The Linux Foundation's Open Glossary of Edge Computing project curates and defines terms related to the field of edge computing, collecting common and accepted definitions into an openly licensed repository.
Home Page: https://www.stateoftheedge.com/glossary
License: Other
Evolve terms per TAC and LF Edge white paper agreement, including
An important aspect of edge data centers is the humanless and remote operations component.
IXP definition is not current or accurate.
For instance, not just "large network providers" connect at IXPs. These days "brick-and-mortar" companies connect, as well as small ISPs, etc.
This is incorrect: "A typical service provider will access tier 1 global providers and their networks via IXPs"
Global "tier 1" providers do not connect to IXPs typically. On the rare occasions when they do, it is for test peering, not for production traffic.
This is incorrect: "IXPs are sometimes referred to as Carrier Hotels"
Carrier Hotel are buildings with many carriers present. IXPs are separate, although they frequently are located inside Carrier Hotels to make it easier for carriers to connect to the IXPs. Outside of the US, they are usually run by separate corporations, and a single IXP can span multiple buildings and/or Carrier Hotels in the same building.
Given the concentration of activity on the cellular/mobile infrastructure edge, it seems the glossary should attempt to document and explain this concept. There are plenty of examples for the citation files, from the original MEC ("Mobile Edge Computing") to more recent print articles like this one: Do we really need a mobile edge?
We have a new definition that needs to be added to the Open Glossary for Edge Computing. It’s for MEC Federation. Can you help us get it added please?
“MEC federation: federated model of MEC systems enabling shared usage of MEC services and applications. In this model different stakeholders collaborate for joint business purposes, and
"federate" their edge computing resources, by offering/exposing their MEC service capabilities, not only for mutual consumption, but also offering those to application developers and end customers (e.g. vertical market segments).”
via Yevgeniy Sverdlik
Citation: https://www.mobileworldlive.com/blog/intelligence-brief-why-edge-computing-mattered-at-ces
"If you’re not familiar with the Distributed Edge Cloud concept, it’s fairly straightforward and very powerful. At its simplest, it’s about siting compute and applications (including network functions) closer to the user. Doing so positions it as a way to deliver low latency communications where a specific use case requires them. And where edge nodes are able to host workloads from various players, the concept opens up opportunities to expose applications in the way public cloud players do, all while lowering backhaul burdens. Of course, it’s also positioned as a space where operators and public cloud players will battle to deliver value to the enterprise."
Add introductory text to the glossary.
Occasionally you see these terms appear in print. The glossary should be a resource where someone can look these up and get a definition. Even if the definitions are vague or do not have consensus, we can still include the words in the glossary and acknowledge the gaps and ambiguities.
Example:
From: No one wants to touch the IoT edge
https://www.rcrwireless.com/20181217/analyst-angle/iot-edge-analyst-angle
What is the IoT edge? Where is the IoT edge? I want to put a stake in the sand on my definition of this oft misunderstood term.
Having just completed a podcast with Qualcomm discussing IoT edge computing (take a listen here), I was struck by our need to define the term “IoT edge” before we even started the discussion. Qualcomm is a key player in the edge computing ecosystem, and I’m an IoT analyst, consultant and pundit who spends lots of time talking about the IoT edge. If we have to come to an agreement on a common definition of the term and get common ground before we start a discussion, you know the industry still has a problem.
At James Brehm & Associates, I work and follow key players in the “edge IoT market”, including Qualcomm, Dell, Cisco, HPE, Cradlepoint, Juniper Networks, Nokia, Ericsson, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and many others. Between them, there is still a tremendous amount of confusion over the term “IoT edge”, and each of them is attacking the edge with a different approach. Each of these enterprises is looking towards future IoT networks (LTE CAT-NB1, LTE CAT-M1, 5G, LoRa, etc.) with the belief that edge computing is not only the key to IoT, but a way to derive new revenues from traditional networks and networking equipment.
They all talk and think about edge computing and the IoT edge differently. HPE talks about edge as the demarcation point where IT meets OT and is pushing to move full cloud computing on premises. Dell thinks about edge as a gateway where you can standardize both southbound and northbound traffic. Cisco talks about the fog and edge computing being a subset of fog. MNO’s such as Sprint and AT&T use the term multi-access edge computing to discuss moving compute closer to the customer and to more local, premises-based compute and connectivity points at the edge of the mobile network.
What about where the sensors and actuators actually take measurements and the measurements are turned into actionable information, I would call the edge. So again, what’s the IoT edge?
As part of my end-of-year thoughts on IoT, I want to put a stake in the ground over the term “the edge”.
One issue before we dive in, realize that “multi-access edge computing”, “fog computing” and “edge computing” are all similar but not quite the same – let’s look at those first.
So, what are the differences between MEC, fog and edge? Small, but distinctive.
Fog computing: Fog computing is a superset of both MEC and edge computing and covers mobile and wireline connectivity. Fog computing includes the intermediate layers between the edge and the cloud. Fog computing also includes both storage and deep packet networking.
Multi-access edge (MEC): Multi-access edge computing (MEC) is the application of cloud architectural principles to compute, storage and networking infrastructure at the edge of the mobile network.
Edge computing: The movement of compute, storage and networking outside of the traditional data center. In IoT terms this can be either represented by edge gateways connected to edge devices connected to the internet, or by edge devices connected directly to the Internet.
In my mind, the edge is not a specific place. I repeat, it is not a specific place. It is a term used to discuss the movement of what have recently been cloud functions, i.e. computation, storage and networking, out of the traditional data center, and closer to where the data is actually gathered. The physical location can be an enterprise premises, or it could be at the actual IoT end-point (sensor). What we do know is, it is not in the data center where the traditional cloud resides.
The critical aspect of the edge is not where it is physically located, but what it means and what the job of the edge is…and that is to move the 3 critical functions of IoT — compute, storage and connectivity, closer to where the data is both gathered and measured.
Why is this important? IoT is all about taking action on data.
As an example, the data may have a “shelf life” and action often needs to be taken now for it to have real value. Waiting for data to move from device to data center to be analyzed and back to device can cost time and money. This quick time to action is but one example of the value the IoT Edge Computing can provide. To support other IoT applications, the Edge has a certain set of characteristics that make it valuable.
To me, the IoT edge must have the following attributes:
Local. Edge computing can run isolated from the rest of the network allowing local functionality to continue if the external network goes down. This allows higher resiliency applications (such as machine-to-machine) to function, no matter the state of the network, and later move data off premises for storage or integration with other business functions.
Local to the source of data. Key information is gathered by devices. Edge computing allows the analysis and reaction to information closer to the actual source of that information allowing new business models and the leveraging of business specific applications.
Low latency. Running close to the device allows for faster reaction. Specifically enabling Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning algorithms with real-time response will enable a wide variety of new business models and applications.
Secure. Edge computing embraces local communications of private networks for performance, security and privacy. Edge computing embraces local communications of private networks for performance, security and privacy.
Analytical. MEC differentiates itself in the ability to collect real-time information from data collected and processed at the point of capture with the minimum amount of bandwidth expended.
Location awareness. Edge computing knows the location of each specific connected device allowing new business models, optimization of business processes and the ability to monitor compliance on a real-time basis.
These characteristics define the IoT edge. Where is the IoT edge? To me, that’s just not important, it’s the understanding of how it works and its value that allows enterprises to derive the value, no matter where it’s located.
One last note on “why we care” about the IoT Edge. Our preliminary market estimates are that this segment of enterprise computing hardware is approximately $1.6B today, growing at 30% annually through 2023. That’s something to think about.
Okay, that’s my stake in the ground. Let me know your thoughts.
The link mentioned in about section is not working
Add the Apache-2.0 license to the repository.
Use a CI system - or several CI systems, if it comes to that - to do very basic acceptance criteria for new commits and to generate artifacts like PDF files ( #10 ) in an automated, repeatable fashion.
The term Edge Cloud, to most people, would be an oxymoron.
I also think that cloud-like elastic capabilities are bound to be available with all shared infrastrucuture edge platforms so the concept itself also adds little value to the glossary.
https://github.com/State-of-the-Edge/glossary/blob/master/edge-glossary.tsv
"We can make this file beautiful and searchable if this error is corrected: Illegal quoting in line 73."
a subcategory of the User Edge consisting of microcontroller-based devices that are highly resource-constrained and distributed in the physical world. These devices range from simple, fixed-function sensors and actuators that perform very little to no localized compute to more capable devices such as Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), Remote Terminal Units (RTUs) and Engine Control Units (ECUs) addressing time- and safety-critical applications. Devices at this tier leverage embedded software and have the most unique form factors.
The current license is Apache v2.
Examine the suitability of a Creative Commons license (e.g CC-BY) instead, based on reasons and requirements.
@mtrifiro writes:
Create a URL permalink we can give people where they can view a pretty version of the glossary without a Github wrapper
Suggested URL is http://stateoftheedge.com/glossary which would redirect to our "pretty version" page.
These two nouns exist in the LF Edge white paper and should be defined in the glossary
Those of us who have a lexicography background are familiar with citation files used by those who create dictionaries. These are databases (originally, literally, file cabinets, but now electronic) where dictionary editors track word usage and then use these files to inform changes to the dictionary itself.
Some recent criticisms of the glossary have come from people who say it is an "impossible process" to arrive at canonical usage because there are so many different opinions. My typical retort is: "The English language is far more complicated than edge computing and somehow the folks at Merriam-Webster manage."
While my response is a tad flippant, it's nonetheless a solid point.
Some Resources:
How does a word get into a Merriam-Webster dictionary?
Standardizing Terminology for Better Communication
Standardizing and Harmonizing Terminology
Add Edge Native Databases entry to glossary.
It would be great to also have a PDF version. Even if we have to create by hand with each build. (via @mtrifiro )
Consider documenting these phrases and deployment scenarios:
Bad link. Just remove. There is no such thing as "software edge"
Potentially useful fodder of the The Taxonomy Project
I’m seeing four different layers of the new IoT computing infrastructure evolve. There’s the cloud, but then there’s the edge, which can be divided into three layers.
The first, and smallest, is the device, the sensors and connected devices that are usually battery-powered, use mesh networks, and have relatively small computing footprints.
The second is the gateway layer. It’s where the sensor data comes into a box on the factory floor or a server located in an autonomous car. In the home, the gateway might be a Wi-Fi router or set-top box with computing and a variety of radios to bridge the various low-power mesh communication protocols.
The third layer is a larger cluster of servers geographically close to the sensors, able to process data and provide regionalized services that are latency-sensitive. This is what I’ll call the edge. It may be a micro data center processing all of the data gathered from traffic cameras (but not the video itself, which would be processed at the gateway), or a telco point of presence where a customer might aggregate data from thousands of smart home devices.
The fourth layer is the aforementioned cloud. Not every piece of data will travel through all four layers. A rare few pieces of device data may go directly to the cloud. But in general, this is the framework I’m using to think about edge computing services and startups going forward.
From: How stealth startup Edgeworx helped me rethink the IoT edge
For ease of review, suggest to contributors that they split their glossary entry updates into separate commits, one per glossary entry.
Update https://github.com/State-of-the-Edge/glossary/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md and the pull request template to match this.
The current glossary has cross-references; hyperlink them.
In a recent conversation with Christian Koch it occurred to us that there is no canonical definition for the emerging category of networking as a service.
IEEE 1934 defines fog computing as “a system-level horizontal architecture that distributes resources and services of computing, storage, control and networking anywhere along the cloud-to-things continuum. It supports industry verticals and application domains, enables services and applications to be distributed closer to the data-producing sources, and extends from the things, over the network edges, through the cloud and across multiple protocol layers.”
Any glossary entries or taxonomy ideas we want to glean from this slide?
In our definition of Device Edge we don't do a great job of including edge data centers that are on that side of the last mile. This is an important aspect of the device edge and should be explicitly included.
A small number of secondary "see also" references were not automatically inserted by the conversion script; put those in.
Hello,
I attended one of the discussions as the LF OSS North America where you asked for assistance here. I am new to GitHub, and thought I could start with a simple update. I spotted a few typos, missing letters, broken links for the online version of the glossary ("Access Edge, he sub-la..."; "See also: Network Function Virtualization (NFV)" and so on).
I can create a branch and fix them for you if you would like? And then look at some of the open issues.
thanks
Paul
I often hear terms like "telecom edge" and "far edge" and I think we should make an attempt to define (or at least acknowledge) these in the glossary. Even if these have confusing, imprecise or conflicting definitions there is no reasons we cannot include them and make note of the confusion, imprecision and conflicts.
For example, here is a reference to "network edge" and "far edge"
I find myself constantly referring to this term in the context of edge data centers. I would like to have an official definition that is edge-relevant that I can point to.
The LF Edge white paper included the Glossary's current definition but also added improved "security" as one of the reasons for edge computing. This needs to be propagated back into the glossary.
Here is the relevant paragraph from the white paper: "As defined in the Linux Foundation’s Open Glossary of Edge Computing, edge computing is the delivery of computing capabilities to the logical extremes of a network in order to improve the performance, security, operating cost and reliability of applications and services. By shortening the distance between devices and the cloud resources that serve them, and also reducing network hops, edge computing mitigates the latency and bandwidth constraints of today’s Internet, ushering in new classes of applications. In practical terms, this means distributing new resources and software stacks along the path between today’s centralized data centers and the increasingly large number of deployed nodes in the field, on both the service provider and user sides of the last mile network. "
This came up in the L8ist Sh9y State of the Edge Report Review podcast. [Rob Hirschfeld](Rob Hirschfeld) felt the need to define it, which suggests it is relevant and could be a useful entry.
Pull requests welcome, but we will need a little bit of narrative for anyone for whom that's not a familiar phrase, and support from the project to accept edits or suggestions through issues.
In addition there should be a well-understood editor or editorial committee who accepts change requests.
Vertiv has developed a taxonomy of four archetypal use cases for edge computing ("edge archetypes") and has offered to contribute them to the Open Glossary.
Below are materials we can draw upon when crafting the glossary entries.
Edge Archetypes Concise Presentation Deck
Edge Archetypes Longer Narrative
Make the point that edge computing near the sensor is preferred for latency concerns for a wide range of applications including robotics/drones, self-driving cars, IoT, and portable/wearable electronics. However, at the sensor there are often stringent constraints on energy consumption and cost.
The Telecom Infrastructure Association has become a collaborator on the glossary and they sent over a few additions and changes, which can be viewed in this document:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1LyVmUKoQousUDi7KSJOqzoIF4Ar8nIVmy6oWU-dDua4/edit?usp=sharing
These need to be evaluated and incorporated (or clarified, if necessary)
Since we're looking at Pandoc for producing the PDF, it isn't that much of a stretch to have the publication process also spit out an ebook formatted for mobile readers.
https://thorstenball.com/blog/2018/09/04/the-tools-i-use-to-write-books/ is a description of a pipeline that goes from Markdown to Pandoc to .epub to .mobi.
In researching interconnection, peering and internet exchange functionality at the network edge, there seems to be value in recording these terms in the glossary:
Edge Internet Exchange
An instance of internet exchange functionality performed by an infrastructure edge data center.
Edge Network Fabric
The system of network interconnections, typically dark or lit fiber, providing connectivity between infrastructure edge data centers and potentially other local infrastructure in an area.
The only question is the name
I'm leaning towards the former, with the thought that it'll be incrementally easier to find if it has the word "edge" in it.
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