Brainstorming on Edge Native Standards

Owned by Joseph Pearson
Last updated: Mar 23, 2023
1 min read

Objective:

Create an environment where an open edge native ecosystem can thrive and vendors can build to the standards knowing that their solutions will work with most/all players in the space.  Allow participants to innovate on product features and distinctives and protect their IP while (publicly?) collaborating on integrations with other vendors.

Questions:

  • Is this needed for edge computing solutions to thrive?

  • What is the best governance structure to use?

  • Which parent organization (foundation?) can host?

  • Where do we start?

  • Who can/should participate?

Scope:

  • Container Engines: Docker, podman, OCI-compliant engines?

  • Orchestration solutions: K8s API sufficient as interface?

Goals:

  • Interoperability:

    • Examples can be created that will function properly in all solutions

    • Specifications can optionally be extended for proprietary solutions, but will not prevent basic functionality

    • Solutions should be fungible when it comes to basic functionality (drop-in replacement)



Ground Rules:

  • We will not pick winners or losers

  • Companies collaborate on equal footing

  • All participants follow the anti-trust guidelines for collaboration

  • Meeting happen in the open

    • Announced

    • Open access

    • Recordings kept



Examples:

  • FIDO Device Onboard: clear description of the onboarding mechanism, payloads, and validating solutions for compliance

  • K8s APIs: open, known set of interactions supported by all Kubernetes-based solutions for maximum compatibility

  • OCI-compliant containers: assurance that containers can be created that will function properly across container engine solutions

  • ORRA: Reference architecture for the retail space that attempts to define the participating roles solutions can play without specifying a particular solution