Distributed application hosting environment to mask heterogeneity

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9912494-B2
Application number	US-201514824271-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 12, 2015
Priority date	Aug 12, 2015
Publication date	Mar 6, 2018
Grant date	Mar 6, 2018

Abstract

In one embodiment, a device in a network receives data from one or more other devices in the network via one or more protocol adaptors. The device transforms the received data into a common data model. The device executes a containerized application. The device exposes the transformed data to the application.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
receiving, at a device in a network, data from one or more other devices in the network via one or more protocol adaptors;
transforming, by the device, the received data into a common data model;
receiving, at the device, an installation package that includes a containerized application;
generating, by the device, a container instance, in response to receiving the installation package;
hosting, by the device, the application in the generated container instance;
executing, by the device, the application; and
exposing, by the device, the transformed data to the application.

2. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the one or more other devices comprise sensors and the received data comprises sensor data.

3. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the application is executed within a virtual machine.

4. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the application is executed natively in an operating system of the device.

5. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the application is a Java-based application or a Python-based application.

6. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the one or more protocol adapters are operable to communicate with the one or more other devices using one or more of: Modbus messaging, Profibus messaging, Lon messaging, BacNet messaging, CoAP messaging, or MQTT messaging.

7. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the device is a gateway for the network.

8. The method as in claim 1 , further comprising:
providing, by the device, the transformed data to a remote device.

9. An apparatus, comprising:
one or more network interfaces to communicate with a network;
a processor coupled to the network interfaces and configured to execute one or more processes; and
a memory configured to store a process executable by the processor, the process when executed operable to:
receive data from one or more other devices in the network via one or more protocol adaptors;
transform the received data into a common data model;
receive an installation package that includes a containerized application;
generate a container instance, in response to receiving the installation package;
host the application in the generated container instance;
execute the application; and
expose the transformed data to the application.

10. The apparatus as in claim 9 , wherein the one or more other devices comprise sensors and the received data comprises sensor data.

11. The apparatus as in claim 9 , wherein the application is executed within a virtual machine.

12. The apparatus as in claim 9 , wherein the application is executed natively in an operating system of the apparatus.

13. The apparatus as in claim 9 , wherein the application is a Java-based application or a Python-based application.

14. The apparatus as in claim 9 , wherein the one or more protocol adapters are operable to communicate with the one or more other devices using one or more of: Modbus messaging, Profibus messaging, Lon messaging, BacNet messaging, CoAP messaging, or MQTT messaging.

15. The apparatus as in claim 9 , wherein the apparatus is a gateway for the network.

16. The apparatus as in claim 9 , wherein the process when executed is further operable to:
provide the transformed data to a remote device.

17. A tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media having software encoded thereon, the software when executed by a processor of a device is operable to:
receive data from one or more other devices in the network via one or more protocol adaptors;
transform the received data into a common data model;
receive an installation package that includes a containerized application;
generate a container instance, in response to receiving the installation package;
host the application in the generated container instance;
execute the application; and
expose the transformed data to the application.

18. The computer-readable media as in claim 17 , wherein the one or more other devices comprise sensors and the received data comprises sensor data.

19. The computer-readable media as in claim 17 , wherein the application is a Java-based application or a Python-based application.

20. The computer-readable media as in claim 17 , wherein the one or more protocol adapters are operable to communicate with the one or more other devices using one or more of: Modbus messaging, Profibus messaging, Lon messaging, BacNet messaging, CoAP messaging, or MQTT messaging.

Assignees

• Cisco Tech Inc

Inventors

• Nethi Ramesh
• Ganesan Elango
• Oswal Anand
• Venkateswaran Rajesh Tarakkad

Classifications

• H04L12/2836 Primary

  Protocol conversion between an external network and a home network (controlling appliance services of a home automation network from a device located outside the home and the home network H04L12/2818; protocol conversion H04L69/08; adaptation of digital video signals for transport over a specific home network H04N7/24) · CPC title

• H04L67/2838

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04L67/2823

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04L67/567

  Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers · CPC title

• H04L67/565

  Conversion or adaptation of application format or content (adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561) · CPC title