Data Client configuration
A list of data clients registered with the system can be viewed from the top level Clients page.
From this page you can:
Certificates and identity validation
Data clients must be configured within LinXmart before they are able to connect. An invalid or missing configuration will prevent a client from connecting.
There are two pieces of information that are required for a Data Client to connect:
- API Key
- Client Certificate
The API Key is generated by the system and is used to identify the specific Data Client when it connects to LinXmart via the data client API. These API Keys are unique to each Data Client. Only a hashed value of the API Key is stored within LinXmart.
The Client Certificate is used to help verify the Data Client's identity and the public certificate is either uploaded as part of the Data Client registration, or is stored on the very first connection made to the server. Subsequent calls will confirm the public certificate with the recorded one.
Client Certificates will be validated by the server on every connection. The Client Certificate must be issued by a trusted third-party certificate authority or by an internal certificate authority that has been configured with LinXmart.
Registering a new Data Client
To register a new Data Client, click on the Register Data Client link at the bottom of the list of Data Clients.
The following fields are available.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | A name to identify this particular Data Client. |
| Description | A textual description of the Data Client. |
| Certificate | An optional certificate to immediately assign to the Data Client. This is a public certificate and will be matched against the certificate provided on every connection made by the client to the server. |
If you omit the client certificate, it will be captured and stored on the first connection made by the client.
On successful registration, a new API Key is created by the system and presented to the user. This must be copied and configured on the remote data client deployment as it is not stored in its raw form by the server. If this API Key is lost, you will need to reset it.
Viewing Data Client details
Viewing the details of a Data Client can be done by clicking on the View icon in the Options column on the Data Client list. These details include:
- Name and description provided on registration
- Details on the Public Certificate assigned to the client
- Details of each of the Datasets provided to LinXmart
Details of each of the available Datasets is presented in its own section, including a list of columns provided with the Dataset.
When connecting a Data Source to one of these Datasets, ensure the Import Format of the Data Source corresponds to the columns provided with the Dataset.
Editing a Data Client
Some fields can be edited on a Data Client.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | A name to identify this particular Data Client. |
| Description | A textual description of the Data Client. |
The API Key must be reset explicitly, which will also clear the client certificate.
Reseting the API Key
The API Key is not stored in clear text by LinXmart. In the rare cases this is lost, the API Key that is registered against a particular Data Client can be reset. This can be done either through the Reset API Key icon in the Options column on the Data Client list, or from the Data Client details page.
On confirmation of the reset, a new API Key is generated and presented to the user. The Client Certificate is also cleared and will be captured and stored on the next connection made by the client.
Deleting a Data Client
Deleting a data client can be done via the Options column on the Data Client list, or via the Edit Data Client details page.
On confirmation, the Data Client is deleted and no further connections will be allowed.