System requirements
What Cenovel needs to run: one appliance VM on VMware vSphere, its disks, the network access it uses, and a desktop browser.
Updated October 4, 2026
Where it runs
- Supported
- VMware vSphere with ESXi 8.0 Update 2 or later. Cenovel is delivered as an OVA: a Debian 13 (amd64) appliance VM that uses virtual hardware version 21.
- For a first look
- The same OVA in VMware Workstation Pro 17.5 or Fusion Pro 13.5, or later, on a machine with an Intel or AMD processor and 16 GB of RAM or more. Production runs on vSphere.
- Not supported
- Hyper-V, KVM, Proxmox, cloud VMs and container platforms. Apple silicon Macs can’t run the appliance, which is x86 (amd64).
Size the VM
Size it by the switches, stacks and access points Cenovel will read.
| Monitored devices | vCPU | RAM | System disk | Each data disk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 500 | 2 | 8 GB | 40 GB | 100 GB |
| Up to 2,000 | 4 | 8 GB | 40 GB | 100 GB |
| Up to 10,000 | 8 | 16 GB | 40 GB | 250 GB |
These are starting points. Load on production hardware has not been measured yet, so watch the appliance’s own metrics and grow it if needed.
Disks
The data lives on its own disks, one mount each. First boot refuses to start unless the database and the data are separate mounts.
| Disk | Holds |
|---|---|
| 1. System | The operating system, Cenovel releases and the journal |
| 2. Database | The MariaDB database |
| 3. Data | Uploads, photographs, device software images and the spool |
| 4. Backup staging (optional) | Local backup staging only; the real copy goes to an off-box host |
Network and ports
| Direction | What | Port |
|---|---|---|
| Inbound | HTTPS from staff workstations only | TCP 443 |
| Outbound | SSH to managed switches and access points | TCP 22 |
| Outbound | SNMPv3 to managed equipment | UDP 161 |
| Outbound | Redfish to server management controllers | TCP 443 |
| Outbound, if used | Active Directory over LDAPS or StartTLS | TCP 636 or 389 |
| Outbound, if used | Microsoft Entra ID, Juniper Mist or ExtremeCloud IQ, email, webhooks and the off-box backup host | As configured |
One network adapter on the management VLAN. Keep the console off the internet. For networks the appliance can’t route to, a site collector reads devices there.
Sign-in
Active Directory over LDAPS or StartTLS (the default), Microsoft Entra ID, or both. A local recovery account is created at first boot. See Directory sign-in.
Browsers
A current desktop browser. The console is built for desktop screens and checked at 1,280 and 1,440 pixels wide; it is not made for phones or tablets. This website and the demo introduction work on phones; the demo console itself needs a desktop.
Devices
Switches and stacks from Cisco, Juniper and Extreme over SSH and SNMPv3, other switches and Palo Alto Networks firewalls over SNMPv3, servers through Redfish, and access points directly or through Juniper Mist or ExtremeCloud IQ.
See also: Supported devices · Supported hardware · Install the appliance