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Introduction

This page answers common questions about the ZEDEDA Edge Intelligence Platform. Questions are grouped by topic.

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Getting Started

Who is ZEDEDA? ZEDEDA is the leader in management and orchestration for distributed edge computing. ZEDEDA provides a comprehensive, secure solution for managing and orchestrating distributed edge infrastructure and edge applications — bringing the convenience and capacity of the cloud to the edge. How can I try the platform? ZEDEDA offers a 30-day self-service trial. See Get Started with the Self-Service Trial Program to apply. Do I need a license for every node? Yes. Each node requires a license. Contact support@zededa.com for information about licensing structures.

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Platform Concepts

What is Edge Infrastructure Services? Edge Infrastructure Services is the ZEDEDA service layer that provides EVE-OS (Edge Virtualization Engine) based node management, workload orchestration, and Kubernetes operations at the edge. It was previously referred to as ZEDEDA Cloud or ZedCloud. What is the difference between ZedControl and ZedCloud? Both terms are deprecated. ZedCloud has been replaced by Edge Infrastructure Services, and ZedControl has been replaced by the ZEDEDA console. See Concepts and Glossary for a full list of renamed terms. What is an enterprise? An enterprise is the complete set of nodes, applications, users, and configuration associated with a single ZEDEDA customer. Each enterprise can be subdivided into projects for organizational purposes. What is the difference between edge applications and application instances? Edge applications are blueprints — reusable templates that define the software and configuration for a workload. An application instance is a deployed, running copy of an edge application on a specific node. In the current console, deployed workloads are called Applications. What do activate, deactivate, and reactivate do for applications? Activating an application starts the container or virtual machine on its node. Deactivating shuts it down without removing it. Reactivating restarts an application that is currently active. These terms also apply to node operations, but their meaning differs in that context. What is a hardware model? A hardware model is a digital blueprint of a physical device type. It defines the device’s specifications, including CPU, RAM, storage, and port configurations. Edge Infrastructure Services uses hardware models to recognize and manage the many device types available on the market.

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Edge Management

What does onboarding mean? Onboarding is the process of enrolling an edge device into a ZEDEDA enterprise. During onboarding, the device receives a project association, security credentials, management policies, and network settings. EVE-OS (Edge Virtualization Engine) must be installed on the device before onboarding. After onboarding, the device is referred to as a node. What does off-boarding mean? Off-boarding a node detaches it from its enterprise. This enables you to migrate the node to another enterprise while retaining its volume instances intact. What is the difference between activating and deactivating a node? When you deactivate a node, Edge Infrastructure Services stops communicating with it. The node continues trying to contact the controller but is ignored — it cannot send monitoring data or receive configuration updates. Deactivation does not power down the device or off-board it. Activating the node restores communication. What is the difference between a serial number and a soft serial number? A serial number is the hardware identification number assigned by the device manufacturer. A soft serial number is generated by EVE-OS during installation. The soft serial number is useful when the hardware serial number is not known. Where can I find the soft serial number? The EVE-OS installer displays the soft serial number on the command line before it completes. If the image is running from writable media such as a USB drive, the soft serial number also appears as a folder name in the INVENTORY partition. You can also retrieve it by running cat /config/soft_serial from the console. Which ports must be open for a node to connect to Edge Infrastructure Services? Port 443 must be open for the node to connect to Edge Infrastructure Services.

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Next Steps

Quick Start

Get up and running quickly.

Concepts and Glossary

Key ZEDEDA platform terms and definitions.

Get Started with the Self-Service Trial Program

Set up a free ZEDEDA trial environment.