DeviceHub Add, Monitor, or Delete Device

DeviceHub allows you to add new PLC devices for device communication and data monitoring. The following sections show how to Add, Monitor, and Delete devices with OT Link DeviceHub:

About this example:

If you have no available PLCs to connect to, download and install a trial version of the Modbus Slave Simulator to simulate a PLC for the example shown on this page.

Modbus Information:

Modbus is a serial communication open protocol for connecting industrial devices, such as PLCs. It uses a simple master-slave configuration to connect the serial ports of two devices. A common use case is to send data from sensors and control devices to data-collection systems such as OT Link. A Modbus devices work with Modbus RTU, for a serial interface, and also Modbus TCP, for Ethernet IP.

Add a Device

To add a device to DeviceHub:

  1. Click DeviceHub from the navigation panel.

  2. Click the Devices tab.
  3. Click .
  4. Select the device driver type associated with the device in the dialog.
    Info: Device types such as Allen-Bradley, Mitsubishi, Omron, and GE Fanuc will be listed. See also HID Device and the PLC Connection Guide: Supported PLC Drivers.

  5. Enter a Device Name and an optional Description.
  6. Enter Station ID, Network Port, and Network Address. This is the IP address of the PLC.

  7. Click Add Device to finalize the new DeviceHub device.

Monitor or Delete a DeviceHub Device

Device Statuses

During polling status, OT Link is in the process of polling the device for a response before deciding if the PLC is connected or disconnected.

If a PLC is properly communicating with OT Link DeviceHub and OT Link receives a response from the it during polling, it will show connected status on its card.

If OT Link polls the PLC device and does not receive a response, it will show disconnected status on its card.

Actions and Icons

When adding a PLC device, icons will appear in the device card.

See also Troubleshoot Device Connectivity Status.

  1. Copy the driver name to the clipboard. This is useful for uploading a large number of tags. See DeviceHub Bulk Upload Tags.
  2. Copy the device ID. This is useful for bulk-loading tags. See DeviceHub Bulk Upload Tags.
  3. Refresh the status of the device. Use when you change a parameter of the PLC.
  4. Edit the device parameters. Such as the name and IP address.
  5. Delete the device. When deleting a device, you will be shown a warning, Deleting this device is irreversible, you will be prompted to explicitly enter the name of the device. Note that you must type the case-sensitive name exactly as it appears.

After deleting a DeviceHub device, we recommend re-booting the OT Link IPC (Industrial PC) before adding another PLC to DeviceHub. It takes some time before the device will actually delete in the back-end.

Manage a Device

If the PLC is not physically connected to the network as OT Link, user can manage the device driver and stop the calls to the PLC. Devicehub has a manage topic which can be used to start stop the driver instance using flows.

To Stop a driver communication

Send the string payload shown below to the devicehub.manage.deviceid topic.

{"command": "pause"}

To Start a driver communication

Send the string payload shown below to the devicehub.manage.deviceid topic.

{"command" : "resume"}