Shop Server documentation
Shop Server Setup Guide
The Shop Server runs all of Traveler Cloudon a box on your network. Setting it up takes about 15 minutes and a phone. This guide covers what's in the box, where to put it, each setup step, what your network needs, and how backups, updates and outages work. Your MSP will also want the spec sheet and the security and responsibility matrix.
What's in the box
Shop Server
- ✓The Shop Server, preloaded with the software
- ✓Power adapter
- ✓Ethernet cable
- ✓Quick-start card with your recovery key envelope
Shop Server Defense
- ✓Everything in the standard box
- ✓Mirrored drives, preinstalled and already configured
- ✓Small UPS for clean shutdowns
- ✓Encrypted USB backup drive; you hold the keys
Floor Kiosk units ($299 each) ship in their own box, preconfigured to pair.
Where to put it
Put it in the office, not on the shop floor: on a shelf or in a locked cabinet near your network switch, off the floor, away from coolant mist, metal chips and heat. The box is fanless and silent, so it can sit in a normal room. Leave a few inches of air around it.
If you handle CUI or export-controlled drawings, put it somewhere only authorized people can reach, such as a locked office or cabinet. Physical protection of the box and the backup drive is part of your shop's security plan.
Setup in about 15 minutes
- 1
Plug in power and ethernet
Connect the power adapter and run the ethernet cable from the box to your network switch or router. On Shop Server Defense, plug the box into the included UPS and the UPS into the wall, then connect the UPS's USB cable to the box so it can shut down cleanly. The status light turns solid when the box is ready, in about two minutes.
- 2
Scan the QR code on the lid
Use any phone on the same network. The QR code opens the setup page on the box itself, over your LAN. Nothing goes through the internet, and there's no installer to run on a PC.
- 3
Create the owner account with MFA
Set the owner's email and a passphrase, then enroll a second factor: an authenticator app or a security key. MFA is required on every account. Store the printed recovery key from the quick-start card somewhere safe, away from the box.
- 4
Name your shop
Enter the shop name, address, and logo used on quotes, travelers, and certs, and pick the box's network name (for example shop.local) that office PCs open in a browser.
- 5
Add users and roles
Invite the office, the floor leads, and anyone else who needs access, and give each a role (owner, office, shop floor, read-only). Users are unlimited. Each person sets up their own MFA on first sign-in.
- 6
Pair floor kiosks
On each Floor Kiosk or shop-floor tablet, open the box's address and choose "Pair as kiosk", then confirm the pairing code on your phone. Kiosks scan travelers and clock time without a full user sign-in.
- 7
Connect the backup drive
Plug in a USB backup drive (included with Shop Server Defense) and choose "Set up backups". The drive is encrypted with a key you set and hold; we never have it. Nightly backups start automatically.
- 8
Optional: QuickBooks Online and the continuity plan
If you use QuickBooks Online, connect it to sync invoices and customers you choose. If you want updates after the first 12 months, encrypted off-site backup, and phone access away from the shop, turn on the continuity plan (from $59/mo). Both are optional, and the box runs fully without them.
Network requirements
- Addressing
- Gets an address by DHCP out of the box. You can set a static IP, or a DHCP reservation, from the admin screen; most MSPs prefer that.
- Inbound
- No inbound ports need to be opened on your firewall. Everything is served on your local network.
- LAN-only mode
- The box runs with no internet connection at all. Turn on LAN-only mode and it stops attempting any outbound connection.
- Outbound (optional)
- When you allow it, the box makes outbound connections only for license check-in, updates, off-site backup, and QuickBooks Online sync. The exact destinations and ports are documented in the spec sheet.
- Clients
- Any modern browser on office PCs, tablets, and the shop TV. Nothing is installed on the PCs.
Full destinations, ports and posture are in the spec sheet.
Backups and restore
The box takes local snapshots and, once a backup drive is connected, writes an encrypted nightly backup to it. You set and hold the backup key. Keep the drive somewhere separate from the box, or rotate two drives so one is always off-site. With the continuity plan you can also send encrypted backups off-site; they're encrypted on the box before they leave.
To restore, onto the same box or a replacement, choose Restore from backup during setup or from the admin screen, connect the drive, and enter your backup key. The admin screen shows the date of the last good backup, and the owner gets a warning if a nightly backup is missed.
Your data export is separate from backups and always available: every job, quote, traveler, cert and time entry in open formats, with or without a plan.
Updates
Updates are signed, and nothing installs until the owner approves it. 12 months of updates are included; after that they continue with the optional continuity plan.
- Online: the box shows an available update in the admin screen. Pick a time (after second shift is a good one) and approve it.
- Offline (USB): download the signed update file on any internet-connected computer, copy it to a USB stick, plug it into the box, and approve. This is how LAN-only shops update.
The box verifies each update's signature before installing and keeps the previous version for rollback.
When the power or internet goes out
Internet down: nothing changes inside the building. The floor keeps scanning, the office keeps quoting and travelers keep printing. Optional sync, off-site backup and phone access away from the shop catch up when the line comes back. A missed license check-in never disables the box.
Power out: on Shop Server Defense, the UPS keeps the box up through short blips and shuts it down cleanly on a longer outage. On Shop Server, we recommend a small UPS of your own. When power returns, the box starts by itself and the app is back in a couple of minutes.
Getting help
Email or call support first; most questions are answered without touching the box. If we do need to look at it, you start a remote session from the admin screen and approve it. The session is time-limited, ends when you close it, and is recorded in the box's audit log. There is no standing vendor access. On Shop Server Defense, sessions are handled by US persons only.
Support is included for the first 12 months and with the continuity plan after that. See the terms of sale for what's covered.
Setup questions
▸Do I need an IT person to set it up?
No. Setup is plug in power and ethernet, scan the QR code, and follow the steps on your phone, about 15 minutes. If you have an MSP, hand them the spec sheet; they may want to give the box a static IP or a DHCP reservation.
▸Does the box need the internet?
No. It runs everything on your local network and has a LAN-only mode with no outbound connections. Internet is only used, when you allow it, for license check-in, updates, off-site backup and QuickBooks Online sync. A missed check-in never disables the box.
▸How do updates work without internet?
Download the signed update file on any internet-connected computer, copy it to a USB stick, plug it into the box, and approve the install. The box checks the signature before installing and keeps the previous version to roll back to.
▸What if the box dies?
Plug in the replacement, scan its QR code, choose Restore from backup, connect your backup drive, and enter your backup key. Your shop is back as of the last backup.