Predix Edge OS Architecture

The Predix Edge Operating System is a baseline Yocto Linux distribution that can be extended and ported to many bare metal platforms or virtual environments. It is architected around the design goals of small footprint, security, multi-container-based application hosting, and edge platform management.

Partitions

Figure 1. Predix Edge OS Architecture

As seen in the above diagram, the Predix Edge OS image is divided into three partitions (the scale of the partitions in the diagram do not reflect actual partition sizes):

  1. Active Partition: This partition is the currently running version of the software. (Read Only)
  2. Inactive Partition: This partition is used as part of the update process.
  3. Persistent Data: This partition is used to store all mutable data and must endure device restarts and OS upgrades.

When the operating system is updated, the following processes occurs:

  1. Active partitions are "snapshotted" to the inactive partition.
  2. Updates are applied to the inactive partition.
  3. The inactive partition becomes active.
  4. The system attempts to reboot.