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EdgeLink

Installation files

EdgeLink is a software system developed for Advantech gateways, designed to serve as a central hub in IoT architectures. In typical application scenarios, a gateway connects to various smart devices through the southbound interface and to cloud or enterprise platforms via the northbound interface. Positioned in the middle layer, the gateway handles data collection, processing, and forwarding — playing a crucial role in IoT-based business operations.

Warning

The version of the Router App should be identical to the version of EdgeLink Studio.

Caution

EdgeLink is supported only on ICR-32xx-EL PNs that have a valid license. If you choose to install it on a standard ICR-32xx, you can do so, but it will run with a trial license limited to 2 hours. Support is strictly only for ICR-32xx models on the v3 platform.

EdgeLink consists of two main components:

  • EdgeLink Studio — an offline configuration tool for setting up communication and network interfaces, supporting one-click deployment and real-time device monitoring.
  • EdgeLink Runtime — the runtime service on the gateway that executes the configurations defined in EdgeLink Studio. The EdgeLink Router App serves as the runtime itself.

You can download the EdgeLink Studio and its corresponding Manual directly from the following links.

  1. The EdgeLink Router App does not have its own web interface. Download and install it on your device from the Router Apps page. The Trial version expires after 2 hours of use.

    Router App
    Router App

  2. Open Advantech EdgeLink Studio and click the Create Project button.

    Create Project
    Create Project

  3. Fill in the fields with your desired project credentials, then click OK.

    Project Credentials
    Project Credentials

  4. Right-click on your newly created project and select Add Device. Fill in your device credentials and click Apply. Details for each field are described in the table below.

    Create Device
    Create Device
ItemDescription
NameEnter name of the device.
ModelSelect the ICR-3200 series device.
PasswordEnter password of the device.
IdentityYou can choose between IP Address/Domain Name or Azure identity.
IP Address/Domain Name

Azure		Enter IP Address or Domain Name Address of the device.
Enter IoTHub Connection String.
Enter IoT Edge Device ID number.
Time ZoneChoose the correct time zone of the device.
DescriptionWrite down description of the device.
Copy from existing deviceOptionally you can select to copy configuration of an already existing device.

Create device items description

Sample Configuration

In this example, we configure a basic setup using the Simple MQTT Tag List.

  1. In the Project Configuration panel, locate and uncheck the Data Publish (Cloud) option. Then double-click on the SimpleMQTT function to configure it.

    Simple MQTT
    Simple MQTT

  2. In the Simple MQTT interface, enter the address of your MQTT broker.

    Simple MQTT Broker Configuration
    Simple MQTT Broker Configuration

  3. Add one or more tags to the Tag List, such as #SYS_CURRENT_TIME, and then click OK to confirm.

    Simple MQTT Tag List
    Simple MQTT Tag List

  4. Click Apply to save your changes.

    Apply
    Apply

  5. If an error message appears stating "Some content in this page is error", look for a red cross icon. Hovering over it will display the exact error message.

    Simple MQTT Error
    Simple MQTT Error

  6. Once the configuration is complete, click on the project's top-level node and select Project Download to upload the project to the device.

    Project Download
    Project Download

  7. Optionally, you can install the MQTT Broker app on the device and send data to a local broker. To subscribe to the topic and receive data, connect to the router and run the following command:

    mosquitto_sub -L mqtt://localhost/data/device_id

Known Issues

If you are using a router with a valid EdgeLink license (model with -EL suffix) and you reinstall the EdgeLink application, the license may be lost during the reinstallation process.

Workaround

If the license file has been lost due to reinstallation, you can restore it manually using the following command:

cp /var/data/.edgelink/.elic /opt/edgelink/project/

Execute this command in the router's CLI after reinstallation is complete.

Note

This issue affects only licensed routers (-EL) and occurs only when the EdgeLink application is reinstalled without preserving the license file. Back up the license file before performing any manual updates or reinstallations.