Using Digi Remote Manager Profiles for Rapid Provisioning of Connect Sensor Devices.
In this tutorial, you will learn how to create a master profile based on the configuration of one Connect Sensor device, then rapidly provision numerous other units with an identical configuration.
This technique can also be used to quickly provision Digi Connect Tank ultrasonic sensors and Digi transport routers. For this example, I'm using a Windows PC, but the technique will be similar for MacIntosh. As you begin, it will be helpful to open the Windows device manager and examine any available COM ports.
The reason for this is that when you first attach a USB type B cable to the connect sensor, it will enumerate as a new serial COM port. In this case, my new COM port is COM 18. Now it's time to set the cellular APN that matches the SIM card I've inserted in the connect sensor.
To do that, I will use puTTY. However, any quality terminal application should work. When I initiate my connection to the Connect Sensor with puTTY, I need to set the connection for serial on COM 18 based on how my Connect Sensor enumerated on this computer.
Remember that your settings are likely to be different, but use a baud rate of 115/200. If the Connect Sensor appears to be unresponsive or sleeping, it may be necessary to wake the device by pressing the Wake button on the system board. When you see a command prompt caret, you will know that the unit is now responding to commands. Enter the command "set" and press Enter to review all the current settings on the Connect Sensor.
To review exactly what the current APN setting is, type "set APN" and press Enter. You can then use a command similar to the following, "set APN = your APN" to set the correct value based upon your SIM card. For this next part, you will need to follow the instructions for adding a device to Digi Remote Manager. It is generally easiest to add a Connect Sensor using its IMEI number.
If you have multiple devices, it can be advantageous to create logical groups to help with organization. Now that I am able to see my new Connect Sensor in Digi Remote Manager, I can manually wake the Connect Sensor and refresh the device list until I see the new hardware communicate with the platform for the first time.
At this point, I have switched to the Profiles tab to begin the process of creating a master profile for all my Connect Sensor devices. When I click "Create Profile," I will be guided through the process. The first thing to do is name the new profile and select the device from which my master profile will be imported. After creating my profile, I will need to select all devices that should match that configuration. Because the master configuration is imported into Digi Remote Manager, I can even select the master device to be scanned for consistency.
Now it's time to choose which elements should be checked when a profile scan occurs. For Connect Sensor and Connect Tank devices, I can have the platform scan their firmware build and configuration. For Digi transport routers, I can also scan the file system if desired. If there are portions of a configuration I want to ignore during a scan, I can simply uncheck those elements. At this point, it's time to set a scanning schedule. Connect Sensor and Connect Tank devices may be asleep and offline for long periods of time, so they will be scanned for compliance the first time they awaken and check into Digi Remote Manager after the scanning time you specify.
When devices are found that are not compliant with the master profile, the correct configuration will automatically be loaded onto them. Remember that while profile scanning is an easy way to provision new devices, it is also a great security asset for keeping the configuration intact on devices that are deployed in the field.
For more information about Digi Connect Sensor, Connect Tank, transport routers or Digi Remote Manager, go to Digi.com.