docs: Self review of doc pages

This commit is contained in:
2026-08-10 16:32:23 +01:00
parent bd7b3256fc
commit 83c38db92e
34 changed files with 860 additions and 991 deletions
+24 -25
View File
@@ -8,13 +8,12 @@ Symptoms, in the order people hit them.
## The server will not start
**Exits immediately on boot.** Almost always a missing `GRPC_HOST` the server
**Exits immediately on boot.** Almost always a missing `GRPC_HOST`. The server
refuses to start rather than guess a value that would break every agent later.
**Fails during index creation.** The auth and settings index builders are fatal
on failure by design: those unique indexes are what enforce tenant isolation,
so starting without them is worse than not starting. Check the MongoDB user's
permissions and whether a conflicting index already exists.
**Fails while preparing the database.** Vantage stops rather than run without
the safeguards it sets up at startup. Check the MongoDB user's permissions and
whether an old, conflicting index is already there.
**Starts, but every secret operation errors.** `KEY_ENCRYPTION_KEY` is missing
or is not 64 hex characters.
@@ -22,15 +21,15 @@ or is not 64 hex characters.
## Nobody can sign in
**`/setup` appears when users already exist.** The server is pointed at a
different database than you think. Check the database name in `MONGO_URI`
it comes from the URI path, not a separate variable.
different database than you think. Check the database name in `MONGO_URI`,
which is taken from the end of the URI.
**Sessions do not stick.** Redis is unreachable, or the cookie is being dropped
because the site is served over plain HTTP.
**"Wrong organisation" style rejections.** The host and session guard is
comparing the request host's label against the session's organisation. Check
`APP_ROOT_LABEL`.
**"Wrong organisation" style rejections.** Vantage compares the address you
browsed to against the instance your session belongs to. On a custom domain,
check `APP_ROOT_LABEL`.
**OIDC redirects and then fails.** The callback URL registered with the provider
must match exactly. Keep one local owner account so a broken provider is not a
@@ -44,12 +43,12 @@ Work through it in this order:
2. What does it say? `journalctl -u vantage-agent -f`.
3. Can that machine reach the endpoint? Test `GRPC_HOST` **from the machine**,
not from the control plane host.
4. Was the token already used or expired? It is single-use and lives one hour —
create a fresh enrolment rather than reusing the old command.
4. Was the token already used, or older than an hour? Generate a fresh install
command rather than reusing the old one.
| Symptom | Cause |
| --------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Registers, then goes `offline` within minutes | Something permits the short `Register` call but drops the long-lived stream. Usually a proxy or idle-timeout middlebox |
| Registers, then goes `offline` within minutes | The short registration call gets through but the long-lived connection is dropped, usually by a proxy or an idle timeout |
| Stays `pending` forever | Registration never happened. Token spent, or the endpoint unreachable |
| Flaps between `active` and `offline` | Intermittent path, or a poll interval longer than the offline threshold |
@@ -67,15 +66,15 @@ instantaneous.
## A workflow run fails or hangs
- **Hangs at dispatch.** The target's command stream is not connected the
- **Hangs at dispatch.** The target's command stream is not connected; the
server may be `offline`.
- **Fails immediately with an interpreter error.** A bash step on a Windows
target, or PowerShell on Linux.
- **A value does not reach the next step.** Values pass through the file at
`$WORKFLOW_ENV`, one `KEY=value` per line. Declaring an output does not export
it.
- **A secret is empty.** The group is not in the step's `secret_refs`, or the
key name differs from the environment variable you are reading.
`$WORKFLOW_ENV`, one `KEY=value` per line. Listing an output does not pass it
on by itself.
- **A secret is empty.** The group is not attached to that step, or the key name
differs from the variable you are reading.
- **Logs stop mid-run.** A reverse proxy read timeout cut the stream. The run
itself continues; reload the page.
@@ -85,8 +84,8 @@ instantaneous.
| ----------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Connects, then closes at once | guacd unreachable. Check `GUACD_ADDR` and that the container is running |
| SSH rejects the key | The stored key has no private half, or is not on the target |
| RDP fails on retry | Credentials are single-use and consumed at tunnel open enter them again |
| Hangs, then disconnects | The agent never claimed the relay, nothing is listening on the protocol port on the target's own loopback address, or guacd never dialled in time. Check the audit log for `console.proxy_failed` — its reason (`agent_timeout`, `dial_refused`, `guacd_timeout`, `rejected`) names which |
| RDP fails on retry | Credentials are single-use and consumed at tunnel open. Enter them again |
| Hangs, then disconnects | The agent could not reach the service on that machine, or setting up the session timed out. The audit log records which |
| Fails only in production | The reverse proxy is not forwarding WebSocket upgrade headers |
## Monitors report down when the service is up
@@ -98,7 +97,7 @@ instantaneous.
## Notifications are not arriving
Use the channel **Test** button it goes through the real delivery path, so a
Use the channel **Test** button. It goes through the real delivery path, so a
test that arrives proves credentials, network path and destination.
If the test fails: a webhook returning 300 or above counts as a failure, SMTP
@@ -109,9 +108,9 @@ needs `host`, `port`, `from` and `to`, and Telegram needs both `token` and
| Symptom | Cause |
| ------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `409 cloud_managed` when pasting | It is a cloud instance. Licences are written by HQ; there is nothing to paste |
| Licence rejected as not matching | It is bound to a different instance UUID. Relink in HQ |
| Instance degraded despite a valid-looking licence | It has expired past its grace period. Pasting still works that endpoint stays available specifically so it can |
| "Managed by Vantage HQ" when pasting | It is a cloud instance, which is licensed for you. There is nothing to paste |
| Licence rejected as not matching | It was issued to a different instance ID. Relink it in Vantage HQ |
| Instance degraded despite a valid-looking licence | It expired more than a few days ago. Pasting a new one still works, which is how you recover |
| Cannot enrol another server | The server allowance is reached. Raise it in HQ or remove one |
## HQ portal problems
@@ -129,5 +128,5 @@ docker compose logs --tail=200 server
journalctl -u vantage-agent --no-pager -n 200 # on the affected machine
```
Include your instance UUID from **Settings → Licence** it is the reference
Include your instance ID from the **Licence** page, which is the reference
support works from.