Configuring Edge Settings for Tunneling
Application tunnels allow for secure, firewall-transparent tunneling of TCP client/server applications, such as VNC and SSH. As long as the WebSocket connection between the edge device and a ThingWorx Platform is secure (for example, uses an SSL/TLS certificate), the client/server applications can run securely. How is this possible? The application opens a second WebSocket to the same host and port that is used for other communications between the edge device and the platform. You do not need to open other ports in the firewall to run these applications. However, it is important to note that it connects to a different URL that is specifically for the tunnel.
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Only TCP client/instance applications are supported at this time. UDP is not supported.
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Configure tunneling for your EMS when you want to be able to access remotely the edge device that is running EMS. You can remotely access such a device through a remote desktop session (for example, UltraVNC) or remote terminal session (for example, SSH). In addition, as long as the ThingWorx Remote Access Extension (RAE) has been imported into your ThingWorx Platform, you can use the ThingWorx Remote Access Client (RAC). for remote sessions, including desktop and terminal (SSH) sessions.
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As of v.9.1.x, the ThingWorx Platform can run on JDK 11 and OpenJDK 11 as well as JDK 8 and OpenJDK 8. It is important to keep in mind that Java 11 has deprecated JNLP. With an upgrade to Java 11, JNLP does not work. ThingWorx uses the Remote Access Client (RAC) for tunneling (remote sessions) with Edge devices. Use RAC to initiate a tunnel. If any of your users are on JNLP, instruct them to install the RAC instead.You can download the RAC from the ThingWorx Remote Access Client Downloads page. Choose the download for your operating system. Each RAC download is an installer that you can run on your system.
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By default, tunneling is enabled for the EMS. When you use the RAC, VNC, or SSH, the Remote Access Subsystem of the ThingWorx Platform sets the values for timeouts for remote sessions. The only default tunnel setting that you will find in config.json.complete follows:
// Default tunnel setting for tick_resolution
{
"tick_resolution": 5
}
{
"tick_resolution": 5
}
You can modify the default tunnel setting by adding the property to the config.json configuration file for your EMS. A service call from the ThingWorx Platform may override it..
The following table lists and briefly describes the tunneling configuration property:
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Property
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Description
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tick_resolution
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Tunnel performance can be greatly affected by tick resolution. The tick resolution determines how fast a tunnel manager checks the status of its managed tunnels. The smaller this value, the faster the tunnel responds. Tick resolution is especially important when running multiple tunnels concurrently, but be aware that a smaller tick resolution consumes more CPU resources. The default value is 5 ms. Refer to Running on a Windows-based Operating System.
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