Managing Multiple Things on AWS using 9160DK

[jake11212]

Hello,

I am using the 9160 to send MQTT messages which are received on AWS.  I am provisioning the devices by creating a thing on AWS, getting the certificates, and loading them onto the device.  I have been doing this separately for each individual device.  I noticed however that the CONFIG_AWS_IOT_CLIENT_ID_STATIC variable does not need to match the device name which generated the certificate that is on the device, and can be any of the other provisioned devices.  

I assumed that the device would have to use the static ID of the thing on AWS which generated its certificates, and since it doesn't I was wondering how the certificate and subsequent thing on AWS relates to the device.  Could I load the same certificate onto multiple devices and name all of the devices the same way?  Is there a best practice for managing a fleet of devices in this way?

Thanks!

[Hakon]

Hello,

Could I load the same certificate onto multiple devices and name all of the devices the same way?

MQTT won't allow multiple devices with the same client ID to connect to the broker, so that should not work.

[jake11212]

I have different certificates on each device, but from my tests the CONFIG_AWS_IOT_CLIENT_ID_STATIC does not need to match the id associated with the certificate on the device. 

So if I'm understanding the CONFIG_AWS_IOT_CLIENT_ID_STATIC is just an alias unrelated to the certificate on the device, and therefore multiple devices can have the same alias, just not the same certificate, correct?

[Hakon]

jake11212 said:

So if I'm understanding the CONFIG_AWS_IOT_CLIENT_ID_STATIC is just an alias unrelated to the certificate on the device, and therefore multiple devices can have the same alias, just not the same certificate, correct?

You can not connect to the broker with multiple devices using the same client-ID at the same time. Connecting multiple devices with the same certificate should work from what I have heard.