How to use LinkOPS Desktop

Note

LinkOPS Desktop is fully offline: no accounts, no telemetry and no cloud dependency — everything runs on your own machine.

Warning

Each license is tied to the machine it was activated on (a hardware fingerprint). To move to another machine, create a license for that machine.

Tip

Your license details — customer name and expiry date — are always visible in Settings → License, and the app warns you when fewer than 7 days remain.

Note

Updates are delivered from the web. The app checks the release feed on startup and notifies you when a new version is available.

Tip

Check the Changelog page on the website for a full list of what changed in each version before updating.

Warning

While updates preserve all data, it is good practice to export your devices (Settings → Data) before a major version upgrade.

Tip

Open the command palette (Ctrl/⌘+K) and type "logs" to jump straight to the application logs — they contain detailed connection and error information.

Note

LinkOPS is fully offline — no data leaves your machine. If you need help, export your devices (Settings → Data) and share the file with support (credentials are excluded from CSV exports).

Tip

Pick the device type carefully: network gear (switch, router, OLT, firewall…) runs commands through an interactive shell with prompt detection — exactly like typing by hand — while servers use the fast exec channel.

Note

Passwords and private keys are encrypted and stored securely by your operating system — never in plain text.

Note

Exporting to JSON includes the login username and every credential as a SHA-256 hash (the visible “hashed password”) plus a machine-encrypted blob — never plain text. Importing that file on the same computer restores the exact password, private key and passphrase; on another computer the devices import without credentials and a warning is shown. CSV exports never contain credentials.

Tip

Name categories after the topology you actually run: “Core”, “Branch”, “Lab” or a region name — then filter the whole fleet with one click.

Note

Profiles are stored encrypted with the OS keychain, exactly like per-device credentials, and are never returned to the UI.

Tip

Name profiles after the role or access level (e.g. “netops-admin”, “backup-ro”) so it is obvious what each device will use.

Tip

Console servers and serial adapters usually speak Raw TCP — connect to their port and you get the device console directly.

Note

SSH stays the first choice: it is encrypted. Use Telnet, Rlogin or Raw only where the equipment forces you to.

Tip

Keep several sessions open side by side — each shows a live status badge (connecting, connected, executing, error) and a protocol badge.

Note

Press Ctrl+F inside a terminal to search its output instantly, and use ↑ / ↓ to recall commands you typed earlier.

Tip

Long outputs never get stuck: --More-- paging is continued automatically, and the command is considered done when the shell prompt returns.

Note

If a command times out, the app interrupts it (Ctrl+C) so the next command is never typed into a broken prompt — the shell is recovered for you.

Warning

Command groups run strictly sequentially on network gear — each command waits for the previous one to finish, so a “conf t” followed by an interface command works exactly as typed.

Note

A batch needs live sessions — connect to the devices first, then select them on the Sessions page.

Tip

Sessions dropped mid-run are reconnected through the device's saved credentials, so a batch survives a flaky link.

Tip

Combine batch runs with command templates: create a “daily health check” template group and run it across your whole fleet every morning.

Note

Server desktop reads over the same SSH connection — nothing extra to install on the server, everything works with a standard SSH server.

Tip

Use desktop mode for day-to-day administration and keep the terminal for one-off commands — both share the same live session.

Tip

Pi Desktop only appears for devices with type "Raspberry Pi". Servers keep the Server Desktop, and network gear stays in the terminal.

Note

No agent or extra software is needed on the Pi — everything runs over the standard SSH connection.

Note

GPIO requires pinctrl on Bookworm+ or raspi-gpio on older Raspberry Pi OS releases. If the tool is missing, the panel shows exactly what to install.

Warning

Alternate-function pins (I2C, UART, SPI…) are read-only in the GPIO panel. Treat all pins as live electronics — double-check wiring before changing an output.

Tip

Backups are persisted in the database — a run survives the app being closed mid-backup.

Warning

Restore is a manual step: compare the diff, then apply the configuration with your normal change process. LinkOPS never pushes configs to devices.

Tip

Export any filtered view to CSV for compliance or reporting — filter by date range, device or command first.

Note

History records include the exact command text, exit code, duration and the full output with timestamps — nothing is summarized or truncated.

Warning

The password is never stored — only a secure hash of it. If you forget it, the lock can only be removed by resetting the app data.

Tip

Locking hides everything behind a clean animated screen — useful before stepping away from a shared workstation.

Tip

The command palette (Ctrl+K) is the fastest way to jump anywhere: switch palettes, open settings, connect to a device or run a template.