Northbound Manager Interface Overview

This topic provides an overview of the Northbound Manager interface, describing its main sections and configuration options for both DP Group and Plantmodel data sources.

The Northbound Manager interface is divided into several main areas for configuring and managing server connections and data sources.

  • Connection: At the top, you can select or create a server connection. The Description field allows you to enter a description for the server.
  • Settings: This section contains two tabs:
    • General: Configure protocol and data source settings.
    • Accessrights: Allows you to define the access rights to the datapoints or plantmodel nodes.
  • State: Displays the connection status for each host. In the image, "Connection Host 1" is shown as Connected with a green status bar.

General Settings

The General tab is divided into two main configuration panels:

  • Protocol: Select the communication protocol and activate or deactivate it.

    Currently only the protocol "MQTT - Sparkplug B Node" is available.

    The following parameters can be set:

    • Broker(s): The address and port of the MQTT broker
    • Username and Password: Credentials for broker authentication.
    • Type: Security type, see Connection-Type.
  • Data Source: Choose between DP Group and Plantmodel as the data source. The available parameters for each option are described below.
Note:
Currently, only views can be used as entry points. Group ID and Node ID have the same meaning in Plantmodel as in DP Group.

DP Group Parameters

When DP Group is selected, the following parameters are available:

  • Read Access Group: Name of the group for read access
  • Read/Write Access Group: Name of the group for read/write access
  • Group ID: Identifier for the group
  • Node ID: Identifier for the node
  • Use DPE Alias: Option to use DPE alias

Additional options include a button to manage DP Groups and a checkbox to include the system name in the metric name.

Plantmodel Parameters

When Plantmodel is selected, the following parameters are available:

  • Entry point: The entry point in the plant model hierarchy
  • Group ID: Identifier for the group
  • Node ID: Identifier for the node

The option to include the system name in the metric name is also available.

Connection Status

Connection status shows the current state of the currently selected connection.

Single

Shows the connection state for a single host. Status can be Connected or Standby.

Redundant

In redundant mode, only the active manager connects as Sparkplug B Node and uses NBIRTH.

The passive manager stays in standby and only uses MQTT-CONNECT.

Note:
In case of an redundancy switch, the connected manager switches from "CONNECTED" to "STAND BY" and than the "STAND BY" manager switches to "CONNECTED". This might lead to following state during the redundancy switch:

Connection-Type

Connection types define how the Sparkplug B EoN Node connects to the MQTT broker.

You can configure the connection as either unsecure or secured with TLS:

Unsecure Connection

Configure an unsecure connection for the Sparkplug B EoN Node.

  1. Set the connection type to Unsecure.
  2. Enter the broker address in the format <IP>:<Port>.
  3. Optional: Enter a username and password if required by the broker.
  4. Click Apply to save the settings.

TLS Connection

  1. Set the connection type to TLS.
  2. Enter the broker address, username, and password as required.
  3. Specify the root certificate, client certificate, and client private key files.

    Certificates must be placed in the northbound_interface/sparkplug_b directory. The directory is created automatically when switching to TLS and applying the settings.

    Only one file can be selected for each certificate. If you have an intermediate CA, add it to the root or client certificate file.

  4. Click Apply to save the settings.
Only one file can be selected for each certificate. If you have an intermediate CA, add it to the root or client certificate file.