REXDESKREXGEN AirCloud

REXGEN Air: choosing and setting up cloud upload

Updated

Decide where your REXGEN Air logs go, learn how the logger uploads them and add the mobile settings it needs to get online over LTE.

This four-part series takes REXGEN Air logs from the vehicle to a dashboard. It covers choosing a destination and getting online, uploading to Amazon S3, converting logs with AWS Lambda and charting them in Grafana.

Choose where the logs go

REXGEN Air upload destinations
Destination Choose it when Guide
Amazon S3 You want your own cloud storage, automatic conversion and dashboards REXGEN Air: uploading logs to Amazon S3
S3-compatible storage You run your own object store that speaks the S3 API REXDESK: upload logs to AWS S3, MinIO or Google Cloud Storage
FTPS server You already run a file server and only need the files REXGEN Air: uploading logs to an FTPS server
Managed web app You would rather not run any cloud infrastructure Ask an engineer

The managed web app is the alternative to running your own S3 bucket.

How upload works

REXGEN Air always records to its internal storage first. Uploading never replaces local recording, so a loss of coverage delays uploads but does not stop the log. If the storage fills before the logs are uploaded, cyclic logging keeps the most recent data.

  • The logger connects to the server only after you remove the USB cable. While it is connected to REXDESK over USB, it does not upload.
  • It uploads its log files (RXD) and a Status.json file that reports its state. When the snapshot feature is configured, it also uploads a Snapshot.json file of decoded CAN signals.
  • At the intervals you set, it sends its status and checks the server for a new configuration file (config.rxc). If you enable firmware updates, it also checks for new firmware.
Where REXGEN Air logs go, and what comes back REXGEN AIR · CLOUD UPLOAD Where REXGEN Air logs go, and what comes back Destination, one of FTPS server S3-compatible storage Amazon S3 REXGEN Air records to eMMC first RXD logs Status.json Snapshot.json config.rxc firmware, if enabled over LTE AWS Lambda reads the DBC files and FileConvert.json RXD MDF4, BLF, CSV, Parquet AWS Glue catalogues Parquet Parquet Athena queries the tables Grafana dashboard Snapshot.json goes up only when the snapshot feature is configured. Conversion and the Glue, Athena and Grafana chain apply to Amazon S3. Uploads start only once the USB cable is removed.
When the logger records, connects and uploads REXGEN AIR · UPLOAD TIMING When the logger records, connects and uploads USB removed LTE connected USB cable Recording to eMMC LTE Status Status.json Config check config.rxc Firmware check if enabled Log upload RXD files connected always records, uploading or not connecting connected Status Send Time Configuration Check Time Firmware Check Time time Contact with the server State Only if firmware checks are enabled (dashed) Interval units: the S3 tab shows seconds (default 300) for Configuration Check Time, Status Send Time and Firmware Check Time; the FTP tab shows minutes for Check Config Time and Send Status Time. Not to scale; when each RXD file goes up is illustrative.

To send a new configuration this way, see REXDESK: send a new configuration over the air. For the snapshot file, see REXDESK: send decoded snapshot files to S3.

What you need

  • A SIM card with a data plan, fitted in the logger. To fit it, see REXGEN Air quick start guide.
  • The LTE antenna on the Bordeaux FAKRA Code D port (and the GNSS antenna, if you record position).
  • The APN details from your SIM provider: APN name, user name and password, where the provider uses them.
  • REXDESK on a Windows PC.
  • A USB connection to the logger.
  • A destination set up and ready: an S3 bucket with an access key, or an FTPS server with a user.

Add the mobile settings

The mobile settings tell the modem how to reach your provider's network. You create them once in REXDESK and select them in each configuration that uploads.

  1. Open the mobile settings. Select Tools > Cloud Settings, then select the Mobile tab.
  2. Create a mobile setting. Select New Mobile. To change an existing setting, select Edit Mobile. To remove one, select Delete Mobile.
  3. Enter your provider's details. Each field is described in the list after these steps.
  4. Save the setting. Select OK.
Label
A name for this mobile setting. You select it by name when you set up the upload.
User
The user name for the mobile network, if your provider uses one.
Pass
The password for the mobile network, if your provider uses one.
APN
The access point name from your provider. Tick Use APN to enter it.
No Communication Timeout (min)
The delay before a communication time-out, in minutes.
Realtime Source
Where the logger takes the real time from: Mobile (the mobile network) or NTP (a time server). Choose NTP where the mobile network does not supply the time.
NTP Server
The time server to use with NTP, for example pool.ntp.org.

Older REXDESK versions show this form as FTP And Mobile Settings, with Use PIN for the SIM PIN and Get Real Time From Mobile in place of the time source.

For the full field reference of the Cloud Settings window, see REXDESK: upload logs to AWS S3, MinIO or Google Cloud Storage.

Check the connection

When the logger is configured, powered and disconnected from USB, watch status LED 4. If it blinks fast, the logger is trying to connect. If it blinks slowly, the logger is connected. If it never connects, check the SIM, the APN details and the antenna. Then see REXGEN: check the LTE connection with the debug tool.

Legacy: REXCLOUD on a local PC

Earlier installations ran REXCLOUD as a Docker image on a local PC. Image V1.0 (November 2023) contains Node.js, the Influx Technology fleet application and Grafana. These steps are kept for existing users.

  1. Install Docker. Follow the instructions in Docker Desktop for Windows.
  2. Download the image. Download the REXCLOUD Docker image (TAR, 1.06 GB).
  3. Load the image. Open PowerShell or a command prompt in the download folder and run: 
    docker load --input rexcloud.tar
  4. Run the image. Replace the region and key placeholders with your own values: 
    docker run -d -p 1337:1337 -p 3000:3000 -e "REGION=eu-central-1" -e "ACCESS_KEY=<YOUR_ACCESS_KEY>" -e "SECRET_KEY=<YOUR_SECRET_KEY>" --name rexcloud rexcloud
  5. Open fleet management. In your browser, go to http://localhost:1337/.

Next: REXGEN Air: uploading logs to Amazon S3.

Products in this guide

REXDESK

Logger setup & data export

View REXDESK Ask an engineer

REXGEN Air

CAN to cloud

View REXGEN Air Ask an engineer

Still stuck?

Our engineers answer support questions on every Influx Technology product.