Communication Instances

A Communication Instance node represents a single edge client (a running instance of ClientService) within the hierarchy. It acts as the bridge between a physical edge device and the LineInterpreter platform — Monitor Points reference a Communication Instance to tell the platform which edge client will be polling their tags.

Accessing communication instance configuration

Open the Hierarchy Editor via Settings → Line Setup → Hierarchy. Select an existing Communication Instance node or create one with the + button and node type Communication Instance.

Fields

Name

A human-readable label for this edge client node (e.g., Line 1 Comm Node). Used for display in the hierarchy tree and when assigning Monitor Points.

Node Identifier

A unique string that identifies this edge client to the platform. This value must exactly match the --node_identifier argument passed to the ClientService process running on the edge device.

ClientService --node_identifier=line1-comm-node

The platform uses this identifier to look up the correct configuration when the edge client requests it via MQTT, and to associate incoming production and alarm records with the right communication node.

Caution

If the Node Identifier does not match an existing Communication Instance in the hierarchy, the edge client will be unable to retrieve its configuration and will log a “Node identifier not found” error.

Relationship to Monitor Points

Each Monitor Point must select a Communication Instance as its Communication Node. This tells the platform which edge client is responsible for reading that monitor point’s tags. A single Communication Instance can serve multiple Monitor Points.