IIoT Update

Justin Moll

We have exciting progress on our IIoT efforts. First, we are announcing a work register has been formed with the Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF) to collaborate on IIoT efforts. The DMTF is an industry standards organization striving to simplify the manageability of network accessible technologies.
The alliance between the organizations will help ensure the groups’ standards are coordinated and aligned in the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) domain. PICMG is utilizing Redfish® Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to create a meta-data model for IIoT. This model will facilitate a distributed network of sensors, each of which act as a micro-server.  So, what does this mean?
Essentially, we are filling in the missing link in the smart factory chain for IIoT interoperability. As you know, PICMG specifications have long-standing usage in industrial automation going back to 1994. Dozens of the organization’s members have high-performance embedded computing products in industrial gateway, controller, and other applications based on specifications such as CompactPCI Serial, COM Express, and more.  What we’d like to do is connect these deployed embedded computers with legacy PLCs and all sorts of sensor devices in the smart factory. Using the Redfish RESTful (Representational State Transfer) APIs, our model will utilize a coding approach that is already well known to IT/Web developers. The combination of the meta-data model for a connected sensor network along with a wealth of versatile open standard hardware computing possibilities may finally provide the market a “plug and play” path for end-to-end IIoT interoperability.
Sensors Expo and Demo
PICMG will have a booth at the Sensors Expo next month. We plan to have a simple demo using RESTful commands connecting sensor devices to open up discussions with attendees. Our CTO, Doug Sandy, will also have a speaking slot on our IIoT approach.
Check out the Sensors Expo held in San Jose, CA from June 26-28th. PICMG will have a 10′ x 10′ booth to promote the organization and our IIoT initiative.
If you’d like to meet with a PICMG officer, contact us at [email protected] to set up a meeting at the show.