A consumer is another web application that is allowed to send requests to this application on behalf of an authorized user. In other words, a consumer is a client application that consumes (or possibly generates/updates) the information of Windchill (through this app) using an authorized Windchill user.
Consumers are needed to create incoming Collaboration Links; this means you need to register the CLM Application as a consumer of Windchill, if you want to create Collaboration Links on the CLM Application side. You will need to provide the OSLC Connect for Windchill rootservices to the CLM Application administrator to achieve this point (for more details please refer to Configuring OSLC Connect). Keep in mind that additional configuration will be required also there, but for now let's focus on the requirements of this side.
It is worth to mention that regular consumers are not bound to any particular Windchill user, they have their own identity and, at the proper working moment, they will request Windchill credentials to work on behalf of a user (a process known as "user authentication"). Let's call these regular consumers as consumers for humans, because a human is required to complete the user authentication process; however, the CLM Application may have automatic processes wanting to consume the Windchill information; in such cases, it is more convenient to bound a specific Windchill user to the consumer and avoid the need for a human. Let's call such consumers as consumers for applications and the bounded user as functional user. OSLC Connect for Windchill allows Consumers with a Provisional Key, that register themselves from a remote friend application, not in the consumers page. Once registered, they cannot access the system until they are approved to do so.
Next procedures focus on actions you can do in the consumers page, this means the removing of consumers with authorized key; it also means you won't find a procedure to register a consumer with a provisional key.
Configure > Consumers
page.Active
section and table at the bottom of the center panel.OK
button in the confirmation dialog.If a remote friend application requested a provisional key, such request will be waiting an approval/rejection from the Windchill server administrator. The friend application won't be able to connect to Windchill while this request is not approved. To approve/reject provisional key requests:
Configure > Consumers
page.Manage OAuth Consumers / Pending
section and table in the middle of the center panel.