Dew computing is an

information technology Information technology (IT) is a set of related fields within information and communications technology (ICT), that encompass computer systems, software, programming languages, data processing, data and information processing, and storage. Inf ...

( IT) paradigm that combines the core concept of

cloud computing Cloud computing is "a paradigm for enabling network access to a scalable and elastic pool of shareable physical or virtual resources with self-service provisioning and administration on-demand," according to International Organization for ...

with the capabilities of end devices (

personal computer A personal computer, commonly referred to as PC or computer, is a computer designed for individual use. It is typically used for tasks such as Word processor, word processing, web browser, internet browsing, email, multimedia playback, and PC ...

mobile phone A mobile phone or cell phone is a portable telephone that allows users to make and receive calls over a radio frequency link while moving within a designated telephone service area, unlike fixed-location phones ( landline phones). This rad ...

s, etc.). It is used to enhance the experience for the end user in comparison to only using

. Dew computing attempts to solve major problems related to cloud computing technology, such as reliance on

internet access Internet access is a facility or service that provides connectivity for a computer, a computer network, or other network device to the Internet, and for individuals or organizations to access or use applications such as email and the World Wide ...

Dropbox Dropbox is a file hosting service operated by the American company Dropbox, Inc., headquartered in San Francisco, California, that offers cloud storage, file synchronization, personal cloud, and Client (computing), client software. Dropbox w ...

is an example of the dew computing paradigm, as it provides access to the files and folders in the

cloud In meteorology, a cloud is an aerosol consisting of a visible mass of miniature liquid droplets, frozen crystals, or other particles, suspended in the atmosphere of a planetary body or similar space. Water or various other chemicals may ...

in addition to keeping copies on local devices. This allows the user to access files during times without an internet connection; when a connection is established again, files and folders are synchronized back to the cloud server.

History

The term "dew computing", as used in information technology, first appeared in 2015 in IT literature and since then has become a field of its own. The cloud-dew architecture was proposed by Yingwei Wang as a possible solution to the offline data accessibility problem. At first, its scope included only

web application A web application (or web app) is application software that is created with web technologies and runs via a web browser. Web applications emerged during the late 1990s and allowed for the server to dynamically build a response to the request, ...

s; broader applications were later proposed.Skala, Karolj; Davidović, Davor; Afgan, Enis; Sović, Ivan; Šojat, Zorislav
Scalable Distributed Computing Hierarchy: Cloud, Fog and Dew Computing
// Open Journal of Cloud Computing (OJCC), 2 (2015), 1; 16-24 doi:10.19210/1002.2.1.16 Dew computing is a model which was derived from the original concept of

. Other models have also emerged from cloud computing, including

fog computing Fog computing or fog networking, also known as fogging, is an architecture that uses edge devices to carry out a substantial amount of computation (edge computing), storage, and communication locally and routed over the Internet backbone. Concep ...

edge computing Edge computing is a distributed computing model that brings computation and data storage closer to the sources of data. More broadly, it refers to any design that pushes computation physically closer to a user, so as to reduce the Latency (engineer ...

, and others. Proponents claim that these novel models, such as dew computing, can provide better experiences for users. Cloud computing provides universal access and

scalability Scalability is the property of a system to handle a growing amount of work. One definition for software systems specifies that this may be done by adding resources to the system. In an economic context, a scalable business model implies that ...

. However, having all the resources far from a user's control occasionally causes problems. In the classic cloud computing paradigm, when the internet connection to the servers is lost, the user is unable to access their data; dew computing aims to solve this problem.

Definition

As an information technology paradigm, dew computing seeks to use the capabilities of

s along with

cloud services Cloud computing is "a paradigm for enabling network access to a scalable and elastic pool of shareable physical or virtual resources with self-service provisioning and administration on-demand," according to ISO. Essential characteristics ...

in a more reliable manner. The key features of dew computing are independence and collaboration. Independence means that the local device must be able to provide service without a continuous connection to the

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...

. Collaboration means that the application must be able to connect to the cloud service and synchronize data when appropriate. Use of the word "

dew Dew is water in the form of droplets that appears on thin, exposed objects in the morning or evening due to condensation. As the exposed surface cools by thermal radiation, radiating its heat, atmospheric moisture condenses at a rate grea ...

" reflects natural phenomena:

s are far from the ground,

fog Fog is a visible aerosol consisting of tiny water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. Reprint from Fog can be considered a type of low-lying cloud usually resembling stratus and is heavily influenc ...

is closer to the ground, and

is on the ground. Analogically, cloud computing is a remote service, fog computing is beside the user, and dew computing is at the user end.

Architecture

To establish a cloud-dew architecture on a PC, a dew virtual machine (DVM) is needed. The DVM is an isolated environment for executing the dew server on the local PC, and it consists of at least three components: the dew server (DS), the

data analytics Analytics is the systematic computational analysis of data or statistics. It is used for the discovery, interpretation, and communication of meaningful patterns in data, which also falls under and directly relates to the umbrella term, data sci ...

server Server may refer to: Computing *Server (computing), a computer program or a device that provides requested information for other programs or devices, called clients. Role * Waiting staff, those who work at a restaurant or a bar attending custome ...

(DAS), and the

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computer, computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making. It is a field of re ...

of the dew (AID). * Dew server (DS): The DS acts like the cloud service on the local PC. It interacts with and periodically synchronizes content with the cloud service. * Dew analytics server (DAS): The dew analytics server collects data about how the dew server is being used. * Artificial intelligence of the dew (AID): After receiving data from the DAS about usage patterns, the AID uses the data to customize and tailor the dew server to the user to enhance their experience.

Categories

The dew computing categories are classified based on the application field. * Web in Dew (WiD) ** The local device must possess a duplicated fraction of the

World Wide Web The World Wide Web (WWW or simply the Web) is an information system that enables Content (media), content sharing over the Internet through user-friendly ways meant to appeal to users beyond Information technology, IT specialists and hobbyis ...

(WWW) or a modified copy of that fraction to satisfy the independence feature. Because this fraction synchronizes with the web, it satisfies the collaboration feature of dew computing. * Storage in Dew (SiD) ** The storage of the local device is partially or fully copied into the cloud. An example is

, in which a user can create a folder in the cloud, and have access to the folder and its contents on the local device once synchronization is complete. Since the user can access files at any time without the need for constant

Internet access Internet access is a facility or service that provides connectivity for a computer, a computer network, or other network device to the Internet, and for individuals or organizations to access or use applications such as email and the World Wide ...

, this category meets the independence feature of dew computing. SiD also meets the collaboration feature because the folder and its contents automatically synchronize with the cloud service. * Database in Dew (DBiD) ** The local device and the cloud both store copies of the same

database In computing, a database is an organized collection of data or a type of data store based on the use of a database management system (DBMS), the software that interacts with end users, applications, and the database itself to capture and a ...

. One of these two databases is considered the main version and can be defined as such by the

database administrator A database administrator (DBA) manages computer databases. The role may include capacity planning, installation, configuration, database design, migration, performance monitoring, security, troubleshooting, as well as backup and data re ...

. This service increases the reliability of a database, as one of the databases can act as the

backup In information technology, a backup, or data backup is a copy of computer data taken and stored elsewhere so that it may be used to restore the original after a data loss event. The verb form, referring to the process of doing so, is "wikt:back ...

for the other. * Software in Dew (SiD) ** The configuration and ownership of software are saved in the

. Examples include the

Apple App Store The App Store is an app marketplace developed and maintained by Apple, for mobile apps on its iOS and iPadOS operating systems. The store allows users to browse and download approved apps developed within Apple's iOS SDK. Apps can be download ...

and

Google Play Google Play, also known as the Google Play Store, Play Store, or sometimes the Android Store (and was formerly Android Market), is a digital distribution service operated and developed by Google. It serves as the official app store for certifie ...

, where the applications the user installs are saved to their account and can then be installed on any device linked to their account. * Platform in Dew (PiD) ** A software development suite must be installed on the local device with the settings and application data synchronized to the cloud service. A

Software Development Kit A software development kit (SDK) is a collection of software development tools in one installable package. They facilitate the creation of applications by having a compiler, debugger and sometimes a software framework. They are normally specific t ...

on its own does not satisfy these requirements; it must be able to synchronize development data, system deployment data, and online backups. An example of PiD is GitHub. * Infrastructure as Dew (IaD) ** The local device is dynamically supported by cloud services. IaD can come in different forms, but the following two forms can be used: (1) the local device can have an exact duplicate DVM instance in the cloud, which is always kept in the same state as the local instance, or (2) the local device can have all its settings/data saved in the cloud, including system settings/data and data for each application. * Data in Dew (DiD) ** The term DiD is applied when all its applications satisfy the independence and collaboration requirements but cannot be placed in any of the above categories. An example is the

Novell Groupwise GroupWise is a messaging and collaboration platform from OpenText that supports email, calendaring, personal information management, instant messaging, and document management. The GroupWise platform consists of desktop client software, which ...

email client.

Possible challenges

Dew computing faces a number of technical challenges, including issues related to power management, processor utility, and data storage. Other factors impacting the use of dew computing are the viability of the operation system, network model, communication model, programming principles, dew recommended engine, local dew network, personal high productivity, database security, and behaviors of the browser.

References

{{Cloud computing Post-cloud computing architecture Distributed computing architecture