VIA Technologies SOM-9X50-STK User manual

QUICK START GUIDE
VIA SOM-9X50-STK
AWS IoT Core
1.01-10012023

Copyright
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VIA SOM-9X50-STK AWS IoT Core Quick Start Guide
Revision History
Version Date Remarks
1.01 10/01/2023
Updated descripons in secons 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.5 and 2.6 for Connecng to
AWS IoT Core.
Added a new secon 2.8 for troubleshoong AWS IoT Core connecon
issues.
1.00 07/11/2022 Inial release

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VIA SOM-9X50-STK AWS IoT Core Quick Start Guide
Table of Contents
1. Introducon.................................................................................................................................................... 1
1.1 Direcng Data from a VIA SOM-9X50-STK Device to AWS IoT Core...................................................... 1
1.2 VIA SOM-9X50-STK Device.................................................................................................................... 1
2. Connecng to AWS IoT Core........................................................................................................................... 2
2.1 Introducon .......................................................................................................................................... 2
2.2 Set up Your AWS Account and Permissions .......................................................................................... 3
2.3 Create Resources in AWS IoT ................................................................................................................ 3
2.4 Set up the VIA SOM-9X50-STK Device................................................................................................. 11
2.5 Connecng to AWS IoT Core with the VIA SOM-9X50-STK Yocto EVK ................................................ 11
2.6 Connecng to AWS IoT Core with the VIA SOM-9X50-STK Android EVK ............................................ 13
2.7 Debugging........................................................................................................................................... 16
2.8 Troubleshoong.................................................................................................................................. 16

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VIA SOM-9X50-STK AWS IoT Core Quick Start Guide
1. Introducon
This document provides instrucons on how to set up AWS IoT Core to connect with a VIA SOM-9X50-STK
device.
Note:
The VIA SOM-9X50-STK includes the VIA SOM-9X50 module and the VIA VAB-950 reference carrier board.
1.1 Direcng Data from a VIA SOM-9X50-STK Device
to AWS IoT Core
To direct data from VIA SOM-9X50-STK devices to a cloud implementaon, the AWS IoT Core Web Service must
be set up and congured to receive data coming from VIA SOM-9X50-STK devices.
Follow the steps below to set up your AWS services in order to connect a VIA SOM-9X50-STK device to an AWS
backend:
• Follow the steps listed in Secon 2.3 to register an AWS IoT Thing and to acquire the AWS IoT
cercate les for the VIA SOM-9X50-STK devices.
−Acquire the cercate (*-cercate.pem) and the private key (*-private.pem.key) les associated
with the IoT thing created, as described in Step 7 of secon 2.3.
−Acquire the Device Shadow URL described in Step 9 of secon 2.3.
1.2 VIA SOM-9X50-STK Device
The datasheet and user manual of the VIA SOM-9X50-STK device can be found on the VIA SOM-9X50-STK
product page.

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VIA SOM-9X50-STK AWS IoT Core Quick Start Guide
2. Connecng to AWS IoT Core
2.1 Introducon
This secon provides instrucons on how to establish a connecon between VIA SOM-9X50-STK devices and
Amazon IoT Core web services, including how to add and manage VIA SOM-9X50-STK devices as an IoT Core
device on Amazon Web Services, set up the device, and congure the VIA IoT applicaon.
To register an AWS IoT thing and acquire the AWS IoT cercaon les for the VIA SOM-9X50-STK device,
follow the steps below:
Set up Your AWS Account
and Permissions
Create Resources in AWS IoT
Download AWS
Cerficaon Files
Set up the VIA SOM-9X50-STK
Import files and configure
AWS IoT Hub in
VIA SOM-9X50-STK

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VIA SOM-9X50-STK AWS IoT Core Quick Start Guide
2.2 Set up Your AWS Account and Permissions
Refer to instrucons in the following secons on webpage hps://docs.aws.amazon.com/iot/latest/
developerguide/seng-up.html to set up an AWS Account:
• Sign up for an AWS account
• Create a user and grant permissions
• Open the AWS IoT console
Pay special aenon to the Notes on the webpage.
2.3 Create Resources in AWS IoT
Refer to instrucons in the following secons on webpage hps://docs.aws.amazon.com/iot/latest/
developerguide/create-iot-resources.html to provision resources for your VIA SOM-9X50-STK device:
• Create an AWS IoT policy
• Create a thing object
Pay special aenon to the Notes on the webpage.

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VIA SOM-9X50-STK AWS IoT Core Quick Start Guide
The following stepwise instrucons demonstrate how to create an AWS IoT Policy and a thing object, and
acquiring the required AWS IoT cercate les and Shadow URL for the VIA SOM-9X50-STK device.
Step 1
Click on ‘Security/Policies’ in the le panel and then click on the ‘Create policy’ buon in the right panel.
Step 2
In the policy form, ll out the IoT policy name, acon and resource name, select the eect and click on the
‘Create’ buon.

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VIA SOM-9X50-STK AWS IoT Core Quick Start Guide
Aer clicking on the ‘Create’ buon, the new policy's name will be listed in the right panel.
Step 3
To create a new ‘IoT Thing’ resource with the new policy and to create cercaon les for this resource, click
on ‘All devices/Things’ in the le panel and then click on the ‘Create things’ buon in the right panel.

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VIA SOM-9X50-STK AWS IoT Core Quick Start Guide
Next, select ‘Create single thing’ and click on "Next".

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VIA SOM-9X50-STK AWS IoT Core Quick Start Guide
Step 4
Under 'Thing properes' in the right panel, enter the 'Thing Name'. Under 'Device Shadow', select 'Unnamed
shadow (classic)' and click on the 'Next' buon to connue.

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VIA SOM-9X50-STK AWS IoT Core Quick Start Guide
Step 5
Under 'Device cercate', select 'Auto-generate a new cercate (recommended)' and click on the 'Next'
buon to congure a device cercate for your VIA SOM-9X50-STK device.
Step 6
Click on the new policy's name and click on the 'Create Thing' buon to aach policies to the device cercate
for your VIA SOM-9X50-STK device and to complete creang a new ‘IoT Thing’.

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VIA SOM-9X50-STK AWS IoT Core Quick Start Guide
Step 7
Download the device cercate (CertFile), the private key le (PvkFile) and the 2048 bit Amazon Root CA 1
cercate (CAFile) to a local folder and click on 'Done' to complete the cercate creaon process for your VIA
SOM-9X50-STK device.

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VIA SOM-9X50-STK AWS IoT Core Quick Start Guide
Step 8
Click on the created IoT thing's name under 'Things' to view your VIA SOM-9X50-STK device's Thing and Device
Shadow details.
Note:
The MQTT topic prex is for binding your VIA SOM-9X50-STK device with AWS IoT Core Web services. The VIA SOM-
9X50-STK device will use the MQTT topic prex of Device Shadows to interact with AWS IoT Core Web services.
Step 9
Click on ‘Things’ in the le panel to view your AWS IoT Core account's Device Shadow URL, which can be used
by your VIA SOM-9X50-STK device to connect to AWS IoT Core Web services.

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VIA SOM-9X50-STK AWS IoT Core Quick Start Guide
2.4 Set up the VIA SOM-9X50-STK Device
The rst step is to connect a host machine and the VIA SOM-9X50-STK through the onboard COM connector
labeled as "COM".
Use a serial port communicaon program such as PuTTY or Tera Term to connect the debug console. Set the
console Baud Rate to "921600".
2.5 Connecng to AWS IoT Core with the VIA SOM-
9X50-STK Yocto EVK
The VIA SOM-9X50-STK EVK includes an "IoTSDKSample" applicaon to help establish a connecon between
the physical sensors/actuators on the VIA SOM-9X50-STK device and the AWS IoT Core web service.
This secon guides developers on how to enable and run the "IoTSDKSample" applicaon.

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VIA SOM-9X50-STK AWS IoT Core Quick Start Guide
Step 1
Copy the device cercate (CertFile), private key le (PvkFile) and the Amazon Root CA cercate (CAFile)
created in Step 7 of secon 2.3 to "/data/aws/certs".
Open the sengs le "/data/aws/iot.json" and modify the following values based on AWS IoT Core setup:
• Endpoint: Input the domain name from the Device Shadow URL obtained in Step 9 of secon 2.3 as
the Endpoint in line 2.
• CAFile: Input the name of the Amazon Root CA cercate in line 5.
• CertFile: Input the name of the Cercate le in line 6.
• PvkFile: Input the name of the Private Key le in line 7.
• ThingName: Insert the dened "ThingName" in line 9.
Save the changes made to the sengs le.
Step 2
Run the "IoTSDKSample" applicaon as shown below:
root@aiv8385-linux:~# IoTSDKSample
Step 3
Verify the "IoTSDKSample" applicaon using the AWS IoT Core web service console. Click on the 'MQTT test
client' tab.
To subscribe to interacon topic "$aws/things/ThingName/shadow/update", under the 'Subscribe to a topic'
tab in the right panel, enter a topic lter name and click on the 'Subscribe' buon. The value of "ThingName"
must be the same as the value of "iot.json".

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VIA SOM-9X50-STK AWS IoT Core Quick Start Guide
The last updated message will be shown in the AWS IoT MQTT test client.
2.6 Connecng to AWS IoT Core with the VIA SOM-
9X50-STK Android EVK
The VIA SOM-9X50-STK EVK includes an "IoTDeviceSDKSample" applicaon to help establish a connecon
between the VIA SOM-9X50-STK device and the AWS IoT Core web service.
This secon guides developers on how to enable and run the "IoTDeviceSDKSample" applicaon.
Step 1
Edit a json format sengs le "iotcoreCong.json" and modify the following values based on AWS IoT Core
setup:
• thingName: Insert the dened thing's name.
• ca: Input the content text of the thing's Amazon Root CA cercate.
• cert: Input the content text of the thing's Cercate le.
• key: Input the content text of the thing's Private Key le.
• ReqRetry: Number of retries for establishing the connecon between the device and the IoT Core
server when the connecon is disrupted or not successful.
• topic: MQTT topic.
• endpoint: Input the domain name from the Device Shadow URL obtained in Step 9 of secon 2.3.
Save the json le to a USB ash drive and plug it to the device's USB port.

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VIA SOM-9X50-STK AWS IoT Core Quick Start Guide
Step 2
Run the "IoTDeviceSDKSample" applicaon as shown below.
Step 3
Click "JSON" buon to select the "iotcoreCong.json" created in Step 1 from USB ash drive.
Click "TEST" buon to run the MQTT subscripon publishing process as shown below.

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VIA SOM-9X50-STK AWS IoT Core Quick Start Guide
Step 4
Verify the "IoTDeviceSDKSample" applicaon using the AWS IoT Core web service console. Click on the 'MQTT
test client' tab.
To subscribe to interacon topic "$aws/things/thingName/shadow/update", under the 'Subscribe to a topic'
tab in the right panel, enter a topic lter name and click on the 'Subscribe' buon. The value of "thingName"
must be the same as the value of "iotcoreCong.json".
The last updated message will be shown in the AWS IoT MQTT test client.

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VIA SOM-9X50-STK AWS IoT Core Quick Start Guide
2.7 Debugging
Open a console (e.g. Puy) and congure as described in Secon 2.4. The boot up messages will be presented
with a command line interface as well as debug output. Use busybox commands "in /bin" to set up and debug
the VIA SOM-9X50-STK device.
For Android
$ ls /bin
For Yocto
$ ls /bin
2.8 Troubleshoong
Check the table below for troubleshoong common AWS IoT Core connecon issues that may arise during
development:
Issue Soluon
Device does not connect to the Internet
Conrm that the SIM card is inserted properly.
Conrm that the SIM card is acvated by the service provider.
Verify the APN sengs.
Device does not connect to AWS
Conrm that the date and me is synchronized.
Verify the AWS endpoint in the "iot.json" le.
Verify that appropriate cercates and keys are loaded on the VIA
SOM-9X50-STK device.
Verify the IoT Core thing and policies set on AWS IoT Core.