rcourtman
bc15c3500b
## Problem
Nested Proxmox clusters (each PVE node is itself a QEMU VM) lose
physical disks from inventory. QEMU gives a virtual disk configured
without a serial a default one built from its drive ID or a per-VM
counter, so every VM built the same way reports the same value:
- Proxmox's `/nodes/{node}/disks/list` serial is udev's
`ID_SERIAL_SHORT` (`PVE/Diskmanage.pm`). A virtio-scsi disk on a Proxmox
VM reports `drive-scsi0` with no `ID_WWN`; on a libvirt VM it is
`drive-scsi0-0-0-0`. A `-drive` given no ID falls back to QEMU's
automatic ID, `scsi0-hd0` for `if=scsi` and `none0` for `if=none`.
- An emulated ATA disk's serial is `QM` plus a five-digit counter
(`QM00001`).
`diskinventory.IsUsableHardwareID` accepted all of these, so
`resourceFromPhysicalDisk` set `MachineID = "drive-scsi0"` on every node
and the registry minted one `machine:drive-scsi0` canonical disk and one
SMART series for the whole cluster. Three nodes with two such disks each
produced 2 canonical disks instead of 6.
## Change
- `IsUsableHardwareID` rejects exactly QEMU's default shapes:
`drive-scsi` plus digits with at most three `-digits` groups,
`scsi<n>-hd<n>`, `none<n>`, and `QM` plus five digits. Real serials that
only share a prefix (`DRIVE-ASSET123`, `drive-sata0`, `QM0001`) stay
identity. It also strips `naa.`/`eui.`/`wwn-`/`0x` framing before its
all-zero and all-F test, so a `0x0000000000000000` WWN is a placeholder
too.
- TrueNAS provider: a disk took its canonical identity from any
non-empty serial, so a placeholder merged disks across appliances. It
now uses only a usable serial, and lists superseded IDs for every disk
without one.
- TrueNAS history keys: for a serial that was already rejected, such as
`UNKNOWN`, native TrueNAS history used TrueNAS's own disk identifier,
and the unified SMART writer (`syncUnifiedPhysicalDiskMetrics`)
substituted the metrics target only for an empty serial, so the samples
went to the canonical resource ID. Neither matched the chart reader's
key, and rejecting QEMU serials would have put TrueNAS VMs on that path.
Native history now falls back to the disk's source ID, and the writer
always writes under the resolved metrics target, so writer, native
history and reader agree. History lookup keys also drop placeholder
serials.
## Upgrade effect
A disk reporting one of these values (nested PVE nodes, TrueNAS or agent
hosts running as QEMU VMs with virtual disks, TrueNAS disks reporting
`UNKNOWN`) changes canonical ID and SMART metric key once. Samples
recorded under the old key are not carried over, because that key mixed
every disk that shared the value. Path-shaped alert references (Proxmox
disk health and wearout, host-agent SMART) are unaffected; anything
keyed on the old canonical ID or metric key starts again under the new
one. This is recorded in the monitoring and agent-lifecycle contracts.
## Tests
- `TestIsUsableHardwareIDRejectsQEMUDefaultDiskSerials`: each default
shape is rejected, falls back to the scoped topology ID and never
matches itself; prefix-sharing real serials stay usable.
`TestPreferredIDRejectsPlaceholderHardwareIdentity` gains the framed
all-zero/all-F WWNs.
- `TestNestedProxmoxDefaultQEMUSerialsStayPerNode`: 3 nodes ×
(`drive-scsi0`, `QM00005`, `drive-scsi0-0-0-1`) give 9 canonical disks,
9 slots and 9 metric keys, every SMART writer key is a key readers
resolve, and agent SMART source IDs stay per host.
-
`TestTrueNASPlaceholderDiskSerialsStayPerApplianceAndShareOneHistoryKey`:
two appliances with `UNKNOWN` and `drive-scsiN` serials keep one
canonical disk each, and the SMART writer's samples are readable under
each disk's metrics target.
- `TestProviderPlaceholderDiskSerialsKeyNeitherIdentityNorHistory`:
placeholder serials key no identity, list superseded canonical IDs, drop
out of native history lookup keys, and native history lands under the
registry's metrics target.
- Negative controls via `go test -overlay`, one runtime file reverted at
a time: base `identity.go` fails all three round trips (3 canonical
disks instead of 9, 9 TrueNAS disks instead of 16); base `provider.go`
fails the identity and history assertions; base `monitor.go` fails the
SMART-history-under-reader-key assertion; reverting only the native
history key, the superseded-ID gate or the lookup-key filter fails its
own provider assertion.
- `pkg/diskinventory`, `internal/truenas/...`,
`internal/unifiedresources/...` and `internal/monitoring` pass in full;
`internal/api/...` disk, hardware, serial and TrueNAS tests pass.
Stacked on #2648 (`fix/pve-disk-serial-carry`), whose commit this branch
carries until it merges. Not in this change: the registry's merge of
disks across parents on a canonical-ID collision (separate change), and
a pre-existing writer/reader key mismatch for controller-member disks
without a usable serial or WWN (`PhysicalDiskMetaMetricID` appends
topology to a source ID that already carries it), which is tracked
separately.
Pulse
Real-time Proxmox, Docker and Kubernetes monitoring that finds what needs attention.
Pulse is a self-hosted monitoring workspace for Proxmox, Docker, Kubernetes, TrueNAS, physical and virtual machines, and early-access VMware vSphere environments. It combines live infrastructure state, history, alerts, recovery visibility, and scheduled health checks without requiring a conventional enterprise monitoring stack.
Why Pulse
- It watches between visits. Alerts and Pulse Patrol find failed backups, capacity pressure, restart loops, unhealthy containers, clock drift, and other problems that dashboards cannot surface when nobody is looking.
- It keeps each platform familiar. Proxmox, Docker, Kubernetes, TrueNAS, vSphere, and machines have dedicated views, backed by one shared resource model for search, alerts, history, and investigation.
- It stays operator-controlled. Credentials are encrypted at rest, API tokens are scoped, agent commands are disabled by default, and governed fixes require the configured policy and approval path.
Platform coverage
| Platform | Coverage |
|---|---|
| Proxmox VE, PBS, and PMG | Nodes, guests, storage, backups, replication, Ceph, mail gateways, and alerts |
| Docker and Podman | Hosts, containers, Compose projects, Swarm services, health, images, and updates |
| Kubernetes | Clusters, nodes, workloads, pods, services, storage, and events through the unified agent |
| TrueNAS SCALE and CORE | Pools, datasets, disks, snapshots, replication tasks, apps, VMs, and alerts |
| Linux, Windows, and macOS machines | Host health, filesystems, networking, temperatures, RAID, and availability through the unified agent |
| VMware vSphere | Early-access inventory, hosts, clusters, VMs, datastores, networks, snapshots, and recovery context; validate against your own vCenter before production use |
Platform pages keep storage and recovery information beside the infrastructure it belongs to. Alerts, Actions, and Patrol remain cross-platform views.
Patrol: monitoring that does rounds
Pulse Patrol runs scheduled checks across the current state and recent history of your infrastructure. Community installations can use a local model or their own AI provider for watch-only analysis. Pulse Pro adds investigation and policy-bound fixes with approval, verification, and an audit trail.
Pulse also includes an interactive Assistant and an MCP adapter for external clients such as Claude Code and OpenCode. Both sit on top of the same scoped inventory, metrics, alert, storage, and governed-action contracts.
Quick start
Choose an exact version from the latest release and keep that version pinned during installation.
Docker
docker run -d \
--name pulse \
-p 7655:7655 \
-v pulse_data:/data \
-e PULSE_DEPLOYMENT_METHOD=docker_run \
--restart unless-stopped \
rcourtman/pulse:vX.Y.Z
Open http://<your-ip>:7655 and follow the bootstrap-token setup. Docker host
monitoring is provided by the unified agent; the Pulse server container does
not need the Docker socket.
Proxmox LXC, Linux, and Kubernetes
The installer is signed. Verify install.sh against the pinned
pulse-installer key before running it:
export PULSE_VERSION=vX.Y.Z
curl -fsSLO "https://github.com/rcourtman/Pulse/releases/download/${PULSE_VERSION}/install.sh" &&
curl -fsSLO "https://github.com/rcourtman/Pulse/releases/download/${PULSE_VERSION}/install.sh.sshsig" &&
ssh-keygen -Y verify \
-f <(printf '%s\n' 'pulse-installer namespaces="pulse-install" ssh-ed25519 AAAAC3NzaC1lZDI1NTE5AAAAIMZd/DaH+BldzOkq1A8KVTcFk73nAyrE8aJOyf7i00jm pulse-installer') \
-I pulse-installer \
-n pulse-install \
-s install.sh.sshsig < install.sh &&
bash install.sh --version "${PULSE_VERSION}"
Paste the whole block: installation stops if either download or signature verification fails. Do not run the final command separately to bypass a failure.
The GitHub installer installs the Pulse server. Install and upgrade agents (including v5-to-v6 agent upgrades) with the per-host command generated under Settings → Infrastructure → Install on a host.
Do you need an agent?
Often not. Proxmox VE, PBS, and PMG are monitored through the Proxmox API with a read-only token, so nothing runs on the host and the generated setup script creates a privilege-separated monitoring user. Install the unified agent only where you want data the platform API cannot provide, such as host SMART health, temperatures, Docker hosts, or standalone machines.
The agent is operator-controlled by design. Command execution is off by
default, the local listener binds to localhost, and generated systemd units
ship hardened. On Linux, the installer's --least-privilege profile runs the
service as a dedicated non-root user, with optional scoped sudo grants for
the few collectors that need elevation. The
agent security model documents exactly what the
agent can and cannot do at each privilege level.
Important
GitHub release assets and
rcourtman/pulseimages are Community builds. Relay, Pro, and eligible legacy customers should use the private image or Linux archive provided by the Pulse download portal. Replacing a private Pro runtime with a public Community build removes its private runtime hooks.
Editions
- Community — self-hosted monitoring, seven days of metric history, core SSO, update alerts, and Patrol with your own provider or local model.
- Pro — Community plus Patrol investigation, governed fixes, ninety days of history, centralized agent profiles, RBAC, audit logging, and reporting.
- MSP — for managed service providers: one Pulse Account running many client workspaces, each with an isolated Pulse runtime — separate dashboards, alerts, users, audit history, and reports. Free sixty-day two-client evaluation at Pulse for MSPs.
Relay is no longer sold. Existing Relay subscribers receive Pro features at their current price for as long as their subscription continues. Existing paired phones keep working until 31 March 2027. Relay connects the app, not the web UI. Use your own VPN or tunnel for remote web access. For phone alerts, add an ntfy, Gotify or Pushover destination and open Pulse in your phone's browser.
Core self-hosted monitoring is not gated by monitored-system or child-resource volume. See the runtime-aligned capability reference and current plans for details.
Documentation
- Install and deployment
- Production deployment and security
- Upgrade from Pulse v5
- Releases and update channels
- Configuration
- Platform and agent guides
- Pulse Intelligence
- Security and privacy
- Code signing policy
- Troubleshooting
- API reference and architecture
Localized getting started guides: Deutsch · Español
Development
Pulse uses Go 1.26 and a SolidJS/TypeScript frontend. The managed development
runtime starts the frontend at http://127.0.0.1:5173 and proxies API and
WebSocket traffic to the backend on port 7655.
npm ci
npm --prefix frontend-modern ci
npm run dev
Useful checks:
go test ./...
npm --prefix frontend-modern test
npm --prefix frontend-modern run type-check
python3 scripts/check_public_docs.py
See CONTRIBUTING.md before investing in a code change. Pulse uses an issue-first contribution process and does not normally accept unsolicited pull requests.
Community and support
- Ask questions in GitHub Discussions.
- Report reproducible bugs through GitHub Issues.
- Home Assistant users can use the community-maintained Pulse add-ons.
- If Pulse is useful to you, support its development through GitHub Sponsors or Ko-fi.
License
Everything in this repository is licensed under the MIT License. There is no dual licensing and no commercial or source-available code here.
Pulse Pro is a separate commercial product, built from private sources and distributed through pulserelay.pro. Its use is governed by the Terms of Service, which apply to that product only, not to anything in this repository.