IoT Tips

In this video we cover: a short introduction of Thingworx Analytics Builder The import of the Thingworx Analytics Builder extension   This video applies to ThingWorx Analytics 52.1 till 8.1   Updated Link for access to this video:  Installing Thingworx Analytics Builder:  Part 1 of 3

This is a reference document on how to move existing or fresh install ThingworxStorage location. Note: As of Thingworx 7.0 the platform-settings.json file has changed and therefore the newest version needs to be used  to change the location of the folders. Please refer to this guide pg.45-46 to see the new .json file.http://support.ptc.com/WCMS/files/170230/en/Installing_ThingWorx_7.1.pdf  A sample json is attached at the bottom of this document. Here are the main bullet points that need to be kept in mind when performing a migration process: ThingworxPlatform directory has to be in the same partition as where the Tomcat is installed. I.e. if your tomcat is in /apps, the ThingworxPlatform should also be in /apps, not in root. Note: if ThingworxPlatform will be placed in a different partition than the tomcat, create a THINGWORX_PLATFORM_SETTINGS environmental variable that will point to the correct location. Refer to the Installation Guide for details. Before modifying the location of the platform-settings.json, stop tomcat. There is no need to undeploy the Thingworx app, but do rename the existing folders (as a way of copying/preserving data if any exists) “ThingworxStorage” to “ThingworxStorageCopy” and “ThingworxBackupStorage” to “ThingworxBackupStorageCopy”. If this is a fresh install, proceed to step 3.. Modify the platform-settings.json to have desired locations for the ThingworxStorage folders. Start the tomcat. New ThingworxStorage and ThingworxBackupStorage will be created in the new location. Note: if there is any data in the ThingworxStorage (see ThingworxStorageCopy and ThingworxBackupStorageCopy from step 2), stop the tomcat and place the contents of the original folders into the new ones or just replace the directories. For Postgresql  scenarios: Ensure postgresql database is running. If fresh install/no need to preserve data,  and in case of 401 error, clean the existing database via the script and run the two scripts to install and setup DB and Schema. Start tomcat and verify connection. If data does need to be preserved, then run the schema update script to update from 6.5 to 6.6. then to 7.0 and 7.1 respectively, depending on which version you are starting with. To change the location of where postgresql would write data, find the thingworxPostgresDBSetup.sh script open it to edit: tablespace_location="/ThingworxPostgresqlStorage" Then re-run the DBsetup and Schema setup while tomcat is stopped. For assistance in resolving any difficulties related to the migration process, please contact Thingworx Technical Support.

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

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

PostgreSQL is a powerful, open source object-relational database system that provides unlimited database size. Thingworx 6.5 introduces PostgreSQL as persistence provider and supports High Availability. Main advantages with Thingworx Postgres are 1. Highly customizable PostgreSQL also includes a framework that allows developers to define and create their own custom data types along with supporting functions and operators that define their behavior. Triggers and stored procedures can be written in C and loaded into the database as a library, allowing great flexibility in extending its capabilities. 2. Synchronous replication PostgreSQL streaming replication is asynchronous by default. Synchronous replication offers the ability to confirm that all changes made by a transaction have been transferred to one synchronous standby server. This extends the standard level of durability offered by a transaction commit. The only possibility that data can be lost is if both the primary and the standby suffer crashes at the same time. 3. Write ahead logging for fault tolerance The Write Ahead Log (WAL), is the feature of PostgreSQL that allows it to recover data, usually up to the point where the server stopped. As you make changes to your data, PostgreSQL aggressively writes those changes to the WAL. PostgreSQL issues a checkpoint when a buffer limit is reached. When PostgreSQL restarts, it replays the changes from the WAL since the last Checkpoint, to bring the database back to the state of the last completed commit. Master node sends a live stream of data changes to the slave nodes through the WAL and slaves applies this data and stay up to date. 4. Point-in time recovery Point-in-time Recovery (PITR) also called as incremental database backup , online backup or may be archive backup. This mechanism use the history records stored in WAL file to do roll-forward changes made since last database full backup. With Point-in-time Recovery, database backup down time can totally eliminated because this mechanism can make database backup and system access happened at the same time. with PITR, we backup the latest archive log file since last backup instead of full database backup everyday. Thingworx streams data from the connected devices and postgres handles it with a greater scalability. In Thingworx, postgresql acts as a persistence provider that stores both run-time data and metadata about things. Run-time data is the data that is persisted once the things are composed and are used by connected devices to store their data. Streams and value streams fetch huge amounts of data, once the streaming data reaches a limit fo 50gb neo4j can't handle the performance. For example, for a singleStream that has 50 properties that gathers data from 10000 devices, it will quickly hit the memory limit with neo persistence provider. So, it is strongly recommended to choose postgresql for a better performance issues. Overview of Installing Thingworx PostgreSQL: Install latest version of Java and make sure environment variables are configured. Follow the instructions in Installing Thingworx 6.5​ to install tomcat. Instructions/commands may vary for different Linux flavors. Install PostgreSQL. For Linux/Unix environments, YUM-Installation Guidelines. Create 'ThingworxPostgresqlStorage' and 'ThingworxPlatform' folders in the root directory( / ), assign access permissions to the user. Copy modelproviderconfig.json file (from Thingworx download package) to 'ThingworxPlatform' folder. Execute ThingworxPostgresSchemaSetup and ThingworxPostgresDBSetup scripts (.bat for windows and .sh for Unix/Linux environments), for further instructions follow Getting Started with PostgreSQL ThingWorx Administrators Guide​. Restart the tomcat.

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.

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.

The Asset Simulator can simulate actual device behavior without having to connect to a physical asset. It does this by replaying data sequences derived from mathematical distributions or actual asset data imported as CSV files. Virtual assets can be configured to reference these data sequences and expose them as asset behavior.   The Asset Simulator communicates with KepServerEX in the same way that a real device does. The simulated asset behavior is controlled through an administration console. If you would like to test with the Asset Simulator 8.2.0, please find attached a guide and the actual files necessary.   Notes: The attached Asset Simulator applies to both Manufacturing and Service Apps If using ThingWorx Manufacturing Apps, import the Manufacturing Apps demo data If using ThingWorx Service Apps, import the Service Apps demo data

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

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

Key Functional Highlights Add connectivity to National Instruments TestStand Make it easier to edit the apps Easier to find mashups and things in Composer Support for Asset sub-types Open up the tag picker to allow adding any connection types through Composer General App Improvements Enhance tag picker to improve speed of configuration Make it easier to add additional properties to assets Make app configuration more intuitive by centralizing the configuration Controls Advisor Merge the Server and Connection status fields Asset Advisor Performance improvement when displaying pages Add support for CFS/ServiceMax integration Added trial support for Service     Compatibility ThingWorx 8.2.x KEPServerEX 6.2 and later KEPServerEX V6.1 and older as well as different OPC Servers (with Kepware OPC aggregator) National Instruments TestStand 2016 SP1 and later Support upgrade from 8.0.1 and later     Documentation What’s New in ThingWorx Manufacturing Apps ThingWorx Manufacturing Apps Setup and Configuration Guide What’s New in ThingWorx Service Apps ThingWorx Service Apps Setup and Configuration Guide ThingWorx Manufacturing and Service Apps Customization Guide     Download ThingWorx Manufacturing Apps Freemium portal ThingWorx Manufacturing and Service Apps Extensions

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:                     Stefan Taka Original Post Date:            June 6, 2016   Description: This tutorial video will walk you through the installation process for the Neo4j based version of the ThingWorx Platform in a Windows environment.  All required software components will be covered in this video.      

Video Author:                     Christophe Morfin Original Post Date:            October 2, 2017 Applicable Releases:        ThingWorx Analytics 8.1   Description:​ In this video we will walk thru a few steps to ensure the installation process was successful.    

Video Author:                     Christophe Morfin Original Post Date:            September 26, 2017 Applicable Releases:        ThingWorx Analytics 8.0 & 8.1   Description:​ This video shows the commands to execute to deploy the training and results microservices as docker container.  This is based on Docker Toolbox to highlight the specific settings required on Toolbox.    

Video Author:                     Mohammed Amine Chehaibi Original Post Date:            November 28, 2016 Applicable Releases:        ThingWorx Analytics 52 to 8.0   Description: In this video we will cover how to start your virtual image of ThingWorx Analytics using Oracle Virtual Box.    

Video Author:                     Christophe Morfin Original Post Date:            October 10, 2016 Applicable Releases:        ThingWorx Analytics 52.x and 7.4   Description: In this video we cover the process of installing ThingWorx Analytics Server 52.1.  It is suggested that you first review the first part on prerequisites.      

Video Author:                     Christophe Morfin Original Post Date:            October 10, 2016 Applicable Releases:        ThingWorx Analytics 52.x and 7.4   Description: In this video we review the prerequisites needed prior to installing ThingWorx Analytics Server.