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Windchill+ Example Deployment

This page walks through a complete deployment of the Windchill+ integration in sequence, from connector creation through CCD package deployment and connectivity testing.

Initiate contact with Support teams

This deployment requires coordination with aPriori Customer Support (to obtain the CCD build package and manifest.yml) and PTC Support (to deploy the package to your Windchill+ environment). Initiate contact with both teams early to avoid delays mid-deployment.

Before you begin, review the Windchill+ Integration Overview to confirm all prerequisites are in place, including a server with a static IP address, outbound internet access to the aPriori cloud, and Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer installed.

Step 1: Create the Windchill Connector

Create the connector in aP Connect before installing the agent. Follow the steps in Create a PLM Connector, noting the following for a Windchill+ deployment:

  • Type — select Windchill. There is no separate Windchill+ type; both on-premise and PTC-hosted Windchill+ use the same connector type.

mTLS vs IP allowlisting (optional)

When creating the connector you can choose between two authentication methods for the agent-to-cloud connection.

  • mTLS — check Use certificate-based authentication (mTLS) instead of IP allowlisting. You will need a signed certificate from aPriori before installing the agent. See Obtain a Signed Certificate.
  • IP allowlisting — leave the checkbox unchecked and contact aPriori Support to add your agent host's static IP address to the allowlist.

After saving, copy the generated connection values (url, appKey, agentId, scanRate, plmType) from the Connection Info field — you will need these in Step 2.

Step 2: Configure options.ini

In the agent installer folder, open options.ini in a text editor and complete the four sections below. Values from the connector are copied from the Connection Info in Step 1.

[General]

Property Set to Required
installDirectory Full path to the agent installation folder (no spaces in path) Yes
auth-token Authentication API key Yes

[aPConnectProperties]

Property Set to Required
url aP Connect WebSocket URL from connector. Use port 8443 when mTLS is enabled Yes
appKey Application key from connector Yes
agentId Connector ID from connector Yes
scanRate Scan rate from connector Yes
plmType windchill Yes

[PLMProperties]

Property Set to Required
hostName Windchill+ base URL including path, for example https://<host>/Windchill/oauth Yes
authenticationProtocol oauth Yes

hostName is the URL of the PLM system — not the name of the machine the agent is installed on. Windchill+ uses OAuth, so the hostName value must end with /oauth

[OAuthProperties]

These values are provided by PTC's PingIdentity / PingFederate identity provider. Obtain them from your PTC or IdP administrator before proceeding.

Property Set to Required
oAuthBaseUrl OAuth provider base URL — base URL only, the agent derives the token endpoint Yes
clientId OAuth Client ID Yes
clientSecret OAuth Client Secret Yes
tokenScopes Comma-separated token scopes No
tokenAudience Token audience No

After installation, these values are written by the installer to plm-connection.properties. Note that the clientId and clientSecret values are encrypted during installation. Encrypted values cannot be modified after install, a reinstall is required to change them. For more information, see Edit Properties after Install.

Step 3: Install the Agent

Install Agent

With options.ini complete, run the Setup Wizard. If you are using mTLS, have your signed certificate and private key files ready (see Obtain a Signed Certificate). For full Setup Wizard steps, see Install Using the Setup Wizard.

Adjust Agent Configuration

After installing the agent, set the windchill.plmHealthEndpoint:

  1. In the agent installation folder, open plm-connection.properties and update windchill.plmHealthEndpoint (include a trailing slash), for example /servlet/odata/v4/PTC/. The version path segment may vary — confirm the correct value with PTC for your environment.
  2. Restart the agent service for the change to take effect.

Step 4: Deploy the CCD Package to Windchill+

Before deploying the CCD package, confirm the connector shows Connected to PLM. See Confirm Connection.

Deploy aPriori's customization to your PTC Windchill+ environment. This step requires coordination with both aPriori and PTC Support.

Info

Windchill+ deployments are cumulative. Any existing customizations in your PTC environment must be deployed together with the aPriori CCD package. Custom middleware between Windchill+ and aPriori is not supported.

  1. Open a support ticket with PTC Support requesting deployment of the aPriori CCD package. Ask PTC for their current process, as steps and tooling may change.
  2. aPriori provides: (Contact aPriori Support)
    • A CCD build package
    • A manifest.yml deployment file
  3. Using Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer, upload the files to your PTC development environment.
  4. PTC allowlists your agent host's static IP address, completes the deployment, and confirms success through the support ticket.

Step 5: Run a Test Costing

With the CCD package deployed, run a functional test to confirm the full integration is working end-to-end:

  1. Manually cost a simple test part in aP Design to establish a known-good baseline, then delete the scenario when done.
  2. In aP Connect, create a workflow that uses this connector and queries for that same part.
  3. Invoke the workflow. When costing completes, open the part from the generated report, email notification, or the Job Details window.
  4. Confirm the part costed successfully in aP Design.

If the part does not cost successfully, re-check the connection status, verify the workflow query returns the intended part, and confirm the connector field mappings match the field names in your Windchill+ system exactly.

See Confirm Connectivity and Functionality for confirmation steps and testing reference information.