Product Features
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System
Remote Access

Expose an Edge Device as a ZeroTier Network Node

7min

Important: As of Manufacturing Connect Edge 3.10.0, remote access functionality is no longer available. Contact your account representative to learn more.

You expose your edge device for remote access by adding it as a node to a ZeroTier network.

To expose your edge device, you will need to do the following:

  • Step 1: Set up ZeroTier Central
  • Step 2: Join Remote Network in Manufacturing Connect Edge
  • Step 3: Accept Request to Join Network
  • Step 4: Collect and Send Network Information

To jump to a specific section, refer to the Table of Contents on the right side and click the corresponding step.

Step 1: Set up ZeroTier Central

You need to first set up ZeroTier Central and collect the network ID.

To set up ZeroTierCentral:

  1. Create an account
  2. Create a ZeroTier network and note the network ID.
  3. Download the ZeroTier application and install it on your computer.

Step 2: Join Remote Network in Manufacturing Connect Edge

You can now use the network ID you collected to set up the remove access service in Manufacturing Connect Edge and join the ZeroTier Central network.

To join the remote network in Manufacturing Connect Edge:

  1. Log in to Manufacturing Connect Edge.
  2. Navigate to System > Services > Remote Access Service to verify that the Remote Access Service is running.
  3. Navigate to System > Remote Access.
  4. On the Remote Access pane, click the Add (+) tile. The Join Remote Network dialog box appears.
  5. Enter the network ID you have noted in ZeroTier Central and click Join Network.
  6. The new network tile appears on the pane with the Requesting Configuration status. A request for your edge device to join the network is sent to ZeroTier.

Step 3: Accept Request to Join Network

You can now accept the request to join the network in the ZeroTier application.

To accept the request to join the network:

  1. Open the ZeroTier application.
  2. Navigate to the network you have requested to join.
  3. Scroll down the network's page to the requests section.
  4. Select the check box by your network joining request.
  5. (Optional) Enter a meaningful name and description for your edge device as the network node.

Step 4: Collect and Send Network Information

The final step is to collect the network and IP address information and send it to the person that needs to remotely connect to your edge device.

To collect and send the network information:

  1. Log in to Manufacturing Connect Edge.
  2. Navigate to System > Remote Access. The network tile should now display an OK status.
  3. Copy the Network ID and your edge device's Remote Access IP Address values and communicate them to the person who needs to remotely connect to your edge device.
  4. Once the person you have sent the Network ID and Remote Access IP Address to notifies you that they have requested to join your ZeroTier network, approve their request (see Step 3 for instructions).
Network node section in ZeroTier Central
Network node section in ZeroTier Central


Access the Exposed Edge Device Remotely

With a computer connected to the internet outside of the network where an edge device resides, you can gain remote access to that edge device once it has been exposed as a node on a ZeroTier network.

To remotely access an exposed edge device:

  1. Download the ZeroTier app to your machine.
  2. Right-click the ZeroTier icon running in your task bar and select Join Network. The Join Network dialog box appears.
  3. Enter the Network ID value that has been shared with you in the field, and then click Join.
  4. In the confirmation pane that appears on the right of your screen, click Yes. This generates a request to join the indicated network.
  5. Contact the person who had shared the network ID with you (the network owner) and let them know you have requested access. Once they approve your request, your machine becomes the second node on the ZeroTier network.
  6. In the browser on your machine, enter the Remote Access IP Address value that had been shared with you. The Manufacturing Connect Edge login page opens.
  7. Enter the Manufacturing Connect Edge credentials. The Manufacturing Connect Edge UI appears, You are now remotely connected to the edge device.