A decentralized zero-touch provisioning framework for secure and scalable edge infrastructure deployment

<ns3:p>Zero-touch provisioning (ZTP) is a key enabler for scalable deployment of edge infrastructure across heterogeneous networks. This paper presents a decentralized ZTP framework developed as part of the ENACT project, designed to automate the discovery, configuration, and integration of remote devices without requiring direct access or manual intervention. Built on open standards and widely used technologies—including PXE, DHCP, Cloud-Init, and REST APIs—the system minimizes administrative overhead while maintaining strong security guarantees through a custom authentication mechanism using WebSockets and one-time install-time verification. The architecture separates concerns between a central server, which interfaces with the orchestrator, and lightweight agents deployed in remote networks that manage provisioning via Ubuntu MAAS. This approach avoids exposing remote environments directly to the internet, reducing attack surface and simplifying coordination across multiple sites. Evaluation results demonstrate significant improvements in both deployment speed (94% time reduction for bare metal deployment and 60% for VM) and consistency compared to manual provisioning processes, validating the effectiveness of the automated approach for large-scale edge infrastructure deployment.</ns3:p>