Delivering Secure, Self-Contained Deployment Diagnostics for iBase-t’s Solumina MES Platform

Security is a top priority for Solumina customers. A microservices-based deployment also involves many interconnected components, and even a minor configuration error can disrupt an installation. Because the team that built the software could not access client environments, diagnosing an issue had to be coordinated through the client. Gathering diagnostic information across many services was slow and manual, and routine operational tasks followed different procedures for each deployment model. External diagnostic tools were not an option for environments with restricted connectivity. iBase-t needed a standardized way to diagnose and support deployments that worked entirely inside the client’s environment.

Cygnet.One built the Solumina Admin Portal as a self-contained web portal with its own role-based access. It gives client administrators searchable logs, log streaming, monitoring, performance tracing and technical support tools from inside their own environment. The portal ships with the Solumina deployment package and is deployed before the rest of Solumina, so teams can investigate installation issues from the outset. The backend runs as Java microservices on Kubernetes.

• Self-contained by design – diagnostic and monitoring data stays in the client environment. This is built into the architecture, so the portal also works in networks with no external connectivity.
• Searchable logs and log streaming – audit logs can be searched through the portal, and logs can be streamed to destinations the client configures, such as its own security monitoring tools.
• Monitoring and diagnostics – health and performance views, certificate and license visibility, and support bundles that give support teams the evidence they need.
• Secure deployment – security controls are built into packaging and deployment across AWS, Microsoft Azure and on-premises infrastructure, and sensitive configuration stays under the client’s control.

Making the portal deployable across every client environment, including networks with no external connectivity, surfaced a few packaging issues. The team made the portal work with monitoring components a client already runs, so they do not have to be fetched from outside the environment. The deployment scripts were also refined so that dependencies and configuration settings are set up consistently before installation.

The first release of the Admin Portal has been delivered, with the release process completed without blockers, and further capabilities are being added in later phases. Clients now have a shared operational picture: they can see which component has failed and either resolve the issue themselves or give support teams precise diagnostic evidence. Because the portal is deployed before the rest of Solumina, it can also help diagnose the installation process itself.

• No manual file hunting – logs from distributed services are indexed and searchable in one portal inside the client environment.
• Data under client control – logs are streamed only to destinations the client configures.
• Clear separation of access – operating the Admin Portal does not require access to, or changes to, Solumina application user accounts.

Further phases are planned to extend the portal from visibility and diagnostics toward proactive issue prevention. Future capabilities will follow the same principle of keeping diagnostic and operational data inside the client environment.

iBase-t is a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) company and software vendor. Its Solumina platform serves aerospace, defense and regulated manufacturing organizations that operate under strict security and access policies.

This solution was designed and delivered by the Cygnet.One engineering team, in close collaboration with iBase-t.