Design and implementation of a container-based architecture for real-time control applications

The fourth industrial revolution and the advent of cyber-physical systems increase the flexibility and effectiveness in production, but they also change the role of software. Traditional monolithic systems need to split up in order to increase flexibility, maintainability and performance. There are existing approaches transforming traditional software towards a cloud-based infrastructure, but little work is done in applying this to real-time applications. This work proposes an architecture that uses containers to modularize real-time control applications, messaging for communication and a hardware abstraction layer to improve maintainability, reusability and flexibility. Using a prototypical implementation of the architecture, we validate the feasibility of this approach through a benchmark.Die vierte industrielle Revolution und die aufkommende Verbreitung von cyberphysikalischen Systemen (CPS) erhöht die Fliexibilität und Effektivität von Produktionsanlagen, ändert jedoch auch die Rolle der Software. Traditionelle monolitische Systeme müssen aufgesplittet werden, um die Flexibilität, Wartbarkeit und Performanz zu erhöhen. Es gibt bereits Ansätze, traditionelle Software in eine Cloud-basierte Infrastruktur zu transformieren, aber bisher gibt es wenige Arbeiten darüber, wie dies auf Echtzeitanwendungen übertragen werden kann. Diese Arbeit stellt eine Architektur vor, die Container verwendet, um Echtzeit-Steueranwendungen zu modularisieren, und außerdem Messaging zur Kommunikation und eine Hardware-Abstraktions-Schicht einsetzt, um Wartbarkeit, Wiederverwendbarkeit und Flexibilität verbessert. Mit einer prototypischen Implementierung der Architektur wird der Ansatz mit einem Benchmark evaluiert

Docker containers usage in the internet of things: a survey

The Internet of Things (IoT) opened the way for enabling many of our everyday objects (things) interact with their environment to collect data, analyze and automating jobs based on specific rules. Within the constraint environment, the requirement of lightweight IoT application are tremendously indeed required to ensure the IoT application can be run efficiently. Docker containers is a promising technology to enable IoT application running smoothly, fast and efficient. In this paper, an introduction to Docker is presented. Then we explore the usage of Docker containers in the IoT application. Finally, we briefly discuss why Docker containers are usage in the IoT application

A container-based architecture to provide services from SDR devices

Rádio Definido por Software (SDR) é um dispositivo de rádio programável que, conectado a um computador ou como uma solução embarcada, pode transmitir e receber informações usando ondas de rádio. A característica de programabilidade do SDR e sua largura de banda de rádio frequência (RF) estendem sua aplicação a diversas áreas que incluem aviação, satélite, radar e dispositivos móveis. O emprego do SDR tem despertado grande interesse na provisão de serviços de rede. Atuando como uma interface sem-fio multiprogramável na borda de redes cabeadas, o SDR é capaz de transmitir, receber e decodificar informações de rádio. Estas informações são usadas para fornecer serviços, como por exemplo uma página de internet contendo um mapa de rastreamento de aeronaves em tempo real, e gráficos de monitoramento de sensores. No entanto, para ser usado para esta finalidade, o SDR deve integrar-se às correntes tecnologias dos ambientes de rede, como NFV, SDN, containerização, e a computação em nuvem. Esta dissertação está focada na integração do SDR com a technologia de containerização. É proposta uma arquitetura para geração de serviços usando contâineres e o SDR como dispositivo de borda. Usando diferentes modelos de SDRs (USRP, LimeSDR e RTL-SDR), a plataforma GNURadio e Docker containers, dois cenários de aplicação da arquitetura são apresentados, nos quais a comunicação ADS-B e LoRa são implementadas. A avaliação da solução proposta é realizada comparando-se a geração de serviço com a arquitetura, (com dois níveis de isolação de rede), e sem a arquitetura. O tempo de lançamento e de resposta dos serviços, e a utilização dos recursos computacionais são comparados, mostrando que a arquitetura tem impacto nesses fatores. Este impacto aumenta conforme o nível de isolação de rede utilizado. Por outro lado a arquitetura aplica uma topologia que converte os componentes funcionais do serviço em blocos modulares, tornando possível sua aplicação em diferentes projetos de RF, e oferece benefícios não funcionais, como a capacidade de prover serviços em tempo real, emprego com diferentes modelos de SDR, e isolação de rede. Além disso, a arquitetura adiciona uma série de características de controle herdadas da tecnologia de virtualização.Software Defined Radio is a programmable radio device that, when connected to a computer or as an embedded solution, can transmit and receive data information using radio waves. The programming features of the SDR and its RF bandwidth range extends the application possibility to several areas, including aviation, satellite, radar, and mobile communication. SDR has drawn great attention to network service provision. Acting as a multi-programmable air interface at the edge of wired network environments, SDR can receive, decode and forward radio information, which is used to generate the services. Examples of services including real-time flight tracker web pages, and sensor monitoring data charts. However, to provide network services, SDR must integrate into complex network environments where recent technologies, such as NFV, SDN, containerization and cloud computing, are applied. This thesis addresses the integration of SDRs with containerization. It proposes an easy-to-deploy container-based architecture to provide network services from SDR devices. Using different types of SDR devices (USRP, LimeSDR and RTL-SDR), GNURadio platform and Docker Container, two use cases of the proposed architecture are presented, demonstrating scenarios where ADSB and LoRa communication are implemented in order to provide services to end-users. Evaluation of the proposed solution is performed comparing two models of service provision: with the proposed architecture (two levels of network isolation), and without the architecture. The overhead time added to launch the services, the time response and computational resource utilization are compared, showing that there is an overhead added by the architecture which impacts on the system performance. The overhead increases with the applied network isolation level. Conversely, the architecture converts the service functional components into modular components, its application can be extended to different RF projects and SDR types, and offers non-functional benefits such as, real-time capability, network isolation, fine setting of communication parameters, and a set of control and configuration features inherited from container virtualization platform

Konzept zur Modularisierung von Komponenten des Digitalen Prozesszwillings

Digitale Prozesszwillinge (DPTs) sind vernetzte Software-Systeme im Industrie-4.0-Kontext, die Produktionsprozesse digital abbilden, überwachen und steuern. Damit können Produktivitätssteigerungen erzielt und Wertschöpfungsketten flexibilisiert werden. Allerdings kann der Betrieb von DPTs zu sehr hohen Anforderungen an die ausführende Rechenressource führen. Zu diesen Anforderungen gehören eine hohe und variable benötigte Rechenleistung, Zuverlässigkeit und Ausfallsicherheit. Diese können mit monolithischen DPT-Architekturen nicht immer ausreichend erfüllt werden. Außerdem sind monolithische DPTs schwer wartbar, da einzelne Teile nur umständlich ersetzt werden können. Wenige wissenschaftliche Arbeiten befassten sich aber bisher mit nicht-monolithischen Digitalen Zwillingen. Der Aufbau eines DPT in modularer statt monolithischer Architektur verspricht eine längere Lebensdauer durch bessere Wartbarkeit und Austauschbarkeit der DPT-Komponenten. Außerdem lassen sich die Module mittels Software-Virtualisierung durch Container von der physischen Hardware trennen und so flexibel zwischen beliebigen Hosts bewegen. Diese Portabilität erlaubt die horizontale Skalierung des DPT, Ausfalltoleranz sowie eine Auslagerung von Modulen in die Cloud. Austauschbarkeit und Wiederverwertbarkeit der Module sowie Portabilität der Container-Technologie ermöglichen zudem ein herstellerübergreifendes Ökosystem für den DPT. In dieser Arbeit werden die Komponenten eines DPT modularisiert und containerisiert. Es wird eine Architektur für diesen containerisierten, modularisierten DPT (CMDPT) geschaffen, welche insbesondere die benötigte Infrastruktur für den Betrieb spezifiziert. Das Konzept wird in einer prototypischen Implementierung umgesetzt. Die Validierung des Konzepts zeigt, dass der CMDPT neue Anwendungsgebiete für den DPT schafft, die zugrundeliegenden Technologien aber in Hinsicht Echtzeit und Latenz noch nicht ausgereift sind

Real-Time Sensor Networks and Systems for the Industrial IoT

The Industrial Internet of Things (Industrial IoT—IIoT) has emerged as the core construct behind the various cyber-physical systems constituting a principal dimension of the fourth Industrial Revolution. While initially born as the concept behind specific industrial applications of generic IoT technologies, for the optimization of operational efficiency in automation and control, it quickly enabled the achievement of the total convergence of Operational (OT) and Information Technologies (IT). The IIoT has now surpassed the traditional borders of automation and control functions in the process and manufacturing industry, shifting towards a wider domain of functions and industries, embraced under the dominant global initiatives and architectural frameworks of Industry 4.0 (or Industrie 4.0) in Germany, Industrial Internet in the US, Society 5.0 in Japan, and Made-in-China 2025 in China. As real-time embedded systems are quickly achieving ubiquity in everyday life and in industrial environments, and many processes already depend on real-time cyber-physical systems and embedded sensors, the integration of IoT with cognitive computing and real-time data exchange is essential for real-time analytics and realization of digital twins in smart environments and services under the various frameworks’ provisions. In this context, real-time sensor networks and systems for the Industrial IoT encompass multiple technologies and raise significant design, optimization, integration and exploitation challenges. The ten articles in this Special Issue describe advances in real-time sensor networks and systems that are significant enablers of the Industrial IoT paradigm. In the relevant landscape, the domain of wireless networking technologies is centrally positioned, as expected