ThingWorx Kepware Edge Connectivity for Linux

The Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) client interface for ThingWorx Kepware Edge provides industrial data to industrial IoT and cloud solutions, including Azure IoT Hub, Azure IoT Edge, Amazon Web Services (AWS) IoT Core, and others. ThingWorx Kepware Edge allows the server to be deployed directly at the edge. MQTT can be used to transport data securely over the network, while operating efficiently to reduce costs and network traffic. It offers specific advantages including:

• For IOT and Cloud: Streams real-time data from KEPServerEX to popular IoT and Cloud solutions such as Azure IoT Hub, Azure IoT Edge, and AWS IoT Core, among others.
• Efficient Protocol: Supports publish/subscribe with MQTT servers/brokers supporting MQTT Spec 3.1 and 3.1.1.
• Widely Compatible: Leverages the drivers within ThingWorx Kepware Edge to collect data from thousands of industrial sensors and machines, including PLCs, RTUs, PACs, DAQs, controllers, and more.
• Advanced Message Formatting: Offers advanced message formatting for client agents to support multiple data modeling requirements, such as JSON, XML, CSV, and custom models.

MQTT is a highly efficient protocol. As a 'publish/subscribe' protocol, it can be configured to send data on change versus constantly requesting updates. Using MQTT can therefore reduce network traffic and associated costs, which can be especially high on cellular or satellite connections. MQTT also utilizes modern security: TLS at the transport layer, and encryption and authentication at the application layer. Users can be assured of message confidentiality and integrity using the MQTT protocol. MQTT supports advanced features such as deadbanding, support for reading and writing data arrays, and multiple application connections.

The OPC Unified Architecture (UA) Server Interface for ThingWorx Kepware Edge provides client applications (such as MES, SCADA, or Industrial IoT solutions) seamless and secure access to industrial automation data. ThingWorx Kepware Edge allows the server to be deployed in flexible and secure Linux environments. OPC UA offers benefits such as:

• Enhances Linux Security: When used in conjunction with native Linux tools, ThingWorx Kepware Edge keeps your data safe and enables you to easily troubleshoot client and server communication issues.
• Advanced Features: Including Transport Layer Security (TLS) for encryption, certificate-based authentication through x509 certificates and basic authentication using username/password.
• Built-in Security: OPC UA offers built-in security through certificate exchange and point-to-point encryption methodologies.

OPC UA is a modern communications protocol for industrial automation and has been adopted by many industrial applications. It is also used in a wide variety of Industrial IoT solutions, and the Industrie 4.0 Platform requires "Industrie 4.0-enabled products" to use OPC UA for communication. As an open standard, it enables interoperability in heterogeneous environments.

With the native interface, users can quickly and easily find and utilize industrial data in augmented reality (AR) experiences, machine learning models, mashups, and other ThingWorx tools. Users get access to all of their real-time data within ThingWorx Composer, including the ability to quickly associate that data with new or existing things in the ThingModel, and the ability to view mapping and critical diagnostic information from the ThingWorx platform. The integration relies on the ThingWorx AlwaysOn protocol, based on the WebSocket protocol. It's many advantages include TLS-based security, persistence, and edge-initiated messaging. With AlwaysOn the edge device always reaches out to the ThingWorx platform and not vice versa, reducing attack vectors and making connections firewall friendly. 

The ThingWorx Native Interface gives users the most efficient, flexible, and integrated smart manufacturing interface available. Specific benefits include:

• Codeless Device Mapping: Configure connectivity to an industrial device, seamlessly map ThingWorx Kepware Edge tags to the ThingModel, and maintain and view mapping directly from the ThingWorx platform.
• Real-Time Data Analysis: Model, analyze, and visualize real-time industrial data, and quickly and easily find and utilize the specific data needed from any device supported by ThingWorx Kepware Edge.
• Remote Project Loading: Users can easily deploy ThingWorx Kepware Edge projects remotely, enabling them to manage all their ThingWorx Kepware Edge instances from a single ThingWorx platform interface
• Enhanced Data Contextualization: With ThingWorx Kepware Edge data and the ThingModel, access ThingWorx’s advanced analytics and simulation tools, orchestrate workflows, create mashups, and engage in AR experiences.

Currently, ThingWorx Kepware Edge is available in English.

• Ubuntu 18.04 LTS (x86-64)

• CentOS 7.x
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.x or 8.x
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.x or 8.x 
• Windows 8.1
• Windows 10
• Windows Server 2012 R2
• Windows Server 2016
• Windows Server 2019

• Ubuntu 18.04 LTS
• x86-64 CPU Architecture
• Latest Linux Standard Base (LSB) package
• Java Runtime Environment for MQTT

• CentOS version 7.x or Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.x or 8.x
• OpenJDK 11.0 or greater
• Minimum of 4 GB of RAM for the host
• Python3
• Latest Linux Standard Base (LSB) package

• Windows.Net framework 4.5 or later
• OpenJDK 11.0 or greater
• Note: Only 32-bit JREs are supported
• CPU Architecture 86 / x86-64
• Windows 8.1, Windows 10, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2016, or Windows Server 2019

The use case for ThingWorx Kepware Edge is different than a KEPServerEX deployment. KEPServerEX serves as the connectivity backbone for a facility. A single instance of KEPServerEX on a Windows Server can monitor an entire work cell, line, or site, and monitor and control hundreds of thousands of tags at low latency

ThingWorx Kepware Edge also provides highly reliable and secure connectivity between industrial devices and critical applications, but the value of the product is in enabling a new, distributed connectivity architecture, especially to connect remote devices. We don’t intend for it to be a like-for-like replacement and work primarily with customers who need to deploy a network of ThingWorx Kepware Edge nodes.

There are key differences. ThingWorx Kepware Edge is headless—all configuration happens through a REST API and command line interface. While the drivers included in ThingWorx Kepware Edge are like the drivers included in KEPServerEX, there are differences.

Thingworx Kepware Edge solves connectivity challenges by taking industrial data and converting it to MQTT, OPC UA, or Thingworx AlwaysOn. However, Thingworx Kepware Edge still needs to be deployed on a hardware device.

In order to help our customers implement our new Thingworx Kepware Edge offering as part of an overall solution, Kepware has partnered with various hardware vendors to test Thingworx Kepware Edge on certain hardware models. This test will give users the confidence that our two products together can solve the edge connectivity challenge. Testing consists of processing 10,000 tags of various data types and scan rates and sending that data to both an OPC UA Client and a MQTT Broker. All listed Hardware Partners have successfully completed this test on one or more models.

• Advantech
• Cisco
• Lanner Electronics
• Stratus
• Nexcom
• Dell Technologies