Centralized Azure Device Management for Your Entire Fleet

With Azure Device Management, you can manage all your devices from a single platform, making it easier to keep track of your entire fleet. This means you can monitor, update, and secure all your devices in one place.

Azure provides a centralized dashboard to view and manage all your devices, regardless of their location or type. This dashboard offers real-time visibility into device status, health, and performance.

By having a unified view of your entire fleet, you can quickly identify and address any issues that may arise, reducing downtime and improving overall device health.

Windows IoT devices have a much more restricted connectivity and less local resources compared to desktops, laptops, and phones. This makes remote device management a challenge.

To overcome this, Microsoft announced Azure IoT Hub device management in Fall 2016, providing a robust device management solution that can be used across various platforms.

Azure IoT Hub provides features and an extensibility model that enable device and back-end developers to build device management solutions. This includes device twins, direct methods, and more.

The device twin is a JSON document that stores device state information, such as metadata, configurations, and conditions. This information is persisted in the Azure IoT Hub.

Before an IoT device can be managed through the Azure IoT Hub, it must be registered with a unique device identity and an authentication key. The authentication key needs to be securely stored on the device.

In Windows 10 IoT Core, the authentication key can be stored in the TPM. This ensures that the key is securely stored and can be used for device management.

Devices connecting to Azure IoT Hub can only have one connection to the service. This means that all applications, including the DM library, must share an Azure IoT Hub connection.

Device management is a crucial aspect of Azure IoT Hub, enabling you to remotely manage your devices and keep them up-to-date with the latest configurations and software. This is made possible through the use of device twins and direct methods, which allow you to send commands and updates to devices in real-time.

Azure IoT Hub provides a robust device management solution, with features such as device restart, certificate and application management, and more. These capabilities can be accessed via the Windows IoT Azure DM Client Library, which allows developers to easily add device management capabilities to their Azure connected Windows IoT Core devices.

You can use the tags property from your twins to target specific devices or modules that should receive this configuration, and each configuration needs a priority number to determine which one wins in case of a conflict. The highest numerical value is considered the highest priority, and if two configurations have the same priority number, the one that was created most recently wins.

Automatic device configurations can target device twin tags, and automatic module configurations can target module twin tags. You can specify just the tag or reported property to target, or use a query to specify tags or reported properties from the modules registered to the IoT hub.

Windows Management is a crucial aspect of device management. With the release of the Windows 10 Creators Update, the Windows IoT Azure DM Client Library is now available, making it easier for developers to add device management capabilities to their Azure connected Windows IoT Core device.

This library is an open source solution that allows for robust device management. It provides features such as device restart, certificate and application management, and many others, all accessible via Azure IoT Hub device management.

Enterprise device management for Windows has been around for many years. However, IoT devices present unique challenges due to their limited connectivity, restricted resources, and often lack of user interface.

Remote device management requires devices to be provisioned for a DM service, adding to the complexity of device setup. This is a significant challenge in the IoT space, where devices often have limited capabilities compared to desktops, laptops, and phones.

The Integrated Client plays a crucial role in managing Windows IoT Core devices through Azure IoT Hub. It connects the CSP-based device management stack in Windows IoT Core with the cloud back-end based on Azure IoT Hub.

The client runs on the device and translates direct method calls and desired properties updates to CSP calls. It also queries the device state using CSP calls and translates that into reported properties for the device twin in the Azure IoT Hub.

By using the client, you can leverage the device twin and direct methods to support the business logic of your IoT solution and implement device management operations.

Targeting the right devices or modules is crucial for effective device management. You can use the tags property from your twins to target specific devices or modules.

Automatic device configurations can only target device twin tags, while automatic module configurations can only target module twin tags. This means you need to be specific about what you're targeting.

Each configuration needs a priority number, which determines the order of precedence in case of conflicts. The highest numerical value is considered the highest priority, and if two configurations have the same priority number, the one created most recently wins.

You can enter a positive integer for the configuration Priority, making sure it's unique to avoid conflicts. A higher number means higher priority.

To determine which devices or modules will be targeted, you need to enter a Target condition based on twin tags or twin reported properties. This condition should match the expression format, and you can specify just the tag or reported property to target.

For automatic device configuration, you can use a simple tag or reported property to target, like tags.environment='test' or properties.reported.chillerProperties.model='4000x'. You can also use * to target all devices.

For automatic module configuration, you need to use a query to specify tags or reported properties from the modules registered to the IoT hub. For example, from devices.modules where tags.environment='test' or from devices.modules where properties.reported.chillerProperties.model='4000x'.

Here's a summary of the Target condition options:

Jobs are a powerful tool in device management, allowing you to schedule and send commands to multiple devices at the same time.

You can use jobs to manage devices in bulk in your Azure IoT Central application, making it easier to keep track of and control your devices.

Jobs let you roll back to a previous state if the commands fail, ensuring that your devices remain in a stable and functional state.

You can schedule jobs on multiple devices through IoT Hub, giving you the flexibility to manage your devices from a central location.

Here are some key benefits of using jobs in device management:

One of the most significant advantages of device management is that it allows devices to function even without an internet connection. This is particularly useful in areas with poor network coverage or where devices are used in situations where internet access is not available.

Devices can be configured to operate in offline mode, enabling users to access critical features and applications even when not connected to the internet. This is achieved through a process called caching, which stores frequently used data locally on the device.

Cached data can include frequently accessed apps, documents, and settings, allowing users to continue working even when offline. This is especially useful for users who need to access critical information or complete tasks in areas with limited connectivity.

The ability to function offline is also crucial for devices used in mission-critical applications, such as healthcare or emergency services, where connectivity may be unreliable or unavailable. In these situations, devices must be able to operate independently to ensure continuity of service.

By enabling devices to function offline, device management systems provide users with greater flexibility and productivity, regardless of their location or connectivity status.

Implementing twins is a crucial step in device management, particularly when it comes to automatic device configurations. Device twins are used to synchronize state between the cloud and devices.

Automatic device configurations require the use of device twins, as stated in Example 3: "Automatic device configurations require the use of device twins to synchronize state between the cloud and devices."

Module twins are used for automatic module configurations, which target specific modules registered to the IoT hub. Module twins are also used to synchronize state between the cloud and modules.

To implement twins, you need to understand how they work. Device twins and module twins are used to synchronize state between the cloud and devices/modules, respectively.

Device twins have a tags property that can be used to target specific devices. Module twins also have a tags property that can be used to target specific modules.

Here is a summary of the types of twins used in device management:

In the next section, we'll explore how to configure device twins and module twins to implement automatic device configurations.

You can create a configuration in your Azure IoT hub to manage device settings. You can create a maximum of 100 automatic configurations on standard tier IoT hubs, or ten on free tier IoT hubs.

To create a configuration, you'll need to follow these steps:

If you wish to remove an existing property, simply specify the property value to null.

The Windows IoT Client Library is a game-changer for device management. It connects the CSP-based device management stack in Windows IoT Core with the cloud back-end based on Azure IoT Hub.

This library translates direct method calls and desired properties updates to CSP calls, making it easy to manage devices remotely. The client also queries the device state using CSP calls and translates that into reported properties for the device twin in the Azure IoT Hub.

Before an IoT device can be managed through the Azure IoT Hub, it must be registered with a unique device identity and an authentication key. The authentication key needs to be securely stored on the device to prevent accidental or malicious duplication of the device identity.

The Windows IoT Azure DM Client Library is an open-source library that allows developers to easily add device management capabilities to their Azure connected Windows IoT Core device. It provides features such as device restart, certificate and application management, and many others.

Devices connecting to Azure IoT Hub can only have one connection to the service, so all applications, including the DM library, must share an Azure IoT Hub connection.

To give your device configuration a unique identity, you need to give it a name that's up to 128 characters long. Lowercase letters and certain special characters like -,+,*! are allowed, but spaces are a no-go.

You can use a combination of letters and special characters to create a name that stands out. I've seen people use a mix of words and symbols to make their names more memorable.

To make it easier to track your configurations, you can add labels to your device configuration. Labels are Name, Value pairs that describe your configuration, like HostPlatform, Linux or Version, 3.0.1.

For example, you could label your configuration with a Name, Value pair like "DeviceType, Smartphone". This helps you quickly identify the type of device you're configuring.

Now that you've given your configuration a name and added some labels, you can move on to the next step by selecting Next.

Twin settings are a crucial part of device configuration, allowing you to define the content to be set in targeted device twin or module twin desired properties. This is done by specifying the twin path and JSON content to be inserted in that section.

You can set individual settings by specifying the entire twin path and providing the value with no brackets. For example, with the twin path properties.desired.chiller-water.temperature, set the content to 66. Then create a new twin setting for the pressure property.

If two or more configurations target the same twin path, the content from the highest priority configuration will apply. Priority is defined in step 4, which you can learn more about in the configurations section.

You can add additional settings by selecting Add Device Twin Setting or Add Module Twin Setting. This allows you to build a robust configuration that meets the needs of your devices.

Here's a quick rundown of the twin path and JSON content:

This table illustrates the relationship between the twin path and JSON content. Make sure to specify the correct path and content for each setting to avoid any issues with your configuration.

Connecting to the IoT Edge hub from a module requires the same connection steps as for any client. You can use the ModuleClient from the Azure IoT SDK to connect and use the IoT Edge routing and communication methods.

A module instance is analogous to a device in the sense that it can send device-to-cloud messages and receive direct methods targeted specifically to its identity. It also has a module twin that is distinct and isolated from the device twin and other modules of that device.

IoT Edge supports multiple operating systems, including Linux containers. Currently, C, C#, Java, Node.js, and Python are supported on AMD64 and ARM32 Linux containers.

To learn more about custom modules and their development, see Develop modules for Azure IoT Edge and Develop and debug modules for Azure IoT Edge.