Tag: IoT

Oct052020October 5, 2020October 8, 20200Commentby Thomas Maurer
Microsoft Azure Hybrid Cloud Virtual Event

Join the Free Microsoft Azure Hybrid Cloud Virtual Event

Posted in Azure Arc, Azure Stack HCI, Cloud, Cloud Advocate, Hybrid Cloud, Microsoft, Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Azure Stack, Speaking, Thomas Maurer, Virtualization, Webinar

I am happy to let you know about another free online event where I am presenting with Microsoft Senior Azure Product Marketing Manager, Dave Kurth, about Azure Hybrid Cloud solutions. This free virtual event will be on October 7 from 4:00 pm-6:00 pm (CEST). In this session, you will learn about the unique approach from Microsoft about Azure hybrid cloud. David Kurth will share with you Microsoft’s Hybrid Cloud strategy. I will be joining him to showcase the outlined strategies in powerful demos. We will also share use cases and customer stories and how our approach is different from our competitors.

Microsoft Azure Hybrid Cloud Virtual Event Topics

Since the event is over, you can watch the recording here:

About the Speakers:

Dave Kurth (Senior Azure Product Marketing Manager)

David is a Senior Azure Product Marketing Manager. He is focused on Azure Hybrid, specifically Azure Stack Hub and Azure Stack Edge. Before that, he successfully led the Cloud + AI business Switzerland. Apart from his professional endeavors, he has lent his skills to causes involving humanitarian actions and economic empowerment.

Thomas Maurer (Microsoft Senior Cloud Advocate)

Thomas works as a Senior Cloud Advocate at Microsoft. He engages with the community and customers worldwide to share his knowledge and collect feedback to improve the Azure cloud platform. Before joining the Azure engineering team (Cloud + AI), Thomas was a Lead Architect and Microsoft MVP to help architect, implement, and promote Microsoft cloud technology. If you want to know more about Thomas, check out his blog: www.thomasmaurer.ch and Twitter: www.twitter.com/thomasmaurer

I am really looking forward to the Microsoft Azure Hybrid Cloud virtual event, and I hope to see you there!


Apr282020April 28, 2020May 25, 20207Commentsby Thomas Maurer
AZ-220 Microsoft Azure IoT Developer Exam Study Guide

AZ-220 Study Guide: Microsoft Azure IoT Developer

Posted in Certification, Cloud, Cloud Advocate, Microsoft, Microsoft Azure, Work

If you are a Developer focusing on Internet of Things (IoT) solutions on Microsoft Azure, then the AZ-220 Microsoft Azure IoT Developer is for you. I am currently preparing for that exam, so I want to share my AZ-220 Microsoft Azure IoT Developer Certification Exam Study Guide with you. If you are passing the AZ-220 exam, you will earn the Microsoft Certified: Azure IoT Developer Specialty certification, that you understand how to implement the Azure services that form an IoT solution, including data analysis, data processing, data storage options, and platform-as-a-service options. IoT Developers must be able to recognize Azure IoT service configuration settings within the code portion of an IoT solution.

To learn and prepare for the exam, I usually use a couple of online resources, mainly Microsoft Docs and Microsoft Learn, which I am going to share with you. You can find more information about how I prepare for a Microsoft Certification exam on my blog post: How to prepare and pass Microsoft Certification Exam.

Also, check out other Microsoft Azure Certification Exam Study Guides:

Here is my AZ-220 Microsoft Azure IoT Developer Certification Exam Study Guide

It is essential to get familiar with the exam objectives and skills measured first. That is why I recommend reading the description of the exam and the skills measured.

Exam AZ-220: Microsoft Azure IoT Developer

The Azure IoT Developer is responsible for the implementation and the coding required to create and maintain the cloud and edge portion of an IoT solution. In addition to configuring and maintaining the devices by using cloud services, the IoT Developer also sets up the physical devices. The IoT Developer is responsible for maintaining the devices throughout the life cycle.

The IoT Developer implements designs for IoT solutions, including device topology, connectivity, debugging and security. The IoT Developer deploys compute/containers and configures device networking. The IoT Developer implements designs for solutions to manage data pipelines, including monitoring and data transformation as it relates to IoT. The IoT Developer works with data engineers and other stakeholders to ensure successful business integration.

IoT Developers should have a good understanding of how to implement the Azure services that form an IoT solution, including data storage options, data analysis, data processing, and platform-as-a-service options. IoT Developers must be able to recognize Azure IoT service configuration settings within the code portion of an IoT solution and perform specific IoT coding tasks in at least one Azure-supported language, including C#, Node, C, or Python.

The high-level view of the skills measured in the exam:

  • Implement the IoT solution infrastructure (15-20%)
  • Provision and manage devices (20-25%)
  • Implement Edge (15-20%)
  • Process and manage data (15-20%)
  • Monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize IoT solutions (15-20%)
  • Implement security (15-20%)

You can find more information on the exam website.

Free Online Microsoft Learn AZ-220 Exam Study Guide resources

Microsoft Learn provides you with free online training and learning paths for different Microsoft technologies. They not just offer reading material, but also control questions and free online labs. Here are some relevant Microsoft Learn modules and learning paths for the AZ-220 Microsoft Azure IoT Developer Certification Exam. Microsoft Learn is an important part of my AZ-220 exam study guide.

Microsoft Docs AZ-220 study guide resources

One thing I always used to prepare for my Microsoft exams is Microsoft Docs. Here are the relevant Microsoft Docs which I used to prepare and study for the AZ-220 exam.

Read More

Jul012015July 1, 2015September 2, 20180Commentby Thomas Maurer
Windows 10 IoT Web Performance

The Windows 10 IoT Core web interface

Posted in Cloud, Fun, Hardware, Microsoft, Microsoft Azure, PowerShell, Private Cloud, Virtualization, Web, Windows, Windows 10, Windows IoT, Work

If you have successfully installed Windows 10 IoT Core on your IoT device, for exmaple the Raspberry Pi 2, you can browse the device using a web interface to get some more information. If you don’t know the IP address or name of your device you can use the Windows 10 IoT Core Watcher to find your device on the network.

One the web interface you have different kind of options:

Networking

Windows 10 IoT Web Networking

Performance Monitoring

Windows 10 IoT Web Performance

Processes

Windows 10 IoT Web processes

Device Manager

Windows 10 IoT Web Device Manager

AppX Manager

Windows 10 IoT Web AppX Manager

 

 


Jun292015June 29, 2015September 2, 20182Commentsby Thomas Maurer

Connect the Adafruit 5″ LCD to the Raspberry Pi 2 running Windows 10 IoT Core

Posted in Cloud, Fun, Hardware, Home, Microsoft, Microsoft Azure, PowerShell, Web, Windows, Windows 10, Windows IoT, Work

First I had connected my TV as an external display for my Raspberry Pi 2 running Windows 10 IoT Core. Since I need the little device for some demos, and I want to take it with me I got a Adafruit 5″ LCD display to connected to the device.

The setup with the display is very easy and just plug and play. Just connect the display to the Raspberry Pi 2 board.

Raspberry Pi 2 LCD Display

But by default the output of the Raspberry Pi 2 is Full HD and so the display setting is kind of wrong. But you change this by editing the config.txt file from the SD card.

Windows 10 IoT Display Config

Just open the SD card and add the folloing lines to the config.txt file. (Source)

Windows 10 IoT Display Config TXT

Now you get the perfect outputfor the 800×480 display. If you want to change the settings while the SD card is in the device it self, you can use PowerShell. Remote connect to the Raspberry Pi 2 using Powershell and navigate to C:\EFIESP and check out the config.txt

 
Get-Content config.txt

You can now set the content of the config.txt file

 
Set-Content config.txt "
gpu_mem=32 framebuffer_ignore_alpha=1
framebuffer_swap=1
disable_overscan=1
init_uart_clock=16000000
hdmi_group=2
hdmi_mode=1
hdmi_mode=87
hdmi_cvt 800 480 60 6 0 0 0
"

To have the changes active you have to restart the Windows 10 IoT Core device

 
shutdown /r /t 0

 


Jun252015June 25, 2015September 2, 20181Commentby Thomas Maurer
Windows 10 IoT PowerShell Cred

How to connect to Windows 10 IoT Core via PowerShell

Posted in Cloud, Fun, Hardware, Home, Microsoft, Microsoft Azure, PowerShell, Web, Windows, Windows 10, Windows IoT, Work

After you have done the setup of your Raspberry Pi 2 with Windows 10 IoT Core you can now connected to the device via PowerShell.

Connect to the Windows 10 IoT device using PowerShell

First open up PowerShell and configure PowerShell remoting to allow your PC to remotely connect to your Raspberry Pi 2. You can use the name of your Raspberry Pi, which is “minwinpc” by default, or you can also using the IP address. You can also use the Windows 10 IoT Core Watcher which helps you find your devices on the network.

 
Set-Item WSMan:\localhost\Client\TrustedHosts -Value "machine-name or IP Address"

You can now open a new PowerShell Remote session by using the following command:

 
Enter-PsSession -ComputerName "machine-name or IP Address" -Credential "machine-name or IP Address or localhost"\Administrator

Windows 10 IoT PowerShell Cred

This will prompt you for credentials. The default password of your Pi is “[email protected]”

You can also store the credentials inside a variable, so you do not have to enter it all the time:

 
$Cred = Get-Credential
Enter-PsSession -ComputerName "machine-name or IP Address" -Credential $Cred

Windows 10 IoT PowerShell Remoting minwinpc

To create the connection this can take up to 30 seconds. After that you will see the remote session.

Using PowerShell on your Windows 10 IoT Core device

You can now use PowerShell to do some stuff on your Raspberry Pi with Windows 10 IoT Core. Some PowerShell commands are not build in to Windows 10 IoT Core but you can use some command line utilities.

Get all the process running:

 
Get-Process

Windows 10 IoT PowerShell Processes

Get network adapter configuration:

 
Get-NetAdapter

List the directories:

 
gci

Rename your computer:

By renaming your device, you have to reconnect and may change your credentials.

 
setcomputername "newcomputername"

Change the password of your administrator:

 
net user Administrator <newpassword>

Shutdown your device

 
shutdown /s /t 0

Windows 10 IoT PowerShell Shutdown

Reboot your device

 
shutdown /r /t 0

Close your remote session

 
Exit-PSSession

I hope this helps you to manage your Windows 10 IoT Core device via PowerShell.


Jun242015June 24, 2015September 2, 20181Commentby Thomas Maurer
Windows 10 IoT Core Watcher

Find your Windows 10 IoT Core device on the network

Posted in Cloud, Hardware, Microsoft, Microsoft Azure, PowerShell, Web, Windows, Windows 10, Windows IoT, Work

If you have done the setup of your Windows 10 IoT Core device you can see the name and the IP address on the default app using a HDMI output. If you don’t have a display connected to your device, Microsoft as a cool tool for you to find your device on the network.

When you download the Windows 10 IoT Core Image you also have a installer file called “WindowsDeveloperProgramForIoT.msi”. This installer installs you a tool called Windows 10 IoT Core Watcher, which will discover your Windows 10 IoT Core devices on the network.

You can also open some options directly from that tool:

Windows 10 IoT Core Watcher Access

This is needed for the next steps in this blog series. If you want to know more about Microsoft and Windows IoT check out my first blog post: Microsoft and the Internet of Things.

 


Jun232015June 23, 2015September 2, 20185Commentsby Thomas Maurer
Windows 10 IoT Core Raspberry Pi2

How to install the Windows 10 IoT Core on the Raspberry Pi 2

Posted in Cloud, Hardware, Microsoft, Microsoft Azure, PowerShell, Web, Windows, Windows 10, Windows IoT, Work

Several months ago Microsoft announced that Windows 10 for the Raspberry Pi 2 will be free. In the last weeks I started working on some Internet of Things (IoT) projects, just to figure out how good the Microsoft story is and how simply I can connect devices for example to Microsoft Azure. First step in the scenario, I bought my self a Raspberry Pi 2 to start with and checked out the Windows IoT dev center for some more information. Now in this blog post I will describe how you can install Windows 10 IoT Core on your Raspberry Pi 2.

First make sure you have the following things ready:

  • A device running the Windows 10 Insider Preview – must be a physical Windows machine (not a VM).
  • Raspberry Pi 2.
  • 5V micro USB power supply – with at least 1.0A current.
  • 8GB micro SD card – class 10 or better.
  • HDMI cable (if you want to use a display).
  • Ethernet cable.
  • Windows 10 IoT Core Insider Preview Image for Raspberry Pi 2” from Microsoft Connect

After you have download Windows 10 IoT Core for Raspberry Pi 2 copy it to a folder for me this was C:\WindowsIoT. Make sure you have the flash.ffu file in it.

Insert the SD card to your device and open PowerShell  and checkout which disks the SD card is running the following PowerShell commands:

 
Get-Disk

Windows 10 IoT PowerShell DISM Applying Image

Now you can see which disk number is your SD card. This is important for the next command. First navigate to the folder where you have stored the flash.ffu file for me this was C:\WindowsIoT. Now you can run the following command to copy the image to your SD card, change \PhysicalDriveN to the Drive with the disk number in my case this would be \PhysicalDrive1:

 
dism.exe /Apply-Image /ImageFile:flash.ffu /ApplyDrive:\\.\PhysicalDriveN /SkipPlatformCheck

Now safely remove your SD card from your PC.

Windows 10 IoT Core Raspberry Pi2

You can now insert the SD card to your Raspberry Pi 2 and connect the network cable, screen via HDMI and the USB power adapter to boot the device up. After you have connected the power supply your device will automatically boot up. On the very first boot Windows 10 IoT Core will do some first boot configurations and it will display a blue default application while this is happening. Wait for a few minutes and the board will automatically restart. This will happen only once and then DefaultApp should show up, displaying the IP address of the Raspberry Pi 2.

Windows 10 IoT Core

I will show you how you can connect to your Windows 10 IoT Core device using PowerShell in another post.



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    Thomas Maurer

    My name is Thomas Maurer. I am a Senior Cloud Advocate at Microsoft. I am part of the Azure engineering team (Cloud + AI) and engage with the community and customers around the world. I am located in Switzerland. I am focusing on Microsoft technologies, especially cloud and datacenter solutions based on Microsoft Azure, Azure Stack and Windows Server. Opinions are my own.

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