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Getting started

Cloud and resource management​

Onboarding can be daunting, especially if you are new to IT. But don't worry — Fleet Control is here to help you every step of the way.

We designed this user guide to walk you through the entire process and answer any questions that you might have, making the experience seamless and stress-free.

The guide is a comprehensive, step-by-step documentation of everything you need to do from the beginning to the end to be fully onboarded with Fleet Control. Each link has a step that takes you directly to the instructions on how to do it, making the process even more straightforward and effortless.

1. Add a cloud account​

The first step is for you to add your cloud account to utilize the auto-discovery feature and to add resources to Fleet Control. This currently supports AWS and Azure, enabling you to discover all virtual machines, including tags and metadata.

info

Note that functionalities like tag-based selection or instance start/stop action require cloud credentials to be onboarded.

2. Install an SSM Agent​

Fleet Control communicates with virtual machines using the AWS SSM API. For all non-AWS instances, you must manually install and configure an SSM Agent so that we can access your instance. See Installing an SSM Agent for detailed instructions.

caution

Ensure the SSM Agent is running before proceeding, as it may not be installed on all AWS EC2 images by default.

Management & automation​

1. Create a resource group​

Then, you add Resource groups that serve as execution targets for plans. You can manually select the resources for these groups or let Fleet Control dynamically choose them using tag expressions. This step allows for a flexible and customized approach to organizing resources within Fleet Control. See Resource group details for more info about adding resources manually and dynamically.

2. Create a plan​

After creating a plan, assign actions to it and add resource groups. In addition, you can provide action and notification settings. You also have the option to create custom actions to manage your system with greater flexibility. This step allows you to personalize your system configuration that aligns with your objectives.

Notifications

Custom actions

Notification Groups are a way to notify certain groups of people about events related to plans, events, their actions and resources. For more information, see the links below:

A custom action is a type of action that users can define for their plans. For more information, see the links below:

Monitoring & reporting​

1. Events​

When you create a plan, Fleet Control schedules events (future events) and runs them at a specified schedule. Events that have already started are available in the Past/current events tab. Past/current events are permanent, and you cannot remove them, while future events depend on the plan’s schedule. If you make any changes to the schedule, Fleet Control will update future events. It’s also possible to revoke future events. Plan updates don’t affect Past/current events, because they do not change. This ensures a comprehensive record of all the activities that have been performed. Even if you delete a plan, past/current events will remain available, but Fleet Control will erase future events.