Overview of the IoT Connector

You can use the IoT Connector in the Administration Work Center to configure a connection to an IoT platform, specify how to import data from IoT sensors, and map the data that is imported from devices to asset and location meters.

Integration with an IoT platform includes the following steps:
  1. Select an IoT service. Content is included in the product to support the following three IoT platforms:
    • IBM Watson® IoT Platform
    • IBM® Maximo® Asset Monitor
    • AT&T Asset Management – Operations Center
    You can add other IoT platforms if needed.
  2. Configure the connection to the IoT platform.
  3. Configure endpoints for importing data from sensors and devices.
  4. Register device types for the data that you want to import.
  5. Map the data schemas for device types to asset and location meters.
  6. Associate the devices from the IoT platform to specific assets and locations.

The wizard on the IoT Connection Service tab guides you through first five steps in the integration. For the three platforms that are included in the product, many fields are already populated with the required information, but you must provide some details for your connection.

After the connection service is established, you can use the Associate Devices tab to link devices to specific assets or locations.

After you associate the devices with assets or locations, data that is collected from the devices is displayed in asset and location meters.

Getting ready to use the IoT Connector

Before you can use the IoT Connector, you must complete several steps to configure it.
  • Grant access to the IoT connection feature.

    The IoT Connector tab is available only to security groups that have permission to view it. By default, this permission is not granted to any user groups, and you must complete several steps to configure it. You must also grant access to the MXAPIIOTSERV and MXAPIIOTCFG object structures.

  • Review the system properties for the IoT Connector and, if necessary, configure them for your integration.

    You can use a system property to specify whether to keep the association between an IoT device and a meter when the device type is unregistered. Maximo Asset Monitor users can use a system property to control the number of devices that are passed as a parameter in the aggregation endpoint.

  • Configure the cron task that synchronizes data between the IoT platform and the Maximo product.

    If you use Watson™ IoT Platform, Maximo Asset Monitor, or add a platform, configure the IOTHISTORIAN cron task to synchronize data. The IoT Connector supports both JMS and Kafka queues for message processing.