edge-deployment
sidebar_position: 30 title: "Edge Deployment" description: "Register and manage on-premise edge servers that sync a subset of your organization's data for offline access and shop-floor displays."
Edge Deployment
Edge Servers extend ProBeya's reach into network-restricted or offline environments. A registered edge node syncs a scoped subset of your organization's data from the ProBeya cloud to on-premise hardware, making operational boards, KPIs, and action lists available on shop-floor displays and plant-floor terminals that cannot maintain a reliable internet connection.
Overview
Manufacturing sites, pharmaceutical packaging lines, and regulated production floors often operate in environments where internet connectivity is unreliable, air-gapped by design, or subject to strict data egress controls. Shop-floor terminals need to display ProBeya boards in real time, but a dependency on cloud connectivity introduces availability risk.
Edge servers solve this by maintaining a local synchronized copy of scoped ProBeya data. When the cloud connection is available, the edge syncs incrementally. When it is not, the terminal continues to operate from the local cache. When connectivity is restored, changes made offline are reconciled with the cloud.
Admins register edge nodes through the ProBeya settings interface, configure which data categories and workspaces each edge syncs, and monitor sync status, lag, error logs, and storage usage from the same dashboard.
Getting Started
- Navigate to Settings > Edge Servers.
- Click Register Edge to open the registration dialog.
- Enter an Edge Name — a human-readable identifier that describes the physical location (e.g., "Plant Munich — Line 3 Terminal").
- Select which Data Categories the edge should sync (KPIs, Actions, Projects, Documents, Board Items). Uncheck categories the edge does not need to reduce bandwidth and storage requirements.
- Choose an Attachment Sync Policy (Full, Thumbnails Only, or None).
- Set a Storage Quota in megabytes. The default is 5,120 MB (5 GB). Attachment sync pauses when the quota is exceeded.
- Click Register.
- Immediately copy the Sync Secret displayed in the confirmation dialog. This secret is shown only once. If it is lost, you must deregister and re-register the edge node.
- Configure the edge server software using the displayed environment variables, then confirm by clicking "I've saved the secret."
The sync secret is a security credential that authorizes the edge node to pull data from your organization. It is displayed once at registration time and is not retrievable afterward. Store it in your edge server's secret manager (not in plaintext configuration files) immediately after copying.
Registration
Registration Form Fields
| Field | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Edge Name | Human-readable name for this edge server. Required. | — |
| KPIs | Sync KPI definitions and values. | On |
| Actions | Sync action items and follow-ups. | On |
| Projects | Sync PPM projects and tasks. | On |
| Documents | Sync file attachments. | On |
| Board Items | Sync items, columns, groups, checklists, and comments. | On |
| Attachment Sync Policy | Controls how file attachments are synced. | Thumbnails Only |
| Storage Quota (MB) | Maximum local storage in megabytes. Attachment sync pauses when exceeded. | 5,120 (5 GB) |
Attachment Sync Policies
| Policy | Description | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Full | All attachment files are downloaded to the edge node. | Terminals that must display full-resolution documents offline. |
| Thumbnails Only | Metadata and image previews are synced; full files are fetched on-demand when a user opens them. | Most shop-floor terminals where full-file offline access is not required. |
| None | Attachment metadata only. No file content is synced to the edge. | Bandwidth-constrained environments where file access is not needed. |
Edge Configuration Snippet
After registration, ProBeya displays a configuration snippet for the edge server software:
EDGE_CLOUD_URL=https://app.probeya.com
EDGE_ORGANIZATION_ID=<your-org-id>
EDGE_SYNC_SECRET=<generated-secret>
EDGE_ID=<generated-edge-id>
Apply these environment variables to the edge server's configuration before starting the sync service.
Managing Edge Servers
Edge Server List
The main card on the page lists all registered edge nodes with:
- Name and registration identifier
- Status (online / offline / syncing)
- Last Seen timestamp — the most recent successful sync contact
- Sync Lag — how far behind the edge is relative to the cloud data
Click on an edge in the list to open the Detail Panel for that node.
Edge Detail Panel
The detail panel provides a per-node view of:
- Sync History — a log of recent sync operations with timestamps and record counts
- Error Log — errors encountered during sync, useful for diagnosing connectivity or schema mismatch issues
- Storage Usage — current storage consumption versus the configured quota
Edge Operations
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Revoke Access | Invalidates the edge node's sync secret, preventing further sync attempts. Use when decommissioning an edge server or when the sync secret is suspected to be compromised. |
| Force Full Re-Sync | Triggers a complete data re-sync from cloud to edge, overwriting all local data. Use after a major data migration or when the edge's local cache is corrupted. |
A full re-sync can transfer a large volume of data depending on the edge's configured scope. Initiate it during low-traffic periods to minimize bandwidth contention on the plant network.
Permissions
| Role | Access |
|---|---|
org_owner | Full access: register, view, revoke, force re-sync |
tenant_admin | Full access: register, view, revoke, force re-sync |
site_admin | Full access: register, view, revoke, force re-sync |
| All other roles | No access. All edge operations are scoped to admin roles via orgProcedure. |
Tips & Best Practices
- Use descriptive edge names that encode location. A name like "Plant Brussels — Building C — QC Lab Terminal 2" makes it immediately clear where a node is physically located when reviewing the list remotely.
- Start with Thumbnails Only attachment policy. Full attachment sync multiplies storage requirements significantly. Most shop-floor use cases only need document previews; full files can be loaded on-demand when connectivity is available.
- Set storage quotas conservatively and increase as needed. An undersized quota causes attachment sync to pause silently. Start at 5 GB, monitor actual usage in the detail panel, and increase the quota if usage approaches the limit.
- Revoke access promptly for decommissioned nodes. An unrevoked sync secret on decommissioned hardware is a security exposure. Revoke access as part of your hardware decommission checklist.
- Monitor sync lag in the edge list. A consistently high sync lag (many hours or days) indicates a connectivity problem on the plant network. Investigate before the lag grows large enough to cause operational decisions to be based on stale data.
- Store the sync secret in a hardware security module or vault. Edge servers in regulated environments should store credentials in a hardware security module (HSM) or secrets manager consistent with 21 CFR Part 11 and EU Annex 11 audit trail requirements.
Related Features
- Connectors -- Bidirectional sync with enterprise systems including MES, SAP, and LIMS.
- API Keys -- Pull-based programmatic access for external integrations.
- Security Settings -- Organization-level authentication and session policies.
- Audit Log -- Edge registration, revocation, and re-sync events are recorded in the audit trail.