Data Sources

TwinEdge connects to industrial equipment through various protocols and data sources. This guide covers how to configure and manage your data connections.

Supported Protocols

OPC UA

OPC UA (Unified Architecture) is the most common protocol for industrial communication.

Connection Parameters:

Parameter	Description	Example
Endpoint URL	OPC UA server address	opc.tcp://192.168.1.100:4840
Security Mode	Connection security	None, Sign, SignAndEncrypt
Security Policy	Encryption policy	Basic256Sha256, Aes128_Sha256_RsaOaep
Authentication	User authentication	Anonymous, Username/Password, Certificate

Example Configuration:

name: Plant PLC
type: opcua
endpoint: opc.tcp://192.168.1.100:4840
security_mode: SignAndEncrypt
security_policy: Basic256Sha256
authentication:
  type: username_password
  username: opcuser
  password: ${OPC_PASSWORD}

Certificate Setup

For secure connections, upload your client certificate in Settings → Certificates. TwinEdge will automatically handle certificate exchange with the OPC UA server.

Modbus TCP

Modbus TCP is widely used for PLCs and RTUs.

Connection Parameters:

Parameter	Description	Example
Host	Device IP address	192.168.1.50
Port	TCP port (default 502)	502
Unit ID	Modbus slave address	1
Polling Interval	Data refresh rate	1000ms

Register Types:

Type	Code	Address Range	Access
Coils	0x	00001-09999	Read/Write
Discrete Inputs	1x	10001-19999	Read Only
Input Registers	3x	30001-39999	Read Only
Holding Registers	4x	40001-49999	Read/Write

MQTT

Connect to MQTT brokers for IoT sensor data.

Connection Parameters:

Parameter	Description	Example
Broker URL	MQTT broker address	mqtts://broker.example.com:8883
Client ID	Unique client identifier	twinedge-prod-001
Username	MQTT username	twinedge
QoS	Quality of Service	0, 1, or 2

Topic Patterns:

# Subscribe to all sensors
sensors/+/temperature

# Subscribe to specific device
devices/pump-001/#

Adding a Data Source

1. Navigate to Data Sources in the sidebar
2. Click Add Data Source
3. Select the protocol type
4. Enter connection parameters
5. Click Test Connection
6. If successful, click Save

Browsing Tags

After connecting, browse available tags:

1. Click Browse Tags on your data source
2. Navigate the namespace tree (OPC UA) or register map (Modbus)
3. Select tags to monitor
4. Click Add Selected

Tag Configuration

For each tag, you can configure:

Setting	Description
Display Name	Human-readable name
Unit	Engineering unit (°C, bar, m/s)
Polling Rate	How often to read (ms)
Scaling	Linear scaling (y = mx + b)
Dead Band	Minimum change to report
Data Type	Override detected type

Data Quality

TwinEdge tracks data quality using OPC UA status codes:

Quality	Icon	Description
Good	🟢	Valid data
Uncertain	🟡	Data may be stale or inaccurate
Bad	🔴	Communication error or invalid

High Availability

For critical data sources, configure redundancy:

1. Click Configure Redundancy on your data source
2. Add backup server addresses
3. Set failover timeout
4. TwinEdge will automatically switch on failure

Data Source Groups

Organize data sources into groups:

1. Go to Data Sources → Groups
2. Click Create Group
3. Drag data sources into groups
4. Use groups for access control and dashboard filtering

Troubleshooting

Connection Failed

• Verify network connectivity (ping the device)
• Check firewall rules for required ports
• Confirm credentials are correct
• Review security certificates

No Data / Timeout

• Increase polling interval
• Check device is not overloaded
• Verify tag addresses are correct
• Monitor network latency

Stale Data

• Check device clock synchronization
• Verify polling is enabled
• Review dead band settings

See Troubleshooting Guide for more solutions.