Elaine Cheong announced the following release to the TinyOS mailing
lists.
TinyOS (http://www.tinyos.net) is an event-driven operating system
designed for sensor network nodes that have very limited resources
(e.g., 8K bytes of program memory, 512 bytes of RAM). TinyOS, is
used, for example, on the Berkeley MICA motes, which are small
wireless sensor nodes. nesC (http://nescc.sourceforge.net) is an
extension to the C programming language designed to embody the
structuring concepts and execution model of TinyOS.
Note: As of 10/05, Windows users will not be able to run TinyOS
models inside Ptolemy. The reason is that reloading the TinyOS
shared objects into the running Ptolemy interface fails because
the TinyOS shared objects use pthreads and under Windows, Java is
using Windows native threads. We are working on a solution. In
the interim, Windows users can convert .nc files to .moml files
and create models, but running the model fails.
Despite the bug above, Windows users and other users can generate
code by changing the PtinyOSDirector target from ptII to pc or
some other tinyos target like mica or mica install. See
$PTII/ptolemy/configs/viptos/help.htm for details. Only running a
simulation within ptII under Windows will bring up the pthreads issue.
Elaine writes:
--start--
We are announcing the first alpha release of Viptos (Visual Ptolemy and
TinyOS), an integrated graphical development and simulation environment for
TinyOS-based wireless sensor networks.
Please visit the website at:
http://ptolemy.eecs.berkeley.edu/viptos
Full abstract:
Viptos (Visual Ptolemy and TinyOS) is an integrated graphical
development and simulation environment for TinyOS-based wireless
sensor networks. Viptos allows developers to create block and arrow
diagrams to construct TinyOS programs from any standard library of
nesC/TinyOS components. The tool automatically transforms the diagram
into a nesC program that can be compiled and downloaded from within
the graphical environment onto any TinyOS-supported target
hardware. In particular, Viptos includes the full capabilities of
VisualSense, which can model communication channels, networks, and
non-TinyOS nodes. This release of Viptos is compatible with nesC 1.2
and includes tools to harvest existing TinyOS components and
applications and convert them into a format that can be displayed as
block (and arrow) diagrams and simulated.
Viptos is based on TOSSIM and Ptolemy II. TOSSIM is an interrupt-level
simulator for TinyOS programs. It runs actual TinyOS code but provides
software replacements for the simulated hardware and models network
interaction at the bit or packet level. Ptolemy II is a graphical
software system for modeling, simulation, and design of concurrent,
real-time, embedded systems. Ptolemy II focuses on assembly of
concurrent components with well-defined models of computation that
govern the interaction between components. VisualSense is a Ptolemy II
environment for modeling and simulation of wireless sensor networks at
the network level.
Viptos provides a bridge between VisualSense and TOSSIM by providing
interrupt-level simulation of actual TinyOS programs, with
packet-level simulation of the network, while allowing the developer
to use other models of computation available in Ptolemy II for
modeling various parts of the system. While TOSSIM only allows
simulation of homogeneous networks where each node runs the same
program, Viptos supports simulation of heterogeneous networks where
each node may run a different program. Viptos simulations may also
include non-TinyOS-based wireless nodes. The developer can easily
switch to different channel models and change other parts of the
simulated environment, such as creating models to generate simulated
traffic on the wireless network.
Viptos inherits the actor-oriented modeling environment of Ptolemy II,
which allows the developer to use different models of computation at
each level of simulation. At the lowest level, Viptos uses the
discrete-event scheduler of TOSSIM to model the interaction between
the CPU and TinyOS code that runs on it. At the next highest level,
Viptos uses the discrete-event scheduler of Ptolemy II to model
interaction with mote hardware, such as the radio and sensors. This
level is then embedded within VisualSense to allow modeling of the
wireless channels to simulate packet loss, corruption, delay, etc. The
user can also model and simulate other aspects of the physical
environment including those detected by the sensors (e.g., light,
temperature, etc.), terrain, etc.
--end--
_Christopher
Christopher Brooks (cxh at eecs berkeley edu) University of California
Programmer/Analyst Chess/Ptolemy/Trust US Mail: 558 Cory Hall #1770
ph: 510.643.9841 fax:510.642.2739 Berkeley, CA 94720-1770
home: (F-Tu) 707.665.0131 (W-F) 510.655.5480 (office: 400A Cory)
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