Skip to content

Getting Started with NereidHorizon

NereidHorizon (Horizon) is the edge distribution console for the Open Horizon management hub: a graphical console for defining services and rolling them out to fleets of edge nodes through patterns or policies. For a product-level overview see the NereidHorizon product page.

This guide walks a first-time operator through the core journey: sign in, connect an edge node, define a service, deploy it with a pattern or a policy, and watch the resulting agreement and rollout.

1. Sign in and check the dashboard

  1. Sign in to the Horizon console with your operator account.
  2. On the Dashboard, confirm the Exchange version, current organization, and online node count.
  3. Use Quick Actions to reach the modules in the steps below.

2. Register and connect an edge node

  1. Prepare a machine running the anax agent and make sure it can reach the Exchange.
  2. On the Users page, create the node account and generate its API key (shown only once).
  3. On the node, run hzn register against a pattern or policy.
  4. Confirm the node appears as online on the Edge Nodes page.

The full command sequence and verification steps are in Node Registration.

3. Define or import a service

A service definition describes the container image and its deployment settings.

  • Create one on the Services page — name, label, version, architecture, and image are required.
  • Or import an existing definition by pasting JSON or uploading a .json file.

Horizon signs the deployment automatically, so no manual signing is needed.

4. Deploy with a pattern or a policy

Choose one of the two deployment models:

  • Pattern — a fixed set of services for a class of nodes. Create it on the Patterns page with at least one service, then register nodes to it.
  • Policy — constraint-matched deployment for dynamic environments. Create a deployment policy on the Deployment Policies page that targets a service and matches node properties.

In both cases, link the pattern or policy to an agbot; the node cannot negotiate a deployment until an agbot has it linked.

5. Watch the agreement and rollout

  1. Open Agbots and check the Agreements tab for the new agreement.
  2. On Edge Nodes, open the node's drawer and inspect the Agreements and Services tabs.
  3. Watch the Errors tab if the rollout stalls, and confirm the result in the Audit Log, which records the node_register event and every hub call.

Next steps