Architecture
The Eclipse Arrowhead architecture is Microsystems and Microservices and service oriented architecture principles. A set of mandatory core microsystems provides the fundamental service-oriented properties like service registration, service discovery, authentication and authorisation plus the orchestration of system of systems.
The Arrowhead vocabulary details are provided in the Eclipse Arrowhead Concepts Reference v1.0
Local cloud concept
Eclipse Arrowhead has established the local cloud concept to meet automation system requirements regarding:
- Real time properties
- Security
- Engineering simplicity
A local cloud is defined as a closed group of microsystems within a physical proximity at the edge. In local cloud a private network connects the involved microsystems. Inter cloud service exchanges are facilitated by the gateway and gatekeeper core microsystems.
Additionally, a local cloud can provide other, supporting core microsystems enabling various properties that are in the interest of building automation systems. Examples are:
- Plant description service
- Configuration service
- QoS management services
- Data retention, data management service
- Event handling services, etc.
Mandatory core systems and services
To establish an Arrowhead framework local cloud three mandatory core systems are required. These are:
The ServiceRegistry system
- Enables a service provider to publish its service instance(s)
- Enables a service consumer find(discover) what service instance(s) it is interested in consuming.
Further details of the ServiceRegistry system.
The Authorization system
- Enables a service provider to determine what consumer(s) to accept.
Further details of the Authorisation system.
The Orchestration system
- Enables orchestration of which service instance(s) a consumer shall consume.
Further details of the Orchestration system.
Services
A service interface provides one or more operations and is documented in the Interface Design Description document, IDD. The IDD provides the implementation details for Service Provider systems and Service Consumer systems. For further details see the IDD template and for example the IDD of the ServiceDiscovery service.
Application Systems are systems that need to exchange application infomation by providing and/or consuming application services, in order to achive their desired functionality. For more detailes please refer to:
The governance of the developed application services happen during the bi-weekly development telcos. Please join to get help planning your adaptations.
Security
Eclipse Arrowhead security is based on an Authentication and Authorisation concept. Here every consumer of a service is Authenticated and every service consumption is Authorised. This is implemented through the use of X.509 certificate. For further details see the Arrowhead X.509 certificate profile and documentation of the Authorisation system
Documentation model
The Arrowhead Technical Documentation Model defines how to describe Services, Systems and System of Systems. Templates for each of the documents can be found under the Arrowhead Framework documentation templates.
