Introduction
Connect is how engineering tools and data sources join an Istari Digital Platform that is already installed. You install modules for the tools you use, register the third-party applications your team signs in to — Teamwork Cloud, Windchill, Google Drive, Microsoft 365 — so jobs can act on their data, and register the Resources those workflows depend on.
Registering a Resource centralizes its identity: a UUID, a revision history, permissions, and a place in a System. The contents stay where they belong — in your own object store when you upload, or in the source application when you connect a file. That is what makes a digital thread possible without moving every file into a new repository.
Before you start, your organization needs a running platform with at least one agent — see Install. The OS agent guides end by deploying Open Text so you can test the agent without a licensed tool. The work here is everything after that: commercial CAD, MBSE, solvers, productivity suites, custom modules, and data ingest. Concepts: Integrations, jobs, and agents.
When you need another agent
A module only runs where an agent is already running. Add an agent when the tool or data you want to reach sits somewhere no current agent can see it — for example:
- a new workstation or VM that should start running jobs
- a tool you just deployed on a machine that has no agent
- a database or engineering application that has to be read from that host
The install is the same one your IT team ran the first time:
| Host | Guide |
|---|---|
| Windows | Install the agent on Windows |
| Linux | Install the agent on Linux |
| macOS | Install the agent on macOS |
Start from Agents overview if you are still choosing a host. Once the agent shows as online, add the module on it.
What you will find here
- Module deployment — Put a module on an agent, publish its manifest, and grant users access to the tool. One procedure, used for every module you add. Publishing uses
stari; install and authenticate it if it is not already on the host. During Install, the last step of each OS agent guide uses this procedure with Open Text to test the agent. - Supported integrations — Reference pages per tool: functions, prerequisites, and how to run them from the web app or Python.
- Custom modules (Integrations SDK) — Build your own module when no supported integration covers your tool.
Organization administrators manage agents and register external applications under Admin. For each application, choose how people sign in: a shared service account managed by administrators or a linked account each user creates. See App Integrations.
If you get stuck, contact support@istaridigital.com.