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IoT Tips

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Install ThingWorx Kepware Server Guide    Overview   This guide will walk you through the steps to install ThingWorx Kepware Server. NOTE: This guide's content aligns with ThingWorx 9.3. The estimated time to complete this guide is 30 minutes.    Step 1: Learning Path Overview   This guide is the first on the Connect and Monitor Industrial Plant Equipment Learning Path, and it explains how to get up and running with ThingWorx Kepware Server. If you want to learn to install ThingWorx Kepware Server, this guide will be useful to you, and it can be used independently from the full Learning Path. In the next guide on the Learning Path, we will create an Application Key which is used to secure the connection between Kepware Server and ThingWorx Foundation. Later in the Learning Path, we will send information from ThingWorx Kepware Server into ThingWorx Foundation. In other guides in this Learning Path, we will use Foundation's Mashup Builder to construct a website dashboard that displays information from ThingWorx Kepware Server. We hope you enjoy this Learning Path.   Step 2: Install ThingWorx Kepware Server   ThingWorx Kepware Server includes over 150 factory-automation protocols. ThingWorx Kepware Server communicates between industrial assets and ThingWorx Foundation, providing streamlined, real-time access to OT and IT data — whether that data is sourced from on-premise web servers, off-premise cloud applications, or at the edge. This step will download and install ThingWorx Kepware Server. Download the ThingWorx Kepware Server executable installer. Select your Language and click OK 3. On the "Welcome" screen, click Next.        4. the End-User License Agreement and click Next.   5. Set the destination folder for the installation and click Next.   6. Set the Application Data Folder location and click Next. Note that it is recommended NOT to change this path. 7. Select whether you'd like a Shortcut to be created and click Next. 8. On the "Vertical Suite Selection" screen, keep the default of Typical and click Next. 9. On the "Select Features" screen, keep the defaults and click Next. 10. The "External Dependencies" screen simply lists everything that will be installed; click Next. 11. On the "Default Application Settings" screen, leave the default of Allow client applications to request data through Dynamic Tag addressing and click Next. 12. On the “User Manager Credentials” screen, set a unique strong password for the Administrator account and click Next. Note that skipping setting a password can leave your system less secure and is not recommended in a production environment. 13. Click install to begin the installation. 14. Click finish to exit the installer.     Step 3: Open ThingWorx Kepware Server   Now that ThingWorx Kepware Server is installed, you will need to open it. In the bottom-right Windows Taskbar, click Show hidden icons. 2. Double-click on the ThingWorx Kepware Server icon. 3. ThingWorx Kepware Server is now installed. 4. For additional information on ThingWorx Kepware Server, click Server Help on the Menu Bar.   Step 4: Next Steps   Congratulations! You've successfully completed the Install ThingWorx Kepware Server guide. In this guide, you learned how to:   Download, install, and open ThingWorx Kepware Server   The next guide in the Connect and Monitor Industrial Plant Equipment learning path is Connect Kepware Server to ThingWorx Foundation.    The next guide in the Using an Allen-Bradley PLC with ThingWorx learning path is Connect to an Allen-Bradley PLC. . 
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Connect and Monitor Industrial Plant Equipment Learning Path   Learn how to connect and monitor equipment that is used at a processing plant or on a factory floor.   NOTE: Complete the following guides in sequential order. The estimated time to complete this learning path is 180 minutes.   Create An Application Key  Install ThingWorx Kepware Server Connect Kepware Server to ThingWorx Foundation Part 1 Part 2 Create Industrial Equipment Model Build an Equipment Dashboard Part 1 Part 2
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Hi All,   We will host a live Expert Session: "Thignworx Active Active Clustering" on January 21th 8h00 EST. Please find below the description of the expert session and the registration link.   Expert Session: Thignworx Active Active Clustering Date and Time: January 21th 8h00 EST Duration: 1 hour Host: Ayush Tiwari - IoT Product Manager Registration Here: https://www.ptc.com/en/customer-success/expert-sessions-for-thingworx-foundation-webcasts (scroll down, the session is in the bottom of the page)   Description: This session will cover the main aspects of the High Availability Clustering feature for High Availability configuration launched with the ThingWorx 9.0 release. Join us and bring your questions with you!    Existing Recorded sessions can be found on support portal using the keyword ‘Expert Sessions’. You can also suggest topics for upcoming sessions using this small form.   Here are some recorded sessions that might be of your interest. You can find recordings for the full library of webinars using the keyword ‘Expert Sessions’ in PTC support portal search Upgrade to Thingworx 9 – How to Plan / Evaluate Impacts This session highlights the key points you should evaluate to properly plan your upgrade to Thingworx 9   Recording Link Thingworx Flow Overview Flow is a powerful component of the ThingWorx platform.  This session will take the Flow discussion beyond basic applications and into more customized and complex solutions.​ This will focus on use cases, main features such as triggers, connector options, main enhancements for Thingworx 9.0 and a short demonstration   Recoding Link
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We will host a live Expert Session: "Upgrade to Thingworx 9 – How to Plan / Evaluate Impacts" on January 12th 8h00 EST.   Please find below the description of the expert session and the registration link: Expert Session: Upgrade to Thingworx 9 – How to Plan / Evaluate Impacts Date and Time: January 12th 8h00 EST Duration: 1 hour Host: Ayush Tiwari - IoT Product Manager Registration Here: https://www.ptc.com/en/customer-success/expert-sessions-for-thingworx-foundation-webcasts    Description: This session will highlight the key points you should evaluate to properly plan your upgrade to Thingworx 9.   Existing Recorded sessions can be found on support portal using the keyword ‘Expert Sessions’. You can also suggest topics for upcoming sessions using this small form.   Here are some recorded sessions that might be of your interest. You can find recordings for the full library of webinars using the keyword ‘Expert Sessions’ in PTC support portal search.   Thingworx Flow Overview Flow is a powerful component of the ThingWorx platform.  This session will take the Flow discussion beyond basic applications and into more customized and complex solutions.​ This will focus on use cases, main features such as triggers, connector options, main enhancements for Thingworx 9.0 and a short demonstration   Recoding Link Top 5 items to check for Thingworx Performance Troubleshooting How to troubleshoot performance issues in a Thingworx Environment? Here we cover the top 5 investigation steps that will help you understand the source of your environment issues and allow better communication with PTC Technical Support     Recording Link
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We will host a live Expert Session: "Upgrade to Thingworx 9 – How to Plan / Evaluate Impacts" on January 12th 8h00 EST.   Please find below the description of the expert session and the registration link: Expert Session: Upgrade to Thingworx 9 – How to Plan / Evaluate Impacts Date and Time: January 12th 8h00 EST Duration: 1 hour Host: Ayush Tiwari - IoT Product Manager Registration Here: https://www.ptc.com/en/customer-success/expert-sessions-for-thingworx-foundation-webcasts    Description: This session will highlight the key points you should evaluate to properly plan your upgrade to Thingworx 9.   Existing Recorded sessions can be found on support portal using the keyword ‘Expert Sessions’. You can also suggest topics for upcoming sessions using this small form.   Here are some recorded sessions that might be of your interest. You can find recordings for the full library of webinars using the keyword ‘Expert Sessions’ in PTC support portal search.   Thingworx Flow Overview Flow is a powerful component of the ThingWorx platform.  This session will take the Flow discussion beyond basic applications and into more customized and complex solutions.​ This will focus on use cases, main features such as triggers, connector options, main enhancements for Thingworx 9.0 and a short demonstration   Recoding Link Top 5 items to check for Thingworx Performance Troubleshooting How to troubleshoot performance issues in a Thingworx Environment? Here we cover the top 5 investigation steps that will help you understand the source of your environment issues and allow better communication with PTC Technical Support     Recording Link
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Suppose, if you have uninstalled ThingWorx Flow successfully with appropriate steps. And, tried re-installing which is failing with below error in the flow installation logs,      " FATAL: SystemCallError: windows_service[RabbitMQ] (orchestration::rabbitmq line 120) had an error: SystemCallError: The specified service does not exist as an installed service. - OpenService: The specified service does not exist as an installed service."     This is due to the registry problem. To resolve this, need to delete the registry key. Following steps are need to be performed:    Go to Start-> Search and Run 'regedit' as an Administrator Navigate to 'Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Ericsson' Delete Ericsson key and its sub key Restart your machine Install ThingWorx Flow again and it will be successful.   Here is the article link on this subject: https://www.ptc.com/en/support/article/CS328600     Thanks, Vibhuti Angne
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Applicable Releases: ThingWorx Platform 7.0 to 8.5   Description:   Covers how to apply patch upgrades to ThingWorx installation, with the following agenda: How to read ThingWorx version Upgrading to a major/minor version of the platform Focus on upgrading to a patch version of the platform Upgrading extensions       Always check the patch release notes for additional information and specific steps
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Applicable Releases: ThingWorx Platform 8.3 to 8.5   Description:   Installation walkthrough of ThingWorx foundation using PostgreSQL, materializing some main steps that might be difficult to read in the installation guides       Reference installation guides for each version
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Hiya,   I recently prepared a short demo which shows how to onboard and use Azure IoT devices in ThingWorx and added some usability tips and tricks to help others who might struggle with some of the things that I did.     The good news... I recorded and posted it to YouTube here.   •Connect Azure IoT Hub with ThingWorx (to be updated soon for 9.0 release) •Using the Azure IoT Dev Kit with ThingWorx •Getting the Azure IoT Hub Connector Up and Running (V3/8.5)   Enjoy, and don't hesitate to comment with your own tips and feedback.   Cheers,   Greg
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Hi,   If you need to change the used hostname at installation of Thingworx Flow, some manual changes should be done without re-installing Flow. Basically, hostname for Flow should be changed in the nginx configuration and in Flow modules configuration; whenever you see the hostname used at Flow installation, change it with the new hostname.   Change the following configurations after renaming the ThingWorx Flow server in Windows OS : 1. Stop Flow, Nginx and ThingWorx Tomcat services 2. Update C:\Program Files\ <nginx>\conf\conf.d\vhost-flow.conf server_name : change hostname with new one      3. Update C:\Program Files (x86)\ <ThingWorxFlow>\modules\lookup\deploymentConfig.json ENDPOINT : change hostname with new one      4. Update <ThingWorxFlow>\modules\oauth\deploymentConfig.json UI_ENDPOINT : change hostname with new one ENDPOINT : change hostname with new one      5. Update <ThingWorxFlow>\modules\trigger\deploymentConfig.json DOMAIN : change hostname with new one TRIGGER_HOST : change hostname with new one 6. Update <ThingWorxFlow>\modules\ux\deploymentConfig.json api_endpoint : change hostname with new one view > oauth_server : change hostname with new one service_api_endpoint : change hostname with new one      If the ThingWorx Platform is installed on the Flow server : enterprise > built > host + prefix_url : change hostname with new one 7. If the ThingWorx Platform is not installed on the Flow server: Stop Thingworx Tomcat service Update <ThingworxPlatform>\platform-settings.json         PlatformSettingsConfig >  OrchestrationSettings > QueueHost : change flow hostname with new one 8. Restart the Thingworx, Flow and Nginx services   After these steps, Flow should be accessible with the new hostname: https://new_hostname:port/Thingworx/Composer/apps/flow/     Regards, Raluca Edu    
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The RabbitMQ Management plugin provides a web-based interface into the inner workings of the messaging bus behind ThingWorx Flow. It is installed by the Flow installers but is an HTTP service by default and is a totally different web server than the NGINX used to front-end ThingWorx Flow. This will describe how to integrate it into the NGINX on your ThingWorx Flow server. This is necessitated by some recent browser behavior changes that make it very hard to get to the http port once you've used an https service on the same machine from the same browser.   First - let's find the user name and password for the RabbitMQ Management plugin. On a Linux server, the file /etc/rabbitmq/definitions.json will hold the name and password for the plugin's UI:         "users": [{                 "name": "flowuser",                 "password": "1780edc6b8628ace2ace72465cdc7b048c88",                 "tags": "administrator"         }],   On a Windows server, the definitions.json file can be found under [flow install location]\modules\RabbitMQ.   Of course, access to these directories should be limited.   Second - let's integrate the plugin into NGINX The best way to integrate the plugin into Flow is to let NGINX reverse proxy to the other http server running the UI for the plugin, which is exactly what happens for Thingworx itself. That way, only NGINX has to be configured for https and no other ports need to be opened to allow access to the plugin.   You need to find the file vhost-flow.conf on your system. On Linux, this will be /etc/nginx/conf.d/vhost-flow.conf. On Windows, it will be at C:\Program Files\nginx-[version]\conf\conf.d\vhost-flow.conf by default. Add the following fragment after the last location xxx {…} segment in the file:       # deal with the rabbitMQ admin tool     location ~* /rabbitmq/api/(.*?)/(.*) {         proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:15672/api/$1/%2F/$2?$query_string;         proxy_buffering                    off;         proxy_set_header Host              $http_host;         proxy_set_header X-Real-IP         $remote_addr;         proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For   $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;         proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;     }       location /rabbitmq {         rewrite ^/rabbitmq$ /rabbitmq/ permanent;      }       location ~* /rabbitmq/(.*) {         rewrite ^/rabbitmq/(.*)$ /$1 break;         proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:15672;         proxy_buffering                    off;         proxy_set_header Host              $http_host;         proxy_set_header X-Real-IP         $remote_addr;         proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For   $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;         proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;     }   This makes the request for /rabbitmq get pushed over to the web server at port 15672 on the Flow server.   Test the updated config file with (nginx may not exist in your normal path): nginx -t   Restart the NGINX service: Linux (one of these will work depending upon your Linux version): systemctl restart nginx service nginx restart Windows: Net stop ThingWorxOrchestrationNginx Net start ThingWorxOrchestrationNginx -or- use the Services app to restart the service   Thanks to https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/rabbitmq-users/l_IxtiXeZC8 for the needed config changes.   You can now use https://yourserver/rabbitmq to get to the login page for the management plugin. Login with the user and password from the definitions.json file on your system and you can now monitor the behavior of your RabbitMQ environment.
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Having trouble remembering how to get into Flow? How about make /Flow the URL?   Since the Flow environment uses NGINX to front-end the various components that make up Flow, there is a very sophisticated set of rewrites and proxy_pass directives in the NGINX configuration. All you have to do is add another 'location' fragment to the vhost-flow.conf file that will push /Flow over to /Thingworx/Composer/apps/flow:       location /Flow {       rewrite ^/Flow$ $proxy_scheme://$server_host/Thingworx/Composer/apps/flow permanent;     }   On Linux, the file should be at /etc/nginx/conf.d/vhost-flow.conf   On Windows, the file should be at c:\Program Files\nginx-[version]\conf\conf.d\vhost-flow.conf   Test the updated config file with (nginx may not exist in your normal path): nginx -t   Restart the NGINX service: Linux (one of these will work depending upon your Linux version): systemctl restart nginx service nginx restart Windows: Net stop ThingWorxOrchestrationNginx Net start ThingWorxOrchestrationNginx -or- use the Services app to restart the service   From this point forward https://yourserver/Flow will take you to ThingWorx Flow's home page.
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ThingWorx Foundation Flow Enable customers using Azure to take advantage of Azure services Access hundreds of Azure system connectors by invoking Azure Logic Apps from within ThingWorx Flow Execute Azure functions to leverage Azure dynamic, serverless scaling and pay just for processing power needed Access Azure Cognitive AI services for image recognition, text to voice/voice to text, OCR and more Easily integrate with homegrown and commercial solutions based on SQL databases where explicit APIs or REST services are not exposed Automatically trigger business process flows by subscribing to Windchill object class and instance events Provide visibility to mature PLM content (such as when a part is released) to downstream manufacturing and supply chain roles and systems Easily add new actions by extending functionality from existing connectors to create new actions to facilitate common tasks Inherit or copy functionality from existing actions and change only what is necessary to support new custom action Azure Connector SQL Database Connector Windchill Event Trigger Custom Action Improvements Platform Composer: Horizontal tab navigation is back!  Also new Scheduler editor. Security: TLS 1.2 support by default, new services for handling expired device connections New support for InFlux 1.7 and MSSQL 2017 * New* Solution Central Package, publish and upload your app with version info and metadata to your tenancy of Solution Central in the PTC cloud Identify missing dependencies via automatic dependency management to ensure your application is packaged with everything required for it to run on the target environments Garner enterprise-wide visibility of your ThingWorx apps deployed across the enterprise via a cloud portal showcasing your company’s available apps, their versions and target environments to foster a holistic view of your entire IIoT footprint across all of your servers, sites and use cases Solution Central is a brand-new cloud-based service to help enterprises package, store, deploy and manage their ThingWorx apps Accelerate your application deployment Initially targeted at developers and admins in its first release, Solution Central enables you to: Mashup Builder 9 new widgets, 5 new functions. Theme Editor with swappable Mashup Preview Responsive Layout enhancements including new settings for fixed and range sizes New Builder for custom screen sizes, new Widget and Style editors, Canvas Zoom Migration utility available for legacy applications to help move to latest features Security 3 new built-in services for WebSocket Communications Subsystem: QueryEndpointSessions, GetBoundThingsForEndpoint, and CloseEndpointSessions Provide greater awareness of Things bound to the platform Allow for mass termination of connections, if necessary Can be configured to automatically disconnect devices with expired authentication methods Encrypting data-in-motion (using TLS 1.2) is a best practice for securely using ThingWorx For previous versions, the installer defaulted to not configuring TLS; ThingWorx 8.5 and later installers will default to configuring TLS ThingWorx will still allow customers to decline to do so, if desired Device connection monitoring & security TLS by default when using installer   ThingWorx Analytics Confidence Model Training and Scoring (ThingWorx Analytics APIs) Deepens functionality by enabling training and scoring of confidence models to provide information about the uncertainty in a prediction to facilitate human and automated decision making Range Property Transform and Descriptive Service Improves ease of implementation of data transformations required for common statistical process control visualizations Architecture Simplification Improves cost of ownership by reducing the number of microservices required by Analytics Server to reduce deployment complexity Simplified installation process enables system administrators to integrate ThingWorx Analytics Server with either (or both) ThingWorx Foundation 8.5 and FactoryTalk Analytics DataFlowML 3.0.   ThingWorx Manufacturing and Service Apps & Operator Advisor Manufacturing common layer extension - now bundling all apps as one extension (Operator Advisor, Asset Advisor, Production KPIs, Controls Advisor) Operator Advisor user interface for work instruction delivery Shift and Crew data model & user interface Enhancements to Operator Advisor MPMLink connector Flexible KPI calculations Multiple context support for assets   ThingWorx Navigate New Change Management App, first in the Contribute series, allows a user to participate in change request reviews delivered through a task list called “My Tasks” BETA Release of intelligent, reusable components that will dramatically increase the speed of custom App development Improvements to existing View Apps Updated, re-usable 3D viewing component (ThingView widget) Support for Windchill Distributed Vaults Display of Security Labels & Values   ThingWorx Azure IOT Hub Connector Seamless compatibility of Azure devices with ThingWorx accelerators like Asset Advisor and custom applications developed using Mashup Builder. Ability to update software and firmware remotely using ready-built Software Content Management via “ThingWorx Azure Software Content Management” Module on Azure IoT Edge. Quick installation and configuration of ThingWorx Azure IoT Hub Connector, Azure IoT Hub and Azure IoT Edge SCM module.   Documentation ThingWorx Platform ThingWorx Platform 8.5 Release Notes ThingWorx Platform Help Center ThingWorx 8.5 Platform Reference Documents ThingWorx Connection Services Help Center   ThingWorx Azure IoT Hub Connector ThingWorx Azure IoT Hub Connector Help Center   ThingWorx Analytics ThingWorx Platform Analytics 8.5.0 Release Notes Analytics Server 8.5.1 Release Notes ThingWorx Analytics Help Center   ThingWorx Manufacturing & Service Apps and ThingWorx Operator Advisor ThingWorx Apps Help Center ThingWorx Operator Advisor Help Center   ThingWorx Navigate ThingWorx Navigate 8.5 Release Notes Installing ThingWorx Navigate 8.5 Upgrading to ThingWorx Navigate 8.5 ThingWorx Navigate 8.5 Tasks and Tailoring Customizing ThingWorx Navigate 8.5 PTC Windchill Extension Guide 1.12.x ThingWorx Navigate 8.5 Product Compatibility Matrix ThingWorx Navigate 8.5 Upgrade Support Matrix ThingWorx Navigate Help Center     Additional Information Helpcenter ThingWorx eSupport Portal ThingWorx Developer Portal PTC Marketplace The National Instruments Connector can be found on PTC Marketplace  
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Challenge:&nbsp;Complex Deployments -Today deployment of twx apps is challenging due to manual dependency management; little visibility into apps and environments; complexity and slow speed of deployment Feature Solution Central: -Automated dependency management -Centralized app management portal Value: Rapid scalable deployments -Accelerate application deployment -Simple UI-based environment and solution management -Site-wide visibility of apps and environments Steps involved: -Develop projects locally -Package artifacts and dependencies -Publish App to Cloud -Deliver to your ThingWorx environments -&gt; -Update to latest ThingWorx -Connect to Solution Central -Begin Publishing -No additional licensing &nbsp; Q: Does it also package up prerequisite extensions? A: It doesn’t package or build them, but they are identified as dependencies before publish/deployment. Multiple solutions building modular structure through dependencies Q: Each published project is packaged as an extension? A: That is correct Q: Is it also possible to manage deployment of collection permissions &amp; OOTB entities permission/configuration through Solution Central ? A: Whatever can be member of the project can be packaged and published Q: Can we package locally without publish to cloud A: Yes. Just don't register to Solution Center Q: How to install a solution offline ? A: One can package locally and install them as extensions Q: Is Solution Central a Cloud only application? A: Yes, but the packaging capability is available in ThingWorx Q: Do all customers have access to this solution or do they need to have a cloud contract? A: All customers can access as part of their ThingWorx license Q: Will customers be able to install their own on-prem implementationn of the Solution Central Web? Is using our cloud required? A: The Solution Central portal will only be available in the PTC Cloud, but the ability to package is part of the platform and can be done on prem.
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New Framework in 8.5 -Install Builder produced installers -Installation orchestrated by Chef - UX Improvements - Cosmetic changes - Increased and improved help texts  - Documentation improvements - Changed layout for clarity - Security improvements Prerequisites:  -Install&Setup DB prior to installation -Set up ThingWorx DB User and database -DB command line tools installed & in the path (psql, msqlcmd) -Java 1.8.144 minimum -Clean machine for the install Common Issues -Command line tools not in path -DB user not set up -DB user with incorrect permissions -Java not installed or in path -Not running on a clean machine -Installed java 32bit instead of 64   Contacts: PM Mike Tresh TPM Jennifer Keane Dev Lead Mickey Kimchi   Q: The Windows/RHEL supported OS is just for installers? Running Thingworx on Ubuntu manually, is still supported? A: Yes. The matrix of supported OS for ThingWorx is larger than what we currently support for automated installs. ThingWorx can still run on Ubuntu Q: Is the support of Ubutu dropped completely , or just for the initial release? A: Support of Ubuntu is not there for the automated installers, it is still there for ThingWorx itself. Q: Would the installers provide a scrolling log or a direct link to the log file ? A: We provide the locations of the log files at the end of the install in the summary, and also the locations are noted in the documentation if you need to see log details. We also provide a progress bar with some info while install is running. The ThingWorx session will now be terminated by the Logout sequence yes. We now show a login browser prompt for TWX if they try to go back. Q: How do we upgrade a TWX 8.4 to TWX 8.5? A: For now, it's the manual upgrade process that you will already be familiar with as documented. Q: Is uninstaller available? A: Yes, there is an uninstaller for Foundation available, it should be present for you after running the installer. Q: Is Docker supported? A: We do support Docker and have samples available.
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Composer Enhancement: -Improved workflow support NG Composer challenging to navigate -> Usability challenges with editing and viewing data Feature: -Tab style editing support -Horizontal tabs -New Grids with Resizing -Resizing in Entity Grids -Schedule Editor Problem: Need modernization of platform visualization toolset -> -New Webcomponent widgets -Responsive layout now GA -Theming now GA -Key messaging -New ability to build responsive modern web applications   Theming and Theme editor -Centralized style management -Easily apply to all Mashups of an applications -Bindable, can be changed dynamically -Set Colors Typography, Lines, Borders, States -Set globally or by group of elements (buttons, grids, inputs) -Mashup Preview can be set   New Widgets in 8.5 -Breadcrumb -Dynamic panel -Icon -Image -List Shuttle -Property Display -Slider -Value Display -Advanced Grid now part of platform Functions: -Confirmation -Event Router -Logout  -Navigation -Status Message   Responsive Layout -New responsive layout editor, based on Flex -Content lays out according to rules, adapts to the screen size and settings -Static and size range support   Migration When you open a mashup containing legacy widgets for which there are web component replacements available OR You open a mashup containing legacy layouts, a banner appears at the top of the design page Clicking Yes will migrate to new widgets and new flex layout -Bindings in the mashup are retained -Recommended to review widgets sizes   Layout Migration -Static layous are migrated to a responsive flex container Q: There is still no Right mouse click support?  A: We don't have a right click context menu yet, but we're looking into what can be included based on the context for a future release. Q: With flex containers, is it still possible to create a mashup with two columns, one covering 1/3 of the screen, the other 2/3 of the screen, when the size of the screen is not known upfront? A: Correct - you can set container rules to grow and shrink (in your case, set one container to use 1/3rd and the other 2/3rd) Q: Do we have the cut/paste function in the responsive containers so we're able to move content around? A: Yes, now you can move the whole container too! You can either use the cut/ copy/ paste from the toolbar, or use keyboard shortcuts (shift for cut/ move and alt for copy). Q: The old layout widget allowed setting column size as percentage, rather than absolute size. How can that be done in containers? A: With containers, it uses the standard flex-grow and flex-shrink css properties. We have Grow Ratio and Shrink Ratio properties available, and you can set the values there. Q: How are we addressing the expand/collapse functions we used to have in the headers/footers/righ&left side bar? A: Each container  will have an option to Expand/ Collapse. Based on where the container is located (left/ right or top/ bottom), it will expand accordingly - so left/ right sidebar or header/ footer. Q: Does it show which widgets are undergoing the changes from legacy to new? A: The legacy widgets are grouped in the 'Legacy' widget category, and are indicated with an icon noting it's a legacy widget. Q: What about migrating from widget from extension (ie advanced grid) ? Those will be replaced also? A: Correct - when you move to 8.5, you won't have to import the extension any longer. If you have any Mashups with the Advanced Grid in place, it'll pick it up. Q: Can we add CSS to the themes? A: Yes, you can add. The Custom CSS tab is available for Themes specifically too. Q: Bindings of containers won't be saved - does that mean that if we use contained mashup with mashup parameters, all bindings will be lost? A: The bindings within the container should not change; the Mashup parameters will be exposed so that you can bind in/ out. The bindings should be retained - when you migrate from the old layout to the new, any bindings you have should not be lost/ broken.
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Key Functional Highlights See What’s New in ThingWorx Apps and ThingWorx Operator Advisor Guide     Compatibility - ThingWorx Manufacturing and Service Apps ThingWorx 8.4.x KEPServerEX 6.2 and later Earlier Version of KEPServerEX and 3rd party OPC will be supported via Aggregator All other TWX supported data sources but specifically: NI, EMS and Azure IOT Hub Upgrade Support 8.0.1 and later     Compatibility – ThingWorx Manufacturing Operator Advisor ThingWorx 8.3.4 and later ThingWorx 8.4.x and later MPMLink 11.0 M030+ with WRS 1.3     Documentation   What’s New in ThingWorx Apps ThingWorx Apps Setup and Configuration Guide ThingWorx Apps Customization Guide ThingWorx Operator Advisor Guide     Additional information The National Instruments Connector can be found on PTC Marketplace     Download   ThingWorx Manufacturing and Service Apps & Operator Advisor Extensions National Instruments TestStand Connector
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Contents: Introduction Prerequisites Installing Java Installing PostgreSQL Running the Installer Post Installation Steps Troubleshooting tips   Introduction:   Starting with ThingWorx 8.4, PTC released a new way to install a fresh ThingWorx environment.  This installer takes care of all the permissions, database scripts, credential encryption, and tomcat options that previously needed to be done manually.  More information on the installer can be found in the ThingWorx Help Center   NOTE: This is different than the Docker installer we have available in earlier releases.   As of right now, the installation guide has very basic instructions for the installer.  The purpose of this post is to show you from start to finish what the process looks like.  For this example, I chose to deploy PostgreSQL 10 on the local system to keep things simple.   Prerequisites:   Download the latest Java 8 SE JDK RPM for RHEL Get your database ready: If you're accessing a remote PostgreSQL instance, make sure PSQL is installed and working on your ThingWorx Server Download the appropriate installer from support.ptc.com Ensure the RHEL user that will be executing the installer has SUDO privileges   NOTE: There are pieces of the manual installation guide that I had to reference in order to get JAVA and PostgreSQL properly configured.   Installing Java:   Per Page 83, I downloaded the latest Linux x64 RPM for Java 8 SE JDK (201) and followed steps 2-8 to configure Java. For step 5, I needed to use the -f parameter listed in the guide under NOTE Step 7 make sure you don't accidentally select OpenJDK if it was preinstalled   Installing PostgreSQL:   I'm following along with the Version 10 download instructions found on https://www.postgresql.org/download/linux/redhat/ NOTE: this needs root access, so run all the commands with SUDO Install the client packages Postgresql10 I will Install the optional server packages postgresql10-server since this is a local PostgreSQL instance Complete step 7 to enable automatic start.  We need to set the postgres password so our ThingWorx installer is able to create our thingworx user and the database.  This can be done with the following command: NOTE: Since this is the master user for your database, it is highly recommended to use a password that has a combination of case, numbers, letters, and symbols Sudo passwd postgres Although, this may be redundant, I also run the following command to update the password used in PostgreSQL : sudo -u postgres psql -c "ALTER ROLE postgres WITH password '<password from above>'" Navigate to /var/lib/pgsql/10/data and open pg_hba.conf for editing Review page 91 of the Installation guide to determine which setting best applies to your business needs In the same directory open postgresql.conf Scroll down to "listen_addresses" line and un-comment it.  This would  be the place to make changes if you expect remote connections to access the database.  If it is local, then the default of localhost is fine Restart PostgreSQL to apply these changes: Sudo service postgresql-10 restart   Running the Installer:   Everything should be in place now to run our installer.  Extract the ThingWorxFoundationPostgres-1.2.0-SNAPSHOT.run file to the ~ (home) directory Execute the .run file: NOTE: If it doesn't let you execute the file, it may not have extracted as an executable.  Run the below command to make it executable then try again: Chmod -x ThingWorxFoundationPostgres-1.2.0-SNAPSHOT.run Sudo ./ThingWorxFoundationPostgres-1.2.0-SNAPSHOT.run   At this point you'll be going through text to setup your installation settings.  I'll briefly list out the order you'll see them below: Terms and conditions and whether you agree Where you want ThingWorx deployed (/opt by default) NOTE: this folder will contain ThingworxStorage/ ThingworxPlatform/ tomcat/ etc… Installation Configuration user (twxfoundation by default).  This step creates a user in RHEL that will have ownership of Tomcat, various ThingWorx directory's, etc ThingWorx Administrator Password.  Used to login to ThingWorx Composer. WRITE THIS DOWN SOMEWHERE!  You cannot retrieve this password, and most likely will require you to do a fresh installation if you forget it Tomcat Port http (8080) Tomcat SSL port (8443) Use SSL For simplicity, I chose not to use it for this exercise PostgreSQL information Host Name : mine is local, so localhost Port (5432) Administrator Username (Administrator) : use postgres here, since that's the DB user password we updated above Admin password : use the postgres password ThingWorx Database login username (twadmin).  This user will be created in PostgreSQL and be tied to our ThingWorx database ThingWorx database login password: NOTE There's no place to re-enter your password, so make sure you write this down.   Unexpected issue:   For this particular install, I kept running into a failure saying "Warning: Failed to validate the PostgreSQL connection.  Check the information you entered".  I opened another putty connection and, as root, navigated to /var/lib/pgsql/10/data/log and opened the postgresql log to find the following:   2019-02-28 17:10:30.678 UTC [93377] LOG:  could not connect to Ident server at address "::1", port 113: Connection refused 2019-02-28 17:10:30.678 UTC [93377] FATAL:  Ident authentication failed for user "postgres" 2019-02-28 17:10:30.678 UTC [93377] DETAIL:  Connection matched pg_hba.conf line 84: "host    all             all             ::1/128                 ident"     The solution for me was to go into the pg_hba.conf and change the IPv6 local connections from ident to md5.  Again, make sure you are reading through the PostgreSQL documentation and adjusting these properties in a way that meets both your security and business needs.   Once the change was made, I restarted postgresql, and switched back over to my Putty instance that had the installer going.     A summary pops up for a few items, and then it asks if you're ready to continue NOTE: The progress bar goes to 100% pretty quickly, and doesn't appear to move.  Just let it sit for a few minutes while it finishes up Copy the Thingworx Device ID for future reference To check if ThingWorx is running, run 'sudo service Thingworx-Foundation status' in your command line If it is active (running) try to access it with a remote browser: More information around the command Firewalld can be found here  http://<thingworxurl>:<tomcatport>/Thingworx NOTE: If it just hangs, check your firewall to make sure the port is open for external communication   Post Installation Steps:   Licensing: Navigate to /opt/ThingWorxPostgres-1.2.0-SNAPSHOT/licensingconfigurator and run the twx-licensing-configurator.run as SUDO Choose whether or not you want PTC to store your credentials and download the license for you, or if you want to manually download the license yourself from http://support.ptc.com -> Manage Licenses (bottom right) For this example, I manually downloaded the license Move the license file over to the ThingWorx Server Since you're running the licensingconfigurator as SUDO, don't put this file into your user's home directory.  Instead, put it into /tmp NOTE: Change the downloaded filename to license_capability_response.bin.  Otherwise the file will not be recognized Then it will ask for your ThingWorx Administrator password This appears to be used for verification after the license is in place, and it sees if it can successfully log into your system Once it has completed, and assuming it says "Setup has finished configuration licensing for ThingWorx", open up a web browser and login as Administrator -> Monitor -> Subsystems -> Licensing Subsystem and verify that your licensing information looks correct on the system   Extensions: Extra security has been added as of 8.4 around importing Extensions.  More details can be found in the Help Center In short, adding extensions is disabled by default, and you need to add some lines into your /ThingworxPlatform/platform-settings.json under the "PlatformSettingsConfig" section. For example, here is what I added:    "PlatformSettingsConfig": {                 "BasicSettings": {                         "BackupStorage": "/opt/ThingWorxPostgres-1.2.0-SNAPSHOT/ThingworxBackupStorage",                         "DatabaseLogRetentionPolicy": 7,                         "EnableBackup": true,                         "EnableHA": false,                         "EnableSystemLogging": true,                         "HTTPRequestHeaderMaxLength": 2000,                         "HTTPRequestParameterMaxLength": 2000,                         "InternalAesCryptographicKeyLength": 128,                         "Storage": "/opt/ThingWorxPostgres-1.2.0-SNAPSHOT/ThingworxStorage"                 },                 "ExtensionPackageImportPolicy": {                        "importEnabled": true,                        "allowJarResources": true,                        "allowJavascriptResources": false,                        "allowCSSResources": false,                        "allowJSONResources": false,                        "allowWebAppResources": false,                        "allowEntities": true,                        "allowExtensibleEntities": false       }           }   Make sure you set the appropriate items above to true based on what your extensions require   Troubleshooting:   If things backfire, depending on where you are in the setup process, the following logs should be looked at for clues on the failure:   Installation: /tmp/bitrock_installer.logs I believe the installation directory (default /opt/ThingWorxPostgres-1.2.0-SNAPSHOT) will contain a log file if the installer fails /opt/ThingWorxPostgres-1.2.0-SNAPSHOT/ThingworxStorage/logs/ (need root access) /opt/ThingWorxPostgres-1.2.0-SNAPSHOT/tomcat/apache-tomcat-<version>/logs PostgreSQL (requires root): /var/lib/pgsql/10/data/log LicensingConfigurator : /opt/ThingWorxPostgres-1.2.0-SNAPSHOT/licensingconfigurator
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Why? Reduce or eliminate hardware costs Get database portability across on-premise and cloud compatible virtualization High speed and minimum downtime Optimize performance Three deployment options: Single: best for apps requiring resource guarantee at database level Elastic pool: SAAS apps with multiple databases achieving better cost efficiency Managed instance: best for modernization at scale MS SQL Improvements: Ingest millions of data items/day with imrpoved MS SQL 150% improvement  ingestion throughput with MS SQL persistence provider Optimized indexing to achieve better peformance for the same compute at the same price ThingWorx with Microsoft database solution: Azure SQL logical server (single instance and elastic pool) v12 Azure SQL managed server v12 MS SQL sever 2016 Azure PostgreSQL 9.6 and 10 Q: What is the rate as compared to PostgreSQL? A: We are in process launching new sizing guide that will be out in a few weeks. MS SQL is around 15-22K writes per sec. Comparable to Postgres.
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We are excited to announce ThingWorx 8.4 is now available for download!    Key functional highlights ThingWorx 8.4 covers the following areas of the product portfolio: ThingWorx Analytics and ThingWorx Foundation which includes Connection Server and Edge capabilities.   ThingWorx Foundation Next Generation Composer: File Repository Editor added for application file management New entity Config Table Editor to enable application configurability and customization Localization support fornew languages: Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Russian, Chinese/Taiwan, Chinese/Simplified Mashup Builder: Responsive Layout with new Layout Editor 13 new and updated widgets (beta) Theming Editor (beta) New Functions Editor New Personalized Workspace Platform: Added support for AzureSQL, a relational database-as-a-service (DBaaS) as the new persistence provider A PaaS database that is always running on the latest stable version of SQL Server Database Engine and  patched OS with 99.99% availability.   Added support for InfluxData, a leading time series storage platform as the new ThingWorx persistence provider Supports ingesting large amounts of IoT data and offers high availability with clustering setup New extension for Remote Access and Control Supports VNC, RDP desktop sharing for any remote device HTTP and SSH connectivity supported An optional microservice to offload the ThingWorx server by allowing query execution to occur in a separate process on the same or on a different physical machine. Installers for Postgres versions of ThingWorx running on Windows or RHEL AzureSQL InfluxDB Thing Presence feature introduced which indicates whether the connection of a thing is “normal” based on the expected behavior of the device. Remote Access Extension Query Microservice: Click and Go Installers for Windows and Linux (RHEL) Security: Major investments include updating 3rd party libraries, handling of data to address cross-site scripting (XSS)  issues and enhancements to the password policy, including a password blacklist. A significant number of security issues have been fixed in this release. It is recommended that customers upgrade as soon as possible to take advantage of these important improvements. Docker Support  Added Dockerfile as a distribution media for ThingWorx Foundation and Analytics Allows building Docker container image that unlocks the potential of Dev and Ops Note:  Legacy Composer has been removed and replaced with the New Composer.   Documentation: ThingWorx 8.4 Reference Documents ThingWorx Platform 8.4 Release Notes ThingWorx Platform Help Center ThingWorx Analytics Help Center ThingWorx Connection Services Help Center  
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In this post, I will use an instance of InfluxDB and Chronograf. See this post for installing both using Docker. InfluxDB - Time Series Databases   InfluxDB is a time series database. It allows users to work with and organize time series data. The advantage of such a database system is that it comes with built-in functionality to easily aggregate and operate on data based on time intervals. Other types of databases can do this as well - but time series databases are heavily optimized for this kind of data structures which will show in storage space and performance.   Data is stored in the database with its timestamp, its value and one or more tags.   Time Temperature Humidity Location 2019-01-24T00:00:00 23 42 Home 2019-01-24T00:01:00 22 43 Home 2019-01-24T00:02:00 21 44 Home 2019-01-24T00:03:00 23 45 Home 2019-01-24T00:04:00 24 42 Home 2019-01-24T00:05:00 25 43 Home 2019-01-24T00:06:00 23 44 Home   Values can be aggregated by intervalls, i.e. "give me the temperatur values within the last hour and take the average for 5 minutes". This would result in (60 / 5) = 12 results with a value that represents the average temperature within this 5 minute interval.   Example: Temperature Data averaged by 4 minutes   Time Temperature 2019-01-24T00:00:00 (23 + 22 + 21+ 23) / 4 = 22,25 2019-01-24T00:04:00 (24 + 25 + 23) / 3 = 24   To find out more about InfluxDB see also https://www.influxdata.com/time-series-database/ and https://www.influxdata.com/time-series-platform/   InfluxDB in ThingWorx   The new ThingWorx 8.4 release comes with an option to setup InfluxDB as additional Persistence Provider. Meta Data like Entity Definitons will still be stored in PostgreSQL. Streams, Value Streams and Data Tables however can be stored in InfluxDB.   The InfluxDB Persistence Provider setup is delivered with the PostgreSQL installation package for ThingWorx. Currently ThingWorx does not allow any aggregation of data with its built-in InfluxDB capabilities.   Prepare InfluxDB   InfluxDB will need a user and a database. Connect via Chronograf - the graphical UI to administer InfluxDB and create a new user via   InfluxDB Admin > Users Default username = twadmin Default password = password Permissions = ALL   Create a new database via   InfluxDB Admin > Databases Default database name = thingworx   Configure ThingWorx   Create a new Persistence Provider for InfluxDB in ThingWorx - but don't mark it as active yet!     Switch to the Configuration and change the username / password, database and hostname to match your installation.     Save the configuration, switch back to the General tab and mark the InfluxDB Persistence Provider as Active.   Save again and a "successful" message will be shown. If the save action failed, the connection settings are not correct - check for the correct ports and for any typos.   Creating Entities & Testing   Streams, Value Streams and Data Tables can now be created using the new InfluxDB Persistence Provider.   To test with a Value Stream   Create a new Thing with some NUMBER properties, e.g. 'a', 'b' and 'c' as properties - ensure they are marked as logged as well Name = InfluxValueStreamThing Create a new ValueStream based and change its Persistance Provider to the InfluxDB created above Name = InfluxValueStream Save both Entities Setting values for the properties will now automatically create the entries in InfluxDB - including the Entity name "InfluxValueStreamThing" Running the QueryPropertyHistory service on the Thing will return the results as an InfoTable In Chronograf this will display like this:   ThingWorx 8.4 will be released end of January 2019. Be sure to check out and test the new Persistence Provider features!
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