# Platform Instance
The ABB Ability™ Platform Instance is a set of Azure resources that deliver a generic framework which allows each Business Line to create a custom IoT solution for their products. Development and Production instances are created by requesting an Instance. The Ability Operations team creates the environment and delivers a table with information required to access your instance. This article explains each entry in the tables below and provides links to articles with additional information for each of them.
# Understanding your Instance Parameters
The instance parameters will be delivered to your solution administrator via email from Operations team and will contain the important resource URLs that will allow your team to harness the functionality inside the platform. This information is grouped into four basic areas:
- User Identities and Ability access permissions
- Global Access
- Region Access
- Instance Access
You can find what information is delivered in the example below.
# User Access
Initial User Access typically applies to users who are members of the ABB Active Directory.
| Example User | Tenant Alias | Permissions | Solution Name | Solution Namespace |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| firstname.lastname@xx.abb.com | ABB Ability | Ability Admin | N/A | N/A |
| firstname.lastname@yy.abb.com | ABB Ability | Solution Admin | My BL Solution | bl.solution |
For common environments, the user who created the request will have to provide
the solution information and will only be given access to the new solution. If a
new environment is created, the requester has the option to request Ability Admin permissions. This will allow the user to create solutions, add tenants,
and setup permissions as needed for their environment.
# Global Access
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Global URL | https://xxx.abilityplatform.abb/ |
| DPS Scope ID | 0neXXXXXXXX |
| CM API Endpoint | https://xxx.abilityplatform.abb/cm/api (e.g., https://xxx.abilityplatform.abb/cm/api/enrollments to query enrollments) |
| CM UI Endpoint | https://xxx.abilityplatform.abb/CMPortal |
# Region Access
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Ability Admin Portal URL | https://api-public-xxxxx.abilityplatform.abb/Portal |
| OAuth2 Client Credentials Token URL | https://api-public-xxxxx.abilityplatform.abb/public/api/oauth2/token |
| B2C Tenant Domain | xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.onmicrosoft.com |
| Region API | https://api-xxxxx.abilityplatform.abb/v1 (e.g., https://api-xxxxx.abilityplatform.abb/v1/solutions) |
# Instance Access
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Instance API | https://api-xxxxx.abilityplatform.abb/v1(e.g., https://api-xxxxx.abilityplatform.abb/v1/modelDefinitions to query model definitions) |
This information is used in various ways to deploy an Ability Application. The initial path for access will first require configuration of permissions through the Admin Portal. With permissions established, users will be able to interact with the Instance to create their application. The following sections highlight how these access points are utilized in the application deployment process.
# Configuration
The first step to configure your solution and user permissions runs through the Admin Portal using the Ability Admin Portal URL. Use this URL with the Tenant Alias and your Solution Admin to login to the portal. Once logged in you can reference the Admin Portal user guide to customize your solution as needed.
The PM API URL provides access to the underlying APIs (Principal Manager Service) behind the Admin Portal. If you are an expert with the permissions and authentication functionality of the Admin Portal, but it does not meet your needs, you can use the PM API URL to develop your own permissions UI or headless flow using the endpoints for this API.
# Instance API Access
The Instance API URL contains all the functionality for interacting with information model artifacts and data. A combination of Admin Portal configuration and these URLs are required to communicate with the Ability Instance.
OauthProc URL: When developing a background application, this URL provides the token which allows access to the Instance API endpoints.
B2C Tenant Domain: This domain is passed in the API call used to obtain an access token. It specifically identifies the instance of Azure B2C that manages logins for this Instance.
To access the Instance API, the application must have a public IP address and its address added to the list of addresses that can access the Instance API.
# Device Provisioning
The Ability instance supports directly connected devices and Ability Edge devices using these resources.
DPS Scope ID: This DPS Scope ID is important for successfully authenticating connections of Edge devices to the cloud.
Global Gateway URL: The global gateway service generates the device ID for any device you are connecting to the cloud during device provisioning. It prevents ID collisions to ensure you will avoid errors when routing data between devices and cloud resources.
The Ability Edge and Directly Connected Devices require Type Definitions for the devices to operate. Once the types are defined and created, this information is used to provision the devices. See edge-configuration and device enrollment for additional information.