Unraveling the challenges for the application of fog computing in different realms: A multifaceted study

Abstract

Fog computing is an emerging paradigm that deals with distributing data and computation at intermediate layers between the cloud and the edge. Cloud computing was introduced to support the increasing computing requirements of users. Later, it was observed that end users experienced a delay involved in uploading the large amounts of data to the cloud for processing. Such a seemingly centralized approach did not provide a good user experience. To overcome this limitation, processing capability was incorporated in devices at the edge. This led to the rise of edge computing. This paradigm suffered because edge devices had limited capability in terms of computing resources and storage requirements. Relying on these edge devices alone was not sufficient. Thus, a paradigm was needed without the delay in uploading to the cloud and without the resource availability constraints. This is where fog computing came into existence. This abstract paradigm involves the establishment of fog nodes at different levels between the edge and the cloud. Fog nodes can be different entities, such as personal computers (PCs). There are different realms where fog computing may be applied, such as vehicular networks and the Internet of Things. In all realms, resource management decisions will vary based on the environmental conditions. This chapter attempts to classify the various approaches for managing resources in the fog environment based on their application realm, and to identify future research directions. © Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2019.