Croom Administrator Guide

Overview

This guide is for IT administrators responsible for deploying, configuring, and maintaining Croom devices across an organization.

System Requirements
Architecture Overview
Initial Setup
Device Management
Configuration
Monitoring & Alerting
Security
Troubleshooting
Maintenance
Best Practices

1. System Requirements

1.1 Hardware Requirements

Croom Device

Peripherals

1.2 Network Requirements

Requirement	Details
Connectivity	WiFi (WPA2/WPA3) or Ethernet
Bandwidth	2 Mbps per device (minimum)
Latency	<100ms to meeting servers
Ports	HTTPS (443), WebRTC media ports

Firewall Rules (Outbound)

# Required
TCP 443  → *.google.com, *.microsoft.com, *.zoom.us
UDP 3478 → STUN/TURN servers
UDP 10000-20000 → Media (varies by platform)

# Management Dashboard
TCP 443  → dashboard.yourcompany.com

1.3 Software Requirements

Management Dashboard Server

2. Architecture Overview

2.1 System Components

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    Cloud/On-Premise                              │
│  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────┐              │
│  │ Management  │  │   Database  │  │   Message   │              │
│  │  Dashboard  │  │ (PostgreSQL)│  │    Queue    │              │
│  └──────┬──────┘  └──────┬──────┘  └──────┬──────┘              │
│         │                │                │                     │
│         └────────────────┴────────────────┘                     │
│                          │                                      │
└──────────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────┘
                           │ HTTPS/WSS
              ┌────────────┼────────────┐
              │            │            │
              ▼            ▼            ▼
         ┌─────────┐  ┌─────────┐  ┌─────────┐
         │ Croom  │  │ Croom  │  │ Croom  │
         │ Device 1│  │ Device 2│  │ Device N│
         └─────────┘  └─────────┘  └─────────┘

2.2 Device Software Stack

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│           Meeting Platform              │
│  (Google Meet/Teams/Zoom/Webex)        │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│         Chromium Browser                │
│  (Hardware accelerated, extensions)    │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│         Croom Agent                    │
│  (Device management, metrics, config)  │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│         System Services                 │
│  (systemd, NetworkManager, PulseAudio) │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│      Raspberry Pi OS (64-bit)          │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│         Raspberry Pi 4B                 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

3. Initial Setup

3.1 Image Preparation

Option A: Pre-built Image

Download the latest Croom image from releases:

wget https://github.com/amirhmoradi/croom.to/releases/latest/croom.img.gz
gunzip croom.img.gz

Option B: Build from Source

git clone https://github.com/amirhmoradi/croom.to.git
cd croom/build
./download-img.sh
./prep-img.sh

3.2 Flashing SD Cards

Single Device

# Identify SD card device
lsblk

# Flash image (replace /dev/sdX with your device)
sudo dd if=croom.img of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress
sync

Bulk Flashing

Use tools like Balena Etcher for multiple cards, or:

# Flash multiple cards in parallel
for dev in /dev/sd{b,c,d}; do
  sudo dd if=croom.img of=$dev bs=4M &
done
wait

3.3 First Boot Configuration

Method 1: Captive Portal (Recommended)

Insert SD card and power on device
Connect to Croom-Setup-XXXX WiFi
Browser opens setup wizard automatically
Configure WiFi, credentials, and room name
Device reboots and registers with dashboard

Method 2: USB Configuration

Create croom-config.yaml on USB drive:

version: 1
device:
  name: "Conference Room A"
  location: "Building 1, Floor 2"
  timezone: "America/Los_Angeles"

network:
  wifi:
    ssid: "CorpWiFi"
    password: "your-wifi-password"

meeting:
  platform: "google_meet"
  credentials:
    email: "[email protected]"
    password: "meeting-account-password"

dashboard:
  url: "https://croom.yourcompany.com"
  enrollment_token: "your-enrollment-token"

Insert USB before booting, device auto-configures.

Method 3: Dashboard Pre-registration

Add device to dashboard with MAC address
Generate enrollment token
Boot device on network
Device contacts dashboard and receives config

3.4 Dashboard Installation

Docker (Recommended)

# Pull and run
docker-compose -f docker-compose.prod.yml up -d

# Initial setup
docker exec -it croom-dashboard ./manage.py createsuperuser

Manual Installation

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/amirhmoradi/croom.to-dashboard.git
cd croom-dashboard

# Install dependencies
npm install
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Configure
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your settings

# Initialize database
./manage.py migrate
./manage.py createsuperuser

# Start services
./manage.py runserver

4. Device Management

4.1 Dashboard Overview

Device List View

Status indicators (online/offline/in-meeting)
Last seen timestamp
Meeting platform and account
Location and tags
Quick actions

Device Detail View

Real-time metrics (CPU, memory, temperature)
Current status and meeting info
Configuration panel
Logs and history
Remote actions

4.2 Device Operations

Remote Restart

# Via dashboard
Dashboard → Devices → [Device] → Actions → Restart

# Via API
curl -X POST https://dashboard/api/v1/devices/{id}/actions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  -d '{"action": "restart"}'

Configuration Update

# Via dashboard
Dashboard → Devices → [Device] → Configuration → Edit

# Via API
curl -X PUT https://dashboard/api/v1/devices/{id}/config \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  -d '{"meeting": {"platform": "teams"}}'

Software Update

# Via dashboard (bulk)
Dashboard → Devices → Select All → Actions → Update Software

# Automatic updates
Configure auto-update policy in Dashboard → Settings → Updates

4.3 Grouping & Organization

Device Groups

Organize devices by:

Location (building, floor, region)
Department
Platform preference
Custom tags

Bulk Operations

Select multiple devices
Apply configuration template
Push updates
Export reports

5. Configuration

5.1 Device Configuration

Core Settings

Meeting Settings

Network Settings

5.2 Configuration Templates

Create reusable templates for consistent deployment:

# template-standard-room.yaml
name: "Standard Conference Room"
settings:
  meeting:
    platform: auto
    join_early: 2
    auto_leave: true
  audio:
    device: auto
    echo_cancellation: true
  video:
    device: auto
    resolution: 1080p

Apply templates:

# Dashboard
Dashboard → Configuration → Templates → Apply to Devices

# API
curl -X POST https://dashboard/api/v1/devices/bulk/config \
  -d '{"device_ids": ["id1", "id2"], "template": "standard-room"}'

5.3 Calendar Configuration

Google Calendar

Create service account in Google Cloud Console
Enable Calendar API
Share room calendars with service account
Configure in dashboard with service account credentials

Microsoft 365

Register application in Azure AD
Configure Calendar.Read permissions
Grant admin consent
Configure in dashboard with app credentials

6. Monitoring & Alerting

6.1 Metrics Collected

System Metrics

Meeting Metrics

6.2 Alert Configuration

Alert Rules

# alerts.yaml
rules:
  - name: device_offline
    condition: "status == 'offline' for 5m"
    severity: critical
    channels: [email, slack]

  - name: high_temperature
    condition: "temperature > 70"
    severity: warning
    channels: [email]

  - name: meeting_join_failed
    condition: "join_failures > 3 in 1h"
    severity: critical
    channels: [email, slack, pagerduty]

Alert Channels

6.3 Dashboards & Reports

Built-in Dashboards

Fleet overview (all devices status)
Meeting analytics (usage, quality)
System health (resource utilization)
Alerts dashboard (active, history)

Custom Reports

# Generate usage report
Dashboard → Reports → New Report → Usage Report

# Schedule weekly reports
Dashboard → Reports → Schedule → Weekly → Email to admins

7. Security

7.1 Access Control

User Roles

Creating Users

# Dashboard
Dashboard → Settings → Users → Add User

# CLI
./manage.py createuser --email [email protected] --role it_admin

7.2 Authentication

Local Authentication

Password requirements: 12+ chars, complexity
Account lockout after 5 failed attempts
Password expiration: 90 days (configurable)

SSO Configuration (SAML)

# saml.yaml
idp:
  entity_id: "https://idp.company.com"
  sso_url: "https://idp.company.com/sso"
  certificate: |
    -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
    ...
    -----END CERTIFICATE-----
sp:
  entity_id: "https://croom.company.com"
  acs_url: "https://croom.company.com/auth/saml/acs"

7.3 Credential Security

Encryption

All credentials encrypted with AES-256-GCM
Per-device encryption keys
Master key stored in environment/vault

Secret Manager Integration

# config.yaml
secrets:
  provider: hashicorp_vault
  vault_addr: "https://vault.company.com"
  vault_path: "secret/croom"
  auth_method: kubernetes  # or approle, token

7.4 Audit Logging

Logged Events

All authentication attempts
Configuration changes
Credential access
Device operations
User management actions

Log Export

# Export to SIEM
Dashboard → Settings → Integrations → SIEM → Configure

# Manual export
curl https://dashboard/api/v1/audit-logs \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  -d '{"start": "2025-01-01", "end": "2025-01-31"}' \
  > audit-logs.json

8. Troubleshooting

8.1 Common Issues

Device Not Coming Online

Symptom	Check	Solution
No network	WiFi credentials	Re-run setup wizard
Can’t reach dashboard	Firewall rules	Open TCP 443 outbound
Certificate error	System time	Sync NTP
Agent not running	Service status	Restart croom-agent

# SSH to device and check
ssh pi@device-ip

# Check network
ping -c 3 8.8.8.8
ping -c 3 dashboard.company.com

# Check agent status
sudo systemctl status croom-agent

# Check logs
sudo journalctl -u croom-agent -f

Meeting Join Failures

Symptom	Check	Solution
Authentication error	Credentials	Update credentials
Platform blocked	Browser	Clear cache, update
No calendar events	Calendar sync	Check calendar permissions
Timeout	Network	Check bandwidth

# Check Chromium logs
cat ~/.config/chromium/chrome_debug.log

# Test meeting manually
chromium-browser --temp-profile "https://meet.google.com/test-meeting"

Audio/Video Issues

Symptom	Check	Solution
No audio	Device selection	Check pulseaudio settings
No video	Webcam connected	Check lsusb, permissions
Poor quality	Bandwidth	Check network speed
Echo	Settings	Enable echo cancellation

# List audio devices
pactl list short sinks
pactl list short sources

# List video devices
v4l2-ctl --list-devices

# Test webcam
ffplay /dev/video0

8.2 Remote Diagnostics

Via Dashboard

View device logs in real-time
Screenshot current display
Run network diagnostics
Check system metrics

Via SSH

Enable emergency SSH access:

# Dashboard
Dashboard → Devices → [Device] → Emergency Access → Enable SSH

# SSH in (uses certificate authentication)
ssh -i emergency.key admin@device-ip

8.3 Recovery Procedures

Factory Reset

# Via physical access
# Hold button for 10 seconds during boot

# Via dashboard
Dashboard → Devices → [Device] → Actions → Factory Reset

Reflashing Device

Remove SD card from device
Flash new image
Device re-provisions on boot

9. Maintenance

9.1 Regular Tasks

Daily

Check for offline devices
Review critical alerts
Monitor meeting success rate

Weekly

Review device health reports
Check for available updates
Review audit logs

Monthly

Apply software updates
Review user access
Test backup/recovery
Review capacity

Quarterly

Security review
Performance optimization
Documentation updates
Disaster recovery test

9.2 Updates

Device Updates

# Automatic (recommended)
Dashboard → Settings → Updates → Enable Auto-Update

# Manual (scheduled)
Dashboard → Devices → Select → Actions → Schedule Update

# Emergency (immediate)
Dashboard → Devices → Select → Actions → Update Now

Dashboard Updates

# Docker
docker-compose pull
docker-compose up -d

# Manual
git pull
npm install
pip install -r requirements.txt
./manage.py migrate
systemctl restart croom-dashboard

9.3 Backup & Recovery

Dashboard Backup

# Database backup
pg_dump croom > backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).sql

# Full backup (database + config)
./scripts/backup.sh /backup/location

Device Backup

# Export device configurations
Dashboard → Devices → Export → All Configurations

Recovery

# Restore database
psql croom < backup-20250115.sql

# Restore device config
Dashboard → Devices → Import → Upload backup file

10. Best Practices

10.1 Deployment

Use consistent hardware across all rooms
Pre-register devices in dashboard before deployment
Use configuration templates for consistency
Document room-specific requirements
Label devices and cables clearly

10.2 Security

Enable MFA for all admin accounts
Use SSO when available
Rotate credentials quarterly
Review audit logs regularly
Keep software updated

10.3 Monitoring

Set up alerts for critical metrics
Create dashboards for each location
Review weekly health reports
Track meeting success rates
Monitor bandwidth usage

10.4 Documentation

Maintain room inventory spreadsheet
Document network configurations
Keep runbooks updated
Train help desk staff
Create user quick-reference cards

Appendix

A. CLI Reference

# Agent CLI
croom-cli status          # Show device status
croom-cli config show     # Show current config
croom-cli config set      # Update config
croom-cli logs            # View logs
croom-cli restart         # Restart agent
croom-cli update          # Check for updates

B. API Reference

See API Documentation for complete API reference.

C. Glossary

Term	Definition
Agent	Software running on Croom device
Dashboard	Web-based management interface
Platform	Meeting service (Meet, Teams, Zoom)
Provisioning	Initial device setup process
Template	Reusable configuration preset

Version Information

Document	Version
Administrator Guide	1.0
Last Updated	2025-12-15