how-to-authenticate-downstream-device.md

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Authenticate downstream devices - Azure IoT Edge | Microsoft Docs	How to authenticate downstream devices or leaf devices to IoT Hub, and route their connection through Azure IoT Edge gateway devices.	kgremban	philmea	kgremban	06/02/2020	conceptual	iot-edge	iot-edge

Authenticate a downstream device to Azure IoT Hub

In a transparent gateway scenario, downstream devices (sometimes called leaf devices or child devices) need identities in IoT Hub like any other device. This article walks through the options for authenticating a downstream device to IoT Hub, and then demonstrates how to declare the gateway connection.

There are three general steps to set up a successful transparent gateway connection. This article covers the second step:

1. Configure the gateway device as a server so that downstream devices can connect to it securely. Set up the gateway to receive messages from downstream devices and route them to the proper destination. For more information, see Configure an IoT Edge device to act as a transparent gateway.
2. Create a device identity for the downstream device so that it can authenticate with IoT Hub. Configure the downstream device to send messages through the gateway device.
3. Connect the downstream device to the gateway device and start sending messages. For more information, see Connect a downstream device to an Azure IoT Edge gateway.

Downstream devices can authenticate with IoT Hub using one of three methods: symmetric keys (sometimes referred to as shared access keys), X.509 self-signed certificates, or X.509 certificate authority (CA) signed certificates. The authentication steps are similar to the steps used to set up any non-IoT-Edge device with IoT Hub, with small differences to declare the gateway relationship.

The steps in this article show manual device provisioning. Automatic provisioning downstream devices with the Azure IoT Hub Device Provisioning Service (DPS) is not supported.

Prerequisites

Complete the steps in Configure an IoT Edge device to act as a transparent gateway.

If you're using X.509 authentication, you will generate certificates for your downstream device. Have the same root CA certificate and the certificate generating script that you used for the transparent gateway article available to use again.

This article refers to the gateway hostname at several points. The gateway hostname is declared in the hostname parameter of the config.yaml file on the IoT Edge gateway device. It's referred to in the connection string of the downstream device. The gateway hostname needs to be resolvable to an IP Address, either using DNS or a host file entry on the downstream device.

Register device with IoT Hub

Choose how you want your downstream device to authenticate with IoT Hub:

• Symmetric key authentication: IoT Hub creates a key that you put on the downstream device. When the device authenticates, IoT Hub checks that the two keys match. You don't need to create additional certificates to use symmetric key authentication.
• X.509 self-signed authentication: Sometimes called thumbprint authentication, because you share the thumbprint from the device's X.509 certificate with IoT Hub.
• X.509 CA-signed authentication: Upload the root CA certificate to IoT Hub. When devices present their X.509 certificate for authentication, IoT Hub checks that it belongs to a chain of trust signed by the same root CA certificate.

After you register your device with one of these three methods, continue to the next section to Retrieve and modify the connection string for your downstream device.

Symmetric key authentication

Symmetric key authentication, or shared access key authentication, is the simplest way to authenticate with IoT Hub. With symmetric key authentication, a base64 key is associated with your IoT device ID in IoT Hub. You include that key in your IoT applications so that your device can present it when it connects to IoT Hub.

Add a new IoT device in your IoT hub, using either the Azure portal, Azure CLI, or the IoT extension for Visual Studio Code. Remember that downstream devices need to be identified in IoT Hub as regular IoT devices, not IoT Edge devices.

When you create the new device identity, provide the following information:

• Create an ID for your device.

• Select Symmetric key as the authentication type.

• Optionally, choose to Set a parent device and select the IoT Edge gateway device that this downstream device will connect through. This step is optional for symmetric key authentication, but it's recommended because setting a parent device enables offline capabilities for your downstream device. You can always update the device details to add or change the parent later.

  

You also can use the IoT extension for Azure CLI to complete the same operation. The following example creates a new IoT device with symmetric key authentication and assigns a parent device:

az iot hub device-identity create -n {iothub name} -d {new device ID} --pd {existing gateway device ID}

For more information about Azure CLI commands for device creation and parent/child management, see the reference content for az iot hub device-identity commands.

Next, Retrieve and modify the connection string so that your device knows to connect via its gateway.

X.509 self-signed authentication

For X.509 self-signed authentication, sometimes referred to as thumbprint authentication, you need to create certificates to place on your downstream device. These certificates have a thumbprint in them that you share with IoT Hub for authentication.

1. Using your CA certificate, create two device certificates (primary and secondary) for the downstream device.

   If you don't have a certificate authority to create X.509 certificates, you can use the IoT Edge demo certificate scripts to Create downstream device certificates. Follow the steps for creating self-signed certificates. Use the same root CA certificate that generated the certificates for your gateway device.

   If you create your own certificates, make sure that the device certificate's subject name is set to the device ID that you use when registering the IoT device in the Azure IoT Hub. This setting is required for authentication.

2. Retrieve the SHA1 fingerprint (called a thumbprint in the IoT Hub interface) from each certificate, which is a 40 hexadecimal character string. Use the following openssl command to view the certificate and find the fingerprint:

   • Windows:

     openssl x509 -in <path to primary device certificate>.cert.pem -text -fingerprint

   • Linux:

     openssl x509 -in <path to primary device certificate>.cert.pem -text -fingerprint | sed 's/[:]//g'

   Run this command twice, once for the primary certificate and once for the secondary certificate. You provide fingerprints for both certificates when you register a new IoT device using self-signed X.509 certificates.

3. Navigate to your IoT hub in the Azure portal and create a new IoT device identity with the following values:

   • Provide the Device ID that matches the subject name of your device certificates.
   • Select X.509 Self-Signed as the authentication type.
   • Paste the hexadecimal strings that you copied from your device's primary and secondary certificates.
   • Select Set a parent device and choose the IoT Edge gateway device that this downstream device will connect through. A parent device is required for X.509 authentication of a downstream device.

   

4. Copy both the primary and secondary device certificates and their keys to any location on the downstream device. Also move a copy of the shared root CA certificate that generated both the gateway device certificate and the downstream device certificates.

   You'll reference these certificate files in any applications on the downstream device that connect to IoT Hub. You can use a service like Azure Key Vault or a function like Secure copy protocol to move the certificate files.

5. Depending on your preferred language, review samples of how X.509 certificates can be referenced in IoT applications:

   • C#: Set up X.509 security in your Azure IoT hub
   • C: iotedge_downstream_device_sample.c
   • Node.js: simple_sample_device_x509.js
   • Java: SendEventX509.java
   • Python: send_message_x509.py

You also can use the IoT extension for Azure CLI to complete the same device creation operation. The following example creates a new IoT device with X.509 self-signed authentication and assigns a parent device:

az iot hub device-identity create -n {iothub name} -d {device ID} --pd {gateway device ID} --am x509_thumbprint --ptp {primary thumbprint} --stp {secondary thumbprint}

For more information about Azure CLI commands for device creation, certificate generation, and parent and child management, see the reference content for az iot hub device-identity commands.

Next, Retrieve and modify the connection string so that your device knows to connect via its gateway.

X.509 CA-signed authentication

For X.509 certificate authority (CA) signed authentication, you need a root CA certificate registered in IoT Hub that you use to sign certificates for your downstream device. Any device using a certificate that was issues by the root CA certificate or any of its intermediate certificates will be permitted to authenticate.

This section is based on the instructions detailed in the IoT Hub article Set up X.509 security in your Azure IoT hub.

1. Using your CA certificate, create two device certificates (primary and secondary) for the downstream device.

   If you don't have a certificate authority to create X.509 certificates, you can use the IoT Edge demo certificate scripts to Create downstream device certificates. Follow the steps for creating CA-signed certificates. Use the same root CA certificate that generated the certificates for your gateway device.

2. Follow the instructions in the Register X.509 CA certificates to your IoT hub section of Set up X.509 security in your Azure IoT hub. In that section, you perform the following steps:

   1. Upload a root CA certificate. If you're using the demo certificates, the root CA is <path>/certs/azure-iot-test-only.root.ca.cert.pem.

   2. Verify that you own that root CA certificate.

3. Follow the instructions in the Create an X.509 device for your IoT hub section of Set up X.509 security in your Azure IoT hub. In that section, you perform the following steps:

   1. Add a new device. Provide a lowercase name for device ID, and choose the authentication type X.509 CA Signed.

   2. Set a parent device. For downstream devices, select Set a parent device and choose the IoT Edge gateway device that will provide the connection to IoT Hub.

4. Create a certificate chain for your downstream device. Use the same root CA certificate that you uploaded to IoT Hub to make this chain. Use the same lowercase device ID that you gave to your device identity in the portal.

5. Copy the device certificate and keys to any location on the downstream device. Also move a copy of the shared root CA certificate that generated both the gateway device certificate and the downstream device certificates.

   You'll reference these files in any applications on the downstream device that connect to IoT Hub. You can use a service like Azure Key Vault or a function like Secure copy protocol to move the certificate files.

6. Depending on your preferred language, review samples of how X.509 certificates can be referenced in IoT applications:

   • C#: Set up X.509 security in your Azure IoT hub
   • C: iotedge_downstream_device_sample.c
   • Node.js: simple_sample_device_x509.js
   • Java: SendEventX509.java
   • Python: send_message_x509.py

You also can use the IoT extension for Azure CLI to complete the same device creation operation. The following example creates a new IoT device with X.509 CA signed authentication and assigns a parent device:

az iot hub device-identity create -n {iothub name} -d {device ID} --pd {gateway device ID} --am x509_ca

For more information, see the Azure CLI reference content for az iot hub device-identity commands.

Next, Retrieve and modify the connection string so that your device knows to connect via its gateway.

Retrieve and modify connection string

After creating an IoT device identity in the portal, you can retrieve its primary or secondary keys. One of these keys needs to be included in the connection string that applications use to communicate with IoT Hub. For symmetric key authentication, IoT Hub provides the fully formed connection string in the device details for your convenience. You need to add extra information about the gateway device to the connection string.

Connection strings for downstream devices need the following components:

• The IoT hub that the device connects to: Hostname={iothub name}.azure-devices.net
• The device ID registered with the hub: DeviceID={device ID}
• Either the primary or secondary key: SharedAccessKey={key}
• The gateway device that the device connects through. Provide the hostname value from the IoT Edge gateway device's config.yaml file: GatewayHostName={gateway hostname}

All together, a complete connection string looks like:

HostName=myiothub.azure-devices.net;DeviceId=myDownstreamDevice;SharedAccessKey=xxxyyyzzz;GatewayHostName=myGatewayDevice

If you established a parent/child relationship for this downstream device, then you can simplify the connection string by calling the gateway directly as the connection host. Parent/child relationships are required for X.509 authentication but optional for symmetric key authentication. For example:

HostName=myGatewayDevice;DeviceId=myDownstreamDevice;SharedAccessKey=xxxyyyzzz

You'll use this modified connection string in the next article of the transparent gateway series.

Next steps

At this point, you have an IoT Edge device registered with your IoT hub and configured as a transparent gateway. You also have a downstream device registered with your IoT hub and pointing to its gateway device.

The steps in this article set up your downstream device to authenticate to IoT Hub. Next, you need to configure your downstream device to trust the gateway device and connect to it securely. Continue on to the next article in the transparent gateway series, Connect a downstream device to an Azure IoT Edge gateway.