2. Setting up inoQulate¶

Once the VM deployment has completed, continue to set up the solution.

2.1. Prepare an SSH keypair for users¶

Users connecting the SFTP server to drop and pick up files for inoQulation will use SSH keys for authentication. You may use an existing keypair.

To create a new SSH keypair, use the ssh-keygen command.

ssh-keygen -m PEM -t ed25519

Note the file path that the public key is saved in. The contents of the file is the SSH public key.

2.2. Set up a domain name for your VM¶

Configure a domain name for your VM to access the web server: either Azure’s built-in domain or a custom domain. A TLS certificate will automatically be issued to this domain associated to your VM.

Using the solution without a domain name is currently not supported.

Note

If you configured a custom domain, it may take up to a few hours for the domain name to be updated across all nameservers on the Internet.

2.3. Connect to your VM¶

Connect to your VM with an SSH client of your choice.

Use the following parameters:

Parameter	Value
Server	The FQDN as configured in Set up a domain name for your VM
Port	22
Username	`core`
Authentication Method	SSH Keypair or password-based, as configured in Create the VM.

For example, using the ssh command line program,

ssh core@inoqulate.example.com

See Azure Documentation’s Connect to the VM for more details about connecting via SSH.

2.4. Configure the setup¶

There are three variables to configure in the file /opt/inoqulate/init.env:

FQDN: The fully qualified domain name of the VM as configured in Set up a domain name for your VM. This configuration sets up automatic TLS issuance.
SFTP_PUB_KEY: The SSH public key for users as configured in Prepare an SSH keypair for users. This allows users holding the corresponding private key to access the SFTP server to drop and pick up PDF files.
CN_PREFIX: The prefix to prepend to all generated X.509 certificates, such as your company name.

An example of a configured file is:

Listing 2.1 init.env¶

FQDN=inoqulate.example.com
SFTP_PUB_KEY=ssh-ed25519 AAAACxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxp+
CN_PREFIX=Mycompany

Choose one of two options to configure the variables:

Connect to your VM and use the text editor vim to edit and fill it the variables in the file with the command:
```
vim /opt/inoqulate/init.env
```
or,
Create a new file with the contents on your local computer and copy it into the VM with:
```
scp init.env core@inoqulate.example.com:/opt/inoqulate/init.env
```

2.5. Start the installation¶

To start the installation, run the following command in the VM:

sudo systemctl start inoqulate-init &

The installation will continue in the background, and takes up to 10 minutes for a virtual machine with 4 vCPUs.

You may monitor the installation progress with:

journalctl -xeu inoqulate-init

Once the installation script has exited, the installation is complete.

Tip

To save costs, it is recommended to stop and deallocate your VM when not in use. You will not lose any data.

2.6. Resetting the installation¶

If the configuration is incorrect or the installation encountered an error, you can reset the installation.

Warning

The reset is a destructive operation. You will lose any data created in the installation, including CA keys. You should not reset the installation if you have begun using the solution.

To reset the installation, run:

sudo systemctl start inoqulate-reset &

The reset will continue in the backgroud and should complete within one minute. You can monitor its progress with:

journalctl -xeu inoqulate-reset