6. IIoT Glossary
Overwhelmed with so many buzzwords and acronyms in the manufacturing tech world? Please have a look in the following IIoT glossary.
4 minute read
IIoT Glossary
| Term | Description | Related article |
|---|---|---|
| DMZ Network | Demilitarized zone. A buffer zone between different networks, which have rules and security by firewalls. | 3.1 Techniques / Demilitarized Zones |
| ERP | Enterprise Resource Planning. Holistic IT type of software used across different areas of a company. Generally provided in different software packages. From a production order generated by planning, flowing through the value chain with logistics, production and sales departments respectively. All these are transactions provide inputs to finance and controlling departments. Most known examples are SAP and Oracle. | 1. Information Technology (IT) |
| ifm | The company name of a manufacturer of industry products, particularly cables, connectors, sensors and networking devices. | No MQTT messages although ifm IO-Link-Master is connected |
| IO-Link | Open standard communication protocol (IEC or International Electrotechnical Commission 61131-9) use to connect digital and analog sensors. Open field-bus between an IO-Link Master (e.g., gateway) and IO-Devices (e.g., sensors). 24 V DC signals. | No MQTT messages although ifm IO-Link-Master is connected |
| IPC | Industrial Personal Computer. A PC with robust characteristics, such as fan-less and can work in conditions with high and low temperature, dust, explosive scenarios. Its architecture is like a PC, for example it has an Operating System (OS) like Windows or Linux, RAM memory, HDMI ports, etc. Example of brands: Onlogic, Advantech | General |
| IT | Information Technology. In a company is software like ERP, software used by the HR Department, software to store information of documents | 1. Information Technology (IT) |
| IoT | Internet of Things. Extremely related to “smart-X”, for example smartphone, smart light, smart refrigerator. When a simple device has being integrated with an electronic chip and proper software that generally has access to internet or connection to other devices. | General |
| IoT Stack | IoT Stack (also IoT Technology Stack). A visualization tool to see the technologies installed in a production shop floor. Starts from hardware (sensors, cameras, PLCs) which generate raw data, this data is processed, backed, and finally used for a particular purpose. Common example is to visualize data in a digital production board. | General |
| IIoT | Industrial Internet of Things. Same thing as IoT but in the industry sphere – devices with electronic chips that allows connectivity to other device or to internet. | 3. Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) |
| Industrial IoT Platforms | Gartner - Magic Quadrant for Industrial IoT Platforms defines it “as a set of integrated software capabilities to improve asset management decision making within asset-intensive industries. IIoT platforms also provide operational visibility and control for plants, infrastructure and equipment.” Not an acronym but very relevant. | General |
| LAN | Local Area Network. A simple network located in a particular location, such a building, office or a house. | General |
| MQTT | Message Queuing Telemetry Transport. Relatively new communication protocol which is gaining a lot of attention in the IIoT trend. It is similar to Twitter, following the logic and terms of a device such as a sensor “publishes” information in a channel. Other devices or apps can “subscribe” to that channel and read the data from the sensor. | 3.1.2 MQTT |
| Node-RED | Open software where elements call nodes (like a block) are connected forming a flow (like a program). With this, it has a more graphic interface rather a programming language. It uses JavaScript functions, flows created are saved in JSON (JavaScript Object Notation). Developers and companies can create Nodes that can be downloaded by other users. | 3.2 Tools |
| OPC UA | Object Linking and Embedding for Process Control (OPC) Unified Architecture (UA). Communication protocol commonly used in the OT side, typically between machines that have PLCs or NCs. | General |
| OT | Operations Technology. Software and hardware found in a manufacturing shop floor or a warehouse: computers such as PLC that control a machine, information systems that link production orders commonly known as MES (Manufacturing Execution System). | 2. Operational Technology (OT) |
| PLC | Programmable Logic Controller. A PC with robust characteristics with a microcontroller and different other hardware modules such as digital input or digital output terminals, analog converter, ethernet module etc. It is programmed in a technical way using ladder language or block diagrams. Example of brands: Mitsubishi, Siemens (SIMATIC), Rockwell Automation (Allen-Bradley) | 2.1.2 Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) |
| VM | Virtual Machine. A computer that uses software resources to run applications. It has operating system, storage and memories. | Finding IP of VM |
| WAN | Wide Area Network. A computer is connected to other computers in a large geographical area. | General |
Last modified February 17, 2023: update (#208) (ea731fc)