ISO/IEC TR 30164:2020

ISO/IEC TR 30164
Edition 1.0 2020-04
TECHNICAL
REPORT

colour
inside
Internet of things (IoT) – Edge computing


ISO/IEC TR 30164:2020-04(en)

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ISO/IEC TR 30164


Edition 1.0 2020-04




TECHNICAL



REPORT








colour

inside










Internet of things (IoT) – Edge computing



























INTERNATIONAL

ELECTROTECHNICAL

COMMISSION






ICS 35.020 ISBN 978-2-8322-8087-4




  Warning! Make sure that you obtained this publication from an authorized distributor.

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– 2 – ISO/IEC TR 30164:2020 © ISO/IEC 2020
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 4
1 Scope . 5
2 Normative references . 5
3 Terms and definitions . 5
4 Abbreviated terms . 6
5 Overview . 8
5.1 General . 8
5.2 Common concepts . 8
5.3 General concepts of edge computing . 9
5.4 Example characteristics of edge computing . 12
5.5 Stakeholders . 12
6 Viewpoints . 14
6.1 Conceptual viewpoint . 14
6.2 Technology viewpoint. 15
6.2.1 General . 15
6.2.2 Cloud computing . 15
6.2.3 Centralized data centres . 16
6.2.4 Micro data centre . 18
6.2.5 Real-time in edge computing . 18
6.2.6 Heterogeneous computing . 19
6.2.7 Software defined network (SDN) . 20
6.2.8 Lightweight operating systems . 20
6.3 Functional viewpoint . 20
6.3.1 General . 20
6.3.2 Data interoperability . 21
6.3.3 Networking . 22
6.3.4 Security and privacy . 22
6.4 Deployment viewpoint . 26
6.4.1 General . 26
6.4.2 Edge computing three-tier deployment model . 26
6.4.3 Edge computing four-tier deployment model . 27
7 Use cases . 28
7.1 General . 28
7.2 Smart elevator . 29
7.2.1 Description of the use case . 29
7.2.2 Diagram of the use case . 29
7.2.3 Technical details . 30
7.3 Smart video monitoring . 30
7.3.1 Description of the use case . 30
7.3.2 Diagram of the use case . 31
7.3.3 Technical details . 31
7.4 Intelligent transportation systems . 32
7.4.1 Description of the use case . 32
7.4.2 Diagram of the use case . 33
7.4.3 Technical details . 34
7.5 Process control in the smart factory . 34

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ISO/IEC TR 30164:2020 © ISO/IEC 2020 – 3 –
7.5.1 Description of the use case . 34
7.5.2 Diagram of the use case . 35
7.5.3 Technical details . 36
7.6 Centralized monitoring of power plants (CMPP) . 36
7.6.1 Description of the use case . 36
7.6.2 Diagram of the use case . 37
7.6.3 Technical details . 38
7.7 Automated crop monitoring and management system. 38
7.7.1 Description of the use case . 38
7.7.2 Diagram of the use case . 40
7.7.3 Technical details . 40
7.8 Smart lighting system . 41
7.8.1 Description of the use case . 41
7.8.2 Diagram of the use case . 42
7.8.3 Technical details . 43
Bibliography . 45

Figure 1 – IoT edge computing conceptual model . 14
Figure 2 – Container virtualization on a host system . 17
Figure 3 – Lightweight OS architecture . 20
Figure 4 – Software defined network architecture . 22
Figure 5 – Edge computing three-tier deployment model . 27
Figure 6 – Edge computing four-tier deployment model . 28
Figure 7 – Concept of a smart elevator . 30
Figure 8 – Concept of video monitoring with edge computing . 31
Figure 9 – Concept of intelligent transportation systems with edge computing . 34
Figure 10 – Example concept of the smart factory using IIoT . 36
Figure 11 – Concept of centralized monitoring of power plants. 38
Figure 12 – Concept of automated crop monitoring and management system . 40
Figure 13 – Logical model: connectivity between various components . 42
Figure 14 – Deployment model: single IoT gateway controlling multiple smart lights . 43

Table 1 – Example networking table. 10
Table 2 – Capabilities of some IoT entities . 11
Table 3 – Technical details of the elements in the smart elevator use case . 30
Table 4 – Technical details of the elements in the video monitoring use case . 32
Table 5 – Technical details for the intelligent transportation use case . 34
Table 6 – Technical details for the smart factory use case . 36
Table 7 – Technical details of the CMPP use case . 38
Table 8 – Technical details of automated crop monitoring and management system . 40
Table 9 – Technical details of the smart lighting use case . 44

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INTERNET OF THINGS (IoT) – EDGE COMPUTING

FOREWORD
1) ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical Commission)
form the specialized system for worldwide standardization. National bodies that are members of ISO or IEC
participate in the development of International Standards through technical committees established by the
respective organization to deal with particular fields of technical activity. ISO and IEC technical committees
collaborate in fields of mutual interest. Other international organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in
liaison with ISO and IEC, also take part in the work. In the field of information technology, ISO and IEC have
established a joint technical committee, ISO/IEC JTC 1.
2) The formal decisions or agreements of IEC and ISO on technical matters express, as nearly as possible, an
international consensus of opinion on the relevant subjects since each technical committee has representation
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However, a technical committee may propose the publication of a Technical Report when it has
collected data of a different kind from that which is normally published as an International
Standard, for example "state of the art".
ISO/IEC TR 30164, which is a Technical Report, has been prepared by subcommittee 41:
Internet of Things and related technologies, of ISO/IEC joint technical committee 1: Information
technology.
The text of this Technical Report is based on the following documents:
Enquiry draft Report on voting
JTC1-SC41/110/DTR JTC1-SC41/120/RVDTR
Full information on the voting for the approval of this Technical Report can be found in the
report on voting indicated in the above table.
This publication has been drafted in accordance with the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
IMPORTANT – The “colour inside” logo on the cover page of this publication indicates
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of its contents. Users should therefore print this publication using a colour printer.

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ISO/IEC TR 30164:2020 © ISO/IEC 2020 – 5 –
INTERNET OF THINGS (IoT) – EDGE COMPUTING



1 Scope
This document describes the common concepts, terminologies, characteristics, use cases and
technologies (including data management, coordination, processing, network functionality,
heterogeneous computing, security, hardware/software optimization) of edge computing for IoT
systems applications. This document is also meant to assist in the identification of potential
areas for standardization in edge computing for IoT.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies.
For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any
amendments) applies.
ISO/IEC 20924, Internet of Things (IoT) – Vocabulary
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO/IEC 20924 and the
following apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following
addresses:
• IEC Electropedia: available at http://www.electropedia.org/
• ISO Online browsing platform: available at http://www.iso.org/obp
3.1
edge
boundary between pertinent digital and physical entities, delineated by networked sensors and
actuators
3.2
edge computing
distributed computing that takes place at or near the edge, where the nearness is defined by
the system's requirements
3.3
software defined network
SDN
network designed, built and managed with separation of the control plane from the forwarding
plane and abstraction of the underlying infrastructure, enabling efficient network management
and utilization
3.4
personally identifiable information
PII
information that (a) can be used to establish a link between the information and the natural
person to whom such information relates, or (b) is or can be directly or indirectly linked to a
natural person

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[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 29100:2011 [1], 2.9, modified – In the definition, "to identify the PII
principal" has been replaced by "to establish a link between the information and the natural
person" and "a PII principal" has been replaced by "a natural person".]
3.5
edge computing entity
ECE
thing (physical or non-physical) having a distinct existence in an edge computing system, with
connection, storage and computation capabilities
Note 1 to entry: ISO/IEC TR 23188:2020 [2] uses the term "edge computing node" instead of "edge computing
entity".
3.6
distributed computing
model of computing in which processing and storage takes place on a set of entities, with
activities coordinated by means of digital messages passed between the entities
3.7
physical edge computing entity
edge computing entity that has material existence in the physical world
EXAMPLES: IoT gateway, sensor, actuator
Note 1 to entry: Refer to ISO/IEC 20924 [3] for the definitions of the terms "sensor", "actuator" and "IoT gateway".
3.8
IoT gateway
edge computing entity that connects one or more proximity networks and the edge devices on
those networks to each other and to one or more access networks
3.9
edge computing system
system that uses the structure and capabilities of edge computing
4 Abbreviated terms
4G the fourth generation of broadband cellular network technology
5G the fifth generation of broadband cellular network technology
AI artificial intelligence
AMQP advanced message queuing protocol
API application programming interface
APP applications
CAN  controller area network
CPS cyber physical system
CPU central processing unit
CT communication technology
DDoS distributed denial-of-service
DDS data distribution service
DER distributed energy resource
DetNet deterministic networking
ECE edge computing entity
ERP enterprise resource planning
GEO geosynchronous orbit

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ISO/IEC TR 30164:2020 © ISO/IEC 2020 – 7 –
GPS global positioning system
GPU graphics processing unit
HSA heterogeneous system architecture
HTTPS hypertext transfer protocol secure
I/O input/output
ICT information and communication technology
IDS intrusion detection systems
IEC International Electrotechnical Commission
IIoT industrial IoT
IoT Internet of Things
IP internet protocol
IPS intrusion prevention systems
ISO International Organization for Standardization
IT information technology
JSON JavaScript Object Notation
JTC joint technical committee
LEO low earth orbit,
LAN local area network
LiDAR light detection and ranging
M2M machine to machine
MEO medium earth orbit
MES manufacturing execution system
MPLS multiprotocol label switching
O&M operation and management
OPC open platform communication
OPC-UA OPC unified architecture
OS operating system
OT operational technology
PII personally identifiable information
PLC programmable logic controller
PLM product lifecycle management
PO purchase order
PV photovoltaic
QoS quality of service
REST representational state transfer
SC subcommittee
SCADA supervisory control and data acquisition
SDN software defined networking
TCP transmission control protocol
TLS transport layer security
TR Technical Report
TSN time sensitive networking
UDP user datagram protocol

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V2I vehicle to infrastructure
V2V vehicle to vehicle
VM virtual machine
VNF virtualized network function
VPN virtual private network
VPP virtual power plant
WAF web application firewall
XML extensible markup language
5 Overview
5.1 General
This document was jointly developed by the teams working on ISO/IEC TR 23188 [2] with cloud
computing perspectives and ISO/IEC TR 30164 with IoT computing perspectives. The separate
documents exist to expand on these particular perspectives starting from a common base of
edge computing concepts, which are stated below. ISO/IEC TR 23188 [2] provides more
information on how cloud computing relates to edge computing. ISO/IEC TR 30164 provides
more information on how IoT devices and IoT systems relate to edge computing.
5.2 Common concepts
Edge computing is a form of distributed computing in which processing and storage takes place
on a set of networked machines which are near the edge, where the nearness is defined by the
system's requirements. The edge is marked by the boundary between pertinent digital and
physical entities (i.e. between the digital system and the physical world) typically delineated by
IoT devices and end-user devices. Nearness is determined by the system requirements, which
can include physical distance, but can also include digital factors such as network latency and
bandwidth.
Pertinent digital entities here means that the digital entities which need to be considered can
vary depending on the system under consideration and the context in which those entities are
used.
Digital systems can observe and affect the physical world. Sensors, actuators and human user
interface devices are at the boundary between the physical world and digital systems (the edge).
Edge computing systems generally combine these devices with distributed computing resources
to provide the capabilities of the system. When actions need to occur within specific timeframes
and latency considerations affect system design, the edge computing systems help to achieve
timing requirements by means of appropriate placement of data processing and data storage.
The following are the main motivations for edge computing.
a) Latency: actions often need to occur within specific timeframes and latency considerations
affect system design and the choice of the placement of data processing and data storage
to achieve timing requirements.
b) Disconnected operations: for example, a car in a canyon. All essential functions need to
continue to work.
c) Paucity or high cost of the uplink: for example, an oil rig, a cruise ship or an airliner
connected via a satellite link. Need to minimize the volume of data transmitted upstream.
d) Data providence: for example, data represents trade secrets and should not leave a
geofence (factory space or corporate network).
Edge computing is characterized by networked systems in which significant data processing
and data storage takes place on entities at the edge, rather than in some centralized location.
Edge computing can be contrasted with centralized computing where the centralized entities
are remote from the edge. However, it is important to note that edge computing is
complementary to centralized forms of computing and that in any given system, edge computing
is often used in conjunction with centralized computing.

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ISO/IEC TR 30164:2020 © ISO/IEC 2020 – 9 –
An example of the need to consider the context for the meaning of edge is the servers within a
cloud data centre. From the perspective of cloud service customers who build systems using
cloud services running on these servers, these entities are anything but at the edge – they are
highly centralized. However, from the perspective of the cloud service provider having to
manage the cloud data centre, it is highly likely that the servers are instrumented with a variety
of IoT sensors capable of reporting various physical properties of the servers, for example, their
temperature. In this case, those IoT sensors are at the edge and form part of an edge computing
system for managing the data centre.
Edge computing involves entities that are highly heterogeneous and which are commonly
arranged in tiers of compute and storage capabilities. The multiple edge computing tiers, each
containing varying types of entities, are connected by networks which can also vary in nature
depending on the tiers involved. In practice, the number of tiers and the type of entity in each
tier is variable, depending on the nature of the system involved.
1) The device tier is at the edge. It typically contains entities which contain sensors or
actuators or human user interface devices. Such devices often have limited compute and
storage capabilities. The networks used by this tier are often proximity networks, with limited
bandwidth and limited range.
2) The edge tier typically sits close to the device tier and its role is to provide direct support to
the entities in the device tier. One type of entity in the gateway tier is the gateway (an IoT
gateway is an example). The role of the gateway is to connect entities in the device tier to
the wider network – it is often the case that proximity networks are local and cannot be used
for communication over a wide area. The gateway also typically provides a means for
managing the entities in the device tier.
3) Another type of entity in the gateway tier is the control entity. The control entity receives
data from entities in the device tier – typically data from sensors or input from user interface
devices – and responds by issuing instructions to other entities in the device tier, based on
control software running in the control entity. Control entities are usually placed in the
gateway tier due to issues of latency and timing. The response of a control entity is often
time constrained (sometimes called real-time), such that the response needs to be given
before some deadline following the receipt of some data or an event.
4) The central tier represents a tier of entities provided in a centralized location, such as an
organizational data centre or as public cloud services. The entities in the central tier offer
the ability to provide very substantial compute power and data storage (sometimes termed
"unlimited"). The central tier is an excellent place to conduct analytics or other processing
that requir
...