Install Connect on Linux¶

Looking to upgrade?

See Upgrade Connect for details of how to upgrade the client.

System requirements

Before starting, review Connect's system requirements and ensure that your system meets them.

Step 1: Configure your package manager¶

The organisation of the apt repository has changed. Users of Connect 3.4.0 and earlier must follow these instructions to add the apt repository again.

CyberHive Connect client packages are provided for Debian- and RPM-based distributions.

Go to our packages site and find the instructions for your distribution.
Follow the instructions to add the repository to your configuration.
Return to this page.

Step 2: Install the package¶

Tip

We recommend rebooting the machine after Connect is installed and configured, or upgraded.

Debian-based¶

To install the latest package from the apt repository, run the following commands then move to the next step:

apt update
apt install cyberhive-connect

Alternatively, for a direct download, replace the example path shown below with the actual file name and location:

apt install ./path/to/downloaded/cyberhive-connect.deb

dpkg -i may also be used to install a downloaded package.

RPM-based¶

To install the latest package from the yum repository, run the following commands then move to the next step:

yum update
yum install cyberhive-connect

Alternatively, for a direct download, replace the example path shown below with the actual file name and location:

yum install ./path/to/downloaded/cyberhive-connect.rpm

Earlier versions of yum may need to use localinstall for a downloaded package.

Step 3: Configure the service¶

Info

See Configuration Options for more information on the available settings.

The client supports installation of a service under multiple service management frameworks: systemd, launchd, upstart, runit, and sysv init.

The process for systemd is described here. The same environment variables would need to be configured under other frameworks; see the documentation of your selected framework for more information.

Ensure /etc/default/cyberhive-connect exists. This is where the configuration needed for Connect on Linux must be placed. You may need to create this file from scratch or copy the example file, /etc/default/cyberhive-connect.example.

Restrict permissions for the file so that only the root user has access:

sudo chown root:root /etc/default/cyberhive-connect
sudo chmod 600 /etc/default/cyberhive-connect

Establish the specific values for your Endpoint with a system administrator and replace the example values shown below by editing /etc/default/cyberhive-connect:

CONNECT_SERVER=https://control-service.connect.cyberhive.com/
[email protected]
CONNECT_AUTH_TOKEN=auth_token
CONNECT_LISTEN_PORT=18025
CONNECT_OVERRIDE_HOSTNAME=endpoint-name

Token authentication

The access token provided by your system administrator should be the value of the CONNECT_AUTH_TOKEN field.

Hostnames

Endpoint hostnames can contain only letters, numbers, and hyphens and must be 63 characters or less in length. Valid hostnames look like desktop-pc, DESKTOP-PC, or DesktopPC.

Invalid hostnames look like desktop_pc, DESKTOP PC, desktop--pc, or -DesktopPC.

Hostnames are also case-insensitive unique within an Organisation. For example, desktop-pc, Desktop-PC, and DESKTOP-PC are identical in Connect.

Tip

It is also possible to pre-generate keys for the Endpoint. This is an alternative and should not be used in combination with the above instructions.

Step 4: Enable and start the service¶

Again under systemd, enable the service and start it immediately:

sudo systemctl enable --now cyberhive-connect.service

Your Endpoint is now ready to be approved by an administrator. This will allow you to access other Endpoints in the TAN (Trusted Area Network) provided by Connect.

Once approved, you may want to test your connectivity to verify that you have access to the Endpoints you expect to.

Alternative: Interactive usage¶

Users running a graphical Linux desktop can perform an interactive (browser-based) login by running the cyberhive-connect binary from the command line. Note that to do so, Connect must be run with elevated privileges, using sudo.

You must specify a username and server URL. This should be done via environment variables:

sudo [email protected] \
CONNECT_SERVER=https://control-service.connect.cyberhive.com/ \
cyberhive-connect

Alternatively, you can specify these values via the -u and -s flags, respectively:

sudo cyberhive-connect \
-u [email protected] \
-s https://control-service.connect.cyberhive.com/

The above commands will result in the following prompt:

To log in, please open the following link in a private browser window - I'll wait...
https://control-service.connect.cyberhive.com/client/login_o365/?next=/client/home/&cbp=41089&[email protected]