Getting‐Started

Getting Started

Requirements

• Operating system: Windows Server 2019/2022 (domain-joined recommended for Active Directory and Windows Server connectors)
• Python: 3.12
• Hardware: 8 cores / 16 GB RAM recommended. A CPU-only VM is sufficient for most connectors; local AI summaries run more comfortably with more RAM (see [AI Features](AI-Features))
• Network access: outbound HTTPS to the cloud services you want to monitor (Meraki, Microsoft 365 / Graph, Action1, Veeam, etc.). No inbound access is required.

Installation

1. Download the latest installer from the [Releases](https://github.com/ejjsoftware/groundskeeper/releases) page.
2. Run the installer on your Windows Server VM.
3. Groundskeeper installs as a Windows Service (via NSSM) and starts automatically.
4. Open a browser to http://<server-address>:8000.

First-run setup

On first visit, Groundskeeper will:

1. Prompt you to create an admin password. This protects the dashboard and all API endpoints — keep it safe, as there's no password reset other than removing the stored hash from config.yaml and restarting.
2. Walk you through a 5-step setup wizard to configure your first connectors (e.g. Meraki, Microsoft 365, Active Directory).
3. Let you skip connectors you don't use yet — everything can be configured or changed later in Settings.

Once setup is complete, the main dashboard will start populating as connectors run their first checks (this can take a few minutes depending on which connectors are enabled).

Next steps

• [Connectors](Connectors) — set up each data source in detail
• [AI Features](AI-Features) — enable AI summaries and Ask Groundskeeper
• [SLT Dashboard](SLT-Dashboard) — share the traffic-light view with leadership