Connect Devices

IronFlock supports multiple ways to connect devices, depending on the hardware and operating system.

Prerequisites

Before connecting a device, make sure you have:

A project created on IronFlock
A device entry created within that project (click NEW DEVICE in the project Settings -> Devices panel.)
The downloaded device configuration file (.flock)

Method 1: Flash an SD Card

Best for Raspberry Pi and other ARM devices that boot from SD cards.

Download the FlockFlasher app for your OS.
Insert an SD card (16 GB minimum) into your computer.
Open FlockFlasher and click the + button to load the .flock file.
Select the SD card drive (FlockFlasher auto-detects external drives).
Choose the correct image for your device (Raspberry Pi 3/4, Zero, etc.).
Optionally configure WiFi so the device can connect at its destination.
Click Flash and wait for writing, validation, and configuration to complete.
Insert the SD card into the device and power it on.

The device should come online within 20 minutes.

Warning: The flashing process erases all data on the selected drive. FlockFlasher hides internal drives by default, but always double-check your selection.

Method 2: USB Installer for Industrial PCs

For AMD64 devices with EFI boot (e.g., Siemens SIMATIC Box IPC).

Insert a USB stick (16 GB minimum) and open FlockFlasher.
Load the .flock file and select the USB drive.
Select the Industrial PC x86_64 (EFI) image.
Click Flash and wait for completion.
If necessary, change the boot order in the device’s BIOS to boot from USB.
Insert the USB stick and power on the device.

The device should come online within 60 minutes.

Method 3: Custom Installation

For devices keeping their existing Linux OS. Ideal for NVIDIA Jetson and custom hardware.

Linux / Unix Devices

SSH into the device.

Download the setup binary:


curl -sSL https://storage.googleapis.com/reswarmos/reswarmify/install.sh | bash

Copy the .flock file from your computer to the device:
```
scp mydevice.flock user@device-ip:/home/user/
```
Run the agent:
```
sudo ./ironflock-init -c mydevice.flock
```

Windows Devices

Install Docker Desktop on the device.
Download reagent.exe.
Copy the .flock file to the device.
Run:
```
start reagent -config path/to/config.flock
```
The agent must remain running for the device to stay connected.

Verifying the Connection

After connecting, check the device status in your project:

Green indicator — Device is online and communicating with IronFlock.
Red indicator — Device is offline. Check the network connection and ensure the agent is running.

The device map view shows the geographic location of all devices in the project.