What is the On-Premise Controller?

The On-Premise Controller (OPC) is a server management web console, which can manage Deskpro on your server without having to login to the CLI. The service runs in a docker container within the same host as your Deskpro instances, and allows you to create, update and manage multiple Deskpro instances on the same host, as well as manage and configure the services Deskpro requires within the host.

Here is a simple diagram of how the OPC works within a single node configuration:

All web traffic accessing the server is handled by the nginx Edge Proxy, but requests made to the special port :29443 are directed to the OPC container. This container manages the Deskpro instances and the services running within the host. Standard web traffic is forwarded to your Deskpro instance containers, and they can access the required services within the host.

Why should I use the OPC?

There have been significant changes with how Deskpro Horizon works on-premise, which are incompatible with the ways Deskpro has worked on-premise in the past. The OPC allows you to easily manage and update the individual Deskpro containers, configure local or external services, backup your helpdesk and configure notifications when issues occur.

The OPC will also automatically update your host’s services and notify you if a restart is required to install a new kernel.

Do I need another server/vm for the OPC?

No. The OPC is a service to manage the server it is installed on, and it will install everything needed to run Deskpro on the server automatically.

Can I use external services with my Deskpro instances?

Yes. You can configure your instances to use an external MySQL or Elasticsearch service when creating/importing the instance, and you can configure an S3 bucket on an active instance. However, the OPC will not be able to make configuration changes to these external services and they must be managed manually.

Can helpdesks on the OPC be clustered?

Customers on Enterprise plans can cluster multiple OPC servers together either in a failover or load-balanced configuration to support larger helpdesks over multiple servers.

I don’t want to use a web interface. Can I manage my helpdesk through the CLI?

You can login to your helpdesk server via SSH and modify your helpdesk via the CLI if you prefer. The OPC adds an opc CLI command to your helpdesk server which allows you to perform any action on the web interface via the CLI.