Reference architectures for the Industrial Internet can be very useful in facilitating the communication between the architects and the stakeholders in industrial manufacturing domains, including plant managers, field engineering managers, service professionals, business managers, and others. The solutions tend to address very specific business problems such as determining fuel efficiency and when engine maintenance is required. IT-centric architecture frameworks are less useful for understanding how the convergence of OT and IT will provide a means to achieve the business outcomes expected from the Industrial Internet solutions. However, there is a need for the reusability of this underlying IT architecture to scale the lessons that are being learned broadly.
Architects refer to the reference architecture and use it as a template as they capture the requirements. They design the specific implementation of the architecture and can convey a consistent understanding to internal and external stakeholders. Thus, interoperability, security, and other requirements are addressed upfront and do not become an afterthought.
Reference architectures lay the foundation for best practices and the reuse of the architectural patterns. As per the US Treasury Architecture Development Guidance (TADG) publication (http://pubs.opengroup.org/architecture/togaf8-doc/arch/chap28.html), the definition of a pattern is an idea that has been useful in one practical context and will probably be useful in others. The structure of the pattern can include some of the following elements:
- Name: Easy-to-remember nomenclature
- Problem statement: Description of the challenge to solve
- Context: The current state where the pattern could be applied
- Forces: The internal and external drivers and constraints; this could include the regulatory landscape as well as the societal implications
- Solution: The details of how to solve the problem at hand
- Resulting context: The outcomes and the trade-offs
- Examples: Sample applications
- Rationale: The why and the detailed explanations
- Related patterns: How this pattern is similar or related to others
- Known uses: Where this pattern is in use
Throughout this book, we will see the evolution of and use of architecture patterns in the context of the Industrial Internet. For example, there are different patterns for gateways and edge architecture. New cloud-based architecture patterns continue to be introduced.
The Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) has recognized the need for the reference architecture and has published the Industrial Internet Reference Architecture (IIRA). This three-tier architecture provides different view points targeted at the different stakeholders. IIC defines the reference architecture as the output of the application of architecture principles to a class of systems. This is used to provide guidance as the architects analyze and solve the common architectural concerns. The resulting IIRA then provides a template for use in the concrete architecture of Industrial Internet systems.
IIoT projects and architecture solutions can be extremely complex. A proven approach to solving complex problem design is to decompose it into its subsystems. So, to further accelerate the adoption of the Industrial Internet and enable delivery of the desired business outcomes, similar analytics, security, and connectivity frameworks are provided by IIC.