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Documentation > Configuration Guides > Device Creation and Cloud Provisioning
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Edge Device Creation and Cloud Provisioning

Overview

The Edge Devices are basic IoT entities that can generate telemetry data and process RPC commands. They are physical objects, such as sensors, actuators, switches, etc. that can collect, process and transmit data locally or to a nearby network, rather than relying solely on a centralised Cloud system.

To better understand Devices as entities in the context of the ThingsBoard platform, please refer to this documentation.

Device Management on Edge Instance

A Device entity can be created directly on the Edge instance and automatically pushed to the Cloud (Server) once a connection is established. Any changes made to the Device entity are seamlessly provisioned to the Cloud (Server) without requiring additional action, ensuring that updates are synchronized across all Edge instances.

Once the Device is created on the Edge instance, it is also pushed for creation on the Cloud (Server), ensuring consistency and efficient management of the entire system.

Creating Device on Edge Instance

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Before you create a Device, make sure to create and configure a Device Profile.

You can create and provision Device manually, deploy multiple devices from a CSV file with a Bulk Provisioning option, or use the REST API for programmatic deployment. To create the Device manually, follow these instructions:

  • Any user who has the "Write" operation permission for Devices is able to create Device entities on the Edge instance. Go to the Entities > Devices section and click the "Add new device" button.
  • In the pop-up window, fill in the required Device details fields, such as "Name" and "Device profile". Confirm the action by clicking the "Add" button.
  • To check connectivity, send telemetry on behalf of the Device using shell by following the on-screen instructions.
  • To check if the new Device has been deployed to the Cloud (Server), log in to your Cloud (Server) and navigate to the Entities > Devices section.
    For the ThingsBoard Edge Professional Edition:
    • A new Device entity group will be created with the "[Edge] {NAME_OF_EDGE} All" template name;
    • A newly created Device will be assigned to the Cloud (Server) automatically and added to group above;
    • This newly created Group will be assigned to the Edge automatically.
Any user who has the <a href="/docs/pe/reference/lwm2m-api/#write-operation" target="_blank">"Write" operation</a> permission for <b>Devices</b> is able to create <b>Device entities</b> on the <b>Edge instance</b>. Go to the <b>Entities > Devices</b> section and click the <b>"Add new device"</b> button.
Any user who has the "Write" operation permission for Devices is able to create Device entities on the Edge instance. Go to the Entities > Devices section and click the "Add new device" button.
In the pop-up window, fill in the required <b>Device details</b> fields, such as <b>"Name"</b> and <b>"Device profile"</b>. Confirm the action by clicking the <b>"Add"</b> button.
In the pop-up window, fill in the required Device details fields, such as "Name" and "Device profile". Confirm the action by clicking the "Add" button.
To check connectivity, send telemetry on behalf of the <b>Device</b> using shell by following the on-screen instructions.
To check connectivity, send telemetry on behalf of the Device using shell by following the on-screen instructions.
To check if the new <b>Device</b> has been deployed to the <b>Cloud (Server)</b>, log in to your <b>Cloud (Server)</b> and navigate to the <b>Entities > Devices</b> section.<br>For the <b>ThingsBoard Edge Professional Edition</b>:<ul><li>A new <b>Device entity group</b> will be created with the <b>"[Edge] {NAME_OF_EDGE} All"</b> template name;</li><li>A newly created <b>Device</b> will be assigned to the <b>Cloud (Server)</b> automatically and added to group above;</li><li>This newly created <b>Group</b> will be assigned to the <b>Edge</b> automatically.</li></ul>
To check if the new Device has been deployed to the Cloud (Server), log in to your Cloud (Server) and navigate to the Entities > Devices section.
For the ThingsBoard Edge Professional Edition:
  • A new Device entity group will be created with the "[Edge] {NAME_OF_EDGE} All" template name;
  • A newly created Device will be assigned to the Cloud (Server) automatically and added to group above;
  • This newly created Group will be assigned to the Edge automatically.

Assigning Devices from Cloud to Edge

Devices can be created on Cloud (Server) and then provisioned to the Edge instance. Log in to your Server (Cloud) and go to the Edge management > Instances section.

  • The variety of buttons on the "Instances" page will help you to manage different entity groups and entities, and assign them accordingly to the Edge instance. To assign a Device Group, click the "Manage edge device groups" button.
  • On the "Device groups" page, click the "+" icon and then select the Device group from the drop-down list in the pop-up window. Confirm the action by clicking the "Assign" button.
  • To add the Device, click the "+" icon on the selected group page, and fill in the required Device details fields, such as "Name" and "Device profile", in the pop-up window. Confirm the action by clicking the "Add" button.
  • To confirm that the Device and the Device Group have been assigned to the Edge instance, log in to your Edge instance and go to the Entities > Devices section.
The variety of buttons on the <b>"Instances"</b> page will help you to manage different <a href="/docs/pe/user-guide/groups/" target="_blank">entity groups</a> and <a href="/docs/user-guide/entities-and-relations/" target="_blank">entities</a>, and assign them accordingly to the <b>Edge instance</b>. To assign a <b>Device Group</b>, click the <b>"Manage edge device groups"</b> button.
The variety of buttons on the "Instances" page will help you to manage different entity groups and entities, and assign them accordingly to the Edge instance. To assign a Device Group, click the "Manage edge device groups" button.
On the <b>"Device groups"</b> page, click the <b>"+"</b> icon and then select the <b>Device group</b> from the drop-down list in the pop-up window. Confirm the action by clicking the <b>"Assign"</b> button.
On the "Device groups" page, click the "+" icon and then select the Device group from the drop-down list in the pop-up window. Confirm the action by clicking the "Assign" button.
To add the <b>Device</b>, click the <b>"+"</b> icon on the selected group page, and fill in the required <b>Device details</b> fields, such as <b>"Name"</b> and <b>"Device profile"</b>, in the pop-up window. Confirm the action by clicking the <b>"Add"</b> button.
To add the Device, click the "+" icon on the selected group page, and fill in the required Device details fields, such as "Name" and "Device profile", in the pop-up window. Confirm the action by clicking the "Add" button.
To confirm that the <b>Device</b> and the <b>Device Group</b> have been assigned to the <b>Edge instance</b>, log in to your <b>Edge instance</b> and go to the <b>Entities > Devices</b> section.
To confirm that the Device and the Device Group have been assigned to the Edge instance, log in to your Edge instance and go to the Entities > Devices section.

Next Steps