to delete them.

I don't see the IIS / MSSQL sections on my Windows server.

Those sections only appear if the monitored server actually has the IIS role or SQL Server installed — if it doesn't, Outpost simply hides the corresponding section instead of showing an error.

How do I change the app's language?

Settings → Language. The change requires restarting the app to fully take effect.

Where is my data stored?

Exclusively on your own device, in encrypted form — see the privacy policy for details.