Glossary

ARM64, also known as AArch64, is a 64-bit architecture developed by ARM Holdings. It extends the ARM architecture, allowing for more memory and computational power compared to the 32-bit ARM architecture. ARM64 is designed for high-performance and energy-efficient computing, making it ideal for mobile devices, embedded systems, and servers. It supports a wide range of applications, from smartphones and tablets to data centers and edge computing devices, providing a balanced mix of performance and power efficiency.

• Use Case: Ideal for applications requiring low power consumption and high efficiency, such as IoT devices, mobile devices, and edge gateways.
• Environment: Commonly used in environments where space, power, and heat constraints are critical.
• Example: Smart home devices, wearable technology, and remote sensors.

• Use Case: Suitable for applications requiring higher computational power and performance, such as data processing, analytics, and AI at the edge.
• Environment: Used in edge servers, industrial automation, and environments where robust performance is essential.
• Example: Edge data centers, real-time video processing, and complex machine learning tasks.

A cluster is a group of interconnected computers or servers that work together as a single unified system. These machines, often called nodes, share computing resources, distribute workloads, and coordinate tasks between themselves. The main purposes of clustering include improving performance through parallel processing, ensuring high availability by providing redundancy if one node fails, and enabling horizontal scalability by adding more nodes when needed. Clusters are commonly used in data centers, cloud computing environments, and enterprise applications where reliability and processing power are crucial.

To learn about how ZEDEDA uses Kubernetes to assist with the management and orchestration of fleets of edge nodes, see Kubernetes Infrastructure Orchestration - Operations.

The Docker platform enables developers to create, deploy, and run applications in containers, which are lightweight, standalone packages that include everything needed to run a piece of software, such as code, runtime, system tools, libraries, and settings. Docker basically standardizes how these containers are built and run, making applications portable and consistent across different environments.

Docker is the de facto standard for containerization. While containers existed before Docker, Docker made them accessible and practical for widespread use by providing tools and a standardized format for packaging and running containerized applications. 

Docker works great for edge computing, since it enables consistent deployment of applications from cloud to edge locations, the containers are lightweight and start quickly, making them ideal for resource-constrained edge devices. In addition, the same Docker tools and workflows used in cloud environments can be applied to your edge devices, streamlining development and operations. 

An edge application is software that has been installed and is available to be deployed on an edge device. Once the application has been deployed, then it’s called an “edge application instance.” 

At ZEDEDA, an Edge Application represents the Metadata manifest of the software application. Each edge application comes with its metadata manifest, which is basically a description of the application and a set of instructions for using the application. It’s similar to having a detailed list or a blueprint that explains what the app does, how it should be used, and what it needs to work properly. (See Edge Application Overview)

An edge application image is used to create an edge application, and then the edge app instances run on the edge nodes. But here’s a longer and more formal definition:
  An Edge Application Image in ZEDEDA is a packaged file containing all the necessary components to run an edge application. These images can take various forms, such as Virtual Machine (VM) images (QCOW2, RAW formats), Container images (Docker format), or Unikernel images (RAW format). The binary data of Edge Application Images can be stored in any Data Store of your choice, including: 

• ZEDEDA Owned and Operated Data Store: Services like AWS S3 or Azure.
• Customer-Owned Data Store: Located within the customer's enterprise data center.
• Public Data Store: Examples include Docker Hub and Azure Container Registry.

(See Edge Application Images and Volumes)

Put simply, an edge application refers to the actual running app once it’s been deployed on an edge node. 

Here’s a more comprehensive definition: An edge application instance in ZEDEDA refers to a specific deployment of an application on an edge node. When you select an application from the ZEDEDA Marketplace and deploy it, the edge node downloads and runs the application with defined runtime characteristics such as adapters, networks, and other details. This creates a real, operational instance of the application on the edge node.

For example, it's akin to downloading and running an app from the app store on your iPhone. Multiple instances of the same edge application can be deployed across different edge nodes, allowing for scalability and flexibility in edge computing deployments. (See Edge Application Instance Overview)

Edge computing is the practice of processing data closer to where the data is being generated, rather than sending it to a data center. The benefits of edge computing include: reduced latency, better response times, and enhanced efficiency. Edge computing can be particularly useful for applications that require real-time data processing, such as industrial IoT devices, manufacturing, energy, and retail.

Gartner defines edge computing as “part of a distributed computing topology where information processing is located close to the edge, where things and people produce or consume that information.” 
(See ZEDEDA Overview for a definition of edge computing.)

Edge orchestration refers to managing resources at the edge of the network where the data is generated. This can involve automating the deployment, scaling, and maintenance of applications across large fleets of edge nodes. 

With Kubernetes ZEDEDA provides a seamless, secure, and scalable edge orchestration solution that simplifies the deployment and management of your applications at the edge. (See Kubernetes Infrastructure Orchestration - Overview)

Edge Sync, formerly known as local operator console (LOC), is a tool that helps manage edge nodes when they do not have internet access. It acts as a local controller for the edge nodes, ensuring they can operate smoothly even without an internet connection to the ZEDEDA Cloud.

Edge Sync manages configurations and collects runtime metrics from the edge nodes and applications, and is ideal for environments with intermittent connectivity, such as air-gapped networks. Edge Sync relies on the local network (or a metadata server) for connectivity and does not require a direct physical connection to the edge node's ports. (See Edge Sync)

Edge View provides secure, remote access to your edge devices and applications, allowing you to essentially log in directly to them through a terminal. This can be helpful for troubleshooting and maintenance purposes, since Edge View essentially gives you hands-on control over your edge assets from anywhere.

Edge View is implemented as a Docker container, with the Edge View container on the remote device providing the server function and the same container on the user laptop serving as the 'client'. (See EdgeView FAQ)

A job in ZEDEDA parlance is a group of tasks that are triggered by any bulk operation, such as deploying multiple app instances. The task(s) are executed as part of the process of managing and configuring edge devices. Jobs can include actions like installing software, updating EVE-OS, or deploying an application. Jobs are tracked by ZEDEDA, so you can monitor their progress and ensure that everything is running smoothly.

Bulk tasks, such as deploying many apps at once, or doing a big EVE-OS update, will end up creating a single job that has a bunch of tasks in it. Jobs are always sorted so the latest one is at the top, as viewed from the GUI. (See Jobs) 

Kubernetes built for the edge (K3S) is a highly available, Kubernetes distribution designed for production workloads in unattended, resource-constrained, remote locations or inside IoT appliances. You can provision and manage the K3S (Rancher) or TKG (VMware) infrastructure at the distributed edge, using zero-touch provisioning capabilities of ZEDEDA Cloud and zero-trust operating system built for the edge, the EVE-OS. 

Kubernetes (k8s) is an open-source platform that automates the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. It simplifies the operation of containerized workloads by organizing containers into logical units for easy administration and discovery.

Kubernetes is an open-source orchestration system that simplifies the process of managing and scaling fleets of software apps in containers. In the context of edge computing, (K8s, as it is sometimes abbreviated) offers a way to manage a bunch of edge node apps running on your edge nodes at the edge of a distributed edge network. These apps could be used to manage machines on a factory floor, wind turbines in the field, or even fleets of rented autonomous vehicles. Kubernetes helps you deploy and manage these applications easily, even if the devices are in remote locations and far from any datacenters. Kubernetes offers early adopters a way to make sure everything in their factory is running smoothly and securely, without the need to have an on-site technician monitoring operations every day.
(See Kubernetes Infrastructure Orchestration - Overview)

LF Edge is an open source framework governed by the Linux Foundation that provides edge computing infrastructure and tools. It includes a sandbox environment, powered by ZEDEDA and EVE-OS (a Linux-based operating system), that enables developers to quickly test and deploy edge applications. 

The platform facilitates rapid proof-of-concept (PoC) development and testing of edge computing solutions through its Marketplace, remote management capabilities, and application orchestration features. LF Edge creates a common framework of hardware and software standards for IoT and edge devices, and other notable members include Intel, Ericsson, and Samsung. (See LF Edge)

The ZEDEDA Marketplace is an online store for edge computing apps and solutions. You can go here to find a variety of software applications that have been pre-tested and which are ready to go. These apps are made by various tech companies (ZEDEDA partners) and they have been designed to work well with the ZEDEDA platform. 

So, in short, the Marketplace offers a convenient place for businesses and developers who want to be able to quickly set up and manage their edge computing projects without having to build everything from scratch. (See Import Models to Enterprise)

Network instances provide the virtual network environment for edge applications. Ultimately, a network instance is a virtual subnet maintained by EVE-OS. 

Network instances can be completely internal to the edge node or can be attached to external interfaces. They can also provide services such as DHCP, NAT, and DNS to edge applications. (See Use the ZEDEDA CLI to Manage a Network Instance)

A project is a logical grouping of one or more edge nodes, as well as the edge apps, and deployments.  It's like having a logical container that groups together related in order to make them easier to manage. Key points include:

• Grouping: Projects help you group assets based on specific criteria, like geographical location, department, or business function.
• Management: By organizing assets into projects, you can manage them more efficiently, apply configurations, and monitor their status.
• Enterprise: Each project belongs to a single enterprise, and you can create multiple projects within the same enterprise.

While an enterprise can have several projects, each edge node can only belong to one project. (See project under "Concepts related to Edge Nodes")

Remote attestation is a security mechanism that enables a system to verify the integrity and authenticity of a remote hardware device, such as an edge node. The remote attestation process allows a trusted authority to validate that a remote device is in an expected state, meaning that it has a specific version of software running, or certain configuration settings, or security policies. The process ensures the device has not been tampered with. 

During remote attestation, the remote system provides cryptographically signed evidence of its current state, including hardware configuration, firmware, operating system, and a list of software applications that are running. The hardware security feature, Trusted Platform Module (TPM), ensures that the attestation process itself has not be compromised in any way.  (See Trusted Platform Module Based Remote Attestation Overview) 

This is the process of managing and controlling edge nodes and apps from a remote location, typically through ZEDEDA Cloud. (See Orchestration Overview under “Kubernetes Infrastructure Orchestration - Overview”)

Tanzu Kubernetes Grid (TKG) is a Kubernetes solution for larger scale integrations with VMware products. It has been specially designed to work well in hybrid and multi-cloud environments. (See k3s in this glossary)

• The ZEDEDA GUI is a web-based platform with a graphical user interface for viewing dashboards and configuring policies and so on.
• ZCLI is a command-line interface that allows you to do much of the same, but it requires Docker Desktop to work.
• Terraform is an API-based approach to configuring and managing the edge nodes in your deployment. It works with ZEDEDA Cloud to let you programmatically manage the configurations in your ZEDEDA Cloud. Note that all ZEDEDA control and monitoring functionality is available through direct API access.  (See User Agents)

Virtualization refers to the process of creating a software-based (or "virtual") representation of various computing resources, such as servers, storage devices, networks, or operating systems. It enables multiple virtual instances to run on a single physical hardware platform, allowing for more efficient use of computing resources. A hypervisor manages these virtual instances and ensures they remain isolated from each other while sharing the underlying hardware.

A volume instance handles data storage on the edge nodes. It can retain image (binary) data or (runtime) application data. Some volume instances are persistent and keep their data even after the edge applications using them have stopped. Other volume instances are temporary and only store data while the application is running. (See Volume Instances under “Storage Overview”)

(See AMD64 in this glossary)

The ZEDEDA Provider helps you automate and manage your edge nodes and other resources. It offers an alternative way to configure your nodes, without having to use the ZEDEDA’s GUI and ZCLI. But just a heads up, it’s only for managing configs and not for monitoring.

The ZEDEDA Provider talks with Terraform Core and ZEDEDA Cloud by sending commands (RPCs) to the provider. In turn, the provider chats with ZEDEDA Cloud, which sends replies through the provider to Terraform. (See ZEDEDA Terraform Provider)

The ZEDEDA graphical user interface (GUI) is an easy-to-use web application that allows you to interact seamlessly with ZEDEDA Cloud. This interface allows you to manage your resources, monitor activities, and perform various tasks in a more intuitive and visual manner, ensuring that you can efficiently oversee and control your cloud operations without ZCLI. (See ZEDEDA Graphical User Interface overview)