Industrial-Strength MQTT Sparkplug B

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December 5, 2022

Industrial-strength MQTT/Sparkplug B

Building your OT to IT data networks with Elastel edge computing gateways

From MQTT to Sparkplug B

As Industry 4.0 and IoT technologies evolve, more industrial devices and sensors are being connected to networks, generating vast amounts of data. To handle the transmission and processing of this data efficiently, reliable and low-latency communication protocols are essential.

As an open-source OASIS/ISO standard, MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) is popular, proven, and well supported in enterprise and IoT applications. It makes organization-spanning data exchange possible by decoupling data producers and consumers using a brokered publish-subscribe architecture and by defining a lightweight, data-agnostic communication format that supports millions of connections.

But MQTT’s usefulness for industrial applications is challenged by the general lack of interoperability between industrial devices and between operations technology and information technology. Different devices from different vendors may not operate in the same topic namespace, also typically lack the support needed to communicate securely with IT systems and state management to meet the needs of a diverse industrial network.

This is where Sparkplug B comes into play, enhancing MQTT to meet the specific requirements of industrial communications.

The MQTT/Sparkplug B architecture defines clear roles and behaviors for MQTT clients and their data, adapting the underlying MQTT framework to better support typical SCADA/IIoT use cases.

What is MQTT Sparkplug B

MQTT Sparkplug B is an enhanced version of MQTT, specifically designed for Industrial IoT (IIoT) communications. While maintaining MQTT's lightweight and efficient nature, Sparkplug B adds a standardized data format, ensuring more stable and efficient data exchange between devices and systems.

it defines an MQTT implementation standard that ensures client interoperability and enhances MQTT with features designed to support the demands of mission-critical industrial systems. The resulting infrastructure delivers data that is fit for use in operations, gracefully handles instability, and helps organizations scale by reducing administrative overhead.

What are the advantages of MQTT sparkplug

Interoperability

The Sparkplug B specification addresses the potential for inconsistency in MQTT implementations by defining standard client roles and data interfaces designed around industrial applications.

Unified Topic namespace

Sparkplug defines a standard format for MQTT topic paths, creating a unified namespace for all SpB
clients on the network:

spBv1.0/<Group ID>/<MESSAGE TYPE>/<Edge Node ID>/<Device ID>

Element	Definition	Source
<Group ID>	A logical identifier for a group of MQTT nodes	Defined by user
<MESSAGE TYPE>	Indicates whether the message contains state information, data, or a command and whether it pertains to a node, device, or the primary application	Predefined by SpB spec; cannot be changed by user
<Edge Node ID>	Identifies a specific MQTT node	Defined by user. The Group ID/Edge Node ID combination must be unique
<Device ID>	Identifies a device attached physically or logically to a node	(Optional) Defined by user, if applicable

Payload definition

Sparkplug B defines a standard, structured, data-rich but efficient payload format.
The full payload is then timestamped, sequenced, and encoded using Google protocol buffers (protobufs). When decoded, the payload is typically represented in JavaScript object notation (JSON) but is compatible with many formats.

 { "timestamp": 1486144502122, "metrics": [{"name": "Meter","alias": 1,"timestamp": 1479123452194,"dataType": "String","value": "Test"}],"seq": 2 }

State Management

Sparkplug introduces the concept of birth and death certificate messages to define and ensure the use of appropriate state monitoring mechanisms.

Elastel Empowering Industrial Communication with MQTT Sparkplug B

To address these general gaps in operations technology (OT), Elastel IoT Gateway fully supports the MQTT Sparkplug B protocol. As a high-performance and easy-to-deploy IoT gateway solution, Elastel IoT Gateway bridges various industrial devices and systems, ensuring efficient data collection, processing, and transmission.

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EG500

Industrial Raspberry Pi

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Key Features of Elastel Edge Computing Gateway

1. Powerful and Elastic Hardware Options

Variant ARM computing hardware platform options to match your system requirements

Raspberry Pi CM4 / ARM9 / A9 / A35 options for different needs from entry-level to high-performance
Ethernet ports for IP-based communication
DI/DO/ADC/RS232/RS485 ports for connecting field devices
4G LTE / 3G / 2G / NB-IoT cellular, and Wi-Fi wireless-ready

2. Multi-Protocol Support

In addition to MQTT Sparkplug B, Elastel IoT Gateway supports other common industrial communication protocols such as Modbus and OPC UA, enabling seamless connectivity across different types of devices.

Modbus RTU/TCP
OPC UA
BACnet MSTP/IP
EtherNet/IP
...

3. Industrial, Security and Scalability

With comprehensive security mechanisms such as data encryption and authentication, Elastel IoT Gateway ensures that data is not tampered with or leaked during transmission.

Supporting large-scale device connections, the gateway can handle data collection needs ranging from tens to thousands of devices.

4. Remote Management and Monitoring

Remote management features allow users to monitor device status in real-time, manage configurations, and troubleshoot when necessary.

Easy to Remote Access and Management
Granular Access Policy control at the application level
Zero Trust Networking (ZTN ) model Security
Reliable, Scalable and fast network connection

Conclusion

As Industrial IoT applications continue to grow, businesses require more efficient and flexible communication solutions. MQTT Sparkplug B provides a reliable foundation for IIoT communications with its standardized data model and lightweight transmission. Meanwhile, Elastel IoT Gateway offers robust support to meet customers' industrial IoT communication needs efficiently.

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