Initial Setup

1. Connect your server to power and Ethernet.

2. From a computer connected to the same Local Area Network (LAN) as your server, open a browser and visit http://start.local.

3. Select a setup option:

   • Start fresh: Select this option if you are setting up a new server.

   • Restore from Backup: Select this option only if your existing StartOS data drive has been lost or corrupted. This is for disaster recovery only.

   • Transfer: Select this option if you are transferring your existing data from one drive to another.

4. Set a strong master password. Make it good. Write it down. Resetting your password is non-trivial, but your data will be preserved.

5. Set your server name. Your server’s unique .local hostname is derived from this name. You can change your server name later in System Settings.

6. Following successful initialization, you will be prompted to download a StartOS-info.html. This file contains your server’s permanent .local URL and Root Certificate Authority (Root CA). It is recommended to save this file for future reference.

7. Click “Continue to Login” and follow instructions for Trusting your Root CA