UNS Handbook -- Introduction

Walker Reynolds

IIoT & Industry 4.0 Solutions Architect & Online Educator

How should you proceed?

If you are reading this, you have come here to learn more about unified namespace (UNS) architecture -- its meaning, its purpose, its applications and its value. If you want to learn more about UNS then that likely means you have already been introduced to the architecture in some form or manner -- you have sifted through LinkedIn and Blog posts, watched YouTube videos, sat through a presentation at a conference or perhaps even read a book or two on the topic. If this describes you... stop. Check your 'knowledge' at the door and proceed with an open mind. Do not allow what you think you 'know' about UNS to cloud your ability to learn what UNS is actually is. If you heed this advice, you will walk away with much more value from this handbook than if you do not.

What should you expect?

In this UNS handbook, you are going to be introduced to unified namespace. You will learn where it came from and how it has evolved (and will continue to evolve). You will learn what UNS is, why we need it, how it works, what it looks like, how to design it, build it, integrate with it and scale it. You will learn what semantic hierarchy is, what functional, definitional and informative namespaces are. You will learn about heterogenous and homogenous development strategies (commonly referred to as 'Red' and 'Blue' feature sets). You will learn how UNS is leveraged as a CI/CD pipeline for enterprise class features. You will learn what UNS is and what it isn't. You will learn the strengths of the architecture and you will be made aware of some of the gaps to look out for. You will hopefully be enlightened and certainly informed.

Why should you listen to me?

I suppose that is up for debate and completely subjective but I'll answer it anyway. I am the originator of the unified namespace architecture, the chief champion of its use and the architect who has taught most of the best UNS architects how to leverage the concepts in this handbook. I designed the original unified namespace in a salt mine in Upstate NY, between 2003 and 2005. I've leveraged the architecture my entire, award winning, career and I consult all over the world with OEMs, Sis and End-Users in Industry, Finance and Manufacturing on its use. Some would say I am the world's foremost authority on UNS -- and I would tend to agree with them.

Oh... and I've built multiple successful companies around leveraging UNS in industry while also leveraging the architecture to run my companies lean, mean and data-driven in real time.

What am I going to say in this handbook?

This high level table of contents explains it nicely...

What will you hear?

That depends entirely on you... what you hear will be a function of what you already know and what your current problems are. I suspect most people are going to hear many things about UNS they did not already know... and they are going to walk away with a much clearer understanding that UNS is an architecture that is wholly agnostic, it is not dependent on any one product or technology, that it is built around creating a single source of truth for current state, organized like the business, on a technology that is edge drive, report by exception, lightweight and open architecture. You will hear, above all, this... UNS is the foundation of your digital infrastructure and acts like a fabric that is omniscient and omni-present... and you will be chomping at the bit to take what you have learned and go apply it.

What will you say is the most valuable thing in this handbook?

For the first time in a long time, I can not answer that question before opening my mouth. The simple fact is, its going to depend on you.

So what's next?

Go through the information below, gain a little fluency, commit the words and images to memory and return to them often throughout the upcoming chapters. We jump right into 'What is the Unified Namespace?' in Chapter 1, so grab a fresh cup of your go juice, clear your mind, check your knowledge at the door and lets get started.

Walker Reynolds

Solutions Architect

4.0 Solutions

Educator

iiot.university

May, 2024

Addendum

What Is The Unified Namespace (UNS)?

• The structure of your business and all of the events
• A single source of truth for all data and information of the business
• The place where the current state of the business lives
• The hub through which the smart things in your business communicate with one another
• The architectural foundation of your Industry 4.0 and Digital Transformation initiative (Digital Strategy)

Why Do We Need a Unified Namespace?

• Scalability
• Normalization
• Time to Value
• Security
• Agility

How Does The Unified Namespace Work?

• The smart things in your business communicate with one another via a common IIoT protocol and leveraging a common standard (Minimum Technical Requirements)
• Data that originates from a smart thing that does not support the minimum technical requirements must be integrated via a gateway that converts the protocol and standard the 'Thing' does support to the protocol and standard the organization has adopted
• The smart things in your organization publish updates to the UNS as they happen to a pre-defined location(s) within the namespace that is configured when the smart thing is plugged into this infrastructure
• The data and information in the UNS is organized like your business

What Does the UNS Look Like?