External dashboards for SICON.OS device data

Table of contents

Objective

This document describes a way to setup the tech stack to visualize SICON.OS device data on dashboards with the help of a virtual machine, that includes a database service (influxdb) and a dashboard visualization service (grafana)

Data flow

Network

The SICON.OS installation and the virtual machine do not need to reside within the same subnet, as long as network routing permits SICON.OS to reach the virtual machine—specifically, port 8086 used by the InfluxDB service.

SICON.OS can export selected device data to the InfluxDB service via its built-in Data Relay. Grafana can then use InfluxDB as a data source to display this data on customizable dashboards. Grafana provides a web service for accessing and interacting with the dashboards.

Note: The following diagram is not a formal data flow diagram. It uses arrows to indicate which component initiates a connection to which service, along with commonly recognized icons to represent each module’s function.

Architecture Overview (Diagram Description)

• SICON.OS → InfluxDB: Data exported via Data Relay to InfluxDB.

• Grafana → InfluxDB: Queries device data from InfluxDB.

• User → Grafana: Dashboards are accessed via web browser.

Setup

Requirements

To set up external dashboards for SICON.OS device data using the Data Center virtual machine, the following components and conditions are required:

Prerequisites

The list does not include required privileges, e.g. to install an ova image on a hypervisor

• An existing SICON.OS installation.

• A virtual machine hypervisor, such as:

  • VMware ESXi

  • Proxmox VE

  • (or any other hypervisor that supports OVA image import)

• Network routing that allows the SICON.OS system to communicate with the virtual machine hosting InfluxDB and Grafana (i.e., the Data Center VM).

Data Center VM Image

• Download the latest Data Center OVA image:

https://app-store-api.service.sicon.eco/uploads/data_center.ova

Setup Steps

1. Import the OVA file into your hypervisor to create a new virtual machine instance (e.g., using “Create VM from OVA” functionality in ESXi or Proxmox).

2. Adjust resource and network settings as needed during or after import:

   • The Data Center VM is preconfigured to use DHCP by default.

   • If a static IP address is required:

     • Set the static IP in the hypervisor’s VM network settings.

     • Log in to the running Data Center VM and update the internal network configuration accordingly.

Configuration

Optional: Modifying the Host System Configuration

The host system is based on Rocky Linux.

• Initial root password: +yljT11y4Q

Please change the root password immediately for security reasons.

Network Configuration

To modify the network settings, refer to the official Rocky Linux documentation:
Rocky Linux | Network Configuration

Service Port Configuration

The services (InfluxDB, Grafana) are managed via Docker Compose.
To change port mappings or other container settings:

1. Edit the Docker Compose file located at:
   /home/sisyphos/docker-compose.yml

2. Apply the changes by running:

   docker compose -f /home/sisyphos/docker-compose.yml up -d

This will recreate the containers with the updated configuration.

User Account

• The password for the user sisyphos can be changed by the root user with the command:

  passwd sisyphos

Configure InfluxdDB

Once the system has booted, the InfluxDB web interface is accessible via:

http://<IP-ADDRESS>:8086

Replace <IP-ADDRESS> with the IP assigned to the Data Center VM.

Initial Credentials

Default usernames and passwords for the host system and preinstalled services are provided on the Data Center information page.

Important: You must change these default credentials immediately for security reasons. It is also recommended to create new users with limited privileges.

InfluxDB Setup Steps

1. Log in to the InfluxDB UI:

   • Username: admin

   • Password: password

Change the admin password during or immediately after your first login.

2. Create an Organization

3. Create a Bucket

4. Create a user and configure the user to have access rights on the bucket

5. Create an API tokens

Important: Do not rely on the “Copy to Clipboard” button alone. Always manually verify the copied token. If the verification failes, copy it manually to the clipboard:

1. Click inside the token field

2. Select the token manually

3. Press CTRL+C (or CMD+C on macOS)

You will need two API token:

One token with write access to the bucket, where the device data should be stored into. This API token will be used by the SICON.OS Data Relay.

One token with read access to be used by Grafana, when you configure InfluxDB as a new data source.

Connecting SICON.OS to InfluxDB

1. Log In to SICON.OS

• Log into your SICON.OS instance with a user account that has the required administrative privileges.

2. Install the Data Relay App

• Navigate to the App Store, which can be found under the System Management tab (gear icon in the side panel).

• Locate the Data Relay app, click Buy (free of charge), and install it.

3. Configure the Data Relay

Once the app is installed:

1. Click on the new side panel entry Data Relay

2. To create the data relay to the Influxdb, Click on + ADD DATA RELAY.

3. Select InfluxDB and click CREATE.

4. Configure General Settings

Navigate to the SETTINGS tab and fill out the General Settings form:

• Endpoint:

  http://<IP address of the Data Center instance>:8086

  Or use the internal container name if hosted via Docker (see note below).

• Bucket Name:
  Name of the InfluxDB bucket where device data will be stored.

• API Token:
  Use the write-access API token generated during InfluxDB setup.

• Organization Name:
  Enter the InfluxDB organization you created.

5. Select devices to relay their data to InfluxDB

• Switch to the DEVICES tab.

• Select the devices whose data you want to relay to InfluxDB.

:note: Note on Grafana Configuration

• After the system boots, Grafana is accessible at:

  http://<IP address of the Data Center>:80

• Grafana dashboard setup is not covered here, as there are many excellent tutorials and videos available online.

Tip: When configuring the InfluxDB data source in Grafana, you can use the internal Docker container name instead of an IP address. For example:

http://infana-tsdb:8086/

This way, if the IP address of the Data Center VM changes, the Grafana configuration does not need to be updated.