Tutorial: Using the Access Server Onboarding Wizard and Admin Web UI Tour
Learn about the Access Server onboarding wizard — a first-run guided setup experience introduced in Access Server 3.2.2 that walks new admins through initial configuration, followed by an optional Admin Web UI tour. Includes how to re-enable both if needed.
Overview
Access Server 3.2.2 introduces an Onboarding Wizard that appears on the first launch of the Admin Web UI after a fresh install.
The wizard guides new administrators through initial Access Server setup, including basic access configuration and a first VPN connection. After the wizard completes, Access Server displays an optional Admin Web UI tour with tooltips that introduce key areas of the interface.
By default, both experiences display only once. They are suppressed after their first display and aren't shown automatically after an Access Server upgrade.
This tutorial shows you how to:
Complete the Onboarding Wizard on a new Access Server installation.
Use the Admin Web UI tour.
Check whether the wizard or tour is enabled.
Re-enable either experience with
sacli.
For the broader first-time configuration workflow, refer to Tutorial: Get Started with Access Server.
Availability and behavior
The Onboarding Wizard and Admin Web UI tour are available starting with Access Server 3.2.2.
Their default behavior is:
Both are enabled by default on a fresh install.
The Onboarding Wizard displays during the first-run Admin Web UI experience.
The Admin Web UI tour can display after the wizard.
Each experience is suppressed after its first display.
Neither experience is automatically shown after upgrading an existing Access Server installation.
You can re-enable either experience with its associated configuration key.
The configuration keys are:
Configuration key | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Controls whether the Onboarding Wizard displays. |
| Controls whether the Admin Web UI tour displays. |
Note
If you prefer to initialize or reconfigure Access Server from the command line, refer to Tutorial: Initialize or Reset Access Server with ovpn-init.
Prerequisites
Before you begin, ensure you have:
Access Server 3.2.2 or newer.
A fresh Access Server installation if you want to see the wizard automatically.
Admin Web UI access.
An administrative account.
Console access with root privileges if you want to inspect or re-enable the onboarding configuration with
sacli.
For general installation and initial setup guidance, refer to Get Started with Access Server.
On a fresh Access Server installation, the Onboarding Wizard displays during the first sign-in to the Admin Web UI.
Complete the initial Access Server installation.
Open the Admin Web UI.
Sign in with your administrative credentials.
Review and accept the End User License Agreement (EULA), if prompted.
Complete Access Server activation if your deployment requires it.
The Onboarding Wizard displays.
Note
The exact first-run sequence can vary by deployment method. For example, some cloud images may preconfigure administrative credentials, licensing, or a browser-trusted certificate before you first open the Admin Web UI.
The first part of the wizard helps you define the initial network access available to VPN clients.
Review the available access options.
Select whether VPN clients should have:
Internet access through Access Server.
Access to private resources behind Access Server.
Both, if appropriate for your deployment.
If private-resource access is enabled, review the network CIDRs Access Server detected.
Confirm that those networks match the resources VPN users should be allowed to access.
Remove or change any networks that VPN users shouldn't be able to access.
Select Continue.
Important
Review automatically detected networks before granting access. The networks displayed depend on the routing and network configuration visible to the Access Server host.
The wizard lets you download OpenVPN Connect and prepare your first VPN connection.
Review the OpenVPN Connect download offered by the wizard.
Confirm that the download matches the operating system of the device you're using.
Select Download.
Install OpenVPN Connect.
Return to the Onboarding Wizard.
Select Continue.
The wizard waits for a VPN connection so you can verify the basic setup.
Launch OpenVPN Connect.
Use the connection profile provided during onboarding.
Connect to Access Server.
Confirm that the VPN connection succeeds.
Return to the Admin Web UI.
Select Finish Wizard.
You can also close the wizard if you prefer to finish configuration later.
After the Onboarding Wizard, Access Server can display an Admin Web UI tour. The tour uses tooltips to introduce important areas of the Admin Web UI:
Client Web UI.
Users.
Access Controls.
Authentication.
Activation.
Follow the tooltips to move through the tour, or close the tour if you don't need it. For detailed information about the interface and available settings, refer to the Admin Web UI User Manual.
Use the command line to see whether the Onboarding Wizard and Admin Web UI tour are currently enabled. The following steps use sacli, the Access Server command-line configuration tool.
Connect to the console and get root privileges.
Run:
sacli activeconfig | grep onboarding
Review the values for:
admin_ui.onboarding.show_wizard admin_ui.onboarding.show_tour
A value of
trueenables the corresponding experience.
After the wizard or tour has been displayed, Access Server suppresses it by changing the associated behavior so it doesn't appear again automatically.
Use the admin_ui.onboarding.show_wizard configuration key to re-enable the wizard.
Connect to the console and get root privileges.
Run:
sacli -k "admin_ui.onboarding.show_wizard" -v "true" ConfigPut
Apply the configuration:
sacli start
Verify the value:
sacli activeconfig | grep onboarding
The Onboarding Wizard is available to display again.
Use the admin_ui.onboarding.show_tour configuration key to re-enable the tooltips tour.
Connect to the console and get root privileges.
Run:
sacli -k "admin_ui.onboarding.show_tour" -v "true" ConfigPut
Apply the configuration:
sacli start
Verify the value:
sacli activeconfig | grep onboarding
Sign in to the Admin Web UI again.
The Admin Web UI tour is available to display again.
To re-enable both the Onboarding Wizard and Admin Web UI tour, run:
sacli -k "admin_ui.onboarding.show_wizard" -v "true" ConfigPut sacli -k "admin_ui.onboarding.show_tour" -v "true" ConfigPut sacli start
Verify the configuration:
sacli activeconfig | grep onboarding