vantagecompute · wardbryan3 · May 27, 2026 · May 27, 2026
diff --git a/docs/concepts/compute-and-clusters.md b/docs/concepts/compute-and-clusters.md
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ Providers are the physical infrastructure Vantage provisions clusters on.
 |---|---|
 | Public clouds (AWS, Azure, GCP) | Elastic capacity, global regions, spot pricing |
 | Cudo Compute | Cost-efficient GPU cloud |
-| On-premises / LXD | Your own hardware, maximum control |
+| On-premises / LXD / Multipass / Juju | Your own hardware or local VMs — agent-based, Multipass, or Charmed HPC |
 | Vantage partners (atNorth, BuzzHPC, RCI) | Pre-integrated managed colocation and HPC |
 
 ## Regions and availability

diff --git a/docs/get-started/create-cluster-intro.md b/docs/get-started/create-cluster-intro.md
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ description: Deploy Slurm, Kubernetes, or Slurm on Kubernetes clusters using the
 
 ## Overview
 
-Clusters are the compute environments where jobs run in Vantage. This guide walks you through creating a cluster using the Vantage web UI. Three cluster types are supported: **Slurm** (traditional HPC), **Kubernetes** (managed platform cluster), and **Slurm on Kubernetes** (Slurm deployed on an existing K8s cluster).
+Clusters are the compute environments where jobs run in Vantage. This guide walks you through creating a cluster using the Vantage web UI. Three cluster types are supported: **Slurm** (traditional HPC), **Kubernetes** (managed platform cluster), and **Slurm on Kubernetes** (Slurm deployed on an existing K8s cluster). On-premises clusters can also be created using **Multipass** or **Juju (Charmed HPC)** — see [On-Premises clusters](/platform/clusters/On-Premises).
 
 :::note Alternative Methods
 
@@ -17,73 +17,68 @@ Clusters can also be created via the [Vantage CLI](https://docs.vantagecompute.a
 
 - How to navigate to the Clusters dashboard
 - How to create a Slurm, Kubernetes, or Slurm on Kubernetes cluster
+- How to create on-premises clusters using Multipass, Juju, or the Vantage Agent
 
 ## Prerequisites
 
 - A Vantage account and organization ([Sign Up](./sign-up.md))
 - A configured [Cloud Account](./create-cloud.md) — required before creating a cluster
 
-## Step 1: Access the Cluster Dashboard
+:::note On-premises clusters
+On-premises clusters (Multipass, Juju, and agent-based) do not require a cloud account. See [On-Premises clusters](/platform/clusters/On-Premises) for setup guides.
+:::
 
-Click **Clusters** in the left navigation sidebar, then select the **Slurm** or **Kubernetes** tab to view clusters of that type. The cluster list shows columns for **Name**, **Type**, **Status**, **Provider**, **Owner**, and **Actions**.
+## Step 1: Access the Cluster Dashboard
 
-![Cluster dashboard](./img/create-cluster-intro/create-cluster-intro-00.png)
+Click **Clusters** in the left navigation sidebar. A cluster type navigation appears with **Slurm** and **Kubernetes** — click the type you want to work with. The **Kubernetes** view is shown by default. Each view lists existing clusters with columns for **Name**, **Type**, **Status**, **Provider**, **Owner**, and **Actions**, and refreshes periodically to reflect status changes.
 
 ## Step 2: Prepare a Cluster
 
-Click the **+ Prepare Cluster** button in the top-right corner. A multi-step wizard opens titled **"Choose Cluster Type"**.
+Make sure you are on the correct cluster type view (Slurm or Kubernetes), then click **+ Prepare Cluster** in the top-right corner. A modal opens where you configure the cluster.
 
-![Prepare cluster button](./img/create-cluster-intro/create-cluster-intro-01.png)
+## Step 3: Configure the Cluster
 
-## Step 3: Choose a Cluster Type and Configure
-
-Select the type of cluster you want to create:
+The configuration steps depend on the cluster type and cloud provider:
 
 <Tabs>
 <TabItem value="slurm" label="Slurm" default>
 
 Traditional HPC workload manager. Configure compute partitions, submit batch jobs, and manage node pools.
 
-Click the **Slurm** card and then click **Continue**.
-
-### Configure Cluster Details
+Click <kbd>Prepare Cluster</kbd> from the **Slurm** cluster type view. A modal opens with the **Configure** step.
 
 | Field | Required | Notes |
 |---|---|---|
 | Cluster Name | Yes | Max 27 characters, must be unique |
-| Cluster Description | No | Max 255 characters |
+| Description | No | Max 255 characters |
 | Cloud Account | Yes | Select from your configured cloud accounts |
 
 The remaining steps depend on the **Cloud Account** type selected:
 
-**Non-AWS accounts** (Azure, GCP, Cudo Compute, on-premises, LXD) — No additional fields appear. Click **Create Cluster** to finish. The wizard completes in 2 steps — partitions and networking are managed post-creation from the cluster detail page.
+**Non-AWS accounts** (Azure, GCP) — Click <kbd>Create Cluster</kbd> to finish. Partitions and networking are managed post-creation from the cluster detail page. These providers use backend defaults for provisioning.
 
-**Cloud provider accounts (e.g., AWS)** — A notice appears: *"Cloud clusters are deployed in AWS and scale automatically to the size of the workloads submitted to them."* Additional fields appear:
+**AWS** — Click <kbd>Continue</kbd>. The **Provider** step opens with additional fields:
 
 | Field | Required | Notes |
 |---|---|---|
-| Region | Yes | Select your cloud region |
-| Head Node Machine Type | Yes | Select a region first, then click **Select Head Node** to choose a machine type |
-| SSH Key Name | Yes | Select a cloud account and region first |
+| Region | Yes | The dropdown loads after you select the cloud account |
+| Head Node Machine Type | Yes | Click <kbd>Select Head Node</kbd> to browse instance types by vCPU, GPU, and price |
+| SSH Key Name | Yes | The list loads after you pick a region |
 
-**Advanced Options** (expand to configure custom networking — leave empty to use cloud defaults):
+Click **Advanced Options** to pin the cluster to a custom **VPC**, **Head Node Subnet**, and **Compute Node Subnet**. Leave these empty to use AWS-managed defaults.
 
-| Field | Required | Notes |
-|---|---|---|
-| VPC ID | No | Select a Cloud Account and region first |
-| Head Node Subnet ID | Yes, if VPC selected | Select a VPC first |
-| Compute Node Subnet ID | No | Select a VPC first |
+Click <kbd>Proceed to Select Partitions</kbd>. The **Partitions** step opens. A default partition named `compute` is pre-filled. Set the **Maximum node count** and add more partitions as needed, then click <kbd>Prepare Cluster</kbd> to submit.
 
-Click **Proceed to Select Partitions** to continue. Configure your Slurm partitions, then click **Create Cluster**.
+:::tip
+In the **Configure** step you can also select a **Kubernetes Cluster** as the deployment target — this creates a Slurm-on-Kubernetes cluster instead. See [Slurm on Kubernetes](/platform/clusters/Kubernetes/create#slurm-on-kubernetes).
+:::
 
 </TabItem>
 <TabItem value="k8s" label="Kubernetes">
 
 Managed platform cluster for Workbench sessions, ML training, and containerized workloads.
 
-Click the **Kubernetes** card and then click **Continue**.
-
-### Configure Cluster Details
+Click <kbd>Prepare Cluster</kbd> from the **Kubernetes** cluster type view (shown by default). A modal opens with the **Configure** step.
 
 | Field | Required | Notes |
 |---|---|---|
@@ -93,62 +88,52 @@ Click the **Kubernetes** card and then click **Continue**.
 
 The remaining configuration depends on the provider:
 
-**AWS** — Additional fields appear:
+**Non-AWS providers** (Azure, GCP, Cudo Compute) — Click <kbd>Create Cluster</kbd> to submit. These providers use backend defaults for provisioning.
+
+**AWS** — Click <kbd>Continue</kbd>. The **Provider** step opens with additional fields:
 
 | Field | Required | Notes |
 |---|---|---|
-| Region | Yes | Select your AWS region |
-| Control Plane Instance Type | Yes | Click **Select Control Plane** to choose an EC2 instance type |
-| SSH Key Name | Yes | Select a cloud account and region first |
-
-Non-AWS providers (Azure, GCP, Cudo Compute, on-premises, LXD) use Vantage-managed defaults and require only the fields above.
+| Region | Yes | The dropdown loads after you select the cloud account |
+| Control Plane Machine Type | Yes | Click <kbd>Select Machine</kbd> to browse EC2 instance types by vCPU, GPU, and price |
+| SSH Key Name | Yes | The list loads after you pick a region |
 
-**Platform Integrations** (configured after submission, in the final wizard step):
+Click <kbd>Prepare Cluster</kbd> to submit.
 
-| Integration | Purpose | Default |
-|---|---|---|
-| Notebook | JupyterHub for interactive sessions | Enabled |
-| Grafana + Prometheus | Cluster monitoring and observability | Enabled |
-| Ray | Distributed ML training framework | Disabled |
-| MLflow | ML experiment tracking | Disabled |
-| Slurm on Kubernetes | Deploy Slurm on this cluster later | Disabled |
-
-Click **Create Cluster** to submit. Provisioning time varies by provider — AWS typically takes 10–15 minutes, others connect more quickly.
+JupyterHub and Grafana + Prometheus are enabled by default. See [Integrations](/platform/clusters/Kubernetes/integrations) for details.
 
 </TabItem>
 <TabItem value="slurm-on-k8s" label="Slurm on Kubernetes">
 
-Deploy a Slurm HPC cluster on top of an existing Kubernetes cluster. Manage node groups and partitions via VDeployer.
-
-Click the **Slurm on Kubernetes** card and then click **Continue**. This path has 4 steps: Choose Type → Select K8s Cluster → Configure → Creating.
+Deploy a Slurm HPC cluster on top of an existing Kubernetes cluster. Manage node groups and partitions.
 
-### Step 2 — Select K8s Cluster
+### From the Slurm list
 
-A grid of available Kubernetes clusters is shown, with each cluster's name and cloud provider type. Click a cluster card to select it (it will show a highlighted border), then click **Configure Slurm Cluster**.
+1. Click **Slurm** in the cluster type navigation, then click <kbd>Prepare Cluster</kbd>.
+1. In the **Configure** step, select **Kubernetes Cluster** as the deployment target. A list of ready K8s clusters appears. Click the target cluster, then click <kbd>Configure Slurm Cluster</kbd>.
 
-The selected parent cluster determines the available profiles for the node groups. AWS clusters unlock EC2 instance type selection; non-AWS clusters use pre-defined profiles.
+### From the Kubernetes detail page
 
-### Step 3 — Configure
+1. Click the target cluster name to open its detail page.
+1. Click the **Slurm Clusters** tab, then click <kbd>Create Slurm Cluster</kbd>.
 
-**Cluster Identity:**
+### Configure compute pools and partitions
 
-| Field | Required | Notes |
-|---|---|---|
-| Slurm Cluster Name | Yes | Must start with a lowercase letter and can only include lowercase letters, numbers, and dashes (no trailing dash) |
-| Parent K8s Cluster | Yes | Pre-filled from the previous step (read-only) |
+From either entry point, the wizard opens with the **Compute & Partitions** step.
 
-**Node Groups:**
+**Node Groups**
 
-Two node groups are pre-configured — **Control Plane** and **Compute Group**. Node group names are auto-generated based on the cluster name (e.g., `slurm-control-{name}` and `slurm-compute-{name}-1`).
+Two node groups are pre-configured — **Slurm Controller** (control plane) and **Compute Workers**. Node group names are auto-generated (e.g., `slurm-control-{name}` and `slurm-compute-{name}-1`).
 
 | Field | Default | Notes |
 |---|---|---|
 | Profile | — | Select a profile. No default — a selection is required. |
+| GPU | No | Toggle to enable GPU compute |
 | Max Nodes | 1 (Control Plane) / 10 (Compute) | Minimum 1 |
 
 The **Profile** field adapts based on the parent K8s cluster's provider:
 
-- **AWS parent** — Opens an **instance type browser** dialog. Search and select any EC2 instance type (e.g., `t3.medium`, `c5n.4xlarge`). CPU and memory are managed by AWS; no profile presets are used.
+- **AWS parent** — Opens an instance type browser dialog. Select any EC2 instance type (e.g., `t3.medium`, `c5n.4xlarge`).
 - **Non-AWS parent** (Cudo Compute, on-premises, LXD) — A dropdown with three pre-defined profiles:
 
   | Profile | vCPU | Memory |
@@ -157,33 +142,19 @@ The **Profile** field adapts based on the parent K8s cluster's provider:
   | Medium | 8 | 16 GiB |
   | Large | 16 | 32 GiB |
 
-Selecting a profile auto-fills the CPU and memory for that node group. If you change the parent K8s cluster after selecting profiles, all profile selections are reset.
-
 Click **+ Add Compute Group** to add additional compute node groups. At least one control plane group and one compute group are required.
 
-**Partitions:**
-
-A default partition named `compute` is pre-configured. Partitions route jobs to a specific node group.
-
-| Field | Default | Notes |
-|---|---|---|
-| Partition Name | `compute` | Name for the Slurm partition |
-| Node Group | — | Select from the compute groups defined above |
-| Default | Enabled | Only one partition can be default at a time |
-
-Click **+ Add Partition** to add additional partitions. At least one partition is required.
-
-Click **Create Slurm Cluster** to begin provisioning. The wizard advances to a progress view showing each step as it completes.
+**Partitions**
 
-### Step 4 — Creating (Progress)
+A default partition named `partition-1` is pre-configured. Set the **Partition Name**, choose which **Compute Group** it routes to, and toggle **Default** status. Only one partition can be default at a time.
 
-The wizard shows a progress stepper with three sequential stages:
+Click **Advanced Options** to configure TLS, NodePort exposure, job profiling, and the K8s scheduler bridge.
 
-1. **Registering cluster** — Creates the Slurm cluster record and provisions a Keycloak client in the background
-2. **Creating node groups** — Provisions each node group sequentially on the parent K8s cluster (control plane, then compute groups)
-3. **Creating Slurm cluster** — Finalizes the Slurm deployment with your partition configuration
+Click <kbd>Create Slurm Cluster</kbd> to submit. The wizard shows a progress stepper with three sequential stages:
 
-Each completed stage shows a green checkmark. While provisioning, the progress bars remain visible so you can track which stage the cluster is in.
+1. **Registering cluster** — Creates the Slurm cluster record and provisions a Keycloak client
+2. **Creating node groups** — Provisions each node group on the parent K8s cluster (control plane, then compute groups)
+3. **Creating Slurm cluster** — Finalizes the Slurm deployment
 
 </TabItem>
 </Tabs>
@@ -192,7 +163,7 @@ Each completed stage shows a green checkmark. While provisioning, the progress b
 
 Return to the Clusters list page. The cluster status shows **"preparing"** while provisioning, then transitions to **"ready"** when complete.
 
-![Cluster connected successfully](./img/create-cluster-intro/create-cluster-intro-04.png)
+A cluster with `ready` status shows a green badge in the **Status** column. Clicking the cluster row opens the cluster detail page.
 
 ## Summary
 
@@ -204,3 +175,4 @@ Your cluster is now ready for workloads. You can launch notebooks, submit jobs,
 - [Create a Job Script](./create-job-script-intro.md)
 - [Submit Your First Job](./create-job-submission-intro.md)
 - [Invite Team Members](./invite-intro.md)
+- [Create an on-premises cluster](/platform/clusters/On-Premises) — Multipass, Juju, or agent-based