A DSLink enables communication with edge devices and message brokers, and provides the following data acquisition functions:

• Communicates with the device using its native language
• Bridges from the device’s native protocol to the EFM protocol

See the DSLink Catalog for a list of cuurently supported microservices or DSLinks.

Install the link

1. Use a web browser to open the EFM Admin page at https://BrokerIP:8443/efm-admin
2. Select the Root Broker node.
3. Select the Management tab.
4. Select the links node.
5. Select Install Link to install a link from the online repo.
6. Select a DSLink from the dropdown list, for example: Modbus and enter a name for the link.
7. Select Invoke to start the installation.

Manage the DSLink

1. Use a web browser to open the EFM Admin page at https://BrokerIP:8443/efm-admin
2. Select the Root Broker node.
3. Select the Management tab.
4. Expand the links node.
5. Select the link installed in the previous section, for example: Modbus
6. Now you can manage the lifecycle of the DSLink (such as Start, Stop, Restart, Update, Uninstall, etc).

Set up a Spark DSLink

1. Generate a SparkBot and retrieve the Access Token.

   See the following for more information:

   • What is a Bot: https://developer.webex.com/bots.html
   • How do I create a Bot: https://developer.webex.com/apps.html
     

2. Create a new Spark space or use an existing Spark space; then add the created Bot to the space.

   

3. Install and start the attached Cisco Spark DSLink in EFM.

   Right-click to download the Cisco Spark DSLink

4. Configure the Spark DSLink using the generated Access Token.

   

5. Use the Send Message action in a dataflow to send Spark alerts.