RFID Middleware

Single-Tier RFID Middleware Architecture
Multitier RFID Middleware Architecture
Forrester Research Conclusions
• Manhattan Associates, OAT, and SAP lead with strong mandate solutions • Pure plays like GlobeRanger and ConnecTerra also offer viable solutions for early adopters. But unlike OATSystems, these vendor offer “pure” middleware solutions that provide strong reader integration capabilities and APIs for publishing RFID data to back-end applications and typically incorporate less packaged application logic like EPC track-and-trace tools.
Underlying Drive源自s of RFID Middleware
• Standards • Integration
EPCglobal Network
• The EPCglobal Network is a set of global technical standards aimed at enabling automatic and instant identification of items in the supply chain and sharing the information throughout the supply chain • The EPCglobal NetworkTM consists of five fundamental elements:
Middleware Functionality
• Packaged RFID content. RFID middleware platforms that include packaged routing logic, product data schemas, and integration with typical RFID-related applications and processes like shipping, receiving, and asset tracking are major assets • Architecture scalability and administration. This means that RFID middleware platforms must include features for dynamically balancing processing loads across multiple servers and automatically rerouting data upon server failure. These features should span all tiers of the architecture — even the edge devices
Types of RFID Vendors
• RFID Pure Plays – offer products that integrate with RFID readers, filter and aggregate data, and may incorporate some business rules
Middleware Functionality
• Process management and application development. Instead of just routing RFID data to business applications, sophisticated RFID middleware platforms will actually orchestrate RFID-related end-to-end processes that touch multiple applications and/or enterprises, like inventory replenishment. Key process management and composite application development features include workflow, role management, process automation, and UI development tools.
– ConnectTerra – GlobeRanger – OATSystems – RF Code
Types of RFID Vendors
• Application Vendors – offer software ranging from RFID-enabled applications for warehouse and asset management to more robust RFID middleware solutions for reader coordination, data filtering, and business logic capabilities
Forrester Research Conclusions
• Both Savi Technology and RF Code have specialty capabilities and experience with active RFID tags • Most platform and integration vendors lack generally available products
– webMethods – TIBCO – Ascential Software
Middleware Functionality
• Reader and device management. RFID middleware should allow users to configure, monitor, deploy, and issue commands directly to readers through a common interface. • Data management. Once RFID middleware captures EPC data from readers, it must be able to intelligently filter and route it to the appropriate destinations. This capability should include both low-level logic like filtering out duplicate reads and more complex algorithms like content-based routing
– – – – – ID System (EPC Tags and Readers), Electronic Product Code (EPC) Object Name Service (ONS) Physical Markup Language (PML) Savant
Savant
• Savant is a middleware developed by Auto-ID to provide middleware between RFID reader and databases • Savant sits between tag readers and enterprise applications in order to manage the vast amount of information retrieved from the tags • Savant manages and moves information in a way that does not overload existing networks • Savant has a hierarchical architecture that directs the flow of data by gathering, storing, and acting on information and communicating with other Savants • In a Savant system, lower level Savants process, filter and direct information to the higher level ones and, consequently, massive flow of information and network traffic is reduced
– Sun Microsystems – IBM – Oracle – Microsoft
Types of RFID Vendors
• Integration Specialists – similar to platform giants, integration specialists are adding RFID features like reader coordination and edge-tier filtering go to their existing integration technology
RFID Middleware
Vlad Krotov
University of Houston Bauer College of Business Summer 2006