FLUIDOS DELIVERABLE D2.1 SCENARIOS, REQUIREMENTS AND REFERENCE ARCHITECTURE

The FLUIDOS Deliverable “D2.1 Scenarios, Requirements and Reference Architecture” which presents an architectural framework for creating a computing continuum spanning multiple technological domains and administrative boundaries. The document provides an exhaustive analysis of the state-of-the-art in various areas, such as single-node architecture, computing continuum, security, and energy.

The FLUIDOS architecture is described in a technology-agnostic manner, with technology-dependent and implementation details addressed in other deliverables under different work packages. The document emphasises the importance of containerisation and the cloud-native revolution, with Kubernetes being the de-facto open-source framework for container orchestration.

Fragmentation of resources is identified as a major challenge in edge data centres and larger data centres due to scalability concerns, hybrid-cloud and multi-cloud approaches, and non-technical requirements. This fragmentation hinders dynamic workload placement and prevents applications from transparently moving between overloaded and underused clusters. The complexity of deploying complex applications composed of multiple microservices with specific requirements is also discussed.

The FLUIDOS approach introduces the concept of “liquid computing,” which extends cloud and edge computing approaches to create an endless computing continuum. This continuum abstracts the specificity of each cluster, presenting users with a unique and borderless pool of available resources, referred to as the “big cluster.” Applications are no longer constrained to specific silos but can freely utilise resources across the entire infrastructure while maintaining compatibility with vanilla Kubernetes.

The document highlights three distinctive characteristics of the FLUIDOS approach: deployment transparency, dynamic optimisation at runtime, and a single point of deployment and control. With FLUIDOS, microservices can be started in the best location based on their requirements and infrastructure status, simplifying operations for DevOps. The FLUIDOS intent-based interface plays a crucial role in achieving this level of flexibility and dynamic optimisation.

Overall, the deliverable lays the foundation for the FLUIDOS architecture and paves the way for a seamless computing continuum, enabling applications to leverage resources across diverse technological domains and administrative boundaries.

Click here to read or download the “FLUIDOS Deliverable D2.1 Scenarios, Requirements and Reference Architecture”.