Testing Rugged IoT Edge Systems to Withstand Real-World ...

A QuinStreet EXECUTIVE BRIEF © 2018

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Testing Rugged IoT Edge Systems to Withstand Real-World Punishment

• Field-deployed edge devices need to with-stand harsh environments and rough use

• Pre-testing rugged computing systems pro-tects manufacturers and their customers

• Dell is the only Tier-1 manufacturer with a full line of rugged mobility and edge computing systems

In this Paper

While there is a wide range of estimates for how many connected “things” will be included in the

Internet of Things (IoT) in the coming years, the broad consensus is that the number is growing very

rapidly. For its part, Gartner estimates 20.4 billion by 2020, up from 11.2 billion in 2018.1 IHS predicts

further that this number will reach 75.4 billion connected devices by 2025.2

These endpoints range from the simple to the complex, and they are accompanied by the need to put

computing power at the network edge to process sensor data, communicate it to the network core,

and control actuators that perform simple functions such as remotely or automatically adjusting

valves, equipment settings, and other mechanisms.

Rugged edge computing system such as edge gateways and embedded box PCs for IoT use cases

are the basis for much of that functionality. These systems must operate in locations that range

from factory floors and outdoor installations to land, sea, and air vehicles. Many of these installation

scenarios present harsh, often unpredictable conditions that the systems must withstand. Extreme

conditions that would quickly destroy conventional computing equipment are often the baseline

operating conditions for these systems.

As IoT becomes more prevalent, its applications become more business-critical, so the dependability

of rugged edge systems is becoming vital to core business operations. Embedded-solution providers

as well as their customers need assurances that the systems they depend on are able to withstand

the harsh circumstances of their installations. While providing this ruggedness is not typically a core

competency for them, it is often as important to the success of an embedded application as the

primary functionality of the solution.

They must therefore rely on the expertise of proven vendors to provide them with computing

systems that are tested and proven to withstand extreme conditions. That testing should include

manufacturing to known standards, even for organizations that do not explicitly require adherence to

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Testing Rugged IoT Edge Systems to Withstand Real-World Punishment

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solutions for usages that may be less dramatic but that are often

just as harsh. A few key verticals and illustrative examples of typical

implementations for edge computing system include the following:

• Energy and Natural Resources vertical: Common

applications include operator interfaces, remote monitoring

systems, and connected mobile equipment

• Manufacturing vertical: Connected systems include

operations terminals, process quality-control systems, and

industrial automation

• Transportation and Logistics vertical: Use cases include

smart trailers with freight monitoring, remote fleet-

management systems, and logistics tracking and delivery

applications

Notably, a single integrated company may make use of edge

systems that represent each of these verticals; likewise, partner

companies from different verticals listed here may depend on

them. For example, the US military has established shock and

vibration levels within the MIL-STD-810G standard. Systems

that are designed to that standard give civilian commercial and

industrial end customers the means to gauge durability.

Multi-Faceted Demand for Rugged Edge Systems

The diverse installation locations for edge devices—present and

future—presents a wide variety of rough conditions. Predictable,

day-to-day considerations for these implementations may

include extreme temperatures, vibration, dust, or humidity.

They must also operate within specified temperature ranges

with limited or no airflow. Many installations also present

incidental dangers, such as shock from accidental drops and

other impacts, contamination with water because of flooding, or

corrosive effects from exposure to salt water.

A broad spectrum of industries rely on embedded solutions that

include rugged edge systems, which serve an open-ended range

of functions. Rigorous guidelines established for the hazards of

military implementations inform design and testing of Dell edge

1 © Copyright 2017 Dell Inc.1

Shock Multi-Axis VibrationThermal Shock

Humidity

Hot Temperature

Corrosion

Cold Temperature

Water Spray Ingress Water Jet IngressDust Ingress

Extreme testing for extreme environments

Testing Rugged IoT Edge Systems to Withstand Real-World Punishment

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• Thermal shock: Rapid temperature changes to stress

materials

• Shock: Drops from various heights onto a plywood-covered

concrete surface

• Multi-axis vibration: Rapid shaking in various directions to

stress the system

• Dust and water ingress: Subjecting system enclosures to

incursions by dust, water mist, and water jets

• Humidity: Fluctuations from zero to 95 percent humidity for a

period days or weeks

• Corrosion: Exposure to salt fog over days, trying to induce

destruction through galvanic corrosion

The scope of each of these test types is intended to exceed

anything the system would actually encounter in foreseeable

production circumstances. The approach is actually to push the

equipment beyond the point of failure, to identify where that point

is and to determine if it can be improved. This “build, break, fix,

and repeat” process constitutes the HALT (highly accelerated life

test) methodology.

For example, motherboards and daughter cards are placed in a

pneumatic shaker inside a thermal chamber, and the temperature

is changed rapidly using liquid nitrogen. Because the resin and

copper on printed circuit boards have different coefficients

of thermal expansion, they expand at different rates, which

each other operationally. In either case, interconnection between

the components of a solution adds to their value, and failure of a

part of the solution at any stage adversely impacts all the others.

For example, a hypothetical large cosmetics company may depend

on its operations in the energy and natural resources vertical

to extract and process raw ingredients for its products. In the

manufacturing arena, it could produce, test, and package cosmetics

to sell. Transportation and logistics would come into play in shipping

the company’s finished products to distributors and customers.

Testing and validation of the command and control systems at

every stage of the supply, manufacturing, and distribution chain

are important to smooth operations. The company must be able

to rely on the supplier of these solutions and the building blocks

within them; the results of rigorous testing is the proof that gives

them that assurance.

Testing to Validate Edge System Ruggedness

Dell conducts industry-leading, comprehensive testing of its

rugged IoT edge systems under extreme conditions to back up

the testing done by downstream solution providers. A dedicated,

in-house testing facility simulates punishing conditions in

structured, highly targeted test regimens that few providers—let

alone end customers—would be able to match. Following is a

representative sample of the types of testing that rugged edge

systems from Dell are routinely subjected to:

• Temperature extremes: Both operation and storage at very

high and very low temperatures

“Extreme conditions that would quickly destroy conventional computing equipment are often the baseline operating conditions.”

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Testing Rugged IoT Edge Systems to Withstand Real-World Punishment

A QuinStreet EXECUTIVE BRIEF © 2018

cutomers. Furthermore, Dell’s expertise allows for rigor in that

testing that helps reduce post-deployment outages and service

requirements. Together, these factors can dramatically reduce

solutions’ total cost of ownership.

In addition to the standard testing that Dell conducts on its

rugged edge systems as part of the design and validation

process, customers can also take advantage of Dell’s testing

facilities and expertise for custom testing. This ability supports

special requirements such as system configurations with

additional memory or daughter cards, so ODMs can offer

appropriate assurances to customers for specialized systems.

Dell is the only Tier-1 manufacturer with a full line of rugged

mobility and IoT edge computing systems, providing a one-stop

shop for solution providers and end customers of industrial

solutions. As IoT continues to gather steam, an unmatched

portfolio of rugged edge gateways and embedded box PCs will

provide the intelligence and dependability to drive new solutions,

with global professional-grade support options.

Dell’s highly developed supply chain has the scale and speed to

meet diverse ODM requirements as they develop, delivering one

system or hundreds, wherever and whenever they are needed.

Extreme testing under other-worldly conditions will help to

ensure that every one of those systems is ready to perform as

expected, come what may.

Learn more about Dell IoT edge systems at

dell.com/us/business/p/embedded-box-pcs and

dell.com/us/business/p/edge-gateway

Contributor: Matt Gillespie is a technology writer based in

Chicago. He can be found at www.linkedin.com/in/mgillespie1.

Sources

1 https://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/3598917 2 http://electronics360.globalspec.com/article/6551/75-4-billion

-devices-connected-to-the-internet-of-things-by-2025

can cause the materials to fail. This testing helps engineers

determine the optimal materials to minimize that hazard.

While the testing is brutal, it is also sophisticated in its simulation

of real-world scenarios. For example, Dell test engineers have

coordinated with experts across industries to learn how multi-

axis vibration is different on a plane versus a truck, and even the

differences between a system mounted under a truck driver’s

seat as opposed to on the wall of the truck trailer. Testing is

tailored accordingly to cover the full range of implementations.

In another illustrative example, it is common among system

manufacturers to test for heat extremes in a conventional

thermal chamber, in which air is swirled around similarly to

in a convection oven. Dell determined that the moving hot air

does not accurately represent operation in a typical low-airflow

environment, so it purchased more realistic test chambers with

still air. The scope of destructive testing propagates insights

and expertise across Dell product lines, from servers and PCs to

mobile devices and gateways.

Real-World Benefits to Customers

The rigorousness of Dell testing on edge systems is matched

with a policy of being conservative about claims related to test

outcomes. As in the example of moving versus still air in thermal

test chambers, Dell test engineers are cautious to make testing

as representative as possible of real-world conditions. Reports

can therefore represent the significance of test results accurately,

without needing to be qualified by asterisks and disclaimers.

Setting realistic, accurate expectations for the ruggedness of

edge systems enables solution providers to have confidence in

Dell systems, which they can pass on to their customers. That

assurance means that off-the-shelf systems can meet rigorous

requirements in the field, without the additional time and expense

requirements of testing by original design manufacturers (ODMs)

or others that deliver those systems to end customers.

The cost efficiency of point-of-source system testing by Dell,

compared to testing by individual solution providers, avoids

additional expenses that would otherwise be passed on to end