什么是边缘计算及其重要性？

Cloud computing is a bigger deal than most people realize. Its influence isn’t just felt in the business world, where it’s displaced previous on-premises servers with nimbler, off-site alternatives. Even the layperson shuffles bits to the ethereal data center in the sky, thanks to services like Google Photos and Netflix. But is another revolution afoot?

云计算比大多数人意识到的要大。 它的影响不仅仅是在商业世界中感受到的，在商业世界中，它已经取代了以前的本地服务器，并使用了灵活的，非现场的替代方案。 得益于Google Photos和Netflix等服务，即使是外行也可以将空中的数据中心洗掉。 但是，即将进行另一场革命吗？

We’re talking about edge computing. This new paradigm in IT aims to bring distant data centers closer to the people who actually use them. It’s particularly ideal for time-critical applications for which low latency is a must. Here’s what you need to know.

我们正在谈论边缘计算。 这种新的IT模式旨在使远程数据中心更接近实际使用它们的人员。 对于需要低延迟的对时间要求严格的应用程序而言，这是特别理想的选择。 这是您需要知道的。

在一开始，就有服务器 (In the Beginning, There Was the Server)

For edge computing to make sense, it’s helpful to put it in an historical context, so we’ll start at the very beginning.

为了使边缘计算有意义，将其放在历史环境中会很有帮助，因此我们将从头开始。

Corporate IT used to be a static affair. People worked in vast cubicle farms, toiling under the harsh glare of halogen light. It made sense for their data and business-critical applications to be located nearby. Businesses would shove servers into well-ventilated rooms on the premises, or they’d rent space in a local data center.

企业IT曾经是静态事务。 人们在广阔的小隔间里工作，在刺眼的卤素灯下辛苦劳作。 将其数据和关键业务应用程序放在附近很有意义。 企业会将服务器推入房屋中通风良好的房间，否则他们将在本地数据中心租用空间。

Then, things changed. People started working from home more. Businesses grew and opened offices in other cities and countries. Quickly, the on-premises server ceased making sense—especially when you consider the vast growth in consumer internet usage. It’s hard for tech companies to scale when they’re forced to buy, provision, and deploy new servers every few days.

然后，情况发生了变化。 人们开始更多地在家工作。 业务增长并在其他城市和国家开设了办事处。 很快，本地服务器就失去了意义，特别是当您考虑到消费者互联网使用量的巨大增长时。 当科技公司每隔几天不得不购买，配置和部署新服务器时，就很难进行扩展。

Cloud computing services, like Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS), solved those problems. Businesses could rent space on a server and expand as they grew.

像Microsoft Azure和Amazon Web Services(AWS)这样的云计算服务解决了这些问题。 企业可以在服务器上租用空间，并随着业务的增长而扩展。

The problem with the cloud in its current incarnation is it’s centralized. Providers like Amazon, Microsoft, and Google have data centers in most locations, but these are often hundreds—if not thousands—of miles away from their customers.

当前云化的问题在于它是集中化的。 诸如Amazon，Microsoft和Google之类的提供商在大多数位置都设有数据中心，但它们与客户之间通常相距数百英里(甚至数千英里)。

For example, if you’re in Edinburgh, Scotland, your nearest AWS data center is in London, which is around 330 miles away. Meanwhile, if you’re in Lagos, Nigeria, your closest continental AWS location is in Cape Town, South Africa, which is nearly 3,000 miles away.  

例如，如果您在苏格兰的爱丁堡，则离您最近的AWS数据中心在伦敦，它在330英里之外。 同时，如果您在尼日利亚的拉各斯，则最接近的AWS大陆位置是在南非开普敦，这是近3,000英里的地方。  

The farther the distance, the higher the latency. Remember, data is merely light flowing through a fiber optic cable, and thus, it’s limited by the laws of physics.

距离越远， 等待时间就越大。 请记住，数据仅仅是流经光缆的光，因此受到物理定律的限制。

So, what’s the solution? Well, arguably, the answer lies in history repeating itself, and bringing the servers closer to the people who are using them.

那么，有什么解决方案？ 好吧，可以说，答案在于历史的不断重演，并使服务器更接近使用它们的人。

边缘生活 (Life on the Edge)

To sum it up, edge computing means bringing applications and data storage closer to where the people who use them are located. For large corporations, this could include a purpose-built server facility within close proximity to their main offices. On the consumer front, it might be helpful to think of IoT devices performing certain tasks, like facial recognition, with their own local computing resources, rather than farming it out to a cloud service.

综上所述，边缘计算意味着将应用程序和数据存储区更靠近使用它们的人员所在的位置。 对于大型公司，这可能包括在其主要办公室附近的专用服务器设施。 在消费者方面，考虑使用自己的本地计算资源来执行某些任务(例如面部识别)的物联网设备，而不是将其种植到云服务中可能会有所帮助。

There are a few advantages to this. First, it helps reduce the amount of network traffic that has to be sent. When you consider that many large corporates often pay steep fees to shuffle bits between data centers, it makes sense to bring those closer to home.

这有一些优点。 首先，它有助于减少必须发送的网络流量。 当您考虑到许多大型公司经常为在数据中心之间进行洗牌而支付高昂的费用时，将它们带到家中就更有意义了。

Second, it reduces latency. Often, a huge portion of the time required to perform a task is devoted to moving traffic across the network. Bringing computational power closer to home can reduce that latency and speed things up.

其次，它减少了延迟。 通常，执行任务所需的大部分时间都用于在网络上移动流量。 将计算能力带到家中可以减少等待时间并加快处理速度。

This could potentially open the door to new forms of computing, for which immediacy is key. One oft-touted example is a “smart city,” in which the local government can collect information on things like utility usage and road traffic patterns in real time and, subsequently, take swift action.

这可能为新的计算形式打开大门，对于这些新形式，立即性至关重要。 一个经常被吹捧的例子是“智慧城市”，在该城市中，地方*可以实时收集有关公用事业使用情况和道路交通模式等信息，然后Swift采取行动。

There are also potential uses for edge computing in the industrial sector. These include allowing manufacturers to gather data on equipment and make rapid adjustments and, thereby, reduce energy use and equipment degradation.

工业领域中边缘计算也有潜在用途。 这些措施包括允许制造商收集有关设备的数据并进行快速调整，从而减少能耗和设备退化。

On the consumer side, edge computing has the potential to make things like cloud gaming a more satisfying experience. If graphical number-crunching is closer to players, they’re less likely to experience unpleasant lag, which can be the deciding factor in who wins an online game.

在消费者方面，边缘计算有潜力使诸如云游戏之类的事情变得更加令人满意。 如果图形化的数字计算更接近于玩家，那么他们经历不愉快的滞后的可能性就较小，后者可能是谁赢得在线游戏的决定因素。

5G因素 (The 5G Factor)

Coinciding with the steady rise of edge computing is the introduction of 5G connectivity. Although it’s still in its infancy, 5G promises markedly lower latencies than previous mobile standards. As a result, you can expect it to play a huge role in the evolution of edge computing as a paradigm.

伴随着边缘计算的稳定增长，引入了5G连接 。 尽管5G仍处于起步阶段，但它的延迟明显低于以前的移动标准。 结果，您可以期望它在边缘计算的发展范例中发挥巨大作用。

What does this mean? In the logistics sectors, you’ll see a greater emphasis on analytics and data, as trucks and vans transmit information to be analyzed and actioned in real time. There’s also the prospect of “smart farming,” which will make vast swathes of agricultural production automated. Not only will this improve crop yields, but it will also prevent waste.

这是什么意思？ 在物流领域，卡车和货车会传输要实时分析和采取行动的信息，因此您会更加注重分析和数据。 还有“智能农业”的前景，这将使农业生产的大范围自动化。 这不仅可以提高农作物的产量，而且可以防止浪费。

Then, there’s the consumer side. By bringing the computational “heavy lifting” closer to people’s phones, you unlock newer, more immersive entertainment experiences for things like virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and gaming.

然后是消费者方面。 通过使计算“繁重的工作”更贴近人们的电话，您可以为虚拟现实(VR)，增强现实(AR)和游戏等事物解锁更新的，更加身临其境的娱乐体验。

Of course, that is still a long way off. Carriers and developers have to build it first. However, when they do, you can expect the same seismic change that occurred when cloud computing first burst onto the scene.

当然，这还有很长的路要走。 运营商和开发人员必须先构建它。 但是，当他们这样做时，您可以期待与云计算首次突入现场时相同的地震变化。

翻译自: https://www.howtogeek.com/688243/what-is-edge-computing-and-why-it-matters/