IoT & Connectivity Tips

Connectors allow clients to establish a connection to Tomcat via the HTTP / HTTPS protocol. Tomcat allows for configuring multiple connectors so that users or devices can either connect via HTTP or HTTPS.   Usually users like you and me access websites by just typing the URL in the browser's address bar, e.g. "www.google.com". By default browsers assume that the connection should be established with the HTTP protocol. For HTTPS connections, the protocol has to be specified explictily, e.g. "https://www.google.com"   However - Google automatically forwards HTTP connections automatically as a HTTPS connection, so that all connections are using certificates and are via a secure channel and you will end up on "https://www.google.com" anyway.   To configure ThingWorx to only allow secure connections there are two options...   1) Remove HTTP access   If HTTP access is removed, users can no longer connect to the 80 or 8080 port. ThingWorx will only be accessible on port 443 (or 8443).   If connecting to port 8080 clients will not be redirected. The redirectPort in the Connector is only forwarding requests internally in Tomcat, not switching protocols and ports and not requiring a certificate when being used. The redirected port does not reflect in the client's connection but only manages internal port-forwarding in Tomcat.   By removing the HTTP ports for access any connection on port 80 (or 8080) will end up in an error message that the client cannot connect on this port.   To remove the HTTP ports, edit the <Tomcat>\conf\server.xml and comment out sections like       <!-- commented out to disallow connections on port 80 <Connector port="80" protocol="org.apache.coyote.http11.Http11NioProtocol" connectionTimeout="20000" redirectPort="443" /> -->     Save and restart Tomcat. If opening Tomcat (and ThingWorx) in a browser via http://myServer/ the connection will fail with a "This site can’t be reached", "ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED" error.   2) Forcing insecure connections through secure ports   Alternatively, port 80 and 8080 can be kept open to still allow users and devices to connect. But instead of only internally forwarding the port, Tomcat can be setup to also forward the client to the new secure port. With this, users and devices can still use e.g. old bookmarks and do not have to explicitly set the HTTPS protocol in the address.   To configure this, edit the <Tomcat>\conf\web.xml and add the following section just before the closing </web-app> tag at the end of the file:     <security-constraint>        <web-resource-collection>              <web-resource-name>HTTPSOnly</web-resource-name>              <url-pattern>/*</url-pattern>        </web-resource-collection>        <user-data-constraint>              <transport-guarantee>CONFIDENTIAL</transport-guarantee>        </user-data-constraint> </security-constraint>     In <Tomcat>\conf\web.xml ensure that all HTTP Connectors (port 80 and 8080) have their redirect port set to the secure HTTPS Connector (usually port 443 or port 8443).   Save and restart Tomcat. If opening Tomcat (and ThingWorx) in a browser via http://myServer/ the connection will now be forwarded to the secure port. The browser will now show the connection as https://myServer/ instead and connections are secure and using certificates.   What next?   Configuring Tomcat to force insecure connection to actually secure HTTPS connection just requires a simple configuration change. If you want to read more about certificates, encryption and how to setup ThingWorx for HTTPS in the first place, be sure to also have a look at   Trust & Encryption - Theory Trust & Encryption - Hands On

With the release of ThingWorx 8.1.3, we’ve made a few changes to our licensing model in order to simplify the process.  If you are using any version of ThingWorx 8.1 or later, all that is required to license the platform is a device ID, which is a unique identifier that is requested during the licensing process.  The ID is generated upon deployment of the platform. For those working with ThingWorx 8.1.3 and later, it is possible for the platform to automatically obtain a license from PTC should the server be able to communicate successfully with our license portal.  If the connection is blocked for any reason, or you are using a version of 8.1 prior to 8.1.3, a manual approach is also available via the PTC website. For customers who have already licensed any previous release version of ThingWorx 8.1, there is no need to re-request a license as your current license is compatible with subsequent releases of the platform (e.g. 8.1.3, 8.2.0, 9.0.0, etc.).  You will only need to request a new license file if you purchase new features that aren’t included in your current license. The article at the following link contains all of the necessary details for licensing any version of ThingWorx 8.1 or later. Licensing ThingWorx 8.1 and Later Should you have any questions regarding this process, please feel free to reach out to the ThingWorx Support team for further assistance.  The support team can be reached by logging a case as described in the following link: How to Create a New Support Case and Track an Existing Case on PTC eSupport Portal

Video Author:                    Christophe Morfin Original Post Date:            June 9, 2017 Applicable Releases:        ThingWorx Analytics 8.0   Description: In this video we go through the steps to install ThingWorx Analytics Server 8.0.    

We are pleased to announce that the Expert Sessions video series is now available in the ThingWorx Community. We are kicking off this availability with a new space dedicated to these helpful technical videos. In the first round of videos, we are highlighting two ThingWorx Foundation videos that are designed to provide foundational knowledge to get you up and running on the ThingWorx IoT platform. New Expert Sessions Available Now ThingWorx Foundation - Installation is an introduction to installing the ThingWorx platform. The video includes information on the environment, prerequisites, and configuration steps when installing ThingWorx, and includes walkthroughs of installing with H2 and PostgreSQL databases, an introduction and demonstration of the Linux installation script, solutions to common installation problems and more. ThingWorx Foundation - Scalability talks about platform sizing with dependency on the type of environment and correlated scalability options. The video educates you about federation and high availability as well as provides visual diagrams to understand the architecture of different ThingWorx solutions. What is an Expert Session? Expert Sessions are focused, technical webcasts (both recorded and live) where PTC subject matter experts share knowledge and best practices on topics related to the design, development, deployment and operation of PTC software. Expert Sessions are designed using five categories: Get Started, Design, Develop, Deploy, and Operate. Additional Expert Sessions will be highlighted here in the ThingWorx Community every few weeks. Visit the Online Success Guide to access our Expert Session videos at any time as well as additional information about ThingWorx training and services.

Updates: App Keys defaults - Now stored in secure keystore - Newly created app keys stored automatically - On upgrated existing app keys are migrated to secure keystore Change the app key default expiration time to 1 day - Changed from 100 years - UI date picker - If date not picked now defaults to 1 day Best Practice: - Carefully consider expiration - Set to desired value at time of creation - Scripts should carefully choose time -Knowledge base article in the works Edge SSL updates C SDK TLS/SSL: C-SDK support for OpenSSL: - Version 1.0.2 that supports tls  1.2. - Tomcat 8 compatible ciphers - EMS will follow soon BYO SSL - Abstraction layer &Documentation - Path to building any SSL for supported environments - Porting - Different version of open ssl: straight forward - Other SSL: some expertise required - Enables other SSL providers: - Burden to validate on SDK developer Possibilities: -AxTLS -WolfSSL -Mocana EMS improvements SafeInt Library -C++ library -Helps prevent integer overflows Better certificate loading support -EMS and LUA script resource can authenticate -Bidirectional EMS's HTTP server now defaults to requiring authentication for LSR Overall theme: secure by default Q: If appkey expired in 1 day, does a new one get automatically created? A: Automatic one is not created, change the expiration date when creating the app key. When it expires - have to create a new one.

If you've installed and used version 8.0.0 of the Manufacturing Apps and would like to extend your usage beyond the trial expiration time, we invite you to use the new version of the Apps (8.0.1), which now includes Production Advisor.   You will need to uninstall and reinstall the application to begin this process.  You will be able to preserve your configuration data by exporting it, but you will only be able to import it in the commercial version of the Application.  To export your configuration: navigate to the hamburger menu at the top right of the screen and select "Export Configuration and Data" To move to the latest release of the free edition of the application (8.0.1): 1. Uninstall the applications.  Navigate to the Start Menu > ThingWorx Manufacturing Apps > Uninstall. 2. Download the latest version: https://www.ptc.com/en/thingworx/manufacturing-apps/Dashboard/Download-Apps 3. Run the installer.   If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to post a question in the manufacturing apps community, or in response to this post; we will be happy to assist you!   - The PTC Manufacturing Team

It’s critical for us to configure all correct parameters while running your application in Production environment or even in development env. While GUI makes it very user-friendly and easy to set up the right values in the right fields, it's useful to know how to do the same programmatically/without the "Configure Tomcat" utility. One way, if you're using Tomcat as a Windows service, you can adjust the JVM options by going to the bin dir and running: tomcat8 //US//MYSERVICENAME ++JvmOptions=-Dexample.license.directory="C:\Program Files\example" Turn the service off before you do this and restart it when you finish. cd $CATALINA_HOME .\bin\service.bat install tomcat .\bin\tomcat8.exe //US//tomcat8 --JvmMs=512 --JvmMx=1024 --JvmSs=1024 Setting the --JvmXX parameters may not be enough. You may also need to specify the JVM memory values explicitly. From the command line it may look like this: bin\tomcat8w.exe //US//tomcat8 --JavaOptions=-Xmx=1024;-Xms=512;.. Be careful not to override the other JavaOptions. But the best and recommended way is to use setenv.sh/setenv.bat (Linux/Windows respectively). It isn't in the as-downloaded Tomcat. But if you look in catalina.sh/catalina.bat, there's a check for a file called setenv. If it's there, it's run. That's where you set JAVA_OPTS, CATALINA_OPTS, etc. We use it to set JAVA_HOME, JAVA_OPTS, CATALINA_OPTS and JPDA_ADDR. Putting all your environment variables into this file is ideal because then you don't have to change the stock startup scripts. Then when monitoring the log we can see the parameters taken:

An introduction to installing the ThingWorx platform. Information on the environment, prerequisites, and configuration steps when installing ThingWorx. Includes walkthroughs of installing with H2 and PostgreSQL databases, an introduction and demonstration of the Linux installation script, solutions to common installation problems and more.     For full-sized viewing, click on the YouTube link in the player controls.   Visit the Online Success Guide to access our Expert Session videos at any time as well as additional information about ThingWorx training and services.

A license is not required to download and install KEPServerEX V6. After finishing the full install, all features of the KEPServerEX Configuration are available for setup and testing, including the ThingWorx Native Interface. When either a Client application makes a request of a Driver, or a Plug-in becomes activated, then a license check is performed. If a feature is not licensed, a two-hour demo countdown period will begin for that feature. There are System tags that can be monitored in KEPServerEX to determine which features are licensed, which are in a time-limited demo countdown period, and which have expired. To reset the countdown timer for an unlicensed feature, the KEPServerEX Runtime service can be stopped/restarted. See the links and steps below for more information. How do I download and install KEPServerEX?​ Monitor licensed, time-limited, and expired features in KEPServerEX:​ 1. Open the KEPServerEX Configuration window 2. The right-most icon in the Configuration icon toolbar is the white "QC" icon. Select this icon to launch a new OPC Quick Client window. The server project should automatically build 3. In the left pane, locate the _System folder 4. Within this folder locate the following three Tags, with the corresponding information displaying in the Value column: Tag (Item ID) Information displayed as a String in the Value column _System._ExpiredFeatures Any unlicensed driver or plug-in that has timed out _System._LicensedFeatures Drivers or plug-ins that are currently licensed for use with this install _System._TimeLimitedFeatures Any unlicensed driver or plug-in that is in demo mode, with the remaining demo timer countdown (in seconds) Note: The ThingWorx Native Interface does not require a KEPServerEX license. Restart the KEPServerEX Runtime service The KEPServerEX Runtime service (server_runtime.exe) runs in the background as a system service. Resetting this service will reset the demo countdown for any unlicensed feature. To reset the Runtime service: 1. Right-click on the Administration tool (the green EX icon in the Systray by the System Clock) 2. Select "Stop Runtime Service. 3. Either the user will be prompted to restart this service, or the same Administration tool menu can be used again to "Start Runtime Service"

Many users of our software have submitted cases regarding the Third-Party Components and their functions within ThingWorx Analytics. This short blog post will provide the main components used by our software and explain their functionality.   ThingWorx Analytics uses the following components in its default installation:   Apache ZooKeeper ZooKeeper is a centralized service for maintaining configuration information, naming, providing distributed synchronization, and providing group services ThingWorx Analytics uses ZooKeeper as the gatekeeper to API calls and processes to the Application Component Homepage: https://zookeeper.apache.org/ Apache Tomcat ​Apache Tomcat software is an open source implementation of the Java Servlet, JavaServer Pages, Java Expression Language and Java WebSocket technologies ThingWorx Analytics uses Tomcat to handle webservices and API communications This enables the use of ThingWorx Foundation (Core) mashups with ThingWorx Analytics Server Component Homepage: http://tomcat.apache.org/ PostgreSQL Server PostgreSQL is an open source object-relational database system ThingWorx Analytics uses PostgresSQL server to store analytical results for later retrieval Component Homepage: https://www.postgresql.org/

Please open your ApplicationLog located in ThingworxStorage/logs and inspect for errors. Something like the following might be observed: **********LICENSING ERROR ANALYSIS 2017-03-31 16:29:19.591+0300 [L: ERROR] [O: ] [I: ] [U: SuperUser] [S: ] [T: localhost-startStop-1] C:\WINDOWS\Sun\Java\bin is listed as a java.library.path but it does not exist 2017-04-12 13:51:53.515+0200 [L: ERROR] [O: c.t.s.s.l.LicensingSubsystem] [I: ] [U: SuperUser] [S: ] [T: localhost-startStop-1] Failed to load FlxCore library. Ensure it's in PATH (Windows) or LD_LIBRARY_PATH(other platforms) or set with the VM arg, -Djava.library.path. Error message : com.flexnet.licensing.DllEntryPoint.entry([B) Typically, if the license file has been downloaded and placed correcrtly, according to the 7.4 installation guide, the error in the log will specify where the file was found. If the license path was specified per the installation guide in the tomcat java path, you may try to clear it from the Tomcat java settings and keep these parameters: -Dserver -Dd64 -XX:+UseNUMA -XX:+UseConcMarkSweepGC -Dfile.encoding=UTF-8 And then set up the license path in the environment variable path: Go to explorer, right click on "my computer" -> Properties -> Advanced settings -> Environment variables -> edit "PATH", add ; and then path to your tomcat extensions folder, “ ;<path to extensions folder of tomcat> “ or, for example ";C:\ptc\Thingworx\webapps\Thingworx\WEB-INF\extensions"

In the following scenario (for redhat in this case), running the dbsetup script results in the error: ./thingworxPostgresDBSetup.sh psql:./thingworx-database-setup.sql:1: ERROR:  syntax error at or near ":" LINE 1: CREATE TABLESPACE :"tablespace" OWNER :"username" location :... ^ psql:./thingworx-database-setup.sql:3: ERROR:  syntax error at or near ":" LINE 1: GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON TABLESPACE :"tablespace" to :"userna... ^ psql:./thingworx-database-setup.sql:5: ERROR:  syntax error at or near ":" LINE 1: GRANT CREATE ON TABLESPACE :"tablespace" to public; ^ psql:./thingworx-database-setup.sql:14: ERROR:  syntax error at or near ":" LINE 1: CREATE DATABASE :"database" WITH ^ psql:./thingworx-database-setup.sql:16: ERROR:  syntax error at or near ":" LINE 1: GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON DATABASE :"database" to :"username"; Given that the installed components match the requirements guide (tomcat 8, Postgresql 9.4.5+ for Thingworx 7.x), run the following command: Run this directly from bin directory of postgres deployment – psql -q -h localhost -U twadmin -p 5432 -v database=thingworx -v tablespace=thingworx -v tablespace_location=/app/navigate/ThingworxPostgresqlStorage -v username=twadmin That must get into command line interface. From there  run the following with full qualified path to the sql file on disk (replace FULLPATH with the path to sql file ) \i ./FULLPATH/thingworx-database-setup.sql If you are experiencing the above-mentioned syntax error, then likely the output will be: psql: FATAL:  database "twadmin" does not exist. Then from postgres bin directory, run the following: ./psql postgres \set Then the second command; \q psql -q -h localhost -U twadmin -p 5432 -v database=thingworx -v tablespace=thingworx -v tablespace_location=/app/navigate/ThingworxPostgresqlStorage -v username=twadmin \set   We see the following outputs: ./psql postgres Password: psql.bin (9.4.11) Type "help" for help. postgres=# \set AUTOCOMMIT = 'on' PROMPT1 = '%/%R%# ' PROMPT2 = '%/%R%# ' PROMPT3 = '>> ' VERBOSITY = 'default' VERSION = 'PostgreSQL 9.4.11 on x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu, compiled by gcc (GCC) 4.1.2 20080704 (Red Hat 4.1.2-55), 64-bit' DBNAME = 'postgres' USER = 'postgres' PORT = '5432' ENCODING = 'UTF8' postgres=# \q -bash-4.1$ psql -q -h localhost -U twadmin -p 5432 -v database=thingworx -v tablespace=thingworx -v tablespace_location=/ThingworxPostgresqlStorage -v username=twadmin Password for user twadmin: twadmin=# \set AUTOCOMMIT = 'on' QUIET = 'on' PROMPT1 = '%/%R%# ' PROMPT2 = '%/%R%# ' PROMPT3 = '>> ' VERBOSITY = 'default' VERSION = 'PostgreSQL 8.4.20 on x86_64-redhat-linux-gnu, compiled by GCC gcc (GCC) 4.4.7 20120313 (Red Hat 4.4.7-17), 64-bit' database = 'thingworx' tablespace = 'thingworx' tablespace_location = '/ThingworxPostgresqlStorage' username = 'twadmin' DBNAME = 'twadmin' USER = 'twadmin' HOST = 'localhost' PORT = '5432' ENCODING = 'UTF8' Note, even though Postgresql 9.4.5 has been installed by the system administrator, there are still traces of Postgresql 8.4.20 present in the system that cause the syntax error issue (possibly as part of  the default OS packaging). Removing the 8.4.20 rpms will resolve the problem.

ThingWorx 7.4 introduces a new licensing system. A license file (license.bin) needs to be placed in the ThingworxPlatform folder. A new license file is also required if you upgrade from 7.4  to a major or minor release (not service pack-level releases). For example: • If you are using version 7.3, a license is not required. • If you upgrade from version 7.4.1 to version 7.4.2, a license upgrade is not required. • If you upgrade from version 7.4.3 to version 7.5.2, a license upgrade is required. Refer to the Installing ThingWorx 7.4 guide or Upgrading ThingWorx 7.4 guide for detailed process steps. Paid customers would have unlimited use of entities for 7.4.0. As currently a license file is locked to  version rather than SCN/host and is part of download package on  PTC Support, customers can use the same downloadable for multiple instances. Developer Trial Edition provides a constrained license file (5 users, 100 things, 120 days), and the license file is part of on premise download package on Dev Portal. Developer Trial Edition for Manufacturing (Kinex) provides a constrained license file (5 users, 100 things, no Composer access), and license file is part of download package on Kepware Portal. A new Licensing Subsystem is now available. Licensing subsystem services include: -AcquireLicense– service allows for retrieval of feature entitlements in license.bin, used when new license dropped in folder (no need to instance restart) –GetCurrentLicenseInfo – returns info on current license file –GetRemainingDaysInLicense –used for trial editions –GetLicenseUsageData – returns nformation about user’s license usage –PurgeLicenseUsageData –deletes the license usage data that is two years and older

This is just a quick reference on how to install pgadmin 3 if the autoinstall with yum command (sudo yum install pgadmin3) fails. Two routes would be available. Try running yum list pgadmin* ​If you see something like this: that means the package is available in the highlighted repository, you'd just need to add it. rpm -Uvh http://yum.postgresql.org/9.4/redhat/rhel-7-x86_64/pgdg-redhat94-9.4-3.noarch.rpm After that, try sudo yum install pgadmin3_94 (insert your actual version) 2. If you would like a different version (or the latest one) of pgadmin, what you could do is grab the .tar.gz file from here https://www.postgresql.org/ftp/pgadmin3/release/ Then manually install it. For example for version 1.22.2 (the version is just for demoing purposes – I grabbed the top one available in the list): mv pgadmin3-1.22.2.tar.gz /usr/local/src cd /usr/local/src tar –zxvf pgadmin3-1.22.2.tar.gz cd pgadmin3-1.22.2 ./configure make make install Then you would need to configure your server to allow remote user access of the database using pgadmin. Two config files would need to be modified: Open up the postgresql.conf configuration file.  Do a search or find for the phrase ‘listen_addresses’ without quotes.  In order to open the access up to all IP addresses change the value to a *.  The default is set to ‘localhost’ which does not allow connection from remote computers. Next open the pg_hba.conf configuration file. Scroll down to the bottom of the file to the section marked # IPv4 local connections.  Add in the following code on its own line, just underneath the 127.0.0.1/32 line necessary for ‘localhost’. host all all youripaddress/32          trust This will allow for local access of the database server to the computer with the IP address you specified.  To add additional remote computers simply add a new line with their appropriate IP address. Now that your configuration is complete restart the PostgreSQL database server for the changes to take effect. su – su postgres pg_ctl restart –D /usr/local/pgsql/data

In this blog we will have a look at the installation of the Thingworx Analytics Builder extension. This is used as guideline but make sure to check the Help Center for your release as steps do vary with versions. The installation has been divided in 3 parts: Introduction and import of the extension into Thingworx Platform Video Link : 1568 Configuration of the extension Note: For release 8.1, the Settings menu differs from previous versions, seeWhat's New in ThingWorx Analytics Builder 8.1 between times 00:12 sec to 00:40 sec for up to date menu selection. Video Link : 1572 Installation of the UploadThing module Note: this step no longer applies as of ThingWorx Analytics 8.1 Video Link : 1573 Useful links: PTC Download page for Thingworx Analytics PTC Reference Document page for Thingworx Analytics How to copy files from Windows to Linux ?

This document contains information that should be reviewed before installing or upgrading to the latest version ThingWorx for both new and existing customers. Note that many of the links in this document require that you have created and validated an account on the PTC website. Account Creation For users who do not yet have an active maintenance agreement, an account can be created by accessing the Basic Account Creation page.  With a basic account, you will have access to the ThingWorx Community, product documentation, and support articles. Also, a basic level account will grant access to our new Developer eSupport Portal, which is a great resource for users of all levels to become more proficient with ThingWorx and the emerging world of IoT in general.  For more details on the new Developer eSupport Portal, please refer to our Getting Started with the New eSupport Portal guide. For users having an active maintenance agreement with PTC that have not yet created an account on the PTC website, a new customer account can be created by accessing the New Customer Account page.  With a customer-level account, you will have access to all basic account links listed above, plus access to download all licensed PTC products.  You will also have access to our dedicated application support team.  In order to create a customer account, you will be asked to provide your Customer Number, and one of either your Service Contract Number (SCN), Sales Order Number (SON), or Site Number.  This information will have been included in documentation sent to your company by your PTC Sales Representative. If you have any questions or concerns in relation to the account creation process, please contact us using the Web Account Case Logger. Document Structure Throughout this document, references will be made to specific documentation related to the ThingWorx Platform.  A listing of links to this supporting documentation will be provided at the end of this article for all supported releases of the ThingWorx Platform. Please reference this link to review documentation specific to the release version being installed in your local environment. Overview of Changes For a complete listing of new features and enhancements introduced in the latest version of the ThingWorx Platform, please refer to the Release notes documentation, which is included within the platform downloadable zip file. In addition to providing brief descriptions of each enhancement, this document indicates where you can find more comprehensive coverage where applicable. Release notes are also available online for review.  For a complete listing of release notes for all supported releases of ThingWorx, please refer to the link at the end of this document. Required Software The following table lists the files that are required for a complete installation of the ThingWorx Platform: Component Link Oracle JDK Oracle JDK Download Page Apache Tomcat Apache Tomcat Download Page PostgreSQL PostgreSQL Download Page Full details on installing and configuring the above files are provided in the ThingWorx Installation Guide for all supported OS environments.  Please also take note of any version requirements for the above files based on the version of the ThingWorx Platform being installed.  Version requirements are noted in the ThingWorx System Requirements guide. ThingWorx Installation Files The desired version of the ThingWorx platform can be obtained through the PTC eSupport Site (reminder: maintenance agreement required). The file is provided in a zip format, that starts with a name "MED-XXXXXX-CD...”, where X is some digit.  Once the directory is unarchived, the Tomcat-deployable file is Thingworx.war.  Release notes are included within the zip archive. Installation and Reference Documentation In addition to the listing at the end of this guide, all installation and reference documentation is also available online from the PTC Reference Documents page. To locate documentation within this link related to the latest release of ThingWorx, follow these steps. Set the Product field to ThingWorx. Set the Reported Release appropriately. Narrow the search results by setting the Document Type field if desired, or leave this set to All Document Types. Leave the User Role field set to the default All User Roles selection. It is strongly recommended to review the following documents at minimum: ThingWorx Platform System Requirements Installing ThingWorx (For new installations) Upgrading ThingWorx (For customers migrating from an older release) Upgrade Planning for Returning Customers For existing customers who are upgrading from a prior release of the ThingWorx Platform, PTC offers an Upgrade Planning Guide that can help in preparing for the upgrade process. This guide provides a checklist of activities that are critical to performing a successful upgrade to the latest version of ThingWorx. PTC recommends reviewing this guide for assistance in planning for the upgrade process. Additional References and Troubleshooting The following table lists common reference material and troubleshooting material involving the installation of the platform. General Functionality Frequently Seen Errors upon launching the ThingWorx application Link "HTTP Status 401 - Could not handle request" error when attempting to access a new PostgreSQL-based installation of ThingWorx Link Contacting Technical Support Should you have any questions about the installation process, or if you encounter any issues during the process, our qualified team of technical support engineers are available to assist you. With an active maintenance agreement for ThingWorx, you will have access to web-based technical assistance as well as live phone-based support. Contact details vary, depending on you region. For comprehensive information on how to obtain technical support, please refer to our online Customer Support Guide. Links to Documentation for Supported Releases of ThingWorx For links to supporting documentation for current and legacy releases of ThingWorx, please refer to the following article: Where to Find ThingWorx Documentation

Here are some tips on how to submit a ticket to the ThingWorx technical support team and what to expect. Providing a typical minimum information is always a good practice to lessen the questions and unnecessary back-and-forth communication prior to the actual investigation of the problem. Open a new ticket for each separate issue. We do track every technical issue that comes in. If the ticket is being submitted for troubleshooting: Please provide the versions of Thingworx, Tomcat, java; Operating System and specs. Attach the list of the extensions used. Include a detailed description of the problem; if applicable, include the screenshots. Evaluate the business impact caused by the issue. Optional: state the method of contact preference, whether it's a phone or email, and time if applicable. Expect a support engineer (SE) to establish the first contact via email, letting known of the case ownership, and further investigation. If the ticket is being submitted for enhancement request or improvement: Please provide a clear description of the feature, use case(s), expectations and any additional details that might play a role in prioritizing the request. Once the ticket has been created, it will be assigned to a support engineer (SE) who will then place a request (Jira) to R&D and provide a Jira # to the point of contact in the support ticket Enhancement requests and improvements are always considered; however, the delivery is not guaranteed. Once an SE provides the case contact with the Jira #, the support ticket will be closed, and the point of contact may reach out to the SE at any time to check on the status of the Jira. If the ticket is being submitted for a bug or a defect: Please provide the versions of Thingworx, Tomcat, java; Operating System and specs. Include a clear description of the problem, expected result, current result; a Evaluate the business impact. If reproducible, include the steps. Optional: include the entities and data (.xml, .json if applicable) to demonstrate the issue Once the ticket has been created, it will be assigned to a support engineer (SE) who will then place a request (Jira) to R&D and provide a Jira # to the point of contact in the support ticket (assuming no further information is required) The R&D will provide an estimate release after the issue is evaluated. Upon sending the ETA to the case contact, the SE will close the support ticket.

Installing an Open Source Time Series Platform For testing InfluxDB and its graphical user interface, Chronograf I'm using Docker images for easy deployment. For this post I assume you have worked with Docker before.   In this setup, InfluxDB and Chronograf will share an internal docker network to exchange data.   InfluxDB can be accessed e.g. by ThingWorx via its exposed port 8086. Chronograf can be accessed to administrative purposes via its port 8888. The following commands can be used to create a InfluxDB environment.   Pull images   sudo docker pull influxdb:latest sudo docker pull chronograf:latest   Create a virtual network   sudo docker network create influxdb   Start the containers   sudo docker run -d --name=influxdb -p 8086:8086 --net=influxdb --restart=always influxdb sudo docker run -d --name=chronograf -p 8888:8888 --net=influxdb --restart=always chronograf --influxdb-url=http://influxdb:8086     InfluxDB should now be reachable and will also restart automatically when Docker (or the Operating System) are restarted.

ThingWorx Service Apps Setup and Configuration Guide 8.2 ThingWorx Manufacturing and Service Apps Customization Guide 8.2