BAS Microservice Architecture for Multi-Node Scalability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Building automation systems (BAS) face scalability and fault-tolerance issues due to reliance on single server applications, which can lead to costly hardware upgrades and system downtime when demand increases.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a microservices architecture with a server platform that decomposes server functionality into separate services, using containerization technology for deployment and orchestration, and a common data model to manage communication and data storage across nodes, both on-premise and in the cloud.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single server application is used to control and monitor field controllers, then the system structure is simple, but scalability and fault-tolerance decrease as usage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the monolithic server application into multiple independent microservice nodes. Each node runs specific services (e.g., data collection, historical information, alarm management) as separate processes, allowing the system to scale horizontally by adding more nodes while maintaining fault-tolerance through service distribution across multiple independent units.
2Quantity of substance
If a single server application is used, then hardware requirements are low initially, but costly hardware upgrades are needed when demand increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from vertical scaling (adding more resources to a single server) to horizontal scaling (adding more server nodes). The multi-node architecture allows the system to accommodate increased usage by distributing workload across multiple nodes, eliminating the need for costly hardware upgrades to a single server and enabling linear scalability.
3Reliability
If services are separated into microservices, then scalability and fault-tolerance improve, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a common data model shared across all microservice nodes that provides universal interfaces and standardized data structures. This common framework enables different nodes to perform multiple functions while maintaining consistent communication protocols, reducing the operational complexity that would otherwise arise from service separation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a message bus as an intermediary component that facilitates communication between microservice nodes. The message bus abstracts the complexity of inter-service communication by providing a standardized messaging interface, allowing services to interact without direct point-to-point connections and reducing the overall system complexity.
4Productivity
If multiple nodes are deployed, then system capacity increases, but communication coordination between nodes becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a message bus as an intermediary to simplify communication coordination between multiple nodes. The message bus provides a centralized communication channel that automatically routes messages between services based on topic subscriptions, eliminating the need for complex point-to-point communication logic and reducing coordination overhead as nodes are added.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs containerization technology to standardize the deployment parameters of each node. By packaging services in containers with consistent configuration templates, the system maintains uniform communication interfaces and data models across nodes, reducing the complexity of coordinating multiple nodes despite increases in system capacity.
Data Source
AI summary
A building automation system (BAS) with microservice architecture. The system includes a server platform configured to perform various operations within the building automation system. The server platform includes a microservices platform configured to execute various processes within the BAS. The microservices platform includes a plurality of nodes where each node is configured to run one or more services as separate processes. The microservices platform further includes a message bus configured to control communication between processes and an orchestration network configured to control communication between the plurality of nodes. The server platform further includes a common data model (CDM) shared between the plurality of nodes where the CDM consists of metadata of the BAS. The server platform further includes a container orchestration platform configured to manage and control the plurality of nodes.