Quickstart Guide

While each app has its own page in the User Guide, this page will walk you through the minimum requirements for getting an app up and running.

Installation

While the hardware will often have our Edge software preinstalled, sometimes you will find you need to perform the initial installation or upgrade the existing installation. Follow the instructions in the Dealing with software packages page to get your hardware configured.

Licensing

Before you can poll any devices, you will need a License on your hardware.

With Edge Manager installed:

• Go to http://EdgeDeviceIP:8080

• Select App Manager on the left pane

• Expand the node at the top of the Explorer pane

• Right click Edge ACM

• Select Properties

• Download a License Request and send that file to your AUTOSOL contact.

• When you receive a License file, return to Edge ACM properties

• Use Choose File to select your License

• Press the Submit button once your License is selected

• You should now have an Expiration Date and a number of Devices Licensed

Congratulations! Your hardware is now licensed and can be used to poll devices!

Edge ACM

https://autosoln.atlassian.net/wiki/pages/resumedraft.action?draftId=298746247 is the app that polls data from field devices and provides that data to other apps for publication, eg. AUTOSOL MQTT, Azure.

In order to poll data from any devices, you will need a number of objects created within Edge ACM:

• One or more Folder objects to hold the other objects

  • Added by right clicking Edge ACM or a Folder, selecting Add, then selecting Folder

• One or more Connection Settings object to establish the IP and port we are communicating with. If multiple devices share an IP and port (eg. are all on the same master radio) then a single Connection Settings object can be shared by multiple Device objects

  • Added by right clicking a Folder, selecting Add, then selecting Connection Settings

• One or more Schedule objects to configure how often Edge ACM will poll its associated Tag Groups

  • Added by right clicking a Folder, selecting Add, then selecting Schedule

• One or more Tag Group objects to identify the Tags to be polled

  • Added by right clicking a Folder, selecting Add, then selecting Tag Group

• One or more Tag objects in each Tag Group to establish which tags/registers are polled in the end device, and the rules by which it is published.

  • Added by right clicking a Tag Group, selecting Add, then selecting Tag

• One or more Device objects (ControlLogix, Modbus, Roc, TotalFlow).

  • Added by right clicking a Folder, selecting Add, then selecting the appropriate Device object.

At least one device object must be Enabled, linked to a Connection Settings object, and have a Tag Group that contains at least one Tag selected in order for communications to occur.

Right click Edge ACM, select Commands, and select Start. If the app is Licensed and the above steps have been taken, the indicator circle should turn Green and you should see files generated in the Log Viewer

Priority Forward

Priority Forward is the app that allows your Edge Manager to control access to an Edge Device, allowing a primary connection to override all other communications.

In order to control communications, you will need a number of Objects configured in Priority Forward:

• One or more Folder objects to hold the other objects

  • Added by right clicking Priority Forward or a Folder, selecting Add, then selecting Folder

• One or more Advanced Channel Settings object to establish rules for the Channel

  • Added by right clicking a Folder, selecting Add, then selecting Advanced Channel Settings

• One or more Channel object to establish the IP and port of the end Device and the local ports used for Primary and Secondary connections

  • Added by right clicking a Folder, selecting Add, then selecting Channel

Once these objects exist, you can right click Priority Forward, select Commands, and select Start

Azure

Azure is the app that publishes data from Edge ACM to your Azure IoT Hub

In order to communicate with your Azure IoT Hub you need to:

• When you create your IoT Hub device in Azure IoT Hub, choose Symmetric Key for the authentication type

• Right click the Azure app and select Properties

• Set the Connection String to match the Primary or Secondary Connection String you have configured within Azure IoT Hub.

  • Each instance of Edge Manager should be configured to publish to a seperate Device in Azure IoT Hub

Once the Connection String is configured and the other settings match your preference, begin publishing to Azure IoT Hub by right clicking Azure, selecting Commands, and slecting Start

AUTOSOL MQTT

AUTOSOL MQTT is the app that publishes data from Edge ACM to your MQTT Broker

In order to communicate with your MQTT Broker you will need a number of objects configured within AUTOSOL MQTT:

• One or more Folder objects to hold the other objects

  • Added by right clicking AUTOSOL MQTT or a Folder, selecting Add, then selecting Folder

• One or more Broker Connection objects to establish a connection within your MQTT Broker

  • Added by right clicking a Folder, selecting Add, then selecting Broker Connection

• One or more Publisher object (Standard Publisher, Sparkplug B Publisher) to establish how data from Edge ACM will be sent to your MQTT Broker through your Broker Connection

  • Added by right clicking a Folder, selecting Add, then selecting the appropriate Publisher object

Once the objects have been created, you can begin publishg by right clicking AUTOSOL MQTT, selecting Commands and selecting Start

Common Issues

If newly saved changes haven’t shown up in your client software, remember that each App needs to be issued a Restart or a Stop then Start command before the changes will be applied.