ThingWorx Azure IoT Hub Connector for Microsoft Azure Industrial IoT (IIoT) for OPC UA > Understanding the Process
Understanding the Process
Before you dive in, here is an outline of the steps that you will take in setting up the ThingWorx Microsoft Azure Industrial IoT OPC UA Integration.
From your computer, you need Windows PowerShell v.5.1 and access to the Azure Portal to perform these tasks:
1. Verify that your computer has all the necessary tools specified in the table of Prerequisites in the topic, Step 1. Required Resources and that you meet the other prerequisites in that table.
2. Step 2. Setting Up Application Registrations. This step has a section, Easiest Way to Start, that can get you started quickly so that you can move to Step 3. If you encounter any issues with the quick start, refer to the Troubleshooting the Deployment section at the end of the Step 2 topic.
If you do not have NuGet Provider and Azure PowerShell installed, you may want to start with and follow the more detailed procedures in the following sections of this topic:
a. Installing NuGet Provider and Azure PowerShell — The procedure here explains how to install NuGet Provider and Azure PowerShell for your Windows PowerShell.
b. Cloning the Azure Industrial IoT Repository — Here you will clone the Microsoft Github repository for Azure Industrial IoT (IIoT). As long as you have Git Bash installed, you can use either Windows PowerShell or Git Bash to clone the repository. This step is also included in the quick start.
c. Signing In to Azure and Setting a Subscription — A common issue is that having multiple azure subscriptions can cause access problems. You can invoke a script that comes with the repository to provision a series of Azure ActiveDirectory application registrations. The script is aad.register.psl. These app registrations provide an interface to Azure IIoT Microservices They provide identification and security so thatthe Azure IIoT Microservices can perform only certain tasks.
d. Registering Applications and Deploying the Dependent Azure Resources — In this section, you are going to create three separate application registrations, one for the service, one for the client and one for the web by running a script. Why? You need Azure Active Directory users to interact with the Azure IIoT Platform. Once you run the scripts, the applications act as Azure Active Directory users with different permissions.
e. Troubleshooting the Deployment — This section provides ways to resolve issues that you may encounter while setting up application registrations.
3. Step 3. Deploying the Azure Industrial IoT (IIoT) Microservices on an Azure Kubernetes Cluster — This step explains how to set up an AKS cluster in Azure IIoT and deploy the Azure IIoT Microservices on the AKS cluster. It also provides troubleshooting information.
4. Step 4. Deploying Your OPC UA Server and Setting Up the IoT Edge Runtime Device — This step directs you to installation information for the ThingWorx Kepware Server. Once you have set up your OPC UA Server, return here and continue to the next step.
5. Step 5. Setting Up the ThingWorx Azure IoT Hub Connector — Provides guidance for using the steps in the section, Getting an Azure IoT Hub Connector Up and Running, to install, configure, and run the Azure IoT Hub Connector.
6. Step 6. Setting Permissions for Non-Administrative Users — Explains how to use ThingWorx Composer to set up visibility and permissions for the security entities that you create for the Connector.
7. Step 7. Using ThingWorx OPC UA Mashups to Configure Your OPC UA Applications and Endpoints — Explains how to use ThingWorx Composer to discover OPC UA applications and endpoints.
8. Step 8. Creating the Industrial Gateway and IoT Edge Things for Telemetry or Industrial Connections — Choose the topic based on your comfort level with the process. If you want step-by-step procedures with screenshots, choose the latter topic, Industrial Connections. Otherwise, follow the steps in the former topic, Step 8. Creating the Industrial Gateway and IoT Edge Things for Telemetry.
9. Step 9. Validating the Installation — This section provides ways to validate that the Azure resources are configured correctly and an OPC UA Server can connect to ThingWorx Platform through the Connector and send telemetry through Azure Industrial IoT to ThingWorx Platform.
At the end are the following additional topics:
1. Troubleshooting the Azure IIoT OPC UA Integration that describes how to set up Postman to troubleshoot and also how to resolve a number of common issues.