What is Brainsalt Hub?

Last updated 27 July 2026

What is Brainsalt Hub?

Brainsalt Hub is the umbrella name for the entire Brainsalt server-management suite — all the software that discovers, configures, boots, and runs a Brainsalt media server. It covers both the desktop client you open on your workstation and the services running on every server.

[USER-ACTION-REQUIRED: Attach a screenshot of the Brainsalt Hub app showing the server list with health badges and action buttons here]

How the pieces fit together

Brainsalt Hub is not a single program. It is a set of components that work together so you can manage every aspect of a Brainsalt server — from first network contact through daily operation. Here is how they relate, roughly in the order you encounter them.

Brainsalt Hub app (the Electron desktop client)

Your first point of access. Open the Brainsalt Hub app on your workstation to discover every Brainsalt server on the local network — whether or not that server is running Backstage. From here you can:

  • Discover servers automatically — every Brainsalt server on the network appears in a list with live health badges. Servers with a wrong IP or on a different subnet are still found.

  • Set a server’s IP address — bring a fresh or misconfigured server onto the network without needing physical access.

  • Sign in once — use your server credentials (the same account configured in System Management on the server). The Hub caches your login and issues short-lived SSO tokens, so you are never prompted again when opening a server’s consoles.

  • Access per-server actions — open the server’s System Management interface, Remote UI, File Transfer, VNC, BMC, and power controls — all from one place.

  • Monitor health at a glance — see overall server health, power state, storage, GPU display-port status, and hardware alerts without opening the full web interface.

  • Control power across multiple servers — power on, shut down, or reset one or several servers at once.

System Management (per-server web interface)

Every Brainsalt server runs a System Management Service that serves a full web-based configuration interface. You reach it from the Brainsalt Hub app (click System Management next to a server) or by browsing directly to https://<server-ip>.

This is where nearly all server configuration lives. The sidebar organises everything into four groups:

  • Overview — health landing page with a rollup of all server subsystems.

  • Configure — access control, network, GPU/display setup, hardware baseline, backup and restore, settings, and notes. Requires the Administrator role.

  • Operate — applications (Launch Manager), remote desktop, file transfer, storage estimator, and power. Requires at least Operator.

  • Maintain — GPU status, resource usage, storage, hardware (BMC), and logs. Viewable by all roles.

[USER-ACTION-REQUIRED: Attach a screenshot of the System Management web interface showing the sidebar navigation here]

Background services (you don’t interact with these directly)

Several services run behind the scenes on every Brainsalt server. You do not configure them directly, but they keep the server running correctly. Understanding what they do helps when troubleshooting.

Component

What it does

Start Service

Runs after every server boot. Applies all system settings, then starts the Launch Manager.

Launch Manager

The software watchdog. Starts and keeps alive the applications configured for the server (usually Backstage). You control it from the Applications page in System Management.

Service Helper

An elevated helper that handles tasks the main service cannot perform directly — firewall changes, display and EDID operations, and other actions that require the user’s desktop session.

Boot and startup flow

When a Brainsalt server powers on, this is the sequence:

  1. Start Service runs and applies all stored system settings (display configuration, network, etc.).

  2. Start Service launches the Launch Manager, which starts and monitors the configured applications (usually Backstage).

  3. The System Management Service (web interface) and the physical front panel expose status and controls throughout.

  4. You connect from the Brainsalt Hub app on your workstation to manage one or more servers.

Where you interact vs. what runs in the background

Component

Where it runs

You interact with it?

Brainsalt Hub app

Your workstation

Yes — your main entry point for discovery, health, and server actions

System Management

On each server (web interface)

Yes — the detailed configuration and monitoring interface for each server

Start Service

On each server (at boot)

No — runs automatically at startup

Launch Manager

On each server (background)

Indirectly — you control it through the Applications page in System Management

Service Helper

On each server (background)

No — runs automatically alongside the System Management Service

A note on naming

The Brainsalt Hub app went through several name changes during development. You may encounter older names in existing documentation or on-screen labels:

Backstage Client → Backstage Viewer → Backstage Hub → Brainsalt Hub (current)

All of these refer to the same desktop client. The current name is Brainsalt Hub. The on-server web interface is called System Management (visible in its sidebar and browser tab title).

Next steps

Ready to get started? These tasks walk you through your first connection:

  • Discover a server — open the Brainsalt Hub app and find your servers on the network. If a server has a wrong IP, use the Hub to set it.

  • Sign in — enter your server credentials. The Hub uses the same user accounts configured in System Management on each server.

  • Open System Management — click the System Management button next to a server to open its full configuration interface in your browser.