Which among the
following iot device required an operating system
a. Arduino
b. Raspberry Pi
c. NodeMCU
d. None of these
Answers
Answer:
Explanation:
It is thus not surprising that several development platforms have proliferated in a short span of time and are now competing to lure in developers and manufacturers alike. In keeping up with the trends of miniaturization in devices, ubiquitous internet connectivity has become a priority, and the marketplace is witnessing an explosion in hardware-platform options targeted at IoT implementations. Large scale deployments, however, require rapid development tools, standardization, easy maintenance, and porting of applications across a wide variety of hardware platforms. Only robust operating systems that are hardware agnostic can guarantee these capabilities. Windows, Apple iOS, and Android stand as prominent examples of the dominance and impact an operating system can have in shaping not just the evolution of new technology paradigms but also in controlling the availability of applications to serve stakeholder needs. Many vendors are now vying for similar dominance.
In this article, we examine the key requirements that characterize operating systems for IoT and distinguish between systems for devices/end nodes and gateways. We’ll also present an assessment of the key OS players in the space, market share trends, and the relative popularity of open sourced and proprietary systems.
Considerations for Operating Systems for IoT
Unlike personal computers and mobile devices, the architecture of IoT systems involves a large number of end-nodes (ex. sensors) connected to aggregating devices (gateways), which in turn are connected to remote cloud platforms. Figure 1 represents a simplified view of an IoT system.
0916 IoT Operating Systems Image 1
Figure 1: An IoT System – From Sensors to Applications
The functions of sensor nodes and their form factors and target applications vary considerably and create context for the suitability of any specific operating system for IoT implementations. The key characteristics and requirements that differentiate OS for IoT are below:
• Small memory footprint – Sensor nodes are typically small and have limited memory available. This restricts the memory footprint of the OS
• Real-time capabilities – IoT applications like medical devices, automotive controls, and security systems are critical and require precision in timing. An IoT OS thus has to perform similar to real time operating systems that are deployed in industrial settings
• Energy efficient operation – Sensors nodes are characterized by low power draws and are often battery powered. Furthermore, it is commonly prohibitively expensive to replace batteries etc. It is thus crucial that the OS be highly energy efficient
• Hardware agnostic operation – Owing to the diversity of hardware platforms available for various IoT applications, it is important that the OS support a variety of platforms to simplify interconnectivity and drive standardization and to lower costs of ownership
• Network Connectivity & Protocol Support – Crucial to IoT device operation is continuous connectivity to the network and to devices in immediate proximity. This requirement is achievable by providing support for a variety of connectivity protocols like Wi-Fi, Cellular, Bluetooth, etc. Operating system should simplify the connectivity process
• Security – it is imperative that the OS for IoT adhere to strict security expectations and meet stringent requirements imposed by deployments in sensitive and critical settings
• Eco-system & Application Development – the degree to which the OS can act as an eco-system for application development can make a big impact on the speed of development and time-to-market. OS that come with toolkits to ease the development and deployment of IoT applications are clearly beneficial
Sensor end-nodes function as sensors or actuators, and at a basic level sense, they transmit and receive data. Gateways, on the other hand, are responsible for providing data services: routing, data shaping, and decision making. In addition, they act as firewalls to protect downstream devices (sensors, actuators, and other embedded systems). Gateways form the crucial bridge between the real-world devices and virtual IT environments. New generation IoT gateways open up huge opportunities to push processing closer to the edge, improving responsiveness and supporting new operating models. Full on-board processing capabilities allow gateways
b. Raspberry Pi
A lot of OS can be installed on it