We are now about to install our private LoRaWAN Network Server and Application Server. 1
For that, we need to find the best hardware to support it. 2
It can take different forms and we will see that we have many choices. 3
It will depends on the type of project you want to set up. 4
Obviously, we won't have the same concern if we just want to set up a Proof of Concept with very few 5
devices on Gateway, or if we want to install a wired infrastructure with guarantee of availability. 6
In our case, we'll start with a small infrastructure. 7
Then, when every functionalities will work properly, we'll have the opportunity to scale it to deal 8
with more devices and gateway. 9
So, that leaves us with a lot of choices for the hardware architecture because any basic computer system 10
will do. 11
For this lecture, the only constraint we require is that this computer system must support Docker container. 12
At the beginning of this course, we explained what is Docker and why 13
it's a nice way to get rid of all the installation issues. 14
Actually, thanks to Docker, the installation process would often be done only with a single command. 15
Okay, so what are our choices? 16
First, we can install our LoRaWAN server on our own PC. 17
That is a very good solution when we want to test something because we have a direct access to the server 18
on our local machine, whether we have a Windows, Linux or Mac OS operating system, it doesn't matter. 19
Again, the only concern is to install Docker, and everything should work. 20
Now, if you want to stay on our own PC, but for some reason we can't or we don't want to install the 21
LoRaWAN server on our own operating system, then a good choice is to work with a virtual machine. 22
To do this, we can use software such as VirtualBox or VMware. 23
They will allow us to work with a system that is completely independent of our environment, but which 24
runs on the same hardware. 25
Now, if we want to isolate even more the LoRaWAN server services or if we need to let it run permanently 26
and autonomously, then we must run it on a standalone machine. 27
Any PC will do. 28
We can even use a tiny computer like a Raspberry Pi or something equivalent. 29
It's cheap, efficient and it has a reasonable power consumption. 30
Again, we just need to install Docker. 31
And guess what? 32
There is a Docker version for the Raspberry Pi environment. 33
The installation process is very well documented on internet, so again, things should be really easy 34
to set up. 35
Finally, after the proof of concept period, or if we want to get rid of a lot of difficulties concerning 36
the hardware, then we can run the server to a cloud provider. 37
The cost depends on the resources we require. 38
During this course, the server we use only costs 4 euros per month and its resources are more than enough 39
for what we want to do. 40
And then, when we need to increase our server capability, then we just need to upgrade the configuration. 41
So, that choice is definitely the best for scalability and maximum availability of our server. 42
Okay, great. 43
We are now ready to install our first server. 44
Let's do that in the next video.