Litmus Edge Guide for Azure Manufacturing Data Solutions (MDS)
Manufacturing data solutions in Microsoft Fabric and Copilot template for factory operations on Azure AI
Once Litmus Edge brings OT data from the edge into Microsoft Fabric, the data are transformed into a refined or Silver layer for use in the Manufacturing data solutions knowledge graph. The MKG leverages the ISA-95 data protocol, an international standard that enables the knowledge graph to represent factory data in an accurate, nuanced, and timely manner. These data in turn provide the foundation for the Copilot template to deliver valuable insight into factory operations.
The Copilot template provides domain-specific prompt templates, data grounding skills, and connectors; validation of outputs, via post-processing, to avoid incorrect information; and RAI guardrails to ensure only relevant, safe, responsible responses are given. Partners can extend these capabilities by creating their own prompt templates, skills, and connectors. In addition, they can use these capabilities to extend and enhance existing data and collaboration apps from both Microsoft and ISVs.
To learn more about MDS and Copilot template, visit the Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing page on Microsoft Learn.
- Navigate & log into your Azure Portal > Marketplace
- Define the following
- Resource group – define a resource group to deploy in
- Region – define a region to deploy in
- Size – Please refer to LEM System Requirement documentation for minimum & recommended sizing
- Application Name – define a name for the LEM app
- Managed Resource Group – select managed resource group
- Click Review + Create
- Agree to terms & conditions and fill in contact information on the next page
- Click Create
- Once the application is deployed successfully
- Check the inbound firewall rules in the virtual network
- 443/tcp - LEM UI access
- 8446/tcp - LEM admin console UI access
- 8883/tcp - LE to LEM MQTT connection
- 51820/udp - LE to LEM remote access connection
- Depending on desired network and architecture, we can define specific ranges of IP for source and destinations
- Review for all required and optional inbound/outbound LEM firewall ports
- Navigate back to the overview page. In the Essentials section you will find the IP address associated to LEM app by Azure
- [Optional] Configure DNS
- Enter the IP or DNS in a browser to access the LEM UI
- Access to Litmus Edge Manager
- Note: User access to UI will be determined by network & firewall configuration
- There are multiple deployment methods for LE, depending on your on-premise architecture and infrastructure
- Once the LE is deployed, we will need to configure firewall rules
- Each deployment of Litmus Edge comes with 15-day trial license. To full license LE we will need to activate it with LEM or apply a license key
- For licensing of Litmus Edge & Litmus Edge Manager, please contact your Litmus Account Representative.
- List of Litmus Edge Device IDs to be sent to MDS.
- Basic knowledge of Docker containers, Images, and Docker Run Commands.
- Before uploading the Image to Litmus Edge, ensure you have added the Litmus Solutions Registry that you can download the credentials from Litmus Central Portal.
- To Add the Registry, navigate to Applications -> Registry.
- Click the Add icon and enter the following details the Registry dialog box:
- Type: GOOGLE_CONTAINER_REGISTRY
- Name: Litmus Solutions Registry
- JSON Key: Downloaded from Litmus Central Portal
Ensure you have added the Litmus Solutions Registry before uploading the Image. If you have Internet access, you can directly pull the Image from the Registry without downloading/uploading it using the following command: docker pull us-docker.pkg.dev/litmus-customer-facing/litmus-solutions/le-azure-mds-integration:<image-version>.
- Using Environment Variables
- EDGE_API_TOKEN: Litmus Edge Access Token.
- EDGE_DEVICE_IDS: Comma-separated list of Litmus Edge Device IDs.
- MDS_PUBLISHER_ID_SUFFIX: Publisher ID Suffix for MDS (Optional - Set to Litmus Edge Hostname by default).
Remember to replace <access-token>, <device-ids>, and <publisher-id-suffix> with valid config.
- Using Config File (RECOMMENDED): Another way to run the image is by using a pre-defined Config File. You can download the flow from Litmus Central Portal and import it into Litmus Edge Flows to create the Config File. Once the Config File is created, you can run the Image using the following command:
Example Config File:
To send data from Litmus Edge to MDS, you can use either Azure Event Hub or Event Grid Connectors. See Azure Event Hubs or Azure Event Grid for more details.
Refer to the following Azure resources for learning more about Azure Event Hub and Azure Event Grid:
Once the Integration Connector is set up, you can add the following two outbound topics to send data to MDS:
- mds_data_payload - Device data to be sent to MDS.
- mds_metadata_payload - Device metadata to be sent to MDS.
The integration can be managed in real-time using the following pre-defined Config Topics:
- mds_config.add_device - Add a new device to the list of devices to be sent to MDS. The payload should contain the Device ID.
- mds_config.add_devices - Add multiple devices to the list of devices to be sent to MDS. The payload should be a comma-separated list of Device IDs.
- mds_config.remove_device - Remove a device from the list of devices to be sent to MDS. The payload should contain the Device ID.
- mds_config.republish_metadata - Republish the metadata of a device to MDS. The payload should contain the Device ID.
- mds_config.republish_metadata_all - Republish the metadata of all devices to MDS.
- mds_config.list_devices - List all devices that are being sent to MDS.
Note: Subscribe to the callback topic mds_config.callback to get the response for the above Config Topics. The new configuration will be persisted in the Config File, meaning that the changes will be retained even after restarting the container. You can use the provided Flow to override the Config File.
Download the flow from [Litmus Central Portal](https://central.litmus.io/products/le-azure-mds-integration) and import it into Litmus Edge Flows to manage the integration: You can now verify that the data is being sent to MDS by checking the Azure Event Hub or Event Grid on Azure Portal.
🎉 That’s it! You have successfully deployed the integration between Litmus Edge and MDS in Microsoft Fabric.
Upon successful deployment, data from Litmus Edge will be transformed into the MDS schema and sent to MDS via Azure Event Hub or Event Grid. Customers can use Azure Fabric and Copilot LLMs to gather analytics and insights on their industrial data.
For technical support and any questions please contact your Litmus Account Representative