🛠️First Steps with FLECS

Welcome to FLECS!

This guide will walk you step by step through creating your account, installing FLECS, and deploying your first app on your device.

Overview

FLECS is your platform for software-defined automation. In just a few minutes, you'll be ready to explore a new level of flexibility in industrial software management.

Step 1: Create Your FLECS Account

• Duration: Less than 2 minutes

• Purpose: To install apps on your FLECS-based device, you need a marketplace account.

• Benefits: Start with a 30-day trial offering a free device license, which you will activate manually.

• Steps:

  1. Create your account here

  2. Enter your email, first name, and last name.

  3. Agree to our terms and conditions and privacy policy.

  4. Click "Register".

  5. Check your inbox and verify your email via the confirmation link.

• Outcome: Your FLECS account is now active. Continue to activate your trial license.

Step 2: Activate Your 30-Day Trial

• Duration: Less than 1 minute

• Purpose: Start your FLECS experience with no initial cost.

• Steps:

  1. Log in to your FLECS account.

  2. Go to the FLECS 30 day trial product page.

  3. Add the trial to your cart.

  4. Move to your cart.

  5. Proceed to checkout and confirm your free order.

• Outcome: Your free trial is activated - you're ready to install FLECS!

• Note: If you haven’t created an account yet, you can also register during the checkout process.

Step 3: Install FLECS

• Duration: Less than 10 minutes (varies with internet speed)

• Compatibility: Check our supported systems list for compatibility and installation details.

• Instructions:

  1. Open the terminal of your device (e.g., via PuTTY or directly).

  2. Run the installation command: curl -fsSL install.flecs.tech | bash in the terminal.

  3. Ensure your device is connected to the internet during installation.

• Outcome: FLECS is successfully installed on your device!

• Evaluate FLECS on your Windows PC or MAC: For those looking to use FLECS on a Linux system within a virtual machine on Windows or macOS, make sure you have a functioning Linux environment set up first. Detailed instructions on installing Linux Ubuntu on a virtual machine for both Windows and macOS are available in our Installing Linux Ubuntu on a Virtual Machine Guide. This guide will walk you through the process of setting up a virtual machine and preparing it for the FLECS installation.

• Further details can be found on Installing FLECS Core

Step 4: Install Your First App

• Duration: Less than 5 minutes (varies with internet speed)

• Exploration: View our app list or watch the process on YouTube.

• Steps:

  1. Open your browser and enter your device’s IP address or hostname (e.g., http://192.168.x.x:8080). If needed, add :8080 or :8008 to the URL.

  2. Log in using your account credentials created in Step 1.

  3. In the System section, click Activate Device to apply your trial license.

  4. From the sidebar, open the Marketplace.

  5. Browse the available apps.

     • Apps listed as Installable can be installed or uninstalled directly.

     • Apps marked as Unavailable can be requested.

  6. Find and install the Node-RED app.

  7. After installation, return to 'Apps' to open Node-RED in a new tab.

• Outcome: Your first app is installed and ready to use on FLECS!

• Further details can be found on Install an App from the FLECS Marketplace and Using your App with FLECS Core

Congratulations!

You’ve completed the First Steps with FLECS guide. You can now explore advanced features, automate workflows, and build your own software-defined automation solutions.

For further assistance or inquiries, feel free to contact our support team. Happy automating!