Prerequisites¶
The Industrial Edge Runtime (IERT) requires some packages to be present in the Linux system which are outlined under Linux Dependencies. Furthermore, the runtime itself requires some system resources for its operation, as well as additional resources for each running app as described under Resource requirements.
Linux Dependencies¶
Docker¶
The primary dependency required by the Industrial Edge Runtime is Docker version 20.10.5.
NOTICE
We support all docker providers (e.g. docker.io | docker-ce | docker-engine | moby-engine).
Reverse proxy (nginx)¶
The Industrial Edge Runtime expects a proxy in the host system that terminates TLS and forwards calls to APIs of the runtime as well as to apps running on the Edge Device. Industrial Edge is currently using NGINX for this purpose. The necessary configuration settings for nginx, such as the forwarding rules, are provided through the IE Device Kit API (see The Edge Device for more details).
We are providing burst rate as 100 and limit as 10000 r/s to support 10 r/ms which are alligned with recommended best practices.
The following matrix shows the compatibility between the edge-iot-core_*.deb package and the NGINX version installed on the host.
| edge-iot-core_*.deb Version | NGINX Version |
|---|---|
| <= 1.19.x | <= 1.25.x |
| >= 1.20.x | >= 1.18.x |
Forward proxy (redsocks)¶
The Industrial Edge Runtime uses redsocks to provide transparent access to Internet resources for applications without having to deal with proxy settings in the application itself. It does this by intercepting outgoing communications and redirecting them to the proxy that the customer configures for the installation.
Resource requirements¶
Runtime¶
The runtime is not specifically optimized for minimal footprint.
For the runtime environment (Docker), a hardware configuration is recommended of at least:
- 1 CPU-Core
- 512 MB RAM
- 1 (virtual) network card
The average image size of an Edge-core package is ~670 MB.
This does not include system components such as the reverse proxy. Also, keep in mind that Siemens is currently working on additional features for Edge Devices. In particular, security features that may increase the footprint in future releases, such as a rules engine to control access from applications of other system components.
Depending on the product, you might also want to include some apps as essential parts of the system, such as adapters for accessing field devices. The resources required by these apps must also be considered when calculating the total footprint respectively free resources for apps.
NOTICE
These requirements ensure that runtime containers run efficiently without overloading the host system. For specific applications, you must adjust these settings based on performance needs.
Apps¶
The resource requirements for each application can vary swidely. Since these applications are developed for specific tasks, they vary in size and resource usage. To accurately estimate the resources required for your Edge Device, you must consider the intended purpose of the device. Once you have a clear understanding of these purposes, you can establish reference non-functional requirements (NFRs) based on the performance and load characteristics of the required applications.
NOTICE
The average resources consumption may change over time as additional apps will be available.