Distributed applications are on the cutting-edge of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). By leveraging the latest advances in edge computing, that is, deploying edge gateways to collect and preprocess data from numerous sensors and other devices spread across many different field locations before transmitting mission-critical information to the cloud, distributed IIoT applications bring the benefits of IoT to the remotest regions on Earth.
Besides satisfying industrial-grade hardware specifications, edge gateways used in distributed IIoT applications also demand a robust yet lightweight and highly customizable operating system for bespoke IIoT application development. This white paper discusses the role of edge computing in distributed IIoT applications, identifies the major challenges to implementing distributed IIoT applications, and explains how adopting an industrial Linux operating system can overcome these issues.