Simulating various scenarios is essential for testing & developing real-time devices & managers. We believe that event configuration should be much easier & simple so that we can spend more time on validation & analysing the final data. We at Bevywise always strive hard to make our solutions easier & faster for our customers. Hence, we enable CSV Import option in IoT simulator to configure the IoT events to publish time-based messages. With a new update you can save your time by submitting your pre-defined data in csv file.
Assign a bulk publishing event
Sending events with different variable data at different times that is creating a time-based message publishing will make the simulator event generation more versatile & robust. CSV importer will allow you to assign a bulk publishing event during a specific time interval. You can configure the IoT events by uploading your pre-defined data set as csv file. This allows you to add or update events at one time, avoiding the need for updating multiple times.
CSV import option will simplify & saves time on the IoT event configuration. With the new update you will be able to replace the time-consuming methods & get your events to be published in an effortless, simple & faster way.
Supports JSON array
For all IoT implementations, JSON has become a default data format because of its light weightness and scalability which makes it easy to get & load the requested data quickly. JSON is preferred for all IoT applications since it can self-describe. JSON is a way to store information in an organized & easy-to-access manner. The previous version already provides support to simulate more complex nested MQTT JSON data.
Most devices use the JSON array to transfer data in a simple & efficient way. To enable testing in a more efficient way, we have made a simulator to publish messages with multiple data and information. With the new update, IoT simulator provides support to simulate JSON array data which help you check the efficiency of your devices more accurately. By this functionality, you can now simulate any level of JSON to help you test your manager application.
Keep an eye out for further updates and upgrades. Try the latest version of Bevywise IoT Simulator now
Every IoT project needs testing. IoT simulator eases the life of developers and testers by providing complete functional and load testing. IoT device simulation helps you simulate various scenarios needed for developing, testing and demonstrating real-time devices and managers. In addition, you can create your own virtual IoT device with much ease. You will be able to develop, test and demo your IoT servers, managers, MQTT clients, MQTT sensors, and MQTT Devices. IoT simulator supports MQTT protocol that it creates publish events, subscriptions and more.
Creating Publish events
Above all, IoT simulator allows you to create templates for your devices and topic names to create dynamic networks. You can send messages within a range or from random set or values based on time and client. It can send multiple values in a single message like the real world IoT devices. The publisher will send data to the broker for every second or minute based on the device. For example, the temperature of the room can be send to the broker based on time.
Connecting to IoT platform
You can connect IoT simulator to Azure IoT hub, AWS IoT core, any IoT platform like Bevywise IoT platform and any other MQTT Application or Broker. IoT simulator supports all Qos levels, WILL & Retain messages, MQTT authentication & clean session as MQTT specifications. Broker collects data from the publisher for every second or minute based on the device. Besides that you can easily hook the data stored to send it to any data visualization tool for powerful analysis and decision-making.
Creating Subscriptions
The broker will collect data from the publisher and store the data in any data base, but the data will not be sent to the receiver side until you subscribe to the existing topic. For instance, The Air conditioner needs to be switched off if the temperature reaches 25’C. The publisher will send a message to the broker and the broker will send a message to the clients who subscribe to this topic.
Configuring Device response
The automatic response which will respond to the subscriber based on the received message and topics can be done by behaviour simulator. As a result, behaviour simulation helps transforming incoming messages and publish different message and as different client. Besides that you can add alerts by using behaviour simulator.
Download IoT simulator now to create your own virtual IoT device.
Security is one of the major concerns of the IoT Manager applications. Keeping this in mind, we built the manager applications with different level of security. IoT Network Simulator is enhanced to support all manager applications based on their security practices. Similar to the previous version, the simulator supports all its options from the user interface itself.
The User interface will provide options based on the IoT applications. For example Azure IoT hub supports SAS Token and Certificate based authentication. Users will be able to create a specific network for the Azure IoT core and able to create devices that handshakes with the IoT hub based on the details specified when configuring the device. Similarly, this is possible for the AWS IOT as well.
Simulating IoT Network for Other Manager applications
For all other manager applications like Bevywise IoT Platform, Losant , and others, you will be able to specify a single certificate at the common settings page and get your devices connected to the manager application.
Device level SSL Security
Azure IoT / AWS IoT manages every device to have an unique certificate. In addition, IoT Network simulator supports configuration of the root Certificate in the settings window and ensures that you specify each and every client certificate in the device configuration screen. The WILL , QoS , retain , event messages and command messages configuration are the same as before.
Individual Device IP Address
Simulator runs on a single machine and simulates all its devices. But, The manager will be seeing all the devices from one Host (IP Address). This contradicts the realtime Simulation. In order to overcome this, the 2.0 version has added support for using Virtual IP Address. By this functionality, each simulated device will connect to the manager application from different host Address.
Sparkplug provides an open and freely available specification for how Edge of Network (EoN) gateways or native MQTT enabled end devices and MQTT Applications communicate bi-directionally within an MQTT Infrastructure. One of the unique aspects of MQTT is that it was originally designed for real time SCADA systems to help reduce data latency over bandwidth limited and often unreliable network infrastructure. Similarly the intent of the Sparkplug specification is to take full advantage of MQTT’s native Continuous Session Awareness capability as it applies to real time SCADA/IIoT solutions.
Specifications of Sparkplug
Currently there are two Sparkplug defined encoding schemes that this specification supports.
Firstly the Sparkplug A encoding scheme based on the very popular Kura open source Google Protocol Buffer definition.
Secondly the Sparkplug B encodingscheme that provides a richer data model developed with the feedback of many system integrators and end user customers using MQTT.
Sparkplug MQTT Topics and Messages
This blog guide you to simulate the Sparkplug B encoding in Bevywise IoT Simulator. Before simulating you must know about the Sparkplug Topic Namespace Elements and Sparkplug MQTT Message Types.
Sparkplug Topic Namespace Elements:
All Clients which use the Sparkplug spec will use this default UTF-8 Format Topic namespace.
namespace: It is the root element that will define both the structure of the remaining namespace elements as well as the encoding used for the associated payload data. Format for namespace is UTF-8string constant should be used. Similarly the current Sparkplug specification defines two namespaces:
Sparkplug payload definition A
namespace element should be “spAv1.0”
Sparkplug payload definition B
namespace element should be “spBv1.0”
group_id: This provides unique logical group ID of MQTT EoN nodes. For group_id the format should be UTF-8 alphanumeric string, except for the reserved characters of ‘+’ (plus), ‘/’ (forward slash), and ‘#’ (number sign). Examples of where the [group_id] might be used include Cement industry where MQTT EoN nodes on different department have the different [group_id].
message_type Element: It provide the indication as to, how to handle the MQTT payload of the message. The following message_type elements are defined for the Sparkplug Topic Namespace:
NBIRTH – Birth certificate for MQTT EoN nodes.
NDEATH – Death certificate for MQTT EoN nodes.
DBIRTH – Birth certificate for Devices.
DDEATH – Death certificate for Devices.
NDATA – Node data message.
DDATA – Device data message.
NCMD – Node command message.
DCMD – Device command message.
STATE – Critical application state message.
edge_node_id: Unquie identification for the MQTT EoN nodes within the infrastructure. For edge_node_id the format should be UTF-8 alphanumeric string, except for the reserved characters of ‘+’ (plus), ‘/’ (forward slash), and ‘#’ (number sign). The edge_node_id travels with every message published, so it should be as short as possible
device_id: Unquie ID which used to identify the device attached to the MQTT EoN node. device_id is an optional element since some messages will be either originating or destined to the edge_node_id, in that place device_id would not be required. The format of the device_id is a valid UTF-8 alphanumeric String except for the reserved characters of ‘+’ (plus), ‘/’ (forward slash), and ‘#’ (number sign). The device_id travels with every message published, so it should be as short as possible.
Simulate Sparkplug MQTT Device & Network
Bevywise IoT Simulator is a simulation tool which help users to test and develop the MQTT/IoT Applications. For installation and setup of Bevywise IoT Simulator, please refer our help doc and video tutorial.
In new network, create three MQTTEoN nodes by via device creation : spBv1.0, Node2, Node3.
Sparkplug MQTT Message Types
Sparkplug defines the Topic Namespace for set of MQTT messages that are used to manage connection state as well as bidirectional metric information exchange that would apply to many typical real-time SCADA/IIoT, monitoring, and data collection system use cases. The defined message types include:
NBIRTH – Birth certificate for MQTT EoN nodes.
NDEATH – Death certificate for MQTT EoN nodes.
DBIRTH – Birth certificate for Devices.
DDEATH – Death certificate for Devices.
NDATA – Node data message.
DDATA – Device data message.
NCMD – Node command message.
DCMD – Device command message.
STATE – Critical application state message.
Advantage of using these defined messages:
Using these defined messages the SCADA/IIOT Application can:
Initially Discover all metadata and monitor state of any EoN/Device connected to the MQTT infrastructure.
Then Discover all metrics which include all diagnostics, properties, metadata, and current state values.
Issue write/command messages to any EoN/Device metric.
Creating Sparkplug MQTT Message types in IoT Simulator
MQTT EoN NBIRTH and NDeath Certificate: The first MQTT message that an EoN node MUST publish upon the successful establishment of an MQTT Session is an EoN BIRTH Certificate.
Once an MQTT EoN node is online with a proper NBIRTH, the NDATA will published.
This enables the advantages of the native Continuous Session Awareness of MQTT to monitor the STATE of all connected MQTT EoN node and to rely on Report by Exception (RBE) messages for metric state changes over the MQTT session connection.
The payload of NDATA messages will contain any RBE or time based metric EoN node values that need to be reported to any subscribing MQTT clients.
In that, give command topic as “NBIRTH topic namespace” and command “NBIRTH”.
Next give the NDATA topic namespace in Event and give Event Data as current time and click save.
spBv1.0/Kiln/NDATA/1
Now NDATA will published to subscriber once they subscribe the NDATA topic namespace.
Device Birth Certificate[DBRITH]
The MQTT EoN node is responsible for the management of all attached physical and/or logical devices. Once the EoN node has published its NBIRTH, the customers application ensure that EoN Node is ONLINE
But each physical and/or logical device connected to this node will still need to provide this DBIRTH before consumer applications create/update the metric structure (if this is the first time this device has been seen) and set any associated metrics in the application to a “GOOD” state.
Creating the DBRITH:[namespace/group_id/DBIRTH/edge_node_id]
In that, give command topic as “NBIRTH topic namespace” and command “NBIRTH”.
Next give the DBIRTH topic namespace in Event and give Event Data as DBIRTH and click save.
spBv1.0/Kiln/DBIRTH/1
Now DBIRTH will published to subscriber once they subscribe the DBIRTH topic namespace.
Device Data Messages (DDATA):
Once an MQTT EoN node and associated devices are all online with proper Birth Certificates it is in a mode of quiescent Report by Exception (RBE) reporting of any metric that changes.
It take advantage to monitor the STATE of all connected devices and can rely on Report by Exception (RBE) messages for any metric value change over the MQTT session connection.
Click event with “Specific Duration” for 20 min duration with 10 sec interval.
In that give the topic as
spBv1.0/kiln/DDATA/1/LSM213
Select QoS as 1 and retain as 1
Give Random message as “ON|OFF” and click save.
Device Death Certificate[DDEATH]
If the device becomes unavailable for any reason (no response, CRC error, etc.) it is the responsibility of the EoN node to publish a DDEATH on behalf of the end device.
Once the DDEATH certificate published, any MQTT client subscribed to this device should set the data quality of all metrics to “STALE”.
In that, give command topic as “DDATA topic namespace” and command “OFF”.
Next give the DBIRTH topic namespace in Event and give Event Data as DDEATH and click save.
spBv1.0/Kiln/DDEATH/1
Now DDEATH will published to subscriber once they subscribe the DBIRTH topic namespace based on the DDATA.
SCADA/IIoT Host Birth and Death Certificates
The SCADA/IIoT Host Node is any MQTT Client application that subscribes to and publishes messages.
In an infrastructure, mulitple MQTT Servers provide redundancy and scalability, for that MQTT EoN nodes need to be aware of the “state” of the primary SCADA/IIoT Host application(s).
The “state” can be acheived by the unique set of Birth/Death Certificates that the SCADA/IIoT Host MQTT Client MUST publish when a new MQTT session is established.
Topic namespace for SCADA/IIOT Host : STATE/scada_host_id
It uses an aspect of the MQTT transport called a “RETAINED” publish to maintain the current state of the Primary Host MQTT Client session state to all available MQTT Servers.
The format of the scada_host_id can be valid String with the exception of the reserved characters of ‘+’ (plus), ‘/’ (forward slash), and ‘#’ (number sign).
In that give topic as SCADA/IIOT Host topic namespace[STATE/scada_host_id]: STATE/SCADABIRTH
Set WILL Retain flag as “1” and QoS as “1”
Select message type as “Text” and variant as “Constant”.
Give Payload or message as “ONLINE“.
SCADA/IIoT Host Death Certificate Payload (STATE):
When the SCADA/IIoT Host MQTT client establishes an MQTT session to the MQTT Server(s), the Death Certificate will be part of the Will Topic and Will Payload registered in the MQTT CONNECT transaction.
Give the Key as ONLINE_STATE, select “constant”, give value as TRUE and click ADD
Next click + button and
Give Key as ONLINE_TIME, select “System variable” and select “$Current_time from list
next click ADD and save the JSON.
Once the DBIRTH occurred, publish the DCMD by clicking the action icon
on the left side, now the NCMD will send commands to connected EoN nodes.
Next the subscribe the DCMD topic in SCADA/IIOT to get the Update metric from spBv1.0.
These are the Sparkplug set of MQTT Message Types that are used to manage connection state. Next connect the Bevywise IoT Simulator to built-in MQTTBroker or connect to any other MQTTBroker to start the Spatkplug Simulation. Likewise create Sparkplug message type for other Nodes.
You can get started by downloading the IoT Simulator now.
During College / research time, everyone cannot afford premium products for non commercial projects. Free IoT Products will help students, researchers, professors today help do research to innovate new things. It also helps them better to challenge the future world. IoT , AI , ML& Edge Computing are few of the fast growing technologies in the world today. We at Bevywise Networks would like to take this opportunity to encourage the students, teachers and researchers community with a free complimentary license. These products can help them do their research much easier and in a cost effective way. We provide edge clients for the various operating System , MQTT Broker , IoT Simulator tools and an IoT Platform. The hosted IoT Platform (Bevywise Device Manager ) is always free and can be used for your testing. How can you utilise these tools for your projects.
Building Edge Devices with Free IoT Products
MQTT is one of most widely adopted protocols for industrial and general purpose IoT Implementation. If you are building any edge device as part of your project, then you can utilise the MQTT Broker as your Message broker for your implementation. This will help you collect messages (events) from your edge devices, send commands to your edge devices as well using APIs.
Building Application for a Vertical
MQTT Broker is a perfect middleware which can collect the information from your edge device and then hand it over to your backend application or data store as required. You will be able to build an application for a Small and medium business use case with the MQTT Broker. We already have some integration done for MongoDB , ElasticSearch, Redis, etc.
With custom storage option
Do data analysis over these big data engines
Connect to your Big Data Engine
Integrate it with any IoT Application
If you are looking for a large scale project which needs an IoT Platform kind of framework, we can also work out a model to make it available for researchers and students. Our simulation tool can help you test your application using different variations of data.
We are happy to announce new updated MQTT Simulator which help you simulate more complex nested MQTT JSON data simulation. Here is the list of additional values the simulator can provide to your test environment.
Complex MQTT Data Simulation
Most devices today send data as nested JSON. As more than one meaningful value is packed into a message, the real world has moved on to the JSON as a default data format on all the IoT Implementations. To enable testing of such environment, we have made the simulator to publish messages that has the same kind of JSON format. You can simulate any level of nested JSON to help you test any manager application.
Emulate Real world Device Uptime
In the Real world situation, the devices connectivity cannot be uniform due to various reasons like power , network. And also the other device failure related circumstances. In order to replicate the same real time scenarios, we have added the Randomized start / stop of devices. You can specify the lowest possible uptime you would like to simulate in the networks. We will make sure the devices have an uptime that ranges from the specified value up till 100%.
For example, if you specify the minimum uptime as 91% in the MQTT Simulator, then the devices will have a uptime between 91% & 100%. The devices will be automatically stop and restart multiple times to maintain an uptime of the specified range. But Different devices will have a different stoppage time based on the random data. We are working on generating a report for uptime so that it can be compared with your manager applications report. In addition, The reports will be available in the next version of the simulator.
Flexible IoT Events
90% of the world is going to be with Sensors which are going to just publish events. These sensors sends events with different variable data and variable times. The simulator can now send events On Start , On Disconnect , For a specified time duration & For the whole day with a specified time interval , at a specified time and by a manual trigger. You can add multiple events for these each criteria and each event can have unique complete JSON with a variable data of System defined variable, RANDOM , RANGE and LINEAR data variance. These features make the simulator event generation more versatile and robust.
Refreshing MQTT Simulator UI
The MQTT simulator UI now provides a easy to view events that are published from the device and the commands received from the manager / broker application on the user interface to make the testing much easier. The User interface also has been made more cleaner for easier overall device simulation.
The Settings of the simulator like Broker Address and Port , TLS / SSL enable , Python Interceptor and Uptime simulation has been moved to the User interface for the ease of use.
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