Creating a Product

Overview

A product is a device model, which is a set of service attributes of devices of the same type. Each device belongs to a product and inherits all service attributes of the product.

Product information includes basic information and thing model. It describes what a product is, what functions the product can provide, and what services the product can provide for external systems.

• Basic information

  Describes basic information about a device, including the manufacturer name, manufacturer ID, product type, product model, protocol type, and device type. The product model and manufacturer ID are used together to identify a product.

  For example, the product model of a water meter is NBIoTDevice, the manufacturer name is HZYB, the manufacturer ID is TestUtf8ManuId, and the device type is WaterMeter.

• Thing model

  Service capabilities of a device need to be defined. After the capabilities of a device are divided into multiple thing model services, define the attributes, commands, and command parameters of each thing model service.

  Take a water meter as an example. It has multiple capabilities, such as reporting data about the water flow, alarms, power, and connections, and receiving various commands delivered by a server. When describing the capabilities of a water meter, you can divide the capabilities into five thing model services, and define the attributes reported by each thing model service and their supported commands, as listed in the following table.

  Table 1 Service description

  Thing Model Service	Description
  WaterMeterBasic	Used to define parameters reported by the water meter, such as the water flow, temperature, and pressure. If these parameters need to be controlled or modified using commands, you also need to define parameters in the commands.
  WaterMeterAlarm	Used to define data reported by the water meter in various alarm scenarios. Commands need to be defined if necessary.
  Battery	Used to define data including the voltage and current intensity of the water meter.
  DeliverySchedule	Used to define transmission rules for the water meter. Commands need to be defined if necessary.
  Connectivity	Used to define connection parameters for the water meter.

  NOTE:

  The number of thing model services defined depends on the requirements. In the preceding example, the alarm thing model service can be split into the water pressure alarm service and traffic alarm service, or the alarm service can be integrated into the basic water meter service.

Prerequisites

• Each product must belong to an integration application. Before creating a product, ensure that an integration application is available. Otherwise, create an integration application first.
• If you need to create a product by using a product template, create a product template first.

Creating a Product

1. Log in to the ROMA Connect console. On the Instances page, click View Console next to a specific instance.
2. In the navigation pane on the left, choose LINK > Product Management. On the page displayed, click Create Product in the upper right corner.
3. In the Create Product dialog box, set product parameters and click OK.

   Table 2 Parameters for creating a product

   Parameter	Description
   Product Type	Select a product type. Common: indicates a directly connected device or a gateway subdevice. Gateway: indicates a gateway product of the Edgeshell type.
   Protocol Type	Select the protocol type used by the product. MQTT: a publish-subscribe network protocol that transports messages between devices. Modbus: a serial communication protocol. OPC UA: an Ethernet-based communication protocol.
   Integration Application	Select the integration application to which the product belongs.
   Product Template	After a product template is selected, the created product has all services and attributes of the product template. Only product templates in the Enabled state can be selected.
   Product Name	Enter a product name. It is recommended that you enter a name based on naming rules to facilitate search.
   Manufacturer Name	Enter the manufacturer name of the device in use.
   Manufacturer ID	Enter the manufacturer ID of the device in use.
   Product Model	Enter the product model of the device in use. The product model and manufacturer ID collectively identify a product. The combination of product model and manufacturer ID must be unique.
   Device Type	Select the type of the device to be connected. You can select Default Type or add a device type that is added in DEVICE_TYPE on the Data Dictionaries tab page of the Instances page. For details, see Creating a Data Dictionary.
   Model Version	Enter a custom model version of the device.
   Description	Enter a brief description of the product.

(Optional) Adding a Thing Model Service for a Product

1. On the ROMA Connect console, choose LINK > Product Management and click a product name to access the product details page.
2. Add thing model services for the product.
   1. On the Thing Model tab page, click Create.
   2. In the Create Thing Model Service dialog box, set thing model service parameters and click OK.

      Table 3 Parameters for creating a thing model service

      Parameter	Description
      Name	Enter a thing model service name. It is recommended that you enter a name based on naming rules to facilitate search.
      Status	This parameter specifies whether to enable the thing model service. The thing model service is enabled by default.
      Description	Enter a brief description of the thing model service.

3. Add attributes for the thing model service.
   1. On the Thing Model tab page, select the thing model service for which you want to add attributes.
   2. On the Attributes tab page, click Create.
   3. In the Create Attribute dialog box, set attribute parameters and click OK.

      Table 4 Parameters for creating an attribute

      Parameter	Description
      Name	Enter an attribute name. It is recommended that you enter a name based on naming rules to facilitate search.
      Data Type	Select the data type of the attribute. Int: integer. If you select Int, you also need to specify Min. Value, Max. Value, Step, and Unit. Number: number. If you select Number, you also need to specify Min. Value, Max. Value, Step, and Unit. String: a character string. If you select String, you also need to specify Data Length and Enumerated Value. Bool: Boolean. If you select Bool, you also need to specify 0 and 1. Datetime: date. If you select Datatime, you also need to specify Data Length. JsonObject: JSON object. If you select JsonObject, you also need to specify Data Length. Array: array. The following uses the Int type as an example: When defining the temperature attribute for thermometers, set Type to Int, Min. Value to 0, Max. Value to 100, Step to 2, and Unit to °C. This indicates that the device reports the temperature value (for example, 0°C, 2°C, 4°C, 6°C and 8°C) each time the temperature changes by two degrees.
      Mandatory	This parameter specifies whether the attribute must be reported by a device. This parameter is enabled by default.
      Description	Enter a brief description of the attribute.
      Min. Value	Enter the minimum value of the attribute. The value must be of the Int type.
      Max. Value	Enter the maximum value of the attribute. The value must be of the Int type.
      Step	Enter the step of the attribute. The value must be of the Int type.
      Unit	Enter the unit of the attribute. The value cannot exceed 50 characters. For example, the unit of the temperature attribute can be °C.

4. Add commands for the thing model service.
   1. On the Thing Model tab page, select the thing model service for which you want to add commands.
   2. On the Commands tab page, click Create.
   3. In the Create Command dialog box, set command parameters and click OK.

      Table 5 Parameters for creating a command

      Parameter	Description
      Command Name	Enter a command name. It is recommended that you enter a name based on naming rules to facilitate search.
      Description	Enter a brief description of the command.

   4. Locate the created command in the command list and click next to the command name to expand the command field list.

      Click Delivery Command Fields or Response Command Fields on the right to view the delivery command fields and response command fields of the command.

   5. Click Create Field.
   6. In the Create Delivery Command Field or Create Response Command Field dialog box, set field parameters and click OK.

      Table 6 Parameters for creating a field

      Parameter	Description
      Field Name	Enter a field name. It is recommended that you enter a name based on naming rules to facilitate search.
      Data Type	Select the data type of the command field. Int: integer. If you select Int, you also need to specify Min. Value, Max. Value, Step, and Unit. Number: number. If you select Number, you also need to specify Min. Value, Max. Value, Step, and Unit. String: a character string. If you select String, you also need to specify Data Length and Enumerated Value. Bool: Boolean. If you select Bool, you also need to specify 0 and 1. Datetime: date. If you select Datatime, you also need to specify Data Length. JsonObject: JSON object. If you select JsonObject, you also need to specify Data Length. Array: array.
      Mandatory	This parameter specifies whether the field must be carried in the delivery command. By default, the field must be carried.
      Description	Enter a brief description of the command field.
      Min. Value	Enter the minimum value of the delivery command field. The value must be of the Int type.
      Max. Value	Enter the maximum value of the delivery command field. The value must be of the Int type.
      Step	Enter the step of the delivery command field. The value must be of the Int type.
      Unit	Enter the unit of the delivery command field. The value cannot exceed 50 characters. For example, the unit of the voltage field can be V.

(Optional) Adding a Customized Topic for a Product

If the basic topics of a device cannot meet your requirements, you can customize a topic for the device. After the customized topic is added to a product, the topic is inherited by all devices under the product.

1. On the ROMA Connect console, choose LINK > Product Management and click a product name to access the product details page.
2. On the Topic Classes tab page, click Create Topic.
3. In the dialog box displayed, configure topic information and click OK.

   Table 7 Parameters for creating a topic

   Parameter	Description
   Operation Permission	Select the topic permission granted for the device. Publishing: The device has the permission to publish messages into the topic. Subscription: The device has the permission to subscribe to the topic and obtain messages from the topic.
   Topic Class Name	Enter the custom field in the name of the custom topic. The version number, device ID, and customized fields form a custom topic name: /{Version number}/{Device ID}/{Custom field}.
   Version Number	Enter the version number of the topic, for example, V1.0.
   Description	Enter the brief description of the custom topic.