BITX. The M2M application development ecosystem. m2mdataexchange. An introduction

Transcription

1 BITX The M2M application development ecosystem An introduction m2mdataexchange

2 BrochureOKRGBENG:Layout :30 Pagina 2 The BITXTM ecosystem Welcome to BITX, the most powerful, flexible and complete M2M application development platform. The following chart represents a typical example of an M2M infrastructure. At the same time, this diagram shows the natural ecosystem in wich the different BITX software components have been designed to operate. 1

3 1 The m2m application The m2m middleware The front end The brains of the system 2 The first element of an M2M infrastructure is the M2M application (or in more simple terms, the frontend). We re talking about a graphic user interface, which is typically a client-specific development and may be represented by a simple web interface, through which an end-user can monitor and control a number of devices that are under his responsibility. In other situations, the M2M application can take the form of a complex, multichannel (Web, Voice, SMS, PDA), multi-user, administration and control system, where different users can handle every aspect of the entire process (remote assets administration, user profiling, permission rules and system configuration). Sometimes again, there s no need at all to develop a dedicated M2M application, as the asset owner s main need is to collect data from field devices and make it available to existing enterprise applications. In such a case, the M2M middleware will act as a device network manager and repository, so that the data coming from the assets can be brought within the boundaries of the company s business processes. The second block and the most important is the M2M middleware, usually defined as the brains of the entire M2M infrastructure. It s the middleware that turns raw machine data into information companies can use to automate their processes and make decisions. This logic layer needs to be programmed so that it knows what needs to be done, based on what data is coming from the remote assets. In principle, the more a middleware is flexible and quickly adaptable to any applicative requirement, the more it will be useful to those involved in an end-toend machine-to-machine application development process. 2

4 3 The network infrastructure The m2m Gateway The transport The interpreter 4 When SCADA (Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition) applications first appeared, back in the early 1960s, cellular and internet technologies were still far from being a reality and this forced engineers to build industry-specific applications on proprietary radio or wired networks and protocols. Today, modern M2M applications can leverage wide-coverage, costeffective wireless and internet networks as an incredible growth booster for M2M adoption. Thanks to the availability of reliable and affordable public communication networks, M2M can now be applied across many different industries, with a much lower capital expenditure. The fourth important element in an M2M infrastructure is the Gateway, i.e. a particular hardware/ software combination that makes the remote asset (such as an automatic vending machine or a vehicle, for instance) accessible by a centrally managed control system. A typical example of M2M Gateway is represented by an external box with the following features: A networking capability, such as - for instance - a TCP/IP, GPRS/CDMA modem. A variable set of I/O interfaces for the connection with the local device (a serial port, a series of analog/ digital ports). A software component called Gateway Manager, which acts as an interpreter between the middleware (2) and the remote assets (5). In particular, in the BITX approach, the Gateway Manager is the critical software component that makes it possible to translate a series of high level instructions based on a public xml protocol (6) into proprietary asset-specific commands. When design and manufacturing considerations allow it (as opposed to retrofitting ), a Gateway Manager can be embedded onto the main electronic board of an asset, thus making that product natively M2M enabled. To that end, a specific white paper named M2M enabling a generic device can be found on the bitx website. 3

5 5 The remote assets 6 The m2m protocol Vehicles, elevators, vending machines, HVAC units, widely-used industrial components such as motor drives, PLCs or UPS units (Uninterruptible Power Supply), pumps, tanks, electric towers and lines, railways. In principle, any piece of equipment that is productive and remunerative to manage and monitor from a central control room is a good candidate for M2M enabling. In general, mission-critical assets, usually covered by servicing and maintenance contracts, will be the first to be positively affected by the improvements in efficiency, downtime impact and servicing cost, deriving from M2M adoption. The sixth fundamental element in an M2M ecosystem is the communications protocol which is at the foundation of the Middleware-Gateway (2-4) data exchange. BITX supports an open (public), XML-based communications protocol: BITXml ( BITXml s declared ambition is to provide a response to the issues faced by application developers and system integrators, when dealing with the complexities of multiple proprietary protocols, designed for specific contexts. Thanks to BITXml TM, it will be possible: To encapsulate the relevant commands or map the entire profile of a device, regardless of the device s manufacturer, and transport them to the external Gateway Manager, which is directly connected to the controlled device (the encapsulation is made serverside, while programming the Middleware). Alternatively the gateway can operate directly as a field device. If the device has been designed to incorporate a custom BITXml interpreter, BITXml commands will go straight to the device, and the middleware programming is done using a BITXml syntax, which guarantees greater simplicity and higher expressivity. 4

6 The BITX TM system components: one size fits all Why build it all from scratch every time? BITXTM is a standardized, cross-industry product, which hides all the complexities inherent to the management of communications between any generic remote device and a central server. In other words, BITX will act as a black box, allowing application developers and system integrators to focus their attention on the functional requirements of their M2M application, for reduced project lengths and anticipated returns. The major strength of the BITX approach to m2m application development lies in the CORE-APPWARE combination: while the CORE component provides a structured set of general M2M services, the APPWARE provides a series of models, tools and services designed to support specific domain-oriented requirements: from asset management to location-based services, from building automation to info-mobility and wireless content distribution. 5

7 BITX TM ecosystem: the main components BITX CORE This is the most important and advanced element of the whole ecosystem. The BITX CORE is a specialised middleware, which identifies and supports a robust and complete set of services and functionalities, specifically designed for M2M applications. In brief, the BITX CORE can be defined as a controlled, high performance, execution environment for M2M transactions. No matter what protocols and devices are involved, their number or the number of transactions. From 100 to one million devices, the BITX CORE can support any volume requirement by simply scaling up the webfarm of deployment. BITX GW (Gateway Manager) The BITX Gateway Manager is the software component that manages all communications between the remote device and the BITX CORE or APPWARE. BITX GW is like an interpreter that speaks two different protocols: BITXML TM (the open xml-based protocol supported by BITX) and any proprietary protocol used by each particular type of device. BITX GW can run on any logical controller, such as external wired/wireless modules, personal computers, or it can be embedded inside the machine itself. BITX GW is already available in several different versions and specific SDKs have been released as open source libraries on sourceforge.net for developers who need to create custom BITXml-compliant Gateway Managers in the following environments: Java (J2ME, J2EE).net (Windows, Windows CE, Windows for automotive) C++ (Linux, Qnx...) BITX APPWARES A BITX APPWARE is an optional pre-configured framework of the BITX CORE component, which is a step closer to the final solution. Designed to address the needs of vertical applications within specific domains, each BITX APPWARE is featured with customized services, BITXml models, tools, libraries and SDK (Software Developer Kits) that have been specially conceived to meet the requirements of a particular applicative field. Current BITX APPWARES have been designed for the following areas: BITX for Automotive & Vehicles BITX for Asset Management BITX for Building & Home Automation BITX for Automation Because of the variety of domains, the number of possible applications and high level of customization needs, it may be useful to get advantage from the mashup capabilities of the BITX ecosystem. This means you can always create a new hybrid custom combination, made up of different features and services coming from different BITX APPWARE frameworks, to support specific needs in different domains. 6

8 m2mdataexchange BITX is a registered trademark of YOUR VOICE S.p.A. Via Mecenate, 76/ Milan Italy Tel: (+39) Fax: (+39) info@yourvoice.com