Northstar · HelmOS
Operating system

HelmOS.
The OS underneath.

A purpose-built platform that turns a Helm mini-PC into a show controller. Manages services, schedules cues, validates configs, ships logs, applies updates — so your operators only think about the show.

helmos> service status
northlink........running
scheduler........running
cuemaster........running
telemetry........running
watchdog.........running
helmos> _
What HelmOS handles

The infrastructure layer so you don't have to write it.

HelmOS bundles a hardened base, the NorthLink show daemon, a scheduler, the Cuemaster web server, and the telemetry agent into one update-able unit.

Service management

Services for every Northstar daemon. Auto-restart on crash. Watchdog enforces health. Boot order managed.

Schedule engine

Cron-grade scheduling for show open, close, midnight reset, seasonal swaps, and maintenance windows.

Telemetry

Every node, every cue, every error — logged locally, summarized to dashboards, queryable via the REST API.

OTA updates

Push tested HelmOS releases over the venue network. Atomic A/B partition swap. One-click rollback.

Hardened security

Firewall locked to the local subnet. RBAC for admins, operators, and viewers. Audit log on every config change.

Backup & restore

Snapshot the show, config, and schedule nightly. Bare-metal restore from any snapshot.

Under the hood

What ships with HelmOS.

DAEMON

NorthLink

The core show-control service. Talks to Polaris, dispatches cues, applies overrides, ships telemetry.

WEB SERVER

Cuemaster Host

Serves the operator web UI to the venue network. TLS optional, RBAC-gated, audit-logged.

API

REST & WebSocket

Programmatic access to every action and every event. Build your own dashboards or integrations.

SCHEDULER

Sequences

Time-of-day, sunrise/sunset, manual triggers, runtime overrides. Defined in Compose, deployed to HelmOS.

SECURITY

Firewall & RBAC

Local-subnet-only by default. Role-based access for every API and UI. SSO-ready.

OPS

Admin CLI

Every admin task scripted. Health checks, backups, log triage, network diagnostics — all from the shell.

Get the OS, get the system.

HelmOS ships pre-installed on every Helm. No separate license, no per-seat cost, no expiring activations.