To address these challenges, Mentor has introduced the Mentor Embedded IoT Framework (MEIF) – the industry’s first comprehensive, cloud vendor-agnostic embedded software framework (see Figure 1). Featuring well-defined interfaces engineered to extend a cloud vendor software development kit (SDK), MEIF streamlines the integration of Industry 4.0 networks by complementing leading cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Eclipse IoT, Microsoft Azure, and Siemens MindSphere. MEIF is OS-agnostic, which means it supports any processor architecture and scales from resource-constrained end nodes up to IoT gateways/devices powered by multicore processors.
| Figure 1: The Mentor Embedded IoT Framework complements and extends a cloud vendor SDK enabling integration and portability to the underlying platform. |
Enhanced communications from cloud backend to end node, Mentor’s offering supports a breadth of services to enable successful device management (Figure 2). This includes authentication and provisioning;
configuration and control; monitoring and diagnostics; and software updates and maintenance. The framework also features advanced capabilities to help manufacturers manage the reliability and overall quality of Industry 4.0 devices. MEIF is extensible so manufacturers can integrate and enable their own diagnostics as well.
Security from the bottom up
MEIF incorporates the Mentor Embedded runtime platforms, which support security from device power-on with a hardware-based root of trust and a complete software chain of trust. Additionally, MEIF includes a GUI-based utility to sign, encrypt, and package artefacts which are then delivered to the devices where they can be securely validated and authenticated.
The new Mentor Embedded IoT Framework for Industry 4.0 addresses a host of common challenges associated with security, portability, inter-operability, and cloud vendor lock-in.
• For more information on this complete solution, click here.
| Figure 2: Industry 4.0 device management must include gateways, end nodes and potentially, multiple cloud backends. |
