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Glossary

Bundle

Group of variables used for monitoring and; optionally, for data logging.

  • You can add variables by dragging and dropping symbols in IoTize Studio (configuration software)
  • You can link profiles to bundles to manage access rights
  • You can define the related data logging settings (enabled or not, frequency)

CORTEX M: MCU technology

  • If your target system is based on CORTEX M MCU, you can use the SWD protocol for the connection with TapNLink
  • In this case, you don't need to modify your target application to use TapNLink
  • You can also update or even debug your target application with TapNLink

Data logging

Object to cloud data transfer, implying the following operations

  • Tap data acquisition: the variables values are retrieved from your target application (though SWD or S3P)
  • Tap data storage (in an external EEPROM) e.g. sensor demo application can store about 700 data packets
  • 'Tap to smartphon'e transfer (when a smartphone is used as a WAN gateway)
  • Cloud transfer: done by a smartphone (or directly by a Tap)
  • Message translation:
  • done in cloud gateway (or directly in IOT platform)
  • translates the IoTize specific format to standard JSON format used by the IOT platforms
  • Cloud storage: in the cloud IoT Platform
  • Data visualization: in the cloud IoT platform (IoTize Primer Cloud Platform for the Primer)

Firmware

  • In IoTize context, applies to TapNLink firmware or target application firmware
  • Both are related to firmware update capability
  • Generic definition is code of an embedded application.

Host

Mobile device or PC connected to a Tap

Host protocols

  • Protocols used to connect a Tap to an 'external' system: mobile device, PC, (cloud) server
  • These protocols are detailed in the section UserManuals/Host Protocols
  • Most of these protocols are wireless (NFC, BLE, WiFi, Lora) with the exception of UART (mainly used in production, for 'mass configuration')

IAM

Identity and external management.

ICS

IoTize Communication Service.

  • Obsolete, replaced by IoTize Tap Manager after July 2018.
  • Generic smartphone app used:
  • to execute monitoring monitoring HTML pages in a built in viewer
  • as a gateway
    • between your Tap
    • between you Tap and IoTize Studio
  • Available for iOS and Android.
  • If your Evaluation Kit refers to ICS and you encounter problems to implement it, contact us

IOT Platform

  • Set of components (broker, Security, data collection, data storage, data visualization).
  • These components can be developed from IoT platform vendors (such as IBM, Microsoft, Amazon etc) and IoTize APIs and plug-ins. IoTize offer dedicated IT services to help customers develop their IOT platform and integrate it with their Information System.

IoT Platform Gateway

  • Optional component which can be placed between your "IoTized" devices and your IOT Platform to facilitate integration (see general architecture section).
  • Mainly based on a broker, a software translator and security components.

IoTize Primer Cloud Platform

  • IOT platform provided and hosted by IoTize for the Primer.
  • A dedicated space is provisioned for each TapNLink Primer, and associated to quotas

IoTize Primer Cloud Services

Services provided by the IoTize Primer Cloud Platform.

"IoTized" application

  • Upgrade of an electronic application (originally not designed for "IOT")
  • Set regrouping initial target application + configured Tap + monitoring app. + customized cloud services and gateway (optional)
  • Name of a Project in IoTize Studio Main menu.

IoTize Toolbox (was IoTize Terminal)

  • Free app supplied with TapNPass
  • Allows to dynamically change the default settings of serial communications such as the baudrate, parity....
  • Allows to test serial communications

LWM2M

  • Lightweight Machine To Machine protocol defined by the OMA Alliance for M2M or IoT device management. Defines the application layer communication protocol between an LWM2M Server and an LWM2M Client, which is located in an LWM2M Device

Mobile device

Android, iOS or Windows mobile appliance (smartphone, tablet or Windows 10 PC)

MCU

Microcontroller

  • The TapNLink product range is mostly designed for MCU based target applications (as opposed to the TapNPass products, which connect to target system though an industrial bus and support physical connections such as RS-232, RS-485, Ethernet, CAN...)

Monitoring

  • R/W access in (pseudo) real-time to target application variables, from a "smartphone", through a Tap.

  • The monitoring application can be developed in 3 different ways:

  • from HTML/JavaScript pages which can be automatically generated from IoTize Studio '(these pages can further be customized)

  • from a generic application
  • from native application, using API provided by IoTize
**Monitoring from remote location**: - Monitoring is done from a Web application (which can be run from a PC, smartphone, tablet) through a network. -->

MQTT broker

  • 'Relay MQTT broker': connects IoTize Studio to the Tap (through a smartphone) at the design stage

  • 'Cloud MQTT broker': connects the Tap to the IOT platform (through a smartphone). Also referred as the 'cloud_IOT_platform' gateway

  • For the Primer:

  • these brokers are hosted and managed by IoTize

  • they are implemented on a unique Mosquito server

  • On the standard version, the  implementation can be customized (and can be different for the 2 brokers)

PCSC

  • Short for "Personal Computer/Smart Card": specification for smart-card integration into computing environments
  • Used as the connection mode between IoTize Studio and your Tap
  • IS NO LONGER USED

Primer Kit

Similar to "TapNLink Primer". Refers specifically to all the physical "components" included in the kit (the Tap, the cable, the demo board, the blister...).

S3P (Serial Software Secure Protocol)

Proprietary target protocol to connect the target application and the Tap (alternative of SWD)

Sensor Demo application

Demo target application (and board) included in IoTize Primer Kit.

Smartphone

  • In the IoTize architecture, refers to any Android or iOS device that can run Tap Manager and support monitoring and gateway functions.
  • More generally, it refers to a mobile device (Android, iOS or Windows 10).

Smartphone gateway

  • Application developed on top of ICS to add WIFI ou 3G/4G  connectivity in a cost efficient way.
  • Can be used in a bidirectional way to exchange data, commands and events between a Tap and a remote appliance.

Software

In IoTize context, applies only to IoTize Studio.

SVD

System View Description file.

  • Provided by MCU vendors.
  • Complies with CMSIS/ARM specification.
  • Can be obtained from the Arm® web site after (free) registration.
  • These files allow you to select MCU registers as variables when configuring your Tap with IoTize Studio.

SWD

  • Serial Wire Debug (SWD) is a debug port similar to JTAG for ARM Cortex.
  • Provides the same debug capabilities (run, stop on breakpoints, single-step) but with fewer pins. It replaces the JTAG connector with a 2-pin interface (one clock pin and one bi-directional data pin).

Tap

  • Short for TapNLink (module).
  • Includes Cap + Circuit board (with MCU + connectivity chips + EEPROM).
  • All IoTize products, including TapNPass products, contain a Tap (for NFC pairing).

to tap

  • Refers to operation of tapping a mobile device next to NFC-enabled product (TapNLink, Tap).
  • An FAQ explains how to place your mobile device (so as to align the antennas).

Tap Manager

  • Generic smartphone application on top of which the monitoring and local gateway applications are built
  • Available for iOS and Android.
  • Refer to Why do I need Tap Manager FAQ for more details.
  • Note: TapNLink Primers prior to July 2018 used ICS (refer to the FAQ for details).
  • TapNLink (standard): Covers several models, based on connectivity and embedded MCU.
  • TapNLink Primer. Evaluation kit of the TapNLink range.
  • Contains a Tap (preconfigured for the sensor demo app), a target board sensor demo app example and a cable.
  • Compared with the standard version, TapNLink Primer limitations are: number of variables and bundles, limited duplications, data logging frequency, security.

TapNPass

The TapNPass range is intended for integration on a standard industrial bus, with:

  • several media interfaces: USB, RS-232 and RS-485 (new ones are under development).
  • several application protocol: ModBus, Serial transparent (new ones are under development).

Target

  • Target system: refers to your target system (can be a MCU-based system or a bus system).
  • Target application / Target code generally refers to the firmware (generally written in C or Asssembler) of your MCU-based system.
  • Target protocol: protocol used to connect the Tap and the Target application (all these protocols are wired: SWD, S3P, ModBus, UART).

TLV (Type-Length-Value)

  • Encoding scheme used for optional information element in a certain protocol.
  • The type and length are fixed in size (typically 1-4 bytes), and the value field is of variable size.
  • This format is used by the the Tap (IoTize module) to store and transfer the message data (in the form of packets).

Variables

  • Many functionalities of IoTize technology, including security features (ACL mechanisms) and the Web App generator (included in IoTize Studio)
  • A variable is attached to an address and a type.
  • Variables can retrieved from:
  • Elf file (containing the variables defined in your source C or Assembler source code).
  • SVD file (peripheral registers of Microcontroller used).
  • from another XML file (in a future versions, for ModBus).
  • Variables can also be defined manually in IoTize Studio.
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