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XT Hub: Register and Install
Place a hub inside your network and confirm it is ready to scan.
An XT Hub is a Xurrent software package that you install on a server inside your own network. It reaches out to Xurrent for work, so it needs no inbound firewall rule. It scans from its own network position, so a device can only be discovered if the hub's server can reach it.
Before you start
- Pick a server that can reach your devices. Placement matters more than size. Use one hub per network segment that is otherwise isolated.
- Allow outbound HTTPS from that server to Xurrent. No inbound rule is needed.
- Know the operating system of the server. The hub runs on Linux, macOS and Windows.
Register the hub
Registration always starts in a browser. The hub is then installed with one command that carries a one-time install key.
- Open the Overview tab and expand Register an XT Hub. Enter a name, for example London Office Hub.
- Select the operating system of the server that will run the hub. The page preselects the system it detects in your browser, which is right only when you are working on the hub server itself.
- Select Register Hub. The status shows Pending enrollment and the page shows the install command.
The install key is shown only once, can be used for one installation, and is valid for one hour; the page shows when it expires. If you lose the command or the key expires, select Issue a New Install Command. The new key replaces the previous one.
Install from a machine with a browser
Use this when you can open Xurrent in a browser on the hub server itself, for example a server with a desktop session. You follow registration, installation and enrollment on one page.
- Register the hub as described above and keep the operating system the page preselected.
- Under Next: Install the Hub Software, select Copy to copy the command.
- Open a terminal on the same machine as an administrator: a terminal where you can use sudo on Linux and macOS, or PowerShell started with Run as administrator on Windows. Paste the command and run it. You do not type the key, because the command carries it.
- Leave the browser page open. It shows Waiting for the hub to reach Xurrent and updates by itself. When the hub has enrolled, the status changes to Active, the Overview shows a confirmation, and the setup checklist opens the next step.
Install from a terminal with no browser
Use this when the hub server is reached only through a terminal, for example an SSH session to a Linux server. You register the hub in a browser on another machine and run the command on the server.
- On a machine with a browser, register the hub as described above. Select the operating system of the target server, not of your own machine, because the page preselects the one your browser reports.
- Copy the install command from the page rather than retyping it, because it holds the exact download address and the key.
- Open a terminal on the server and run the command as an administrator. On Linux and macOS it has this form:
curl -fsSL <download address>/install.sh | sudo bash -s -- --install-key <install key>. On Windows, run it in an elevated PowerShell, where it has this form:& ([scriptblock]::Create((irm <download address>/install.ps1))) -InstallKey <install key> - The installer detects the platform, downloads the release, checks its checksum and signature, installs the hub as a service, enrolls it with the key, starts it and prints the hub status.
- Confirm the result. On the server run
sudo xt-hub status(on Windows,xt-hub status), or open the hub in the browser on your other machine, where the status changes to Active when the hub reaches Xurrent.
Supply the key another way
If the key should not be part of the command, the installer accepts it in other ways. Whichever you use, the installer passes the key to the hub on standard input, so it does not appear in the process list of the server.
| Method | What it does |
|---|---|
| Run the installer without a key | The installer asks Please enter the install key. This needs an interactive terminal. |
XT_HUB_INSTALL_KEY environment variable | Supplies the key to scripts and automation tools. |
--non-interactive (Windows: -NonInteractive) | Never asks for anything. Without a key the installer finishes without enrolling instead of waiting for input. |
--skip-enroll (Windows: -SkipEnroll) | Installs the service and does not enroll. Enroll later with sudo xt-hub enroll <install key> (on Windows, xt-hub enroll <install key>). |
--require-tpm (Windows: -RequireTpm) | Enrolls only if the server's TPM holds the hub identity, never a key file. |
If the installer stops
The exit code of the installer tells you whether the key can still be used.
| Exit code | Meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Xurrent refused the key: not valid, already used or expired. | Select Issue a New Install Command in Xurrent and run the installer again. |
| 4 | Xurrent or the release location could not be reached from the server. The key was not spent. | Check DNS, outbound HTTPS and any proxy, then run the installer again with the same key. |
| 9 | The address answered, but not as Xurrent's enrollment endpoint. The key was not spent. | Check any VPN the site requires and that the account has the feature enabled, then run the installer again with the same key. |
| 11 | The TLS connection to Xurrent could not be trusted from the server. The key was not spent. | Correct the reason the installer reports, then run it again with the same key. |
| 12 | Windows only: Group Policy forbids running the script that installs the service. | Allow the script for this run, then run the installer again. |
Hub status
| Status | Meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Pending enrollment | Registered, but the install command has not run or the hub has not reached Xurrent yet. | Run the command. If nothing happens, run sudo xt-hub check on the server and confirm outbound HTTPS is allowed. |
| Active | The hub is polling Xurrent for work. | Nothing. |
| Down | Xurrent has had no contact from the hub for 15 minutes. Scans assigned to it wait. | Run xt-hub status on the server to see why. See Troubleshooting Native Discovery. |
The hub record also shows the maximum number of scans the hub runs at once. Further scans queue until a slot is free.
Commands on the hub server
| Command | Use it to |
|---|---|
xt-hub status | See whether the hub is enrolled, running and in contact with Xurrent |
xt-hub check | Test DNS, TCP, TLS, HTTP and clock skew to Xurrent, and list proxy settings in effect |
xt-hub logs -since 2h | Read the recent hub log (the log never contains passwords or community strings) |
xt-hub diagnose | Create a support bundle to attach to a request |
xt-hub start, stop, restart | Control the service on any operating system |
To upgrade, run the same install command again. An enrolled hub keeps its enrollment.
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