Installation

Tula can be deployed as a virtual appliance, a pre-configured hardware appliance, or within a cloud environment. This guide covers each deployment method and walks through the initial configuration steps required to bring your load balancer online.

Virtual Appliance Deployment

The Tula virtual appliance is distributed as an OVA file compatible with VMware vSphere, ESXi, and other OVF-compatible hypervisors.

1. Download the OVA from the Tula customer portal. The file is typically 1-2 GB depending on the release.
2. Import the OVA into your hypervisor. In vSphere, use File > Deploy OVF Template and select the downloaded OVA file. Accept the default settings or adjust CPU, memory, and disk allocations to match your system requirements.
3. Configure networking by assigning one or more virtual NICs to the appropriate port groups. At minimum, assign a management network interface.
4. Power on the virtual machine. Tula will boot and acquire an IP address via DHCP on its first interface. If DHCP is unavailable, connect to the VM console to configure a static IP address.

Hardware Appliance Setup

Tula hardware appliances ship pre-installed and pre-configured. To deploy a hardware appliance:

1. Rack and cable the appliance. Connect the management NIC to your network and attach power.
2. Power on the unit. The appliance will boot and acquire an IP address via DHCP on the management interface. The assigned address is displayed on the console screen during startup.
3. Verify network connectivity by pinging the appliance from your management workstation.

No software installation is required. Hardware appliances are ready to configure through the web interface immediately after first boot.

Cloud Deployment

Tula supports deployment in cloud environments where you have access to a Linux virtual machine running a supported Ubuntu LTS release. Contact Tula Networks for cloud-specific deployment packages and licensing information tailored to your provider.

Initial Login

Once Tula is running and accessible on the network:

1. Open a web browser and navigate to https://<appliance-ip-address>. Tula uses a self-signed SSL certificate by default, so you may need to accept a browser security warning on first access.
2. Log in with the default credentials: username admin, password admin.
3. On first login, you will be prompted to change the default password. Choose a strong password and store it securely. This step is mandatory and cannot be skipped.

After changing the password, you will be directed to the NetMan dashboard where you can begin configuring your load balancer.

License Activation

Tula requires a valid license to operate. To activate your license:

1. Navigate to System > License in the web interface.
2. Enter the license key provided with your purchase or evaluation agreement.
3. Click Activate. The appliance will validate the license against the Tula licensing server. An active internet connection is required for online activation.

If your environment does not permit outbound internet access, contact Tula Networks support for offline activation instructions.

Next Steps

With Tula installed, licensed, and accessible, proceed to the Quick Start Guide to configure your first load-balanced service.