System, control device, processing method, and program

Abstract

This invention provides a system, a processing method, a control device, and a program that enable an edge controller to automatically recognize an external device by connecting it to an edge device. [Solution] A processing method to be executed by a system having an edge controller, which is a control device, and an edge device, comprising the steps of: the edge device transmitting an identifier of an external device connected to the edge device to the control device; the control device generating alias information corresponding to the identifier and transmitting the alias information to the device so that the alias information is reflected in the host OS of the device; and the control device transmitting an application and alias information of an external device that it wants the application to recognize to the device.

Description

【Technical Field】 【0001】 The present invention relates to the technology of edge computing. 【Background Art】 【0002】 In recent years, edge computing has attracted attention. As one of the needs in the recent edge computing industry, miniaturization of edge devices is required. However, the workload to be processed on edge devices has increased, and there is a problem that small edge devices cannot handle the processing. Therefore, in order to address this issue, the use of external devices is necessary. 【Prior Art Documents】 【Patent Documents】 【0003】 【Patent Document 1】 JP 2012-203678 【Summary of the Invention】 【Problems to be Solved by the Invention】 【0004】 However, in order to access an external device from an application installed on an edge device, setting work for recognizing the external device in advance is required. Also, in the prior art, automation of external device recognition using an edge controller has not been performed. That is, in the prior art, even if an external device is connected to an edge device, the edge controller cannot automatically recognize the external device. 【0005】 The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to provide a technology that enables an edge controller to automatically recognize an external device by connecting the external device to the edge device. 【Means for Solving the Problems】 【0006】 According to the disclosed technology, a system having a control device and a device, The device transmits the identifier of an external device connected to the device to the control unit. The control device generates alias information corresponding to the identifier and transmits the alias information to the device, thereby reflecting the alias information in the device's host OS. The control device transmits the application and the alias information of the external device that it wants the application to recognize to the device. The system is provided. [Effects of the Invention] 【0007】 According to the disclosed technology, a technology is provided that enables an edge controller to automatically recognize an external device by connecting it to an edge device. [Brief explanation of the drawing] 【0008】 [Figure 1] This figure shows an example of the overall system configuration in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a diagram illustrating the first embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a diagram illustrating the second embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a diagram illustrating a specific example in the second embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a diagram illustrating the third embodiment. [Figure 6] This is a diagram illustrating a specific example in the third embodiment. [Figure 7] This is a diagram illustrating the fourth embodiment. [Figure 8] This is a diagram illustrating an example configuration of the control device 200. [Figure 9] This figure shows an example of the device's hardware configuration. [Modes for carrying out the invention] 【0009】 Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention (this embodiment) will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiments described below are merely examples, and the embodiments to which the present invention is applied are not limited to the embodiments described below. 【0010】 The following embodiments illustrate an example of applying the technology according to the present invention to edge computing. However, the scope of application of the technology according to the present invention is not limited to edge computing, and the technology according to the present invention can be applied to various fields. The edge controller described below may also be called a control device. The edge device may also be called a device. 【0011】 (Summary of the embodiment) In this embodiment, the edge controller is equipped with an external device management function. This allows the edge controller to automatically recognize external devices by connecting them to the edge device. Therefore, when it is desired to distribute an application (hereinafter referred to as "App") from the edge controller to an external device, it is possible to specify the external device according to the App to be distributed. In addition, by linking with the driver database, information on the drivers necessary for the external device to operate on the edge device can be obtained, enabling driver installation and automatic updates. 【0012】 The configuration and operation of the system in this embodiment will be described in detail below. 【0013】 (Example system configuration) Figure 1 shows an example of the overall system configuration in this embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the system according to this embodiment comprises an edge device 100, an edge controller 200, and an external device DB (database) 300, all of which are connected to a network 400. As will be described later, external devices are connected to the edge device 100 as needed. 【0014】 The edge device 100, the edge controller 200, and the external device DB 300 can all be realized by a computer. The computer may be a physical machine or a virtual machine. Also, although the Apps and Drivers described below are assumed to be implemented in containers, they are not limited to using containers. 【0015】 As operation examples of each device constituting the system, the first to fourth embodiments will be described below. 【0016】 (First Embodiment) First, the operations of each device in the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 2. In the example of FIG. 2, external device - A and external device - B are connected to the edge device 100 as external devices. In FIG. 2, step numbers (such as S1) for reference in the description are attached. 【0017】 In S1, a cluster template for managing the edge device 100 is created on the edge controller 200. In S2, the edge device 100 connects to the edge controller 200 by acquiring the authentication information included in the cluster template. Through the processes of S1 and S2, the cooperation between the edge controller 200 and the edge device 100 is established, and communication between the edge controller 200 and the edge device 100 becomes possible. 【0018】 In S1 and S2, for example, as an example of creating a cluster template, the edge controller 200 generates a command including a cluster identifier and inputs the generated command from the edge controller 200 to the edge device 100, thereby establishing a connection between the edge controller 200 and the edge device 100. 【0019】 In S3, when the edge device 100 connects to the edge controller 200, it sends identifiers such as the serial number and model number of the external device connected to the edge device 100 to the edge controller 200. Identifiers include, for example, driver, vendor ID, product ID, serial number, manufacturer name, and product name. The following is an example of displaying the "driver, vendor ID, product ID, serial number, manufacturer name, and product name" of an external device connected to edge device 100. udevadm info -a -n / dev / Alias-A ――Omitted―― DRIVERS=="drivers" ATTRS{idVendor}=="Vendor ID" ATTRS{idProduct}=="Product ID" ATTRS{serial}=="Serial Number" ATTRS{manufacturer}=="Manufacturer name" ATTRS{product}=="Product name" ――Omitted―― In S4, the edge controller 200 registers the identifier of the external device received from the edge device 100 in the external device DB 300. At that time, the edge controller 200 generates (automatically sets) an alias corresponding to the received identifier and registers it in the external device DB 300 in association with the received identifier. Figure 2 shows examples of information registered in the external device DB 300, such as "Alias-A, Serial-A, Model-A" and "Alias-B, Serial-B, Model-B". 【0020】 In S5, the edge controller 200 notifies the user of information from the external device DB300, and the user modifies the alias as needed. More specifically, the edge controller 200 sends information from the external device DB300 to the user's terminal. 【0021】 In other words, there are cases where users want to specify an alias name to clarify the purpose of an external device. For example, if we assume that the external device connected to edge device 100 is a USB device, we might want to set the alias name to something like Alias-USB. 【0022】 In S6, the edge controller 200 sends the alias information configured on the edge controller 200 to the edge device 100, and the host OS of the edge device 100 automatically reflects this alias information. 【0023】 One example of a method for reflecting (implementing) alias information set on the edge controller 200 to the host OS of the edge device 100 is the udev example shown below. --example--- cat / etc / udev / rules.d / XXX.rules ATTRS{model}=="Model-A", ATTRS{serial}=="Serial-A", SYMLINK+="Alias-A" ATTRS{model}=="Model-B", ATTRS{serial}=="Serial-B", SYMLINK+="Alias-B" ――――― This implementation creates a symbolic link Alias-A with an alias name on edge device 100, and even if external device-A is reconnected, it will be recognized as / dev / Alias-A. In other words, symbolic link Alias-A points to / dev / Alias-A. Furthermore, symbolic link Alias-A is associated with external device-A. By using alias information in this way, authentication information can be fixed, and external device-A can be recognized even if it is unplugged and plugged back in. 【0024】 In S7, the edge controller 200 selects the alias information of the external device A that it wants App-A to recognize for deployment, and delivers App-A along with the alias information to the edge device 100. 【0025】 In S8, when an app is launched on edge device 100, the app recognizes and launches the external device specified in S7. In the example in Figure 2, since alias information for external device-A is specified for App-A in S7, App-A on edge device 100 recognizes external device-A. On the other hand, even if App-B is launched, it cannot recognize external device-B. 【0026】 As an example of how to configure an app to recognize an external device, specifying `-device` as shown below allows the app (container) to recognize external device information. In the example below, Docker is used as the container platform. --example--- docker run -it \ --device= / dev / Alias-A --name xxxx ubuntu:20.04 bash -c 'xxxx' ――――― (Second Embodiment) Next, the operation of each device in the second embodiment will be explained with reference to Figure 3. 【0027】 In S11, the edge device 100 sends identifiers such as the serial number or model number of the external devices connected to the edge device 100 to the edge controller 200. In the example in Figure 3, the identifiers of external device A, external device B, and external device C are sent to the edge controller 200. As a result, the edge controller 200 updates the information in the external device DB 300. In the example in Figure 3, compared to the example in Figure 2, the alias, serial number, and model number for external device C have been added. 【0028】 In S12, the edge controller 200 notifies the user of the difference between the current information and the previous information from the external device DB300 (Figure 2), and the user corrects the alias as needed. 【0029】 In S13, the edge controller 200 automatically reflects the alias information configured on the edge controller 200 to the host OS of the edge device 100. 【0030】 In S14, the edge controller 200 first deletes the App (specifically App-A) that has already been delivered to the edge device 100. Then, the edge controller 200 selects the alias information of the external device that it wants App-A to recognize for deployment, and delivers App-A and the alias information to the edge device 100. 【0031】 In the example shown in Figure 3, Alias-A and Alias-C are specified as alias information for the external devices that App-A should recognize. As a result, App-A can recognize external device-A and external device-C. 【0032】 Step S12 described above will be explained in more detail. In S12, the edge controller 200 outputs the difference between the information of the previous external device DB300 and the information of the current external device DB300 and notifies the user. If necessary, the user modifies the alias of the additional external device. 【0033】 Let's explain this in detail by referring to Figure 4. In the example in Figure 4, the information for the external device DB300 in the previous instance (as of February 2024) was "Alias-A, Serial-A, Model-A" and "Alias-B, Serial-B, Model-B", whereas the information for the external device DB300 in the current instance (as of March 2024) is "Alias-A, Serial-A, Model-A", "Alias-B, Serial-B, Model-B", and "Alias-C, Serial-C, Model-C". 【0034】 Therefore, the edge controller 200 notifies the user of the differences in "Alias-C, Serial-C, and Model-C". As an example, it notifies the user of the notification message shown in Figure 4. 【0035】 (Third embodiment) Next, the operation of each device in the third embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 5. In the third embodiment, a driver DB500 capable of communicating with the edge controller 200 is provided. 【0036】 In S21, when an external device is connected to the edge device 100, the edge device 100 sends the identifier of the external device to the edge controller 200. Upon receiving this data, the edge controller 200 triggers the download of driver information, which is the software used by the external device to operate on the edge device 100, from the driver DB 500. 【0037】 In the example shown in Figure 5, since external device-A is connected to edge device 100, the edge controller 200 receives the identifier of external device-A and downloads the driver information corresponding to external device-A from driver DB500. 【0038】 In S22, the edge controller 200 builds and distributes Driver-A (specifically a container) containing the driver information for external device-A, based on the downloaded driver information. App-A, launched on edge device 100, can then access external device-A via Driver-A. 【0039】 Regarding S22, please refer to Figure 6 for a more specific example. As shown in Figure 6, by building Driver-A, the functionality for accessing external device-A can be made independent. In this way, for example, if external device-A is assumed to be a GPU, Driver-A can allocate the necessary GPU resources to each accessed application. 【0040】 (Fourth Embodiment) Next, the operation of each device in the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 7. In the fourth embodiment as well, a driver DB500 capable of communicating with the edge controller 200 is provided. 【0041】 In S31, the edge controller 200 periodically queries the driver DB500. If the edge controller 200 detects a driver update for external device-A as a result of the query, it downloads the latest driver information from the driver DB500. 【0042】 When the edge controller 200 detects a driver update for external device-A, it notifies the user of the driver update in S32. The user then authorizes the driver update. 【0043】 In S33, the edge controller 200 distributes Driver-A, which contains the latest driver information, to the edge device 100. 【0044】 In the fourth embodiment, the above mechanism allows the driver to be kept up-to-date at all times, and security, compatibility with external devices, etc., can be kept up-to-date at all times. 【0045】 (Example of the configuration of the control device 200) Figure 8 shows an example of the functional configuration of a control device 200 corresponding to the edge controller 200. As shown in Figure 8, the control device 200 includes a receiving unit 210, a generating unit 220, and a transmitting unit 230. 【0046】 The receiving unit 210 receives an identifier of an external device connected to a device that communicates with the control device 200 from the device. The generating unit 220 generates alias information corresponding to the identifier. The transmitting unit 230 transmits the alias information to the device, thereby reflecting the alias information in the host OS of the device, and further transmits the application and the alias information of the external device that the application is to recognize to the device to the device. 【0047】 (Example of device hardware configuration) Any of the devices described in this embodiment (edge ​​controller, edge device, control device, driver DB, external device DB, etc.) can be realized, for example, by having a computer run a program. This computer may be a physical computer or a virtual machine in the cloud. 【0048】 In other words, the device can be realized by using the hardware resources built into the computer, such as the CPU, GPU, and memory, to execute a program corresponding to the processing performed by the device. The program can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium (such as portable memory), saved, and distributed. It can also be provided via a network, such as the internet or email. 【0049】 Figure 9 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the computer described above. The computer in Figure 9 has a drive device 1000, an auxiliary storage device 1002, a memory device 1003, a CPU 1004, an interface device 1005, a display device 1006, an input device 1007, an output device 1008, etc., all of which are interconnected by a bus BS. The computer may also be equipped with a GPU. 【0050】 The program that enables processing on the computer is provided, for example, on a recording medium 1001 such as a CD-ROM or memory card. When the recording medium 1001 containing the program is set in the drive device 1000, the program is installed from the recording medium 1001 to the auxiliary storage device 1002 via the drive device 1000. However, the program does not necessarily have to be installed from the recording medium 1001; it may also be downloaded from another computer via a network. The auxiliary storage device 1002 stores the installed program as well as necessary files and data. 【0051】 The memory device 1003 reads and stores a program from the auxiliary storage device 1002 when a program startup command is received. The CPU 1004 implements the functions related to the memory device 1003 according to the program stored in the memory device 1003. The interface device 1005 is used as an interface for connecting to a network, etc. The display device 1006 displays a GUI (Graphical User Interface) etc. generated by a program. The input device 1007 consists of a keyboard and mouse, buttons, or a touch panel etc., and is used to input various operation commands. The output device 1008 outputs the calculation results. 【0052】 (Effects of the embodiment) With the technology according to this embodiment described above, by connecting an external device to an edge device, the edge controller can automatically recognize the external device. Furthermore, it is possible to make the application deployed on the edge device recognize the desired external device. It is also possible to keep the driver constantly up to date. As a result, the automated process in which the edge controller and external device recognition are integrated can improve the reliability and efficiency of the system. 【0053】 The following additional information is disclosed regarding the embodiments described above. 【0054】 <Note> (Additional note 1) A system having a control device and a device, The device transmits the identifier of an external device connected to the device to the control unit. The control device generates alias information corresponding to the identifier and transmits the alias information to the device, thereby reflecting the alias information in the device's host OS. The control device transmits the application and the alias information of the external device that it wants the application to recognize to the device. system. (Additional note 2) The device has the alias information as a name and generates a symbolic link associated with the external device. The system described in Appendix 1. (Additional note 3) The control device transmits the identifier and alias information to the user, thereby allowing the user to modify the alias information as needed. The system described in Appendix 1. (Additional note 4) When a second external device is connected to the aforementioned device, the device transmits the identifier of the second external device to the control device. The control device generates alias information for the second external device, deletes the application on the device, and then transmits the application, the alias information for the external device, and the alias information for the second external device to the device. The system described in Appendix 1. (Additional note 5) The control device, upon receiving the identifier from the device, triggers itself to retrieve driver information for the external device from the driver database and transmit the driver containing the driver information to the device. The system described in Appendix 1. (Additional note 6) The control device periodically queries the driver database, and when it detects that the driver information has been updated, it retrieves the updated driver information and sends the driver containing the updated driver information to the device. The system described in Appendix 5. (Additional note 7) The control device used in a system having a control device and a device, A receiving unit that receives the identifier of an external device connected to the aforementioned device from the aforementioned device, A generation unit that generates alias information corresponding to the identifier, A transmission unit transmits the alias information to the device, thereby reflecting the alias information in the host OS of the device, and transmits the application and the alias information of the external device that the application wants to recognize to the device to the device. A control device equipped with the following features. (Additional note 8) A processing method performed by a system having a control device and a device, The device transmits an identifier of an external device connected to the device to the control unit, The control device generates alias information corresponding to the identifier and transmits the alias information to the device, thereby reflecting the alias information in the host OS of the device. The control device transmits the application and the alias information of the external device that it wants the application to recognize to the device. A processing method comprising the following: (Additional note 9) A non-temporary storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as a component of the control device described in Appendix 7. 【0055】 Although this embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this specific embodiment, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention as described in the claims. [Explanation of Symbols] 【0056】 100 Edge Devices 200 Edge Controllers, Control Devices 210 Receiver 220 Generation part 230 Transmitter 300 External Devices 400 Networks 1000 drive unit 1001 Recording media 1002 Auxiliary storage 1003 Memory device 1004 CPU 1005 Interface device 1006 Display device 1007 Input device 1008 Output device

Claims

[Claim 1] A system having a control device and a device, The device transmits the identifier of an external device connected to the device to the control unit. The control device generates alias information corresponding to the identifier and transmits the alias information to the device, thereby reflecting the alias information in the device's host OS. The control device transmits the application and the alias information of the external device that it wants the application to recognize to the device. system. [Claim 2] The device has the alias information as a name and generates a symbolic link associated with the external device. The system according to claim 1. [Claim 3] The control device transmits the identifier and alias information to the user, thereby allowing the user to modify the alias information as needed. The system according to claim 1. [Claim 4] When a second external device is connected to the aforementioned device, the device transmits the identifier of the second external device to the control device. The control device generates alias information for the second external device, deletes the application on the device, and then transmits the application, the alias information for the external device, and the alias information for the second external device to the device. The system according to claim 1. [Claim 5] The control device, upon receiving the identifier from the device, triggers itself to retrieve driver information for the external device from the driver database and transmit the driver containing the driver information to the device. The system according to claim 1. [Claim 6] The control device periodically queries the driver database, and when it detects that the driver information has been updated, it retrieves the updated driver information and sends the driver containing the updated driver information to the device. The system according to claim 5. [Claim 7] The control device used in a system having a control device and a device, A receiving unit that receives the identifier of an external device connected to the aforementioned device from the aforementioned device, A generation unit that generates alias information corresponding to the identifier, A transmission unit transmits the alias information to the device, thereby reflecting the alias information in the host OS of the device, and transmits the application and the alias information of the external device that the application wants to recognize to the device to the device. A control device equipped with the following features. [Claim 8] A processing method performed by a system having a control device and a device, The device transmits an identifier of an external device connected to the device to the control unit, The control device generates alias information corresponding to the identifier and transmits the alias information to the device, thereby reflecting the alias information in the host OS of the device. The control device transmits the application and the alias information of the external device that it wants the application to recognize to the device. A processing method comprising the following: [Claim 9] A program for causing a computer to function as a component of the control device described in claim 7.

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