Using the ThingWorx Software Content Management (SCM) Extension with eMessage Agents
The ThingWorx Software Content Management (SCM) Extension provides tools that allow you to create, manage, test, and deploy packages. You can create packages for immediate deployment or at a scheduled time in the future. You can also test packages and deployments before making them available in production.
For Axeda eMessage agents, you can create, publish, and deploy instruction-based packages to assets that are running Axeda Gateway or Axeda Connector agents. These Axeda agents cannot parse Lua scripts that may be added as a part of file-based packages in the SCM Extension, so always use the instruction-based packages for Axeda Gateway and Axeda Connector agents. The SCM Extension supports the following instructions for eMessage agent packages:
• A single Download instruction
• A single Upload instruction
• One or more Execute instructions
• One Restart instruction that is the LAST instruction in the package
 |
You can configure a default repository for instruction-based downloads. Previously you could use only TW.RSM.Thing.FileRepository. This repository is still the default, but you can now specify any ThingWorx repository that implements the FileRepository Thing Template.
|
To create instruction-based packages for Axeda agents, navigate to the Create Package page in the ThingWorx SCM application, and, after entering the version and expiration date for the package click Instruction-based Package. From there, you can access and follow the instructions to create, edit, publish, deploy, and manage instruction-based packages in the ThingWorx Utilities Help Center.
Prerequisites
If you want to use a custom file repository for packages that contain Download instructions, you must create and configure a ThingWorx FileRepository Thing for the repository. The Thing must implement the FileRepository Thing Template for it to be available for selection in the SCM user interface. SCM users can then select the repository from a list when creating a Download instruction package. Once a repository has been selected, its content is automatically displayed in the Select File step for the Download instruction package.
To use SCM, the Things that represent your eMessage asset must have the following two Thing Shapes applied:
• TW.RSM.SFW.ThingShape.UpdateableWithInstructions
• PTC.Resource.Asset.SCMResourceThingShape
In addition, ensure that the values of the following properties set for the Thing match the values for the properties set in the Agent configuration. Note that the Agent properties are set in the Device Identification dialog box of Axeda Builder.
|
Thing Property
|
Agent Property
|
|---|---|
|
modelNumber
|
Model Number
|
|
serialNumber
|
Serial Number
|
Tips for Using SCM Instructions
Long-pinging agents
When sending instructions to long-pinging agents, you must set the sending_instructions_timeout in the eMessage Connector configuration file (emessage.conf) to be greater than the time for an asset to go to missing (that is, for the isReporting property to be set to false). The default reporting configuration of Axeda eMessage agents, is five missed pings plus 10 seconds of additional time. The reporting strategy settings are configured in the AxedaPollingStrategy Thing (additionalMissedTimeAllowed) and in the Thing itself. Refer to acceptableMissedPings). For example, if an asset pings every four hours, the sending_instructions_timeout property should be set to a value larger than 72010 seconds (five pings plus 10 seconds).
File Permissions and the Download Instruction
ThingWorx does not provide an option to compress a file before download for Download Instructions. The result of downloading an uncompressed file to an Axeda agent is that read and write access are provided only to the user context of the user who started the agent.
If you need to retain the permissions to a file that you are downloading via an SCM package, manually compress that file before adding it to the package. Then, when adding the Download instruction, select the Agent should uncompress this file after downloading check box.
compressionHighThreshold Setting
For information about support for the compressionHighThreshold setting and how it works with SCM packages that contain an Upload instruction, refer to Compression-High-Threshold.
Troubleshooting
If you need assistance troubleshooting SCM packages that contain Download or Upload instructions, refer to the Troubleshooting SCM section of this Help Center.