Create and provision an IoT Edge for Linux on Windows device using X.509 certificates

Applies to: IoT Edge 1.1

Important

IoT Edge 1.1 end of support date was December 13, 2022. Check the Microsoft Product Lifecycle for information about how this product, service, technology, or API is supported. For more information about updating to the latest version of IoT Edge, see Update IoT Edge.

This article provides end-to-end instructions for registering and provisioning an IoT Edge for Linux on Windows device.

Every device that connects to an IoT hub has a device ID that's used to track cloud-to-device or device-to-cloud communications. You configure a device with its connection information, which includes the IoT hub hostname, the device ID, and the information the device uses to authenticate to IoT Hub.

The steps in this article walk through a process called manual provisioning, where you connect a single device to its IoT hub. For manual provisioning, you have two options for authenticating IoT Edge devices:

• Symmetric keys: When you create a new device identity in IoT Hub, the service creates two keys. You place one of the keys on the device, and it presents the key to IoT Hub when authenticating.

  This authentication method is faster to get started, but not as secure.

• X.509 self-signed: You create two X.509 identity certificates and place them on the device. When you create a new device identity in IoT Hub, you provide thumbprints from both certificates. When the device authenticates to IoT Hub, it presents one certificate and IoT Hub verifies that the certificate matches its thumbprint.

  This authentication method is more secure and recommended for production scenarios.

This article covers using X.509 certificates as your authentication method. If you want to use symmetric keys, see Create and provision an IoT Edge for Linux on Windows device using symmetric keys.

Note

If you have many devices to set up and don't want to manually provision each one, use one of the following articles to learn how IoT Edge works with the IoT Hub device provisioning service:

• Create and provision IoT Edge devices at scale using X.509 certificates
• Create and provision IoT Edge devices at scale with a TPM
• Create and provision IoT Edge devices at scale using symmetric keys

Prerequisites

This article covers registering your IoT Edge device and installing IoT Edge for Linux on Windows. These tasks have different prerequisites and utilities used to accomplish them. Make sure you have all the prerequisites covered before proceeding.

Device management tools

You can use the Azure portal, Visual Studio Code, or Azure CLI for the steps to register your device. Each utility has its own prerequisites:

Portal

A free or standard IoT hub in your Azure subscription.

Visual Studio Code

• A free or standard IoT hub in your Azure subscription
• Visual Studio Code
• Azure IoT Hub extension
• Azure IoT Edge for Visual Studio Code

Azure CLI

• A free or standard IoT hub in your Azure subscription

• Azure CLI in your environment

  At a minimum, your Azure CLI version must be 2.0.70 or newer. Use az --version to validate. This version supports az extension commands and introduces the Knack command framework.

Device requirements

A Windows device with the following minimum requirements:

• System Requirements

  • Windows 10¹/11 (Pro, Enterprise, IoT Enterprise)
  • Windows Server 2019¹/2022
    _{¹ Windows 10 and Windows Server 2019 minimum build 17763 with all current cumulative updates installed.}

• Hardware requirements

  • Minimum Free Memory: 1 GB
  • Minimum Free Disk Space: 10 GB

• Virtualization support

  • On Windows 10, enable Hyper-V. For more information, see Install Hyper-V on Windows 10.
  • On Windows Server, install the Hyper-V role and create a default network switch. For more information, see Nested virtualization for Azure IoT Edge for Linux on Windows.
  • On a virtual machine, configure nested virtualization. For more information, see nested virtualization.

• Networking support

  • Windows Server does not come with a default switch. Before you can deploy EFLOW to a Windows Server device, you need to create a virtual switch. For more information, see Create virtual switch for Linux on Windows.
  • Windows Desktop versions come with a default switch that can be used for EFLOW installation. If needed, you can create your own custom virtual switch.

Tip

If you want to use GPU-accelerated Linux modules in your Azure IoT Edge for Linux on Windows deployment, there are several configuration options to consider.

You will need to install the correct drivers depending on your GPU architecture, and you may need access to a Windows Insider Program build. To determine your configuration needs and satisfy these prerequisites, see GPU acceleration for Azure IoT Edge for Linux on Windows.

Make sure you take the time to satisfy the prerequisites for GPU acceleration now. You will need to restart the installation process if you decide you want GPU acceleration during installation.

Developer tools

You can use either PowerShell or Windows Admin Center to manage your IoT Edge devices. Each utility has its own prerequisites:

PowerShell

If you want to use PowerShell, use the following steps to prepare your target device for the installation of Azure IoT Edge for Linux on Windows and the deployment of the Linux virtual machine:

1. Set the execution policy on the target device to AllSigned. You can check the current execution policy in an elevated PowerShell prompt using the following command:

   Get-ExecutionPolicy -List
   

   If the execution policy of local machine is not AllSigned, you can set the execution policy using:

   Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy AllSigned -Force
   

For more information on the Azure IoT Edge for Linux on Windows PowerShell module, see the PowerShell functions reference.

Windows Admin Center

If you want to use Windows Admin Center, use the following steps to download and install Windows Admin Center and install the Windows Admin Center Azure IoT Edge extension:

1. Download and run the Windows Admin Center installer. Follow the install wizard prompts to install Windows Admin Center.

2. Once installed, use a supported browser to open Windows Admin Center. Supported browsers include Microsoft Edge (Windows 10, version 1709 or later), Google Chrome, and Microsoft Edge Insider.

3. On the first use of Windows Admin Center, you will be prompted to select a certificate to use. Select Windows Admin Center Client as your certificate.

4. Install the Azure IoT Edge extension. Select the gear icon in the top right of the Windows Admin Center dashboard.

   

5. On the Settings menu, under Gateway, select Extensions.

6. On the Available extensions tab, find Azure IoT Edge in the list of extensions. Choose it, and select the Install prompt above the list of extensions.

7. After the installation completes, you should see Azure IoT Edge in the list of installed extensions on the Installed extensions tab.

Generate device identity certificates

Manual provisioning with X.509 certificates requires IoT Edge version 1.0.10 or newer.

When you provision an IoT Edge device with X.509 certificates, you use what is called a device identity certificate. This certificate is only used for provisioning an IoT Edge device and authenticating the device with Azure IoT Hub. It is a leaf certificate that doesn't sign other certificates. The device identity certificate is separate from the certificate authority (CA) certificates that the IoT Edge device presents to modules or downstream devices for verification.

For X.509 certificate authentication, each device's authentication information is provided in the form of thumbprints taken from your device identity certificates. These thumbprints are given to IoT Hub at the time of device registration so that the service can recognize the device when it connects.

For more information about how the CA certificates are used in IoT Edge devices, see Understand how Azure IoT Edge uses certificates.

You need the following files for manual provisioning with X.509:

• Two of device identity certificates with their matching private key certificates in .cer or .pem formats.

  One set of certificate/key files is provided to the IoT Edge runtime. When you create device identity certificates, set the certificate common name (CN) with the device ID that you want the device to have in your IoT hub.

• Thumbprints taken from both device identity certificates.

  Thumbprint values are 40-hex characters for SHA-1 hashes or 64-hex characters for SHA-256 hashes. Both thumbprints are provided to IoT Hub at the time of device registration.

If you don't have certificates available, you can Create demo certificates to test IoT Edge device features. Follow the instructions in that article to set up certificate creation scripts, create a root CA certificate, and then create two IoT Edge device identity certificates.

One way to retrieve the thumbprint from a certificate is with the following openssl command:

openssl x509 -in <certificate filename>.pem -text -fingerprint

Register your device

You can use the Azure portal, Visual Studio Code, or Azure CLI to register your device, depending on your preference.

Portal

In your IoT hub in the Azure portal, IoT Edge devices are created and managed separately from IoT devices that are not edge enabled.

1. Sign in to the Azure portal and navigate to your IoT hub.

2. In the left pane, select Devices from the menu, then select Add Device.

3. On the Create a device page, provide the following information:

   • Create a descriptive device ID. Make a note of this device ID, as you'll use it later.
   • Check the IoT Edge Device checkbox.
   • Select X.509 Self-Signed as the authentication type.
   • Provide the primary and secondary identity certificate thumbprints. Thumbprint values are 40-hex characters for SHA-1 hashes or 64-hex characters for SHA-256 hashes.

4. Select Save.

Visual Studio Code

Currently, the Azure IoT extension for Visual Studio Code doesn't support device registration with X.509 certificates.

Azure CLI

Use the az iot hub device-identity create command to create a new device identity in your IoT hub. For example:

az iot hub device-identity create --device-id device_id_here --hub-name hub_name_here --edge-enabled --auth-method x509_thumbprint --primary-thumbprint primary_SHA_thumbprint_here --secondary-thumbprint secdonary_SHA_thumbprint_here

This command includes several parameters:

• --device-id or -d: Provide a descriptive name that's unique to your IoT hub. Make a note of this device ID, as you'll use it in the next section.
• hub-name or -n: Provide the name of your IoT hub.
• --edge-enabled or --ee: Declare that the device is an IoT Edge device.
• --auth-method or --am: Declare the authorization type the device is going to use. In this case, we're using X.509 certificate thumbprints.
• --primary-thumbprint or --ptp: Provide an X.509 certificate thumbprint to use as a primary key.
• --secondary-thumbprint or --stp: Provide an X.509 certificate thumbprint to use as a secondary key.

Now that you have a device registered in IoT Hub, retrieve the information that you use to complete installation and provisioning of the IoT Edge runtime.

View registered devices and retrieve provisioning information

Devices that use X.509 certificate authentication need their IoT hub name, their device name, and their certificate files to complete installation and provisioning of the IoT Edge runtime.

Portal

The edge-enabled devices that connect to your IoT hub are listed on the Devices page. You can filter the list by type Iot Edge Device.

Visual Studio Code

While there is no support for device registration with X.509 certificates through Visual Studio Code, you can still view your IoT Edge devices if you need to.

All the devices that connect to your IoT hub are listed in the Azure IoT Hub section of the Visual Studio Code Explorer. IoT Edge devices are distinguishable from non-Edge devices with a different icon, and the fact that the $edgeAgent and $edgeHub modules are deployed to each IoT Edge device.

Azure CLI

Use the az iot hub device-identity list command to view all devices in your IoT hub. For example:

az iot hub device-identity list --hub-name hub_name_here

Any device that is registered as an IoT Edge device will have the property capabilities.iotEdge set to true.

Install IoT Edge

Deploy Azure IoT Edge for Linux on Windows on your target device.

PowerShell

Install IoT Edge for Linux on Windows on your target device.

Note

The following PowerShell process outlines how to deploy IoT Edge for Linux on Windows onto the local device. To deploy to a remote target device using PowerShell, you can use Remote PowerShell to establish a connection to a remote device and run these commands remotely on that device.

1. In an elevated PowerShell session, run each of the following commands to download IoT Edge for Linux on Windows.

   $msiPath = $([io.Path]::Combine($env:TEMP, 'AzureIoTEdge.msi'))
   $ProgressPreference = 'SilentlyContinue'
   Invoke-WebRequest "https://aka.ms/AzEflowMSI" -OutFile $msiPath
   

2. Install IoT Edge for Linux on Windows on your device.

   Start-Process -Wait msiexec -ArgumentList "/i","$([io.Path]::Combine($env:TEMP, 'AzureIoTEdge.msi'))","/qn"
   

   You can specify custom IoT Edge for Linux on Windows installation and VHDX directories by adding INSTALLDIR="<FULLY_QUALIFIED_PATH>" and VHDXDIR="<FULLY_QUALIFIED_PATH>" parameters to the install command. For example, if you want to use the D:\EFLOW folder for installation and the D:\EFLOW-VHDX for the VHDX, you can use the following PowerShell cmdlet.

   Start-Process -Wait msiexec -ArgumentList "/i","$([io.Path]::Combine($env:TEMP, 'AzureIoTEdge.msi'))","/qn","INSTALLDIR=D:\EFLOW", "VHDXDIR=D:\EFLOW-VHDX"
   

3. Set the execution policy on the target device to AllSigned if it is not already. See the PowerShell prerequisites for commands to check the current execution policy and set the execution policy to AllSigned.

4. Create the IoT Edge for Linux on Windows deployment. The deployment creates your Linux virtual machine and installs the IoT Edge runtime for you.

   Deploy-Eflow
   

   Tip

   By default, the Deploy-Eflow command creates your Linux virtual machine with 1 GB of RAM, 1 vCPU core, and 16 GB of disk space. However, the resources your VM needs are highly dependent on the workloads you deploy. If your VM does not have sufficient memory to support your workloads, it will fail to start.

   You can customize the virtual machine's available resources using the Deploy-Eflow command's optional parameters.

   For example, the command below creates a virtual machine with 4 vCPU cores, 4 GB of RAM (represented in MB), and 20 GB of disk space:

   Deploy-Eflow -cpuCount 4 -memoryInMB 4096 -vmDiskSize 20
   

   For information about all the optional parameters available, see PowerShell functions for IoT Edge for Linux on Windows.

   Warning

   By default, the EFLOW Linux virtual machine has no DNS configuration. Deployments using DHCP will try to obtain the DNS configuration propagated by the DHCP server. Please check your DNS configuration to ensure internet connectivity. For more information, see AzEFLOW-DNS.

   You can assign a GPU to your deployment to enable GPU-accelerated Linux modules. To gain access to these features, you will need to install the prerequisites detailed in GPU acceleration for Azure IoT Edge for Linux on Windows.

   To use a GPU passthrough, add the gpuName, gpuPassthroughType, and gpuCount parameters to your Deploy-Eflow command. For information about all the optional parameters available, see PowerShell functions for IoT Edge for Linux on Windows.

   Warning

   Enabling hardware device passthrough may increase security risks. Microsoft recommends a device mitigation driver from your GPU's vendor, when applicable. For more information, see Deploy graphics devices using discrete device assignment.

5. Enter 'Y' to accept the license terms.

6. Enter 'O' or 'R' to toggle Optional diagnostic data on or off, depending on your preference.

7. Once the deployment is complete, the PowerShell window reports Deployment successful.

   

   After a successful deployment, you are ready to provision your device.

Windows Admin Center

Note

The Azure IoT Edge extension for Windows Admin Center is currently in public preview. The management process may be different than for generally available features.

1. Install and open Windows Admin Center.

   On the Windows Admin Center start page, under the list of connections, you will see a local host connection representing the PC where you are running Windows Admin Center. Any additional servers, PCs, or clusters that you manage will also show up here.

   You can use Windows Admin Center to manage Azure IoT Edge for Linux on Windows on either your local device or remote managed devices. In this guide, the local host connection will serve as the target device for the deployment of Azure IoT Edge for Linux on Windows.

2. Confirm that your local device is listed under All connections, like shown below.

   

   If you want to deploy to a remote target device instead of your local device and you do not see your desired target device in the list, follow the instructions to add your device.

3. Select + Add to begin creating your deployment. The deployment creates your Linux virtual machine and installs the IoT Edge runtime for you.

4. On the Add or create resources pane, locate the Azure IoT Edge tile. Select Create new to install a new instance of Azure IoT Edge for Linux on Windows on a device.

   If you already have IoT Edge for Linux on Windows running on a device, you could select Add to connect to that existing IoT Edge device and manage it with Windows Admin Center.

   

5. The Create an Azure IoT Edge for Linux on Windows deployment pane will open. On the 1. Getting Started tab, review the minimum requirements and select Next.

6. Review the license terms, check I Accept, and select Next.

7. You can toggle Optional diagnostic data on or off, depending on your preference.

8. Select Next: Deploy.

   

9. On the 2. Deploy tab, under Select a target device, click on your listed device to validate it meets the minimum requirements. Once its status is confirmed as supported, select Next.

   

10. On the 2.2 Settings tab, review the configuration settings of your deployment. The table below shows the settings and their default values.

    Setting	Default value
    Virtual disk size in GB	16
    Memory in MB (even number)	1024
    Number of cores	2
    Azure IoT Edge version	1.1 (LTS)

    Note

    IoT Edge for Linux on Windows uses a default switch, which assigns the Linux virtual machine an internal IP address. This internal IP address cannot be reached from outside the Windows machine. You can connect to the virtual machine locally while logged onto the Windows machine.

    If you are using Windows Server, set up a default switch before deploying IoT Edge for Linux on Windows.

    You can assign a GPU to your deployment to enable GPU-accelerated Linux modules. To gain access to these features, you will need to install the prerequisites detailed in GPU acceleration for Azure IoT Edge for Linux on Windows. If you are only installing these prerequisites at this point in the deployment process, you will need to start again from the beginning.

    There are two options for GPU passthrough available: Direct Device Assignment (DDA) and GPU Paravirtualization (GPU-PV), depending on the GPU adaptor you assign to your deployment.

    For the direct device assignment method, select the number of GPU processors to allocate to your Linux virtual machine.

    For the paravirtualization method, no additional settings are needed.

    Warning

    Enabling hardware device passthrough may increase security risks. Microsoft recommends a device mitigation driver from your GPU's vendor, when applicable. For more information, see Deploy graphics devices using discrete device assignment.

    Once you are satisfied with the settings, select Next.

11. On the 2.3 Deployment tab, you can watch the progress of the deployment. The full process includes downloading the Azure IoT Edge for Linux on Windows package, installing the package, configuring the host device, and setting up the Linux virtual machine. This process may take several minutes to complete. A successful deployment is pictured below.

    

12. Once your deployment is complete, you are ready to provision your device. Select Next: Connect to proceed to the 3. Connect tab, which handles Azure IoT Edge device provisioning.

Provision the device with its cloud identity

You're ready to set up your device with its cloud identity and authentication information.

To provision your device using X.509 certificates, you will need your IoT hub name, device ID, and the absolute paths to your identity certificate and private key on your Windows host machine.

You can use the Windows Admin Center or an elevated PowerShell session to provision your devices.

PowerShell

Have the device identity certificate and its matching private key ready on your target device. Know the absolute path to both files.

Run the following command in an elevated PowerShell session on your target device. Replace the placeholder text with your own values.

Provision-EflowVm -provisioningType ManualX509 -iotHubHostname "HUB_HOSTNAME_HERE" -deviceId "DEVICE_ID_HERE" -identityCertPath "ABSOLUTE_PATH_TO_IDENTITY_CERT_HERE" -identityPrivKeyPath "ABSOLUTE_PATH_TO_PRIVATE_KEY_HERE"

For more information about the Provision-EflowVM command, see PowerShell functions for IoT Edge for Linux on Windows.

Windows Admin Center

1. On the Azure IoT Edge device provisioning pane, select ManualX509 from the provisioning method dropdown.

   

2. Provide the required parameters:

   • IoT Hub Hostname: The name of the IoT hub that this device is registered to.
   • Device ID: The name that this device is registered with.
   • Certificate file: Upload the device identity certificate, which will be moved to the virtual machine and used to provision the device.
   • Private key file: Upload the matching private key file, which will be moved to the virtual machine and used to provision the device.

3. Select Provisioning with the selected method.

4. Once the provisioning is complete, select Finish. You will be taken back to the main dashboard. Now, you should see a new device listed with the type IoT Edge Devices. You can select the IoT Edge device to connect to it. Once on its Overview page, you can view the IoT Edge Module List and IoT Edge Status of your device.

Verify successful configuration

Verify that IoT Edge for Linux on Windows was successfully installed and configured on your IoT Edge device.

PowerShell

1. Log in to your IoT Edge for Linux on Windows virtual machine using the following command in your PowerShell session:

   Connect-EflowVm
   

   Note

   The only account allowed to SSH to the virtual machine is the user that created it.

2. Once you are logged in, you can check the list of running IoT Edge modules using the following Linux command:

   sudo iotedge list
   

3. If you need to troubleshoot the IoT Edge service, use the following Linux commands.

   1. Retrieve the service logs.

      sudo journalctl -u iotedge
      

   2. Use the check tool to verify configuration and connection status of the device.

      sudo iotedge check
      

   Note

   On a newly provisioned device, you may see an error related to IoT Edge Hub:

   × production readiness: Edge Hub's storage directory is persisted on the host filesystem - Error

   Could not check current state of edgeHub container

   This error is expected on a newly provisioned device because the IoT Edge Hub module isn't running. To resolve the error, in IoT Hub, set the modules for the device and create a deployment. Creating a deployment for the device starts the modules on the device including the IoT Edge Hub module.

Windows Admin Center

1. Select your IoT Edge device from the list of connected devices in Windows Admin Center to connect to it.

2. The device overview page displays some information about the device:

   • The IoT Edge Module List section shows running modules on the device. When the IoT Edge service starts for the first time, you should only see the edgeAgent module running. The edgeAgent module runs by default and helps to install and start any additional modules that you deploy to your device.

   • The IoT Edge Status section shows the service status, and should be reporting active (running).

When you create a new IoT Edge device, it will display the status code 417 -- The device's deployment configuration is not set in the Azure portal. This status is normal, and means that the device is ready to receive a module deployment.

Uninstall IoT Edge for Linux on Windows

If you want to remove the Azure IoT Edge for Linux on Windows installation from your device, use the following commands.

1. Open Settings on Windows
2. Select Add or Remove Programs
3. Select Azure IoT Edge LTS app
4. Select Uninstall

Next steps

• Continue to deploy IoT Edge modules to learn how to deploy modules onto your device.
• Learn how to manage certificates on your IoT Edge for Linux on Windows virtual machine and transfer files from the host OS to your Linux virtual machine.
• Learn how to configure your IoT Edge devices to communicate through a proxy server.