After installing iPM and logging in for the first time, work through the following before you start adding devices to monitor.
1Change the default administrator password
Go to Administration, then Users, open the default admin account, and set a new, strong password. Do not leave the default credentials in place, since this is the single most important first step.
2Set the system time zone
Under Administration, then System Configuration, set the time zone to match your organization's primary location. This affects how timestamps appear in graphs, alerts, and reports.
3Configure outbound email (SMTP)
If you want iPM to send email alerts, go to Administration, then System Configuration, and enter your SMTP server details (host, port, credentials, and the "from" address iPM should send as). Send a test notification to confirm mail delivery is working before you rely on it for real alerts.
4Create user accounts and assign roles
Rather than sharing the administrator login, create an account for each team member under Administration, then Users, and assign an appropriate role under Roles and Permissions. For example, use a read-only Viewer role for stakeholders who just need dashboards, and an Operator or Administrator role for people who configure monitoring and respond to alerts.
5Set up contact groups and time periods
Under Administration, define contact groups (who gets notified) and time periods (when they should be notified, for example a 24/7 on-call group versus a business-hours-only group). You will assign these when you create alerts later, so it is worth setting them up now rather than one at a time.
6Add SSH keys for host access (optional)
If you plan to monitor Linux/Unix servers via SSH-based checks, add the relevant SSH keys under Administration, then SSH Keys, now, so they are ready to select when you add those hosts.
Once these are in place, move on to First Monitoring Setup to add your first device and confirm everything is working end to end.