Compute and edge
Kubernetes at the edge
Lightweight, conformant Kubernetes on single nodes and small clusters at remote sites.
We design, integrate, deploy and operate.
CNCF Kubernetes software conformance programme
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Software/
FleetEvery node: its state, its plan, its evidence.
Fleet, inside Software: kubernetes at the edge, fleet and multi-cluster management, bare-metal and zero-touch provisioning, network function orchestration and more. Every item is traced to its specification, from CNCF Kubernetes software conformance programme to O-RAN WG6 O2dms Interface Specification, and runs on the open Observatory Protocol.
Plan with usArchitectureThe protocol- Technologies
- 9
- At the frontier
- 0
- Protocol functions
- 3 of 8
- Industries served
- 3
Reference design, drawn to scale · drag to turn · hover a part
01What it is
Kubernetes and fleet orchestration.
Compute placed where data is produced and decisions are needed: the device, far, near and regional edge tiers, multi-access edge computing, modular edge data centres including the AI tower in a box, servers and accelerators, storage, power and cooling, ruggedisation, fleet orchestration, OTA and GitOps, and the hardware trust that makes remote sites safe to run. How observations move from the edge into stores, catalogues and APIs with their provenance, licence and residency attached, and how they interoperate through open standards and the open Observatory Protocol. Each technology below carries what it is, what we do with it, and the standard it is drawn against.
Compute and edge
Fleet and multi-cluster management
Managing thousands of edge clusters as one fleet with policy, inventory and health.
We design, integrate and operate.
O-RAN WG6 O2dms Interface Specification · CNCF Kubernetes
Compute and edge
Bare-metal and zero-touch provisioning
Bringing a new server from power-on to a working cluster without a technician on site.
We design, integrate and deploy.
DMTF Redfish · O-RAN WG6 O2ims Interface Specification
Compute and edge
Network function orchestration
Lifecycle management of virtual and cloud-native network functions alongside apps.
We design, integrate and operate.
ETSI GS NFV-MAN 001 (NFV management and orchestration)
Compute and edge
Accelerator scheduling and sharing
Allocating and partitioning GPUs and other accelerators between workloads and tenants.
We design, integrate and operate.
Kubernetes device plugins and dynamic resource allocation
Compute and edge
Observability
Metrics, logs and traces from every site in a common format for fleet operations.
We design, integrate and operate.
OpenTelemetry specification
Compute and edge
Disconnected and intermittent operation
Sites that keep running and reconcile safely when the link to central control is lost.
We design and operate.
OpenGitOps principles · IETF RFC 9171
Compute and edge
Container security and multi-tenancy
Isolation, image controls and runtime protection for shared edge clusters.
We design and operate.
NIST SP 800-190 (application container security)
Data, software and interoperability
Node roles and profiles
The roles a node can play and the profiles that bundle its capabilities.
We design and integrate.
Observatory Protocol specification (Nexus Consortium)
02Architecture
Where it sits, and what it speaks.
Fleet draws on 2 domains and 16 layers of the spectrum; the highlighted layers carry this area. It speaks 3 of the protocol’s 8 core functions.
Edge tiers and multi-access edge computing
9
Modular edge data centres and the AI tower in a box
8
Servers and accelerators
8
Storage and edge data management
6
Cooling and ruggedisation
10
Kubernetes and fleet orchestration
8
OTA updates, GitOps and software supply chain
8
Confidential computing and hardware trust
8
Ingest and streaming
8
Storage and data lakes
6
Metadata, provenance and catalogues
8
Open standards and interoperability
7
APIs and SDKs
7
Licensing, residency and governance
8
Digital twins and observability
7
Open protocol interfaces and federation
8
01JoinIdentity, attestation quote, signed policy.
02AdmitAdmitted for a stated scope, nothing wider.
03DescribeWhat, where, how and by whom, with calibration.
04TimeOne clock across the grid, with its error bound.
05ObserveEvery value with quality and provenance.
06QualifyTested against the specification, state on record.
07FederateSigned exchange across grids and trust domains.
08OrchestrateSoftware and configuration by signed plan.
03On the grid
Every site joins one observing grid.
The open networks on the grid today, over real relief and the geodesic cells we count them into. A site built here enrols into the same grid.
04In the field
Where this runs, sector by sector.
1 deployment scenarios from the sector research that rely on fleet.
Government and public safetyAlerting integration with the Common Alerting Protocol and cell broadcast
Software-heavy: sensor triggers feed an alert origination tool; the alert authority keeps every decision.05Open and enterprise
Open by default. Enterprise by contract.
The open counterpart lives on the main site for anyone to read and run. The enterprise service is designed, deployed and operated with you, under contract.
Open, on the main site
- Node agent and SDKs (licence pending)
- App methods with worked examples
Enterprise, on this site
- Fleet operations
- Supported runtime
- Team workspaces
- Integration engineering
06The rest of the line
Software, area by area.
SoftwareEdge runtime
One runtime from gateway to rack to tower.SoftwareNode agent
Enrolment, attestation quotes, signed updates.SoftwareField apps
Survey, commissioning and maintenance, offline first.Softwareapp workspace
Coverage, power and timing, modelled as a team.SoftwareIntegrations
SCADA, GIS and data platforms, by typed contract.Bring us the site.
Survey, design, deployment and operation for fleet. The form names who receives your details.
Talk to uscontact@observatory.global