Create a Device

The initial step for creating a device is to access the "Device Manager", located in the initial environment of the thingable! platform.

Figure 1: Accessing the Device Manager

After clicking on "Device Manager" the user will find all devices registered on the platform. They also viewed two tabs: DEVICES and TYPES. More details in figure 2.

Figure 2: Device Manager

In the "DEVICES" tab, we find the following information:

• ID (Serial Number): consists of an alphanumeric code, entered by the user, responsible for identifying this device. This code must be unique for each device

• Name: name, the user's choice, to identify the device, does not follow any pattern specific This name consists of a more abstract form of identification.

• Type: Each device needs to be in a group of types.

• Status: Displays the last connectivity status of the device.

• Options: Device configuration change field. More details about this can be seen in figure 4.

In the icon icon (item 1 of Figure 2) we have the option "Show Location", in it we identify the longitude and latitude, in addition to the exact address where the device is. When clicking on it, the user is directed to the screen shown in figure 3.

Figure 3: Window that opens when clicking Display Location

The "View Credentials" option represented by the icon (item 2 of Figure 2), allows you to obtain general device information such as device type number, class and MQTT broker access credentials such as URL, Client-ID, User, Password (Client) and the topic of publication. In figure 4 we have more details.

Figure 4: Device Credentials

In the "Device Events" option, represented by the icon (item 3 of Figure 2), it is possible to follow the device publication events. See more details of these events in figure 5, below:

Figure 5: Device Events

The "Type Settings" option, represented by the icon (item 4 of Figure 2), allows us to view and change parameters of a device already created. On this same screen we have the "Permissions" tab, where we define which users, or groups of users, can have access (both editing and data visualization) about these devices. More details about these permissions are available in the User documentation. Users.

Figure 6: Type Settings Window

The "Remove" option, represented by the icon (item 5 of Figure 2), brings the option to remove a previously created device.

Another point that deserves our attention is the "Types" tab, visible in Figure 7. In this tab are listed all the types of devices created by the user. Types are basically groupings of devices that have common characteristics. This tab is divided into five columns, namely: Name, Description, Class, Work in Progress and Options.

Figure 7: TYPES tab, inside Device Manager

In the first column, "Name", we have the name of each type of device the user chooses.

The second column, "Description", is used for general information about the type of device, and its use is not mandatory.

The third column, "Class", is responsible for determining what that device is, it can be of the type "device" or "gateway". The gateway type is not yet in functional state on the platform.

In the fourth column, "Work in Progress", we have the presentation of the information pertinent to the activities of devices within that type. This field is useful when you want to delete a type, but it is not known if you will have any devices in use at that time.

In the fifth column, "Options", we find three items, listed from 1 to 3. In item 1 we have "Type Events" (icon ), different from "Device Events", the "Type Events" show all messages received by all devices of that type. Item 2 "Type Definitions" (icon), details in figure 8, presents the type definitions. Item 3 (icon ) is the option that allows you to delete a previously registered Type.

Figure 8: Type Definitions, located on the Types tab

The Schema field is a place for the general configuration of the SCADA system for all devices of the type in question. If all devices of the same type have the same settings, such as number of mediation points, alarm levels, etc., the best place to insert the json code of these settings in the Schema. This is because it is a quick way to create the mediation points for each new device, in contrast to the Metadata field (present in each device), intended for individual customization.

More details about Schema and Metadata can be explored in our documentation - Metadata and Schema.

After this overview of the fundamental elements around the devices, we go through the step-by-step process of creating a device within the platform.

Step by step for creating a device on the thingable platform!

After clicking on the icon ,figure 2, we are redirected to the window illustrated in figure 9, which is the first step in creating a device.

Figure 9: First step in the process of adding a device

Use the "Add Manually" option, so a new screen will open, as shown in figure 10. The option "Browse Watson" (figure 9) is another way to add devices to the platform environment that have been previously created in IBM Watson, by our Support team.

Figure 10: Second screen of the process of adding a device

In the "Basic Information" tab we have the division of four parts to be filled out which are: basic information, Location, Type and Metadata.

In the set of "Basic Information" it is necessary to fill in the "ID" (Serial number) of the device and put a name for it. It is not necessary to put a description, it speaks at the discretion of the user.

Below this division we have the "Location", which can be filled through the location of the device, the most usual is to pass the parameters in Current Latitude and Longitude.

Under "Type" we can add a new one, or select one that is already used on the platform.

In "Metadata", we have the opportunity to add customized information for each device, which can be accessed by our device query API thingable! APIs. The "Metadata" field also allows you to perform custom SCADA point settings. For more details on this configuration, refer to the following materialMetadata and Schema.

In the "Permissions" tab, figure 11, it must be selected which, or which, users will have access to this device, and individual or group accesses can be placed.

Figure 11: New Device Permissions

After completing the information, a basic device is already created, and can be used in the application. It is worth mentioning that it is convenient that the parts that are not mandatory to fill out, such as Descriptions and Location, are filled out for a better organization, in addition to being a good development practice.

Authors: Angelo Guimarães

Luiz Matanta

Matheus Widmer