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Developer Guide |
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FairCom Edge IoT Database |
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Audience: |
Architects and Engineers |
Subject: |
Using the FairCom Edge database technology to add persistence on the Edge |
Copyright: |
© Copyright 2023, FairCom Corporation. All rights reserved. For full information, see the FairCom Copyright Notice. |
Note: For installation instructions, see the FairCom Installation Guide.
The FairCom Edge® IoT Database allows developers to place a fast, transaction-controlled database on the "edge," near their IoT data. FairCom Edge places storage close to the sensors, instead of in the cloud or an on-premises server, so it provides autonomy in situations when communication is slow or unavailable. In addition, FairCom Edge can store unfiltered sensor data with no bandwidth concerns. It allows you to put intelligence in your IoT projects for advanced, real-time decision processing.
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The documentation listed below discusses topics related to FairCom Edge:
For more, see the FairCom Documentation.
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Multimodel Design
FairCom Edge consists of a collection of connectors (for use with ThingWorx, Node-RED, MQTT, Node.js, etc.) and a powerful database engine that can be located on the "edge."
This database engine, the FairCom Edge Server, is based on the FairCom Server. The unique FairCom DB "multimodel" design allows both navigational and SQL (relational) access to the same data at the same time. This design allows FairCom Edge to handle volumes of raw sensor data at high-speeds and offer sophisticated features such as immediately-consistent ACID transactions. The relational interfaces provide SQL access to this same data using industry-standard APIs such as ODBC, JDBC, ADO.NET, etc.
Streamlined to Suit Your Needs
Every app is different. That means every app has different requirements. Let's face it: applications running on the edge often have limited resources. They don't need any unnecessary features. One app may need SQL access for compatibility with third-party applications. Another may want to use FairCom's famously high-performance non-SQL interfaces for pure speed of data handling. One app may need to add automatic timestamps and aggregate data; another may not need these features.
Plug-In Architecture
FairCom Edge is designed with your unique needs in mind. Many of its features are placed in plug-in modules which you enable only if you require these exact features. FairCom does not shoehorn everyone into a "one-size-fits-all" design that forces you to install features you do not need. FairCom Edge allows you to install only the features that are needed with your application. You get maximum performance from your edge devices with only the minimum features to deploy and support.
This new plug-in architecture is an important addition to FairCom Edge and the core FairCom DB database technology it’s based upon. Not only are the provided FairCom Edge connectors (ThingWorx, Node-RED, MQTT, and REST) implemented as plug-ins, but other important features of FairCom Edge are as well, such as the http server, aggregation modules, time stamps, etc. Many future additions will take advantage of this extensible plug-in architecture framework.
Lightweight Yet Powerful
FairCom Edge is lightweight enough to run on small IoT edge devices yet powerful enough to host data from thousands of sensors. This allows you to decide where your data is stored and how much of it (if any) is sent to the cloud or other machines in the enterprise. You can perform queries and make decisions locally on the edge without the latency of first getting data to the cloud or machines elsewhere in your environment. FairCom Edge allows you to save all sensor data for a site on location and send only aggregate data upstream. If things go wrong, your data remains available on the edge device waiting for debugging and analysis.
The image below shows the FairCom Edge architecture and the available connectors.
Using FairCom Edge as a Persistent Data Store
FairCom Edge uses a microservices architecture, so its API is structured as a highly modular collection of loosely coupled, fine-grained services and lightweight protocols. Combined with the tiny footprint of FairCom Edge (tunable to under 40MB), this allows it to be used as a persistent data store in IoT applications residing on devices and gateways near the "edge" of the network.
The following connectors are provided to allow integration into your IoT projects:
Unlimited Options
FairCom Edge is a two-part solution:
The connector connects your application to the FairCom Edge Server. Depending on your host platform, the extensive set of relational and navigational APIs shown below may be available.
API Availability on All Platforms
Windows x86/x64. Linux x86/x64 Raspbian (ARM) FairCom Edge packages include all the APIs shown in the above diagram. Tutorials and instructions are located in c-treeEdge.<platform>\sdk. Contact FairCom if you are interested in any other APIs or operating systems.
Replication
FairCom offers an advanced replication solution (packaged separately), which can maintain an up-to-date copy of your data in real-time. The files created by the FairCom Edge Server are "replication aware" to simplify the addition of replication. You can learn more about replication in the chapter titled Replication with FairCom Edge and in the Replication Manager User Guide. Contact FairCom for more information.
