Link IoT Edge extends Alibaba Cloud capabilities to the edge of your network. Link IoT Edge adopts Alibaba Cloud capabilities in several areas including security, storage, compute, and artificial intelligence (AI). You can deploy Link IoT Edge on intelligent devices and compute nodes at different levels of computing power. Link IoT Edge allows you to use TSL to convert devices of various protocols and data formats into standard TSL models. Link IoT Edge provides secure reliable low-latency cost-effective scalable weak-dependency local computing services.
With the integration of Alibaba Cloud capabilities, such as big data processing, AI-powered machine learning, and audio process, Link IoT Edge allows you to build a system that integrates the cloud, edges, and devices.
Link IoT Edge supports the following features:
Edge instance
Edge instances allow you to manage edge resources in a similar method you manage folders. All edge resources are treated as instances. These edge resources include gateways and sub-devices. You can also use the same method to manage scene orchestration, Function Compute-based edge applications, and message routes. By deploying edge instances, you can consolidate resources that are attached to gateways into edge instances for central management.
Device access
Link IoT Edge provides multi-language device SDKs. These SDKs allow you to easily connect devices to edge nodes.
Scene orchestration
Scene orchestration allows you to use scene rules to develop automatic applications in a visualized manner. These scene rules define how devices interact with each other. You can enable scene orchestration in the IoT Platform console or implement scene orchestration on edge nodes.
To manage local devices and implement interactions and access control, you can drag and drop visualized controls. This makes everyone a device-oriented developer without writing code.
For example, you can combine two actions into one scene and make the scene happen at any point in time within a specified time range. The two actions can be "opening a door" and "turning on a bulb". The time range can be from 18:00 to 19:00.
Edge application
Link IoT Edge allows you to manage the versions and configurations of edge applications.
Available edge applications include:
Function Compute-based edge applications: Function Computer is a runtime framework. You can use Function Compute-based edge applications to connect devices to gateways and manage devices based on device data and events. You can use Function Compute to create applications and upload local applications.
Container image-based edge applications: refer to edge applications that are based on Docker. You can use images that are retrieved directly from an image repository as edge applications.
Message routing
Link IoT Edge supports message routing. To circulate local data between edge nodes, you can configure message routes. This ensures data security.
Available message routes are as follows:
From devices to IoT Hub
From devices to Function Compute
Between Function Compute-based edge applications
From Function Compute to IoT Hub
From IoT Hub to Function Compute
Resumable download
Link IoT Edge offers data restoration in the event of network breakdown or intermittent connectivity. Link IoT Edge allows you to add Quality of Service (QoS) policies when you configure message routing. By doing so, you can store device data on local storage in cases of network breakdown. After the network recovers, Link IoT Edge synchronizes cached data to the cloud.