Manage alarms

ThingsBoard Edge raises alarms locally. Alarm rules are evaluated on the Edge, so alarms work even without a server connection. Alarms are not synchronized automatically: to make an alarm visible on the other side, route its messages to a push to cloud node (Edge to server) or a push to edge node (server to Edge). Only alarm deletes and alarm comments are synchronized automatically, in both directions. For the sync and offline behavior, see Alarms.

Which flow you follow depends on which side receives the device data and raises the alarm:

• The device sends telemetry to the server, and the alarm must be visible on Edge: follow Push alarms from the server to Edge.
• The device sends telemetry to Edge, and the alarm must be visible on the server: follow Push alarms from Edge to the server.

Alarm rules are synchronized between the server and Edge (Edge 4.3.0 and later):

• A rule created on the server for a device profile, asset profile, or customer is sent to every Edge. A rule for a single device or asset is sent only to the Edges that entity is assigned to.
• A rule created on Edge is sent to the server.

To create a rule on the server, go to Monitor > Alarms, open the Alarm rules tab, click +, and select Create new alarm rule. You can also open a device profile under Devices & assets > Device profiles and use its Alarm rules tab. The Edge has the same menu items. For the rule settings, see Alarm rules.

Use this flow when the device sends its data to the server and the alarm must also be visible on Edge, for example to trigger local actions or to show it in an Edge dashboard.

1. On the server, create an alarm rule for the device profile of the target devices (see Alarm rules on Edge).

2. Go to Devices & assets > Devices, open the device, and check that it uses this device profile.

3. Assign the device to the Edge. Add the device to a device group, go to Edge management > Edges, and click the Edge. On the Details tab, click Manage device groups. If the group is not in the list yet, click Assign to edge (+), select the group, and click Assign. The push to edge node sends alarms only to Edges the device is assigned to.

4. Go to Data processing > Rule chains and open the rule chain of the device profile. In the node search field, find the push to edge node and drag it onto the canvas. Enter a name and click Add. The Attributes scope setting of the node does not affect alarm messages.

5. Drag a connection from the Message Type Switch node to the push to edge node. In the link dialog, select Alarm Created, Alarm Updated, Alarm Severity Updated, and Alarm Cleared. To send acknowledgments made on the server too, also select Alarm Acknowledged. Click Add, then Apply changes.

6. Trigger the rule by sending telemetry to the server that meets the condition. To get a test command, open the device under Devices & assets > Devices and click Check connectivity. The command sends {temperature:25}; change the key or value if your rule needs something else.

7. Verify the alarm on the server: open the device and select the Alarms tab. The alarm is listed with the status Active Unacknowledged.

8. Verify the alarm on Edge: log in to the Edge, go to Devices & assets > Devices, open the device, and select the Alarms tab.

To acknowledge or clear the alarm, open it from the Details column of the Alarms tab and click Acknowledge or Clear. Acknowledging or clearing the alarm on the server is sent to Edge only through the labels you connected in step 5. Changes made on Edge are not sent back to the server unless the Edge rule chain pushes them (see the next flow).

Use this flow when the device sends its data to Edge and the alarm must be visible on the server, for example for central monitoring of many Edge instances.

If the Edge already pushes the telemetry to the server, as the default Edge Root Rule Chain does, a profile rule also raises an alarm on the server. In that case you need this flow only to show the Edge’s own alarm on the server, for example with the acknowledgments made on the Edge.

1. Create an alarm rule for the device profile of the target devices. On Edge, go to Monitor > Alarms, open the Alarm rules tab, click +, and select Create new alarm rule. A rule created on the server for the profile reaches the Edge automatically (see Alarm rules on Edge).

2. On Edge, go to Devices & assets > Devices, open the device, and check that it uses this device profile.

3. Open the Edge rule chain that processes the device messages: the Default rule chain of the device profile, or the Edge Root Rule Chain if the profile has none. On Edge 4.0 and later, go to Data processing > Rule chains on the Edge. On earlier versions, go to Edge management > Templates on the server, open the Rule chain tab, and open the template assigned to the Edge. The Edge Root Rule Chain already contains a Push to cloud node. To add another one, find push to cloud in the node search field, drag it onto the canvas, enter a name, and click Add.

4. Drag a connection from the Message Type Switch node to the Push to cloud node. In the link dialog, select Alarm Created, Alarm Updated, Alarm Severity Updated, and Alarm Cleared. To send acknowledgments made on Edge too, also select Alarm Acknowledged. Click Add, then Apply changes.

5. Trigger the rule by sending telemetry to the Edge that meets the condition. To get a test command, open the device under Devices & assets > Devices on the Edge and click Check connectivity. The command sends {temperature:25}; change the key or value if your rule needs something else.

6. Verify the alarm on Edge: open the device and select the Alarms tab. The alarm is listed with the status Active Unacknowledged.

7. Verify the alarm on the server: go to Devices & assets > Devices, open the device, and select the Alarms tab.

Acknowledging or clearing the alarm on Edge is sent to the server only through the labels you connected in step 4. Changes made on the server are not sent back to Edge unless the server rule chain pushes them (see the previous flow).