Using SparkplugCmd Utility as Sparkplug Edge Node

For general information about the SparkplugCmd tool, see Category:SparkplugCmd Utility.

Commands, Arguments and Options

The commands described here can be entered at the SparkplugCmd> prompt, or directly on the command-line invoking the SparkplugCmd utility.

Command: edgeNode

The edgeNode command (shortened: en) creates a Sparkplug edge node with pre-defined content (metrics on the edge node itself, and devices with further metrics on them). By default, the edge node will connect (when started) to "mqtt://localhost" (unauthenticated TCP connection, using port 1883).

If you simply enter the edgeNode command (optionally with some arguments, but no sub-commands), the SparkplugCmd enters an interactive mode for this command, and you can continue by issuing one or more sub-commands, each on a separate line. Alternatively, you can include some sub-command directly following the edgeNode command (with its optional arguments), in which case the sub-command will be performed immediately.

CAUTION: Each edgeNode command invocation works on a separate, new edge node component. If you want to perform multiple operations with the same edge node, issue the edgeNode command (and its arguments) just once, entering its interactive mode (manifested by the edgeNode> prompt on the console). Then, issue the sub-commands (such as start), leaving out the edgeNode command prefix.

Arguments

The command has following arguments:

resourceDescriptor	Sparkplug broker descriptor (default mqtt://localhost/)
groupId	Group ID (default easyGroup)
edgeNodeId	Edge Node ID

For further information on the URL syntax in resourceDescriptor, and the configurable parameters of the MQTT channel, see OpcLabs.MqttNet communication package.

The edgeNodeId argument sets the ID of the Sparkplug edge node. When this value is empty (which is the default), the component will auto-generate an edge node ID that is conformant with the Sparkplug syntactic rules. It also attempts to make it unique within the Sparkplug system. Sparkplug host applications use the edge node ID to subscribe to metrics from the edge node and its devices, and to send commands to them.

Options

The edgeNode command has following specific options:

-ci|--clientId <string>	Client ID
-phi|--primaryHostId <string>	Primary Host ID
-sv|--sparkplugVersion <sparkplugVersion>	Sparkplug version

The clientId option sets the client ID that will be used for the connection to the MQTT broker. When this value is empty (which is the default), the component will generate the client ID automatically, attempting to make it unique in the Sparkplug system.

The primaryHostId option sets the Sparkplug host ID of the Sparkplug primary host application for this edge node. When this value is empty (which is the default), the edge node will not be tied to anyprimary host application, and it will publish data whenever it is connected to the broker. When this value is set to a non-empty string, the edge node will observer the status of the specified primary host application, and will only publish data when the primary host application is online.

With the sparkplugVersion option, you can set a combination of following flags: None|Specification22|Specification30|PayloadA|PayloadB . The flags represent the versions of the Sparkplug specification, payload encoding schemes and their versions.

Examples

• edgeNode, or shortened en

This command will simply show the edgeNode prompt, and allow you to enter further sub-commands. The sub-commands will all connect to "mqtt://localhost".

• edgeNode mqtt://test.mosquitto.org, or shortened en //test.mosquitto.org

This command will show the edgeNode> prompt, and allow you to enter further sub-commands. The sub-commands will all connect to the specified MQTT broker.

• edgeNode mqtt://test.mosquitto.org easyGroup easySparkplugDemo start, or shortened en //test.mosquitto.org easyGroup easySparkplugDemo start

This command will connect to "mqtt://test.mosquitto.org" and act as an edge node with ID "easySparkplugDemo" in Sparkplug group with ID "easyGroup". The start sub-command is explained further below.

Command: edgeNode start

This command starts the Sparkplug edge node, using the parameters specified in the edgeNode command. The node then runs until it is stopped by the user, or a specified time elapses. It can also be left running (see the !sustain sub-command).

While the start command is executing, events related to the edge node operations are displayed on the console. This includes connection and status information, and also data about commands being sent to the edge node or its devices.

Sub-commands

By default, the edge node runs until the you press X on the keyboard. Use the !wait sub-command to specify a finite duration. The edge node then stops automatically (unless the !sustain sub-command is used).