Sensor Applications, Experimentation, and Logistics. First International Conference, SENSAPPEAL 2009, Athens, Greece, September 25, 2009, Revised Selected Papers

Research Article

Software Update Recovery for Wireless Sensor Networks

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  • @INPROCEEDINGS{10.1007/978-3-642-11870-8_8,
        author={Stephen Brown and Cormac Sreenan},
        title={Software Update Recovery for Wireless Sensor Networks},
        proceedings={Sensor Applications, Experimentation, and Logistics. First International Conference, SENSAPPEAL 2009, Athens, Greece, September 25, 2009, Revised Selected Papers},
        proceedings_a={SENSAPPEAL},
        year={2012},
        month={5},
        keywords={},
        doi={10.1007/978-3-642-11870-8_8}
    }
    
  • Stephen Brown
    Cormac Sreenan
    Year: 2012
    Software Update Recovery for Wireless Sensor Networks
    SENSAPPEAL
    Springer
    DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-11870-8_8
Stephen Brown1,*, Cormac Sreenan2
  • 1: NUI Maynooth
  • 2: University College Cork
*Contact email: stephen.brown@nuim.ie

Abstract

Updating software over the network is important for Wireless Sensor Networks in support of scale, remote deployment, feature upgrades, and fixes. The risk of a fault in the updated code causing system failure is a serious problem. In this paper, we identify a single, critical, symptom , that complements exception-based schemes, and supports failsafe recovery from faults in software updates. We present a new software update recovery mechanism that uses loss-of-control to provide high-reliability, low energy, software updates, including a comparison of optimised-flooding against spanning-tree for determining loss-of-control in a multi-path environment. The solution presented supports a trial phase (with lower latency), and an operational phase (with lower energy). The energy/latency tradeoff of this is shown, and the high-reliability of this update recovery is demonstrated by analysis and simulation. The results presented control the risk in existing WSN software update mechanisms.