Accessing the management console

About the Management Console

Use the Management Console for basic administrative activities:

• Initial setup: Walk through the initial setup process when first launching your GitHub Enterprise Server instance by visiting your GitHub Enterprise Server instance's IP address in your browser.
• Configuring basic settings for your instance: Configure DNS, hostname, SSL, user authentication, email, monitoring services, and log forwarding on the Settings page.
• Scheduling maintenance windows: Take your your GitHub Enterprise Server instance offline while performing maintenance using the Management Console or administrative shell.
• Troubleshooting: Generate a support bundle or view high level diagnostic information.
• License management: View or update your GitHub Enterprise license.

You can always reach the Management Console using your GitHub Enterprise Server instance's IP address, even when the instance is in maintenance mode, or there is a critical application failure or hostname or SSL misconfiguration.

To access the Management Console, you must use the administrator password established during initial setup of your GitHub Enterprise Server instance. You must also be able to connect to the virtual machine host on port 8443. If you're having trouble reaching the Management Console, please check intermediate firewall and security group configurations.

Accessing the Management Console as a site administrator

The first time that you access the Management Console as a site administrator, you must upload your GitHub Enterprise license file to authenticate into the app. For more information, see "Managing your GitHub Enterprise license."

1. From an administrative account on GitHub Enterprise Server, click in the upper-right corner of any page.
   
2. In the left sidebar, click Management Console.
   
3. If prompted, type your Management Console password.
   

Accessing the Management Console as an unauthenticated user

1. Visit this URL in your browser, replacing hostname with your actual GitHub Enterprise Server hostname or IP address:

   http(s)://HOSTNAME/setup

2. If prompted, type your Management Console password.
   

Unlocking the Management Console after failed login attempts

The Management Console locks after ten failed login attempts are made in the span of ten minutes. You must wait for the login screen to automatically unlock before attempting to log in again. The login screen automatically unlocks as soon as the previous ten minute period contains fewer than ten failed login attempts. The counter resets after a successful login occurs.

To immediately unlock the Management Console, use the ghe-reactivate-admin-login command via the administrative shell. For more information, see "Command line utilities" and "Accessing the administrative shell (SSH)."