4 Architecting IoT Cloud
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4.3 Device Management Layer
The complexity of managing IoT-connected devices increases in relation to the
number of devices added; therefore, an effective device management system is
needed. As with other products, Internet-connected devices have a life cycle that
includes the design and manufacturing phases as well as device installation, inoperation, and replacement or repair. For each part of the life cycle, the management
solution must meet different requirements to handle the management needs of each
phase appropriately. In general, a device management layer needs to address the
following tasks:
• Provisioning
– Registration
– Configuration
• Monitoring and control
• Software updates and maintenance
4.3.1 Provisioning
The term “provisioning” can mean different things depending upon the industry it is
used in. When it comes to provisioning IoT devices to a Cloud solution, provisioning
is broken into two parts [3]:
• Registration – Registration is the initial phase of the provisioning process where
the first connection between the Cloud and the device is made and IoT devices
are enrolled in the Cloud.
• Configuration – The second phase of the provisioning process is setting up and
configuring the device with an appropriate device configuration based on the
particular requirements of the target IoT solution.
When both parts of the provisioning process have been accomplished, the device
is considered completely provisioned. It is important to remember that there are
some Cloud services that handle only the registration phase of provisioning by
registering devices to the Cloud without configuration. A Device Provisioning
Service is able to automatically handle both registration and configuration, which
enables streamlined provisioning for a device.
Figure 4.3 illustrates a typical device provisioning scenario; however, it should
be noted that the flow of the process can vary greatly depending upon the implementation and application. Below are the general steps included in the provisioning
process [3, 4]:
1. During the manufacturing process, the registration information, credentials, and
identity (e.g., public and private key) of a device are integrated into the device’s
179
4.3 Device Management Layer
The complexity of managing IoT-connected devices increases in relation to the
number of devices added; therefore, an effective device management system is
needed. As with other products, Internet-connected devices have a life cycle that
includes the design and manufacturing phases as well as device installation, inoperation, and replacement or repair. For each part of the life cycle, the management
solution must meet different requirements to handle the management needs of each
phase appropriately. In general, a device management layer needs to address the
following tasks:
• Provisioning
– Registration
– Configuration
• Monitoring and control
• Software updates and maintenance
4.3.1 Provisioning
The term “provisioning” can mean different things depending upon the industry it is
used in. When it comes to provisioning IoT devices to a Cloud solution, provisioning
is broken into two parts [3]:
• Registration – Registration is the initial phase of the provisioning process where
the first connection between the Cloud and the device is made and IoT devices
are enrolled in the Cloud.
• Configuration – The second phase of the provisioning process is setting up and
configuring the device with an appropriate device configuration based on the
particular requirements of the target IoT solution.
When both parts of the provisioning process have been accomplished, the device
is considered completely provisioned. It is important to remember that there are
some Cloud services that handle only the registration phase of provisioning by
registering devices to the Cloud without configuration. A Device Provisioning
Service is able to automatically handle both registration and configuration, which
enables streamlined provisioning for a device.
Figure 4.3 illustrates a typical device provisioning scenario; however, it should
be noted that the flow of the process can vary greatly depending upon the implementation and application. Below are the general steps included in the provisioning
process [3, 4]:
1. During the manufacturing process, the registration information, credentials, and
identity (e.g., public and private key) of a device are integrated into the device’s