Zero-Touch Onboarding with Device Groups in the Management Portal

Zero-Touch Onboarding with Device Groups in the Management Portal

Introduction

Zero-touch onboarding enables brand-new NComputing thin clients to automatically connect to a designated PMC instance upon first boot β€” with no manual setup required. When combined with Device Groups in the Management Portal, this feature supports rapid and scalable device provisioning


What Is Zero-Touch Onboarding?

Zero-touch onboarding facilitates the automatic connection of a brand-new NComputing thin-client to a predefined PMC instance upon initial power-up and internet connectivity, eliminating the need for manual configuration.
Within approximately 30 seconds of connectivity, the device is automatically provisioned based on the user’s settings.

This streamlined process simplifies mass deployments and optimizes time management for IT administrators.

Supported Devices

Zero-Touch Onboarding is supported for the following NComputing thin client models:

  1. RX540, RX580
  2. EX500, EX500W
  3. RX-RDP+, RX420(RDP), RX440(RDP)

NotesNote for LEAF OS Devices: Zero-touch onboarding is exclusively available for Technical Account Management (TAM) customers. When your account is vested with a TAM Support Subscription, our team will assist with the pre-registration of LEAFOS devices via MAC addresses, as NComputing hardware serial numbers is not existent for registration.  


How to Enable Zero-Touch Onboarding

Step 1: Pre-Register Devices

The main requirement for zero board on boarding is to pre-register the devices with the Management Portal. This way, a serial number of a new device will be recognized once the unit makes a first time connection with the Management Portal.

Register a large batch of devices

This could be a rather time-consuming task, but fortunately, the Management Portal now offers a new feature enabling the bulk registration of serial numbers. The procedure and detailed instructions are available in this article: 

Alternative, individual registration

However, if for some reason you have to default to manual registration, here is another helpful article 
πŸ“— How to register NComputing devices using NComputing Management Portal or NComputing mobile apps (this article is highlighted, as it will show you how you can use our NComputing Care app to scan a device QR code or serial number. (App available on Android)

Step 2: Create Device Groups

Organize your devices into Device Groups based on your deployment needs. We offer a detailed process on this article: 
πŸ“— How to Use Device Groups in the Management Portal


Step 3: (Optional) Configure PMC Profiles

In your PMC instance, define device profiles in advance. Settings can include wallpapers, certificates, kiosk mode, network preferences, etc. These profiles will automatically apply to new devices when they connect.

You need reference on how to create and manage profiles, visit this article: 

  1. Go to My PMC Installations in the Management Portal

  2. Click Link Device Groups in the left pane of the window

  3. Click + Add on the top right of the window. 

  4. Select the Device Group and enter the PMC instance URL

Result

Once a device powers on and connects to the internet, it will:

  1. Contact the Management Portal
  2. Retrieve its assigned PMC URL
  3. Connect and auto-provision through PMC

Deployment is completed in about 30 seconds without any user intervention.


Conclusion

Zero-touch onboarding with Device Groups streamlines mass device roll-outs. IT admins can prepare everything in advance, making deployments faster and more reliable β€” even across multiple sites.


For assistance configuring zero-touch onboarding, please contact our technical support team.


Article #: 854
Last Updated: June 3, 2025


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