Everyware Software Framework (ESF)

The enterprise-ready IoT Edge Framework Everyware Software Framework (ESF) is a high-level, multi-platform, and flexible application development environment for Edge Computers and IoT Gateways. ESF connects and interfaces with field devices thanks to its ready-to-use field protocol libraries. Field data can be processed at the edge through rich Java APIs or a web-based visual programming environment.

The resulting data can be published and delivered to leading IoT Cloud Services such as Everyware Cloud (Eurotech IoT Integration Platform), Eclipse Kapua, AWS IoT and Azure IoT.

Everyware Software Framework bridges the physical world to the digital world. It encapsulates field devices and data sources into a common model. For each field device, a digital twin is created. The twin can be incorporated into visually composed data flows running on the edge or it can be remotely managed from the cloud. Remote management and monitoring of field devices is therefore made easier: ESF becomes the ideal solution for a wide range of IoT applications. 

ESF is part of Everyware IoT, Eurotech's edge-to-cloud IoT architecture. 

What you get with Everyware Software Framework:

• Acquire from the Field and publish to the Cloud With ready-to-use libraries for field protocols (Modbus, OPC-UA, S7) and support for publishing via MQTT to leading IoT cloud platforms, publish PLC data to remote business applications in minutes through a simple visual programming tool. The ESF digital twin of the PLC will also enable cloud interactions with the field for command and control and remote actuations.
• Develop IoT Edge Applications Visually compose data-flow graphs for data acquisition, routing, filtering, aggregation and analytics: ESF Wires provides a web-based interface for easy IoT application configuration, composition, and management. Full Java APIs are also available for developing custom data flow components or full edge applications.
  
  


• Manage Edge Computers and IoT Gateways Control and configure edge nodes including their applications, their configuration and their network interfaces such as Ethernet, Wi-Fi and cellular modems. Enables remote management and remote updates of the edge nodes. Security management includes provisioning, credentials, certificates, and signed application bundles and signed remote management communication.
• Large Eco-System Everyware Software Framework is a commercial, enterprise-ready edition of Eclipse Kura, the open source Java/OSGi Edge Computing Platform for IoT Gateways. Supported by an active and vibrant community, Eclipse Kura features a marketplace of modules and plugins available at the Eclipse Marketplace for IoT. Application and libraries can be installed from the Eclipse IoT Marketplace into an ESF runtime with a simple drag-and-drop.

Everyware Software Framework (ESF) is an enterprise-ready IoT Edge Framework distributed and supported by Eurotech. Based on Eclipse Kura, the open source Java/OSGi middleware for IoT gateways, ESF adds provisioning, advanced security, remote access, diagnostics monitoring.

It supports ready-to-use field protocols (including Modbus, OPC-UA, S7), MQTT connectivity, and a web-based visual data flow programming to acquire data from the field, process it at the edge, and publish it to IoT Cloud Platforms. ESF features full remote device management through its integration with Everyware Cloud, Eurotech’s IoT Integration Platform.

Find more information here.

The following diagram illustrates Everyware Software Framework's functional architecture:

• Java 8/OSGi Framework Thanks to its Java/OSGi foundation, ESF and its applications can be moved across hardware architectures and can be dynamically updated. Based on the open source Eclipse Kura project, ESF avoids vendor lock-in and guarantees the protection of the software investment.
• Device Abstraction Provides APIs to interface with the I/O interfaces of a multi-service IoT edge gateway (for example serial port, USB, Bluetooth, BLE and GPIO/PWM/I2C/SPI, GPS) 
• Security Increasing levels of security provided through the management credentials, certificates, communication protocols, mutual authentication, and application signing 
• Basic Gateway Services Provides foundation services like system clock synchronization, system watchdog configuration management, and database services
• Network Configuration Allows remote configuration of the network interfaces of the IoT gateway. Monitors and manages Multi-service IoT Edge Gateways network interfaces.
• Connectivity and Delivery Connectivity management to remote cloud servers and leading IoT Cloud platforms enabling store-and-forward functionality for the telemetry data and offering a policy-driven publishing system, which abstracts the application developer from the complexity of the network layer and the publishing protocol used
• Field Protocols Provides ready-to-use field protocol libraries which encapsulate field devices into a reusable common model and automatically create a digital image of a device to easily connect it to the gateway and the cloud.
• Remote Management Enables remote management and remote updates of the edge nodes including their configurations and applications
• Administration GUI Manage all configurations of a Multi-service IoT Edge Gateway through a web-based console
• Applications Visually compose data-flow graphs for data acquisition, routing, filtering, aggregation and analytics: ESF provides a web-based interface for easy IoT application configuration, composition, and management. Full Java APIs are also available for developing custom data flow components or full edge applications. 

Find more details about ESF architecture here.

Everyware Software Framework allows the development of robust and flexible IoT applications with minimal development time, getting a faster time-to-market. Software developers and device administrators can take advantage also of the ESF native integration with Everyware Cloud, Eurotech's IoT Integration Platform. 

The IoT Edge Framework leverages open and industry standards like Java, OSGi and the Eclipse IDE.  

Everyware Software Framework Values and Benefits

Developers 

• Develop and manage IoT edge computing applications

• Ready-to-use field protocol communication libraries

• Visually compose data flows to manage, analyse and route data

• Full Java APIs for IoT Edge nodes

• Fast and easy prototyping

• Open source technologies

System Integrators

• Integrate OT management into IT workflows 

• Complete Device provisioning and first activation

• Remote access to Multi-service IoT Edge Gateways and field devices for remote maintenance

• Strong security foundation 

• Easily connect to leading IoT cloud services and platforms

Executives

• Faster innovation, faster time-to-market, faster revenue

• Remote device monitoring and control

• Easy integration with existing IT systems or custom web application development

• More deterministic project execution

• Protection of investments