FOSDEM 2017
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Internet of Things
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6LoWPAN in picoTCP

6LoWPAN in picoTCP

And how to support new Link Layer types

Track: Internet of Things devroom
Room: AW1.126
Day: Saturday
Start: 13:30
End: 13:55

6LoWPAN enables, as the name implies, IPv6-communication over Low-power Wireless Personal Area Networks, e.g. IEEE802.15.4. A lot of resources are available to allow 6LoWPAN over IEEE802.15.4, but how can one extend the 6LoWPAN feature-set for the use with other link layer types? This talk will cover the details about a generic implementation that should work with every link layer type and how one can provide support for ones own custom wireless network. The goal is to give quite a technical and detailed talk with finally a discussion about when 6LoWPAN is actually useful and when is it not.

Last year, as a summer project, I've implemented a generic 6LoWPAN adaption layer into picoTCP, an open source embedded TCP/IP-stack developed by Altran Intelligent Systems, with an eye on the IoT. I've made an effort to make the adaption layer as generic as possible allowing it to be easily expandable with new link layer types and topologies. The layer should also be able to allow multiple link-layer extensions, for post-network-layer processing. This could be used for mesh-under routing, link layer security, whatever you want. This talk will cover how one can take advantage of these features and caveats that come with it. I also have my personal thoughts on 6LoWPAN and I would like to share them with you at the end of the talk.