Merge pull request #302886 from dominicbetts/release-aio-2507-namespaces

AIO 2507: Add namespace definition

Author: prmerger-automator[bot]

articles/iot-operations/deploy-iot-ops/howto-manage-update-uninstall.md

@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ You can run `az iot ops check` on your cluster to assess health and configuratio
 
 In the Azure portal, you can view the Azure Device Registry, which is a collection of all devices and assets that are connected to your Azure IoT Operations instance.
 
-You can use *namespaces* to organize your assets and devices. For example, you can create a namespace for each asset type or location.
+The Azure Device Registry uses _namespaces_ to organize assets and devices. Each Azure IoT Operations instance uses a single namespace for its assets and devices. Multiple instances can share a single namespace.
 
 <!-- TODO - 2507 Expand this section with more details about the connector template configuration. -->
 

articles/iot-operations/discover-manage-assets/overview-manage-assets.md

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ description: Understand concepts and options needed to manage the devices and as
 author: dominicbetts
 ms.author: dobett
 ms.topic: overview
-ms.date: 06/24/2025
+ms.date: 07/17/2025
 ai-usage: ai-assisted
 
 # CustomerIntent: As an industrial edge IT or operations user, I want to understand the key components in the Azure IoT Operations for managing devices and assets, so that I can effectively manage the devices and assets in my solution. 
@@ -73,7 +73,9 @@ To learn more, see [Define assets and devices](concept-assets-devices.md).
 Azure IoT Operations includes several services that help you manage devices and assets.
 
 - The **operations experience** is a web UI that lets you create and configure assets in your solution. The web UI simplifies the task of managing assets and is the recommended service to manage assets.
-- **Azure Device Registry** is a backend service that enables the cloud and edge management of assets. Device Registry projects assets defined in your edge environment as Azure resources in the cloud. It provides a single unified registry so that all apps and services that interact with your assets can connect to a single source. Device Registry also manages the synchronization between assets in the cloud and assets as custom resources in Kubernetes on the edge.
+- **Azure Device Registry** is a backend service that enables the cloud and edge management of assets. Device Registry uses _namespaces_ to organize assets and devices. Each Azure IoT Operations instance uses a single namespace for its assets and devices. Multiple instances can share a single namespace.
+
+  Device Registry projects assets defined in your edge environment as Azure resources in the cloud. It provides a single unified registry so that all apps and services that interact with your assets can connect to a single source. Device Registry also manages the synchronization between assets in the cloud and assets as custom resources in Kubernetes on the edge.
 - The schema registry is a service that lets you define and manage the schema for your assets. Data flows use schemas to deserialize and serialize messages.
 - The **connector for OPC UA** is a data ingress and protocol translation service that enables Azure IoT Operations to ingress data from OPC UA servers. A key requirement in industrial environments is for a common standard or protocol for machine-to-machine and machine-to-cloud data exchange. [OPC UA](https://opcfoundation.org/about/opc-technologies/opc-ua/) is a specification for a platform independent service-oriented architecture that enables data exchange in industrial environments. The connector receives messages and events from your assets and publishes the data to topics in the MQTT broker.
 - The **media connector (preview)** is a service that makes media from media sources such as edge-attached cameras available to other Azure IoT Operations components.

articles/iot-operations/overview-iot-operations.md

@@ -1,13 +1,13 @@
 ---
 title: What is Azure IoT Operations?
-description: Azure IoT Operations is a unified data plane for the edge, that runs on Azure Arc-enabled Kubernetes clusters, and part of the Microsoft adaptive cloud approach.
+description: Azure IoT Operations is a unified data plane for the edge that runs on Azure Arc-enabled Kubernetes clusters, and is part of the Microsoft adaptive cloud approach.
 author: dominicbetts
 ms.author: dobett
 ms.topic: overview
 ms.custom:
   - ignite-2023
   - references_regions
-ms.date: 10/22/2024
+ms.date: 07/17/2025
 ---
 
 # What is Azure IoT Operations?
@@ -73,7 +73,9 @@ Azure IoT Operations can connect to various industrial devices and assets. You c
 
 The [connector for OPC UA](discover-manage-assets/overview-opc-ua-connector.md) manages the connection to OPC UA servers and other leaf devices. The connector for OPC UA publishes data from the OPC UA servers to MQTT broker topics.
 
-Azure IoT Operations uses the Azure Device Registry to store information about local assets in the cloud. The service enables you to [manage assets on the edge from the Azure portal or the Azure CLI](discover-manage-assets/howto-secure-assets.md). The Azure Device Registry also includes a schema registry for the assets. Data flows use these schemas to deserialize and serialize messages.
+Azure IoT Operations uses the Azure Device Registry to store information about local assets in the cloud. The service enables you to [manage assets on the edge from the Azure portal or the Azure CLI](discover-manage-assets/howto-secure-assets.md). The Azure Device Registry uses _namespaces_ to organize assets and devices. Each Azure IoT Operations instance uses a single namespace for its assets and devices. Multiple instances can share a single namespace.
+
+The Azure Device Registry also includes a schema registry for the assets. Data flows use these schemas to deserialize and serialize messages.
 
 ## Automatic asset discovery
 

articles/iot/iot-glossary.md

@@ -968,6 +968,14 @@ Casing rules: Always lowercase.
 
 Applies to: IoT Hub
 
+## N
+
+### Namespace
+
+In the context of Azure IoT Operations, Azure Device Registry  uses *namespaces* to organize assets and devices. Each Azure IoT Operations instance uses a single namespace for its assets and devices. Multiple instances can share a single namespace.
+
+Applies to: Azure IoT Operations, Azure Device Registry
+
 ## O
 
 ### Ontology