# FAQ

## Installation

### What's the easiest way to install?
```bash
bash -c "$(wget -qLO - https://github.com/community-scripts/ProxmoxVE/raw/main/ct/pulse.sh)"
```

### System requirements?
- 1 vCPU, 512MB RAM (1GB recommended), 1GB disk
- Network access to Proxmox API

## Configuration

### How do I add a node?
**Auto-discovery (Easiest)**: Settings → Nodes → Click "Setup Script" on discovered node → Run on Proxmox
**Manual**: Settings → Nodes → Add Node → Enter credentials → Save

### How do I disable network discovery?
Settings → System → Network Settings → Toggle "Enable Discovery" off → Save
Or set environment variable `DISCOVERY_ENABLED=false`

### How do I change the port?
Systemd: `sudo systemctl edit pulse`, add `Environment="FRONTEND_PORT=8080"`, restart
Docker: Use `-e FRONTEND_PORT=8080 -p 8080:8080` in your run command
See [Port Configuration Guide](PORT_CONFIGURATION.md) for details

### Why can't I change settings in the UI?
If a setting is disabled with an amber warning, it's being overridden by an environment variable. 
Remove the env var (check `sudo systemctl show pulse | grep Environment`) and restart to enable UI configuration.

### What permissions needed?
- PVE: `PVEAuditor` minimum (includes VM.GuestAgent.Audit for disk usage in PVE 9+)
- PVE 8: Also needs `VM.Monitor` permission for VM disk usage via QEMU agent
- PBS: `DatastoreReader` minimum

### API tokens vs passwords?
API tokens are more secure. Create in Proxmox: Datacenter → Permissions → API Tokens

### Where are settings stored?
See [Configuration Guide](CONFIGURATION.md) for details

### How do I backup my configuration?
Settings → Security → Backup & Restore → Export Backup
- If logged in with password: Just enter your password or a custom passphrase
- If using API token only: Provide the API token when prompted
- Includes all settings, nodes, credentials (encrypted), and custom console URLs

### Can Pulse detect Proxmox clusters?
Yes! When you add one cluster node, Pulse automatically discovers and monitors all nodes

## Troubleshooting

### No data showing?
- Check Proxmox API is reachable (port 8006/8007)
- Verify credentials
- Check logs: `journalctl -u pulse -f`

### Connection refused?
- Check port 7655 is open
- Verify Pulse is running: `systemctl status pulse`

### PBS connection issues?
- PBS requires HTTPS (not HTTP) - use `https://your-pbs:8007`
- Default PBS port is 8007 (not 8006)
- Check firewall allows port 8007

### Invalid credentials?
- Check username includes realm (@pam, @pve)
- Verify API token not expired
- Confirm user has required permissions

### CORS errors in browser?
- By default, Pulse only allows same-origin requests
- Set `ALLOWED_ORIGINS` environment variable for cross-origin access
- Example: `ALLOWED_ORIGINS=https://app.example.com`
- Never use `*` in production

### Authentication issues?
- Password auth: Check `PULSE_AUTH_USER` and `PULSE_AUTH_PASS` environment variables
- API token: Verify `API_TOKEN` is set correctly
- Session expired: Log in again via web UI
- Account locked: Wait 15 minutes after 5 failed attempts

### High memory usage?
Reduce `metricsRetentionDays` in settings and restart

## Features

### Why do VMs show allocated size instead of actual usage?
VMs need the QEMU Guest Agent installed to report actual disk usage. Without it, Pulse can only show the allocated disk size. See [VM Disk Monitoring Guide](VM_DISK_MONITORING.md) for setup instructions.

### How do I see real disk usage for VMs?
Install QEMU Guest Agent in your VMs:
- Linux: `apt install qemu-guest-agent` or `yum install qemu-guest-agent`
- Windows: Install virtio-win guest tools
- Enable in VM Options → QEMU Guest Agent
See [VM Disk Monitoring Guide](VM_DISK_MONITORING.md) for details.

### Multiple clusters?
Yes, add multiple nodes in Settings

### PBS push mode?
No, PBS push mode is not currently supported. PBS monitoring requires network connectivity from Pulse to the PBS server.

### Webhook providers?
Discord, Slack, Gotify, Telegram, ntfy.sh, Teams, generic JSON

### Works with reverse proxy?
Yes, ensure WebSocket support is enabled

## Updates

### How to update?
- **ProxmoxVE LXC**: Type `update` in the LXC console
- **Docker**: Pull latest image, recreate container  
- **Manual/systemd**: Run the install script again: `curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rcourtman/Pulse/main/install.sh | sudo bash`

### Why can't I update from the UI?
For security reasons, Pulse cannot self-update. The UI will notify you when updates are available and show the appropriate update command for your deployment type.

### Will updates break config?
No, configuration is preserved