Agent Install Guide is the onboarding path for new tenants. Pick your runtime (AWS, GCP, Azure, Kubernetes, Linux, Windows), copy the install command, paste, done. The agent registers, authenticates with your tenant, starts shipping signals. The guide covers the install, the verification, and the common things that go wrong.
Six runtimes covered. AWS EC2 (user-data script for boot-time install). GCP GCE (startup-script metadata). Azure VM (custom-script extension). Kubernetes (Helm chart, one command). Linux generic (curl | sh installer). Windows (MSI installer). Each runtime has its own install path, verification step, and troubleshooting checklist.
Agents make outbound connections to Nova; the platform never connects back. The auth flow uses a one-time install token (issued in the dashboard, valid for 60 minutes) that the agent exchanges for a long-lived signed credential bound to the host. No long-lived shared secret is ever stored anywhere; revoking a host is one click in the dashboard.
After install, the dashboard shows a verification panel that lights up as the agent starts shipping signals. First the heartbeat lands (within 5 seconds). Then the first metric (within 30 seconds). Then the first log line (within 60 seconds). All three green and you are done. If anything stays red after 2 minutes, the panel shows the diagnostic next steps.
Three issues cover ~80% of failed installs. (1) Egress firewall blocking the outbound connection, solution: add the Nova IP range to your egress allowlist. (2) Token already expired, solution: generate a fresh token. (3) Agent process not staying running on the host, solution: check the systemd service and the log file path shown in the verification panel. The doc walks through all three with copy-paste commands.
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Most onboarding fails because the install doc is stale. The Agent Install Guide is generated from the same code that ships the installers; it cannot drift.