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Overview

Welcome to the Intellija Gateway! This section will help you understand the core concepts and architecture before diving into configuration.

System Architecture

The Intellija Gateway connects your industrial devices to MQTT platforms using a hierarchical structure:

System Architecture Screenshot placeholder: Architecture diagram showing Organization → Broker → Group → Node → Device → Tags

Hierarchy Explained

Sparkplug Group(s)
└── Edge Node(s)
    └── Modbus Device(s)
        └── Tag Group(s)
            └── Tag(s)

1. Sparkplug Group

A logical grouping of edge nodes (equivalent to Sparkplug "group_id"). Example: "Plant1", "WaterTreatment", "Building3"

2. Edge Node

Represents this gateway instance in Sparkplug B terminology (the "edge_node_id"). Multiple devices can belong to one node.

3. Modbus Device

A physical Modbus TCP device (PLC, VFD, sensor, meter). Each device has: - IP address and port - Modbus slave/unit ID - Connection settings (timeouts, retries) - Optional host redundancy (primary/secondary IPs)

4. Tag Group

A collection of tags that poll together at the same rate. Groups allow you to: - Organize related tags logically - Set different polling rates (fast for critical data, slow for non-critical) - Enable/disable groups independently

5. Tag

An individual data point from the Modbus device. Tags define: - Register address and type (Holding Register, Input Register, Coil, Input Status) - Data type (Int16, Float32, Boolean, String, etc.) - Scaling and engineering units - Sparkplug metric name

Data Flow

Data Flow Diagram Screenshot placeholder: Flowchart showing Modbus Device → Gateway (Poll/Read) → MQTT Publish → SCADA/Platform

Forward Path (Data Acquisition)

  1. Poll: Gateway polls Modbus device at configured intervals
  2. Read: Gateway reads register values and converts to engineering units
  3. Process: Apply RBE filtering, burst rules, and data transformations
  4. Publish: Send data to MQTT broker using Sparkplug B protocol
  5. Consume: Your SCADA or platform receives the data

Reverse Path (Remote Control)

  1. Command: SCADA sends Sparkplug DCMD message
  2. Receive: Gateway receives command via MQTT
  3. Validate: Check tag exists and is writable
  4. Write: Write value to Modbus register
  5. Confirm: Log result and publish status

Key Concepts

Sparkplug B Protocol

Sparkplug B is an industrial IoT protocol built on MQTT. Key messages:

  • NBIRTH: Edge node announces itself and capabilities
  • DBIRTH: Device announces itself and all tags (schema)
  • DDATA: Device publishes tag values
  • DCMD: Command sent to device (write operation)
  • NDEATH: Edge node disconnection notification

The gateway handles all Sparkplug messaging automatically.

Polling & Optimization

Tags are grouped and polled at regular intervals. The gateway automatically:

  • Batches reads: Consecutive registers are read in a single Modbus request
  • Respects frame delays: Waits between requests to avoid overwhelming devices
  • Handles retries: Automatically retries failed reads
  • Tracks statistics: Success rates, response times, error counts

Templates

Device templates allow you to:

  • Pre-configure tag lists for common device models
  • Deploy multiple identical devices quickly
  • Maintain consistent naming and configuration
  • Import from JSON files

Report by Exception (RBE)

Only publish values when they change, reducing MQTT bandwidth by 90%+ for slowly-changing data.

Burst Polling

Temporarily increase polling rate for specific tags, triggered by remote command or event.

User Interface Overview

Main UI Layout Screenshot placeholder: UI showing navigation sidebar, main content area, and top toolbar

The web interface provides:

  • Dashboard: System health, connection status, active alarms
  • Configuration: Manage all entities (brokers, nodes, devices, tags)
  • Monitoring: Real-time data, statistics, connection status
  • Templates: Create and apply device templates
  • Logs: View command history and system logs

Next Steps

Now that you understand the architecture:

  1. Log in for the first time
  2. Configure MQTT broker
  3. Configure your first device

Tip: Keep this architecture in mind as you configure the system. Understanding the hierarchy will help you organize your deployment effectively.