--- title: "Overview" description: "What Ixolate is, what you need before you start, and which of the three onboarding paths applies to you." --- > Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.ixolate.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Overview Ixolate is a managed firewall appliance by 8Labs. It runs a hardened, branded firewall platform on your hardware and receives its operating-system and feature updates from the Ixolate subscription repository at `repo.ixolate.com`. Support is tied to the box through an offline support license, not to a phone-home service: the appliance never has to reach anything other than the update repository you configure. ## Three ways to get an Ixolate box Pick the one that matches where you are today.

Three ways in, one destination.

| You have | Go to | |---|---| | Empty hardware or a fresh virtual machine | [Clean install from media](/get-started/clean-install) | | A firewall already running a supported series that you want to bring under Ixolate | [Convert an existing firewall](/get-started/convert-existing) | | An Ixolate box with an older plugin release | [Update the Ixolate plugin](/get-started/upgrade-plugin) | All three paths end at the same place: [Updates & License](/get-started/updates-and-license), where you enter the subscription key and, optionally, the support license. ## What you need - **A subscription key** for the update repository. 8Labs issues one per appliance. Without it the box runs normally but stays on a frozen package tree and receives no operating-system updates ("no-subscription" mode). - **A support license** (optional). It is bound to the hardware ID of the box and unlocks support entitlement, not features. Every feature can be switched on by any administrator. - **Network access to `repo.ixolate.com`** over HTTPS (port 443) for updates. Everything else, including the optional feature catalogue, is shipped on the installation media so an appliance without an uplink can still be configured. ## Where things live | Task | Menu | |---|---| | Subscription key, updates, support license, hardware ID | **System › Updates & License** | | Optional features (packages shipped on the media) | **System › Updates & License › Optional Features** | | Theme and general settings | **System › Settings › General** | | Console menu (password reset, interface addresses, shell) | serial or VGA console, login as `root` | Menu items that would let an operator leave the managed update path (stock firmware page, snapshots, factory defaults, help links) are hidden by design. Anything you cannot find in the menu is either covered in this documentation or handled by support. ## Getting help Write to **info@ixolate.com** with the hardware ID from **System › Updates & License** and the output of **System › Diagnostics › Activity** if the question is about performance. Include the appliance model and the version shown on the dashboard. Source: https://docs.ixolate.com/get-started/index.mdx