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Last updated: Sep 26, 2026 20:22 UTC

Install PulseNode Agent on Standalone VM

Install the PulseNode agent on a standalone VM using the hystaller binary.

Prerequisites

  • You have access to the License Portal.
  • You have SSH access to the target VM with privileges to:
    • write to /opt
    • run systemctl
  • systemd is available on the VM.

Procedure

Step 1: Download the hystaller binary

  • Navigate to: License Portal → Download Links
  • Select the correct Pulse version from the dropdown.
  • Click "Generate Links" and download the Hystaller binary.
  • Copy the binary to the VM where you want to install the standalone PulseNode agent.
scp hystaller <user>@<vm-host>:/tmp/

Step 2: Create pulsenode_env.sh

On the VM, place pulsenode_env.sh in the same directory as the hystaller binary.

cd /tmp
vi pulsenode_env.sh

Add the following content:

#!/bin/sh
export PULSENODE_HOME_DIR="/opt/pulse"
export PULSENODE_SHELL="/bin/bash"
export PULSENODE_UID="" # Enter any available UID
export PULSENODE_GID="" # Enter any available GID
export PULSENODE_USERNAME="adpulse" # Change as required

Step 3: Apply environment variables

chmod +x pulsenode_env.sh
source pulsenode_env.sh

Step 4: Install PulseNode agent (standalone)

Run the install command from the directory containing hystaller:

./hystaller install pulsenode

Step 5: Update node configuration and restart service

  • Create or edit:
$PULSENODE_HOME_DIR/config/node.conf
  • Restart the PulseNode systemd service:
systemctl restart pulsenode

Step 6: Validation

Run the following to confirm the service is active:

systemctl status pulsenode

Known Limitation (Pulseaxn)

Standalone pulseaxn and pulseaxn installed via standard Hydra agent installation cannot be installed together.

  • In the standalone pulseaxn setup, the hydra_host.yml file is overridden.
  • This results in actions running only on the standalone nodes.