A protocol extension for selective reprogramming of WSNs

Abstract

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are expected to operate for long time periods, often in places of difficult access. Thus, the ability to reprogram remotely and selectively sensor nodes becomes crucial in the maintenance and management of these networks. From the operating systems mostly used in WSNs, only TinyOS supports natively a reprogramming protocol (Deluge). The epidemic nature of Deluge, without supporting selective reprogramming, compromises the potentially vast application of WSNs. This paper proposes a new protocol as an extension of Deluge, allowing selective reprogramming of sensor nodes based on the platform type or node identifier. Aspects such as robustness and efficiency are taken into account in the protocol design and implementation, while assuring backward compatibility with Deluge. This new reprogramming protocol provides the required flexibility for deploying versatile WSNs, comprising heterogeneous nodes and applications.