CometOS

A component-based, extensible, tiny operating system for wireless networks.

Main features

• Full communication stack based on message passing [1]
  • IEEE 802.15.4
    • Provides Software- and Hardware-MACs [2]
  • IPv6, 6LoWPAN, RPL [3]
  • Neighbourhood Management and Topology Control [4]
  • UART, I2C, RS-485, SPI...
  • ...
• Runs on hardware as well as in the OMNeT++ simulator
  • CometOS components are directly mapped to OMNeT++ modules
  • Supported hardware platforms
    • ATmega128RFA1 and ATmega256RFR2 based nodes
    • M3 open node (used in the IoT-LAB)
    • Freescale FRDM-K64F (without IEEE 802.15.4 support)
    • C110L based nodes (without IEEE 802.15.4 support)
  • Suitable for large automated testbeds
    • Over the Air Programming (OTAP) [5]
    • Remote control
    • Persistent data and configuration storage
    • Time Synchronization
    • Logging

Literature

[1] Stefan Unterschütz, Andreas Weigel and Volker Turau. Cross-Platform Protocol Development Based on OMNeT++. In Proceedings of the 5th International Workshop on OMNeT++ (OMNeT++'12), March 2012. Desenzano, Italy.

[2] Andreas Weigel and Volker Turau. Hardware-Assisted IEEE 802.15.4 Transmissions and Why to Avoid Them. In Conference proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Internet and Distributed Computer Systems, IDCS 2015, September 2015, pp. 223–234. Windsor, UK.

[3] Andreas Weigel, Martin Ringwelski, Volker Turau and Andreas Timm-Giel. Route-over forwarding techniques in a 6LoWPAN. EAI Endorsed Transactions on Mobile Communications and Applications, 14(5), December 2014.

[4] Gerry Siegemund, Volker Turau und Christoph Weyer. A Dynamic Topology Control Algorithm for Wireless Sensor Networks. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Ad-hoc, Mobile and Wireless Networks, ADHOC-NOW 2015, Juni 2015, pp. 3–18. Athens, Greece.

[5] Stefan Unterschütz and Volker Turau. Fail-Safe Over-The-Air Programming and Error Recovery in Wireless Networks. In Proceedings of the 10th Workshop on Intelligent Solutions in Embedded Systems (WISES'12), June 2012. Klagenfurt, Austria.

Getting Started for Hardware

This describes how to compile and flash a minimal example to a ATmega128RFA1 based hardware with LEDs connected to the pins 1,2 and 5 of port G on an up-to-date Ubuntu system using the Olimex ISP.

1. Install the prerequisites

    sudo apt-get install gcc-avr binutils-avr avrdude avr-libc git scons
   

2. Clone the repository to a location of your choice. For the following we assume ~/cometos

    git clone https://github.com/openDSME/CometOS.git ~/cometos
   

3. Add the required paths

    echo 'export COMETOS_PATH=~/cometos' >> ~/.bashrc
    echo 'export PATH=$PATH:$COMETOS_PATH/support/builder' >> ~/.bashrc
    source ~/.bashrc
   

4. Compile

    cd ~/cometos/examples/hardware/blink
    cob platform=devboard
   

5. Connect your hardware and flash

    cob platform=devboard programmer=olimex go
   

Getting Started for Simulation

1. Install OMNeT++ 5

2. Clone the repository to a location of your choice. For the following we assume ~/cometos

    git clone https://github.com/openDSME/CometOS.git ~/cometos
   

3. Create a new OMNeT++ project, but use ~/cometos as the location.

4. Exclude the following paths in the Makemake settings and link the pthread library

    examples/hardware
    src/platform
    src/core/platform
    src/files/platform
    test
   

5. Clone the CometOS_Externals repository and add the required path

    git clone https://github.com/CometOS/CometOS_Externals.git ~/cometos_externals
    echo 'export COMETOS_EXTERNALS_PATH=~/cometos_externals' >> ~/.bashrc
    source ~/.bashrc
   

6. Create a new OMNeT++ project for the externals repository. Here exclude everything except the MiXiM directory. It has to be built as library and the base and module folder of MiXiM have to be selected as NED source folder.

7. Add the project reference to the externals project in the main project.

License

CometOS itself is published under a a 3-clause BSD-style license:

Copyright (c) 2015, Institute of Telematics, Hamburg University of Technology All rights reserved.

Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:

1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
3. Neither the name of the Institute nor the names of its contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived from this software without specific prior written permission.

THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE INSTITUTE AND CONTRIBUTORS ``AS IS'' AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE INSTITUTE OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

However, for full functionality, several components with other licenses are used. For details see the LICENSES.txt. Some components - including the MiXiM framework needed for OMNeT++ simulations - are only available under more strict licenses such as the LGPL. They are provided in an additional repository CometOS_Externals.