TUI Reference
The Forward Cluster Text User Interface (TUI) is the primary interface for configuring and managing the Forward Appliance. It is displayed automatically when you SSH into a cluster node or open the VM console.
Screen Layout
The TUI consists of five key areas:
| Area | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Action Menu | Left | Main navigation menu |
| Cluster Info | Top right | Cluster configuration and networking summary |
| Node Info | Mid right | Current node configuration details |
| Staged Changes | Lower right | Pending changes awaiting apply |
| Action Details | Center | Details and controls for the selected action |
Navigation
| Key / Action | Effect |
|---|---|
| Arrow keys | Move between menu options |
| Tab | Move between interface elements |
| Enter | Select an option |
| Esc | Go back or cancel |
| D | Toggle dark and light display modes |
| Q / F10 / Ctrl+C | Terminate the SSH connection |
| Mouse click | Highlight an option (terminal-dependent) |
| Mouse double-click | Same as Enter (terminal-dependent) |
Mouse support depends on your terminal emulator. Not all terminals support mouse interaction.
Main Menu Structure
Node
Configure the local node's host-level settings. These settings apply only to the current node and must be replicated on other nodes if needed.
| Sub-menu | Description |
|---|---|
| Networking | Configure IP address (static or DHCP), gateway, DNS, search domains |
| Expand disk | View disk layout and expand the data partition if space is available |
| Power | Restart or shut down the node |
| Factory reset | Wipe all cluster and application data from the node |
Multiple DNS servers can be specified as comma-separated values.
Factory reset is blocked if the node is still part of a cluster. The node must be removed from the cluster first.
Cluster
Configure and manage the Forward Cluster:
| Sub-menu | Description |
|---|---|
| Install/Manage | Add or remove nodes, then apply to roll out or update the cluster |
| Set CIDRs | Configure pod and service CIDR ranges (only available before cluster install) |
| Set NTP | Configure NTP server for time synchronization |
| Validate | Validate node resources (CPU, RAM, IOPS, network speed) before install |
| UpdateK0sIP | Update the cluster IP after a host IP change (only available after cluster install) |
| Upgrade base | Upgrade the Forward Cluster base software |
Once the cluster is installed, the Pod and Service CIDRs cannot be changed. Ensure they are correct before applying the cluster configuration.
Forward Enterprise
Install and manage the Forward Enterprise application:
| Sub-menu | Description |
|---|---|
| Install/Upgrade | Install or upgrade the Forward Enterprise application package. Includes upload capability via HTTPS or SCP. |
| Restore | Restore Forward Enterprise from a backup if the application is down. Requires admin credentials. |
| DBPodManager | Migrate and rebalance database pods across cluster nodes (multi-node only) |
Restore and DBPodManager are only available after Forward Enterprise is installed. DBPodManager is only shown for multi-node clusters.
Security
Security configuration and hardening options:
| Sub-menu | Description |
|---|---|
| SSH access | Change admin password and manage SSH public keys |
| Bastion | Configure bastion host access restrictions |
| Syslog | Configure remote syslog forwarding for system logs |
| Login banner | Set a custom login banner (Markdown format) |
| Grafana password | Change the Grafana monitoring dashboard admin password |
| Reset tls | Reset the TLS certificate when Forward Enterprise is unavailable |
Grafana password and Reset tls are only available after Forward Enterprise is installed.
Troubleshooting
Diagnostic and troubleshooting tools:
| Sub-menu | Description |
|---|---|
| View nodes | Display cluster nodes, their status, and roles. Supports drain and cordon/uncordon operations. |
| View pods | Display running pods with namespace filtering. View pod details, logs, and restart pods. |
| View FE logs | View Forward Enterprise application logs |
| View logs | View system and appliance component logs with pagination |
| Diagnostics | Generate and download a diagnostic bundle for Forward Networks support |
| Tools | Connectivity tools: ping, traceroute, systemctl, journalctl |
| Export logs | Select and export log types for sharing with support |
| Exit to Shell | Exit the TUI to a bash shell for advanced troubleshooting |
View nodes, View pods, and View FE logs are only available after the cluster and/or Forward Enterprise are installed.
The Exit to Shell option provides access to the underlying operating system for a 5-hour window. Use this only for advanced troubleshooting. Modifications made outside the TUI are not tracked and may affect cluster stability.
This option is currently available without additional authorization. In a future release, shell access will require one-time authorization from Forward Networks Support.