Edge and Cloud Devices
Last updated
Last updated
Collecting data from the edge can be undertaken by installing a computer at the edge. This is known as "Edge Connect". Alternatively, you can use an Ardexa "Cloud Device" and connect it to your plant via your VPN. This is known as "Cloud Connect". The diagram below shows the concept of the 2 methods to collect data from your plant network. The "Cloud Device" is automatically provisioned by the Ardexa Cloud. See this article for more details.
When selecting the "NEW DEVICE" button in DEVICES, the user will be presented with a choice of which type of device needs to be created. See the figure below. For an Edge Device, the user must choose which type of operating system is installed on the physical machine. Ardexa Edge Devices must use Linux amd64, arm64 architectures, including older Raspberry Pi operating systems. For a Cloud Device the user will be asked which region the device needs to be installed (the US cloud or the Europe cloud).
When an Edge Device is created, it will appear as offline until the Ardexa agent is installed on the physical machine. The Ardexa agent along with the digital certificates is downloaded when an Edge Device is created - that is; after the "CREATE" button is selected in the figure above.
When a Cloud Device is created, it will automatically be provisioned by the Ardexa Cloud and appear online. A "CD" icon immediately to the left of the device will show it is a Cloud Device. See the red arrow in the figure below, which shows an online Cloud Device (called "My Cloud Device") and an online Edge Device (called "My Edge Device").
