2.8 KiB
id, title, sidebar_label
| id | title | sidebar_label |
|---|---|---|
| browser-console | Browser console | Browser console |
An SSH, RDP or VNC session in a browser tab, with no client software to install and no new port to open on the target machine.
:::info Requires the console feature on your licence The console is a per-instance feature you enable on a paid plan. Without it, the Console button is unavailable. See Licensing and entitlements. :::
What you need
- The target server's agent must be online. Console traffic travels over the connection the agent already holds, so an offline agent means no session.
KEY_ENCRYPTION_KEYset on a self-hosted install, since every credential involved is stored encrypted.- The service you are connecting to listening on the machine itself. It does not have to be reachable from anywhere else, because the agent connects to it locally.
Opening a session
From a server's page, choose Console, pick the protocol and connect. Vantage issues a one-time ticket for that session, and the connection is refused rather than left hanging if the agent is not online.
Credentials
SSH
Uses a private key from your key library. The key must have had its private half uploaded; a public key alone cannot open a session.
RDP and VNC
You type the credentials when you connect. They are encrypted, used once and discarded, so the next session asks again.
During and after a session
Closing the tab ends the session. There is no reconnect: opening it again starts a fresh session.
Opening a console is recorded in the audit log, with who did it, which server and when. What happens inside the session is not recorded. There is no session replay or keystroke capture, so if you need that, it has to come from the target machine itself.
When it does not work
| Symptom | What to check |
|---|---|
| Connects, then closes at once | The console daemon is unreachable. On a self-hosted install, check that guacd is running |
| SSH refuses the key | The stored key has no private half, or is not assigned to that server |
| RDP fails when you retry | Credentials are used once. Enter them again |
| Hangs, then disconnects | The agent could not reach the service on the machine, or the session timed out setting up. The audit log records the reason |
| Works locally, fails in production | Your reverse proxy is not forwarding WebSocket connections |