Connect a Device

15min

You can connect devices by navigating to DeviceHub > Devices. 
Before You Begin
Make sure you configure the physical device and collect the appropriate connection parameters. Refer to the Industrial Systems Connection Guide﻿ and locate your device for specific instructions. 
Step 1: Select Device to Connect
You will first need to select the device type you want to connect and enter a name and description. 
To connect a device:
From the DeviceHub pane, click Add New Device. 
The Connect Device dialog box appears. 
Add New Device icon
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Click the Device Type drop-down list and select a Device Type from the list.
Click the Driver Name drop-down list, and select a Driver Name from the list.
Enter a name and description for the device. The name can have numbers, uppercase and lowercase characters, and special characters. It can't start or end with whitespaces. 
Step 2: Define Device-Specific Parameters
Depending on the type of device you are connecting, you will need to define specific parameters. 
Refer to the following resources for information on specific drivers and use cases: 
﻿Industrial Systems Connection Guide﻿﻿
﻿DeviceHub Use Cases﻿ 
﻿Gen1 and Gen2 Driver Differences﻿ 
Important: If you are connecting a device with a serial connection and using an RS232 to USB adapter, only those with FTDI chips are recommended. Other adapters are not validated or recommended. If Manufacturing Connect Edge doesn't have the driver for the adapter you are using, you will not be able to install it separately.
Device Discovery Tool
Depending on the device and driver you select, you may have the option of using the Device Discovery Tool﻿, which searches for devices and pre-fills network parameters to connect the device to Manufacturing Connect Edge. 
Refer to the table below for the required and optional parameters for device types. 
Device Type
Required and Optional Parameters
Ethernet device


Network Address: Enter a network address. This is the IP address for the device. 
Network Port: Enter a network port. 
Slot Number (Optional): Enter a value that indicates the position of the CPU located in a slot. 
Serial device


Communication Port: Enter up to three characters, and then select an available port.
Baud Rate (Optional): Enter a value. 
Data Bits: Enter a value.
Parity (Optional): Select a value from the drop-down list. 
Slot Number (Optional): Enter a value that indicates the position of the CPU located in a slot.
Stop Bits (Optional): Enter a value. 
CAN device


Channel: Make sure that there is a can bus module already available as a part of the hardware by checking that there is a value in the field.
Bit Rate: Enter a value. 
File-based device

Path: Enter the shared path.
Min Req Number (Optional): Enter a value. 
Max Req Number (Optional): Enter a value. 
Step 3: Define Optional Parameters
You can select optional parameters for your device connection. 
Meta Data
The Meta Data option summarizes basic information about data. It enables you to define key-value pair data for the device output payload later on. It can then be used to find, use, and reuse particular instances of data. 
See Organize Device and Tag Data by Using Metadata﻿ to learn more. 
If you select the Meta Data checkbox, the section expands with parameters to complete. By default, the list of Meta Data key-value pairs displays No records defined.
The Meta Tags section
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To define meta tags:
In the Key field, enter the meta tag key. 
In the Value field, enter the meta tag value. 
Click + Add. 
Continue adding key-value pairs you want to add. 
Status Register
The Status Register option allows you to define a register for keeping track of the device status (either connected or disconnected). 
See Use the Status Register to Connect a PLC﻿ to learn more. 
If you select the Status Register check box, the section expands. The parameters to configure depend on the specific device and tag parameters. See the Industrial Systems Connection Guide﻿ and refer to the Tag Parameters section for the device you are configuring. 
As long as the above register responds to polling by DeviceHub, the device appears in the UI as 
Connected, regardless of the status of any other tags added to that device.
The Status Register section
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Publish on Polling Interval
Note: This option is only available for Gen 2 drivers. 
If this option is selected, the driver will always publish messages according to the polling interval configuration. If the driver has not completed the request to read the data at a polling interval, the payload will have a success=false message. 
If this option is not selected, the driver will not publish a message at the polling interval if the request to read data has not completed. 
Watchdog
Note: This option is not available for all drivers. For example, drivers that act as servers don't have this option, such as Industrial OT Server and OSI Agent. 
If this option is selected, the driver will be monitored based on the Watchdog period (in seconds) you configure. If an issue is detected, then the driver will restart.  
Enable Alias Topics
The Enable alias topics option allows you to substitute long, unreadable device and tag IDs with human-readable device and tag names in topic names. See Default Topics and Descriptions﻿ for more information. 
The Enable alias topics check box is selected by default.  
Note:
When you enable alias topics, DeviceHub stops publishing to raw topics and publishes only to alias topics.
Manufacturing Connect Edge substitutes all special characters in aliases with "_" (underscore).
When alias topics are enabled for a device, you can't use batch write topics. To use batch write topics, you must not select the Enable alias topics check box in the device configuration. See Default Topics and Descriptions﻿ for more information. 
Enable Data Store
The Enable Data Store option allows you to define how long you want to store data locally. 
To enable this option, select the Enable Data Store check box, and then define the number of hours in the Retention Hours field. 
After creating the device, a data store icon appears in the top-right corner of the device tile. 
Enable Data Store icon
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Enable Logging
The Enable Logging option is available only for Gen 2 drivers. Once you connect the device, click the device tile and select the Logs tab to view the log. 
Log tab
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Publish Additional Attributes
This option is disabled by default. Users can enable or disable this option, which includes the status code, source timestamp, and server timestamp in the new DeviceHub payload fields.
Note: This option is only available for the following Gen 2 drivers:
OPC UA
BACnet
DNP3
Modbus
Source Timestamp: This option reflects the exact time the data source applied the timestamp to a variable value. If selected, the driver will ensures accurate tracking of when data was generated and allows for better incident analysis.
Server Timestamp: This option captures the moment the server received the value, providing additional information for the timing of data accuracy and reliability.
Status Code: This option indicates the quality or state of the data being received, helping users identify any errors or issues with communication.
Step 4: Create Device
When done defining the new device, click Add Device. A tile for the new device appears in the Devices pane. A green CONNECTED indicator means that a connection to the device has been established. You can stop a device to disconnect it. 
If you have connectivity issues, see Device Connectivity Issues﻿ for troubleshooting information. 

Device Type	Required and Optional Parameters
Ethernet device	Network Address: Enter a network address. This is the IP address for the device. Network Port: Enter a network port. Slot Number (Optional): Enter a value that indicates the position of the CPU located in a slot.
Serial device	Communication Port: Enter up to three characters, and then select an available port. Baud Rate (Optional): Enter a value. Data Bits: Enter a value. Parity (Optional): Select a value from the drop-down list. Slot Number (Optional): Enter a value that indicates the position of the CPU located in a slot. Stop Bits (Optional): Enter a value.
CAN device	Channel: Make sure that there is a can bus module already available as a part of the hardware by checking that there is a value in the field. Bit Rate: Enter a value.
File-based device	Path: Enter the shared path. Min Req Number (Optional): Enter a value. Max Req Number (Optional): Enter a value.

Updated 24 Oct 2024

Devices

Device Discovery Tool