Getting Started

Start here to install and configure hopit Edge. For product concepts and architecture, first read the hopit Edge overview; for supported machine and cloud integrations, see Targets and connectivity.

hopit Edge

Installing hopit Edge turns a supported computer into an industrial edge device that can be operated at scale and exchange data streams with PLCs, industrial equipment, brokers, cloud platforms, and other Targets. Machine and production data can also be supplied to hopit Manufacturing.

• A complete Device Twin is synchronized to a connected cloud platform and enables the operation of many Edge devices.
• With the Provisioning service, the Edge device setup becomes a simple and scalable task.
• The Deployment service automates the application installation and update process, enabling a managed roll-out of security updates.
• hopit Stream allows data to be exchanged with other machines and cloud platforms. Ready-to-use Data Lakes and Dashboards can be used to access the data.
• Several hundreds of system parameters like CPU usage, RAM usage or Service status are monitored and alerts are fired to prevent system outages.

Installation

To install hopit Edge, head over to the Download page and get the latest version.

Version 1.7.0 uses an x64, per-machine MSI installer and therefore prompts for administrator approval through Windows User Account Control (UAC). The Package Deployment feature is selected by default and installs Chocolatey for package operations.

After installation, use Windows Settings → Apps → Installed apps → hopit Edge to repair the installation, change optional features, or uninstall the application.

After successful installation, the service can be configured via a web interface which is accessible by clicking the hopit. Edge icon on the Desktop or by opening https://localhost:5050 with a web browser. It is also accessible with external devices at https://<ip-address>:5050.

Access is protected by a sign-in. By default you sign in with a local Windows user — members of the Administrators group get full access, standard Users get read-only access. You can additionally enable sign-in with a Microsoft Entra ID account and assign fine-grained roles. See the Authentication documentation for details.

First Steps

The following procedures change the Edge configuration. Sign in with the Owner, Contributor, or an appropriate granular hopit.Edge.Contribute... role. A Viewer can inspect the configuration but cannot submit changes.

info

A Trial License is automatically activated for the first 4 hours of system uptime. If your PC's uptime exceeds 4 hours, please reboot your PC to activate it. The status can be seen on the Settings page (https://localhost:5050/Settings) on the bottom. For details read the Licensing section.

hopit. Stream

A simple and explanatory configuration is to read data from a Target (Beckhoff IPC, Siemens PLC, ...), store it in a Data Lake and build a Dashboard for it.

• On the Targets (https://localhost:5050/Targets) page, enter a Name, select a protocol and click Add. Fill in the desired connection parameters, check the Enabled check-box and click Submit.
• Configure the Router (https://localhost:5050/Routes) by entering a Name for the Signal Route and click Add. Add a new Source, select the Target Name and add some Signals to read. Add a new Destination and select DataLake-edge as Target Name. Finally click Submit on the bottom of the page.
• To enable the Data Lake, open https://localhost:5050/Settings, scroll to the Data Lake section, check Enabled and click on Submit.
• Add a new Dashboard at https://localhost:5050/dashboards with the Signals you configured (for naming rules, please read the Naming and Labeling section).

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The scrape interval to read signals from Targets is configured at the Routes page (https://localhost:5050/Routes) in the Destination section.

The scrape interval which is used to store signals in the Data Lake can be configured under the Insights Collector section in https://localhost:5050/Settings

hopit. Operate

A typical operate use-case is to update the hopit Edge service. Chocolatey is installed automatically when the MSI's Package Deployment feature is selected, which is the default. If you deselected that feature, install Chocolatey manually. Then enable the Deployment service on the Settings page (https://localhost:5050/Settings).

When the service is running, you can see the currently installed version of hopit Edge on the Operations page (https://localhost:5050/Operations). To upgrade to the latest version, keep the Desired Version field empty, click the Arrow up button and confirm with Submit.

For a detailed documentation, please read the Deployment section.

Editing settings

The Settings, Targets, Routes, Operations and Device Twin pages coordinate editing across users and browser tabs. You need the appropriate access role to edit a page.

Start editing and save

The first change makes your tab the editor of the page. Other tabs that edit the same settings become read-only and show who is editing. Simply opening a page does not reserve it.

The Unsaved changes banner identifies the forms that still have changes. Use each form's Submit button to save it. Editing ends when all changes are saved, or when you leave the page or close the tab. Other tabs then show the saved settings.

If you navigate away with unsaved changes, hopit Edge asks before discarding them. Reloading or closing the tab uses the browser's confirmation prompt. To discard changes deliberately, refresh the page and confirm. Text entered in the Device Twin editor counts as unsaved until saved or reloaded, even if you undo the text manually.

Pages that share settings

Editing protection also applies between pages that change the same settings:

Page being edited	Other pages that become read-only
Settings	Targets, Routes, Operations, Device Twin
Targets	Settings, Device Twin
Routes	Settings, Device Twin
Operations	Settings, Device Twin
Device Twin	Settings, Targets, Routes, Operations

For example, another user cannot change Router settings on the Settings page while you edit Routes. The protection also applies to two tabs signed in as the same user.

Take over editing

On a read-only page, Take over opens a confirmation naming the affected editors. Confirming discards their unsaved changes and starts your edit from the last saved settings. Their pages refresh and report that editing ended. Takeover requires permission to edit the page.

If an editor loses its connection, the settings remain reserved for about 3 minutes to allow reconnection. After that, editing is released automatically. Use Take over if you need to continue sooner.

Remote updates

A Device Twin update from the hopit Portal, Azure IoT Hub or MQTT can change settings while a page is being edited. It ends editing of the affected settings, discards unsaved changes to them, and reloads the updated settings. Coordinate remote updates with anyone editing the device locally.

Save errors

If hopit Edge cannot write its settings file, it keeps the previous settings active and leaves your changes in the page. Check the error and the Log, resolve the storage problem, and submit again.

If a save reports that a restart is needed, the settings were written but could not fully take effect. Restart hopit Edge to apply that saved configuration before making further changes.

Compute scripts are saved with Routes. If a script cannot be written, the page names it and keeps it unsaved; other scripts and route settings can still be saved. Resolve the reported problem and save again. If the Compute or Device Twin editor offers Retry, use it to recover the editor while keeping text already loaded.

Licensing

Hopit Edge is using Token based licensing with each service consuming an explicit amount of Tokens. We offer subscription or perpetual based licenses.

Service	Tokens
hopit Edge core	7
Targets	2 / Target
ADS Router	free
Alerting	1
Data Lake & Dashboard	3
Deployment	5
Device Twin	5
Insights Collector	free
Log Collector	free
Router	free
System Monitor	2
System Time Sync	free
Tasks	3
VPN	free

An overview how much Tokens are available and in use, open the Settings page (https://localhost:5050/Settings) and scroll down to the License section.

info

A Trial License is automatically activated for the first 4 hours of system uptime. If your PC's uptime exceeds the 4 hour mark, please reboot your PC to activate it.

Token prices drastically decrease with the number of active Edge devices:

Edge Devices	Price reduction
1 - 10	0 %
11 - 50	25 %
51 - 100	50 %
101 - 500	75 %
501 - 2000	80 %
2001 - 5000	85 %
5001 - 10000	90 %

For more details and current Token prices please contact HEAP Engineering GmbH.