openDSME logo

Open-Source Implementation of the
IEEE 802.15.4 DSME Link Layer

KUVS award

Winner of the GI KuVS Communication Software Award 2017

What is openDSME?

openDSME is an open source implementation of IEEE 802.15.4 DSME. It is designed be portable for various platforms, including simulation environments and hardware platforms. It has been initially designed and developed at the Institute of Telematics at Hamburg University of Technology.

Further Development in RIOT

As of now, openDSME has been adopted by developers at RIOT. Any further development is conducted by them with additional contributions from the community. Feel free to contact them if you are interested in using the software or just have a look at the provided repositories.

What is IEEE 802.15.4 DSME?

The IEEE 802.15.4 standard with its widespread usage in wireless sensor and actuator networks was recently extended by several techniques that allow reliable data transmission for critical applications, such as industrial plants. This includes the Deterministic and Synchronous Multi-channel Extension (DSME) that allows for distributed assignment of time slots on multiple channels.

openDSME Video Tutorials

Main repository of openDSME

The repository of the core module can be found at https://github.com/RIOT-OS/openDSME. Probably, you will never have to check out this repository directly, because it is integrated as a submodule in the other repositories.

OMNeT++ / INET Coverity Scan Build Status

For conducting simulations, openDSME can run in the OMNeT++ simulation environment using the INET framework. The adaptation logic to run openDSME inside of INET is implemented in this repository. For development we use a fork that includes minor additions to the integration branch of the INET framework.

Publications

Florian Kauer. Scalable Wireless Multi-Hop Networks for Industrial Applications. PhD Thesis, Hamburg University of Technology, Hamburg, Germany, 2019.
@PhdThesis{Telematik_Kauer_2019_Diss, author = {Florian Kauer}, title = {Scalable Wireless Multi-Hop Networks for Industrial Applications}, school = {Hamburg University of Technology}, address = {Hamburg, Germany}, doi = {10.15480/882.2259}, year = 2019, }
Abstract: Wireless technology promises flexible and cost-efficient machine-to-machine communication. However, high packet loss can emerge from simultaneous transmissions of many devices, undermining the reliability required for industrial applications. This thesis analyzes and develops techniques for time-slotted multi-hop communication with focus on IEEE 802.15.4 DSME. In a holistic approach, simulations, formal and analytical analyses and testbed experiments are combined, concluding the utility of the proposed methods. For future usage in research and real-world deployments, openDSME is developed as open-source implementation of DSME and application-specific insights are provided.
Maximilian Köstler, Florian Kauer, Tobias Lübkert and Volker Turau. Towards an Open Source Implementation of the IEEE 802.15.4 DSME Link Layer. In Proceedings of the 15. GI/ITG KuVS Fachgespräch Sensornetze, University of Applied Sciences Augsburg, Dept. of Computer Science, September 2016. Augsburg, Germany.
@InProceedings{Telematik_FGSN_openDSME, author = {Maximilian Köstler and Florian Kauer and Tobias Lübkert and Volker Turau}, editor = {Juergen Scholz and Alexander von Bodisco}, title = {Towards an Open Source Implementation of the IEEE 802.15.4 DSME Link Layer}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the 15. GI/ITG KuVS Fachgespräch Sensornetze}, pages = , publisher = {University of Applied Sciences Augsburg, Dept. of Computer Science}, day = {22-23}, month = sep, year = 2016, location = {Augsburg, Germany}, }
Abstract: Reliable wireless solutions for large-scale automation are a major challenge today. The IEEE 802.15.4 standard forms the basis for many open and proprietary implementations. To reflect current state-of-the-art techniques, the IEEE has amended standard 802.15.4 with new MAC-layers such as TSCH, which resembles WirelessHART, and the Deterministic and Synchronous Multi-Channel Extension (DSME). This paper introduces openDSME, our implementation of IEEE 802.15.4 DSME. DSME aims at preventing packet collisions through slot reservation in networks where conventional CSMA/CA is not reliable enough. In this document, we will outline core features of DSME and openDSME, and present details of our implementation. Additionally, current research efforts on connected topics will be highlighted.
Florian Kauer, Maximilian Köstler, Tobias Lübkert and Volker Turau. Formal Analysis and Verification of the IEEE 802.15.4 DSME Slot Allocation. In Proceedings of the 19th ACM International Conference on Modeling, Analysis and Simulation of Wireless and Mobile Systems, November 2016, pp. 140-147. Malta.
@InProceedings{Telematik_MSWIM_Formal_DSME, author = {Florian Kauer and Maximilian Köstler and Tobias Lübkert and Volker Turau}, title = {Formal Analysis and Verification of the IEEE 802.15.4 DSME Slot Allocation}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the 19th ACM International Conference on Modeling, Analysis and Simulation of Wireless and Mobile Systems}, pages = {140-147}, month = nov, year = 2016, location = {Malta}, }
Abstract: Providing dependability is still a major issue for wireless mesh networks, which restrains their application in industrial contexts. The widespread CSMA/CA medium access can provide high throughput and low latency, but can not prevent packet loss due to collisions, especially in very large and dense networks. Time slotted medium access techniques together with a distributed slot management, as proposed by the Distributed Synchronous Multi-channel Extension (DSME) of the IEEE 802.15.4 standard, are promising to provide low packet loss, high scalability and bounded end-to-end delays. However, our implementation, openDSME, exposed some weaknesses. While the allocated slots allow for reliable data transmission, the slot management itself is conducted via CSMA/CA and is thus vulnerable to packet loss, eventually leading to an inconsistent slot allocation. This paper uses the UPPAAL framework for formal analysis and verification of the slot management process. The analysis identifies weaknesses of the slot allocation process under communication and node failures. However, it is shown that inconsistencies are eventually resolved and improvements to the procedure are proposed that reduce the negative impact of failed slot allocation procedures significantly.
Florian Kauer, Maximilian Köstler, Tobias Lübkert and Volker Turau. OpenDSME - A Portable Framework for Reliable Wireless Sensor and Actuator Networks (Demonstration). In Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Networked Systems (NetSys 2017), March 2017. Göttingen, Germany.
@InProceedings{Telematik_Netsys_2017, author = {Florian Kauer and Maximilian Köstler and Tobias Lübkert and Volker Turau}, title = {OpenDSME - A Portable Framework for Reliable Wireless Sensor and Actuator Networks (Demonstration)}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Networked Systems (NetSys 2017)}, day = {13-16}, month = mar, year = 2017, location = {Göttingen, Germany}, }
Abstract: The Deterministic and Synchronous Multi-Channel Extension (DSME) of the IEEE 802.15.4 standard provides a data link layer for time division multiple access in wireless mesh networks. The authors present openDSME, a portable implementation for hardware and simulators which promises reliable message transfer suitable for applications in demanding industrial environments. A demonstration has been developed to illustrate the performance of openDSME in a simulated network and to show its benefits over CSMA/CA.
Maximilian Köstler and Florian Kauer. A Remote Interface for Live Interaction with OMNeT++ Simulations. In Proceedings of the 4th OMNeT++ Community Summit 2017, September 2017. Bremen, Germany.
@InProceedings{Telematik_OMNETPP_2017, author = {Maximilian Köstler and Florian Kauer}, title = {A Remote Interface for Live Interaction with OMNeT++ Simulations}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the 4th OMNeT++ Community Summit 2017}, number = {arXiv:1709.02822}, day = {07-08}, month = sep, year = 2017, location = {Bremen, Germany}, }
Abstract: Discrete event simulators, such as OMNeT++, provide fast and convenient methods for the assessment of algorithms and protocols, especially in the context of wired and wireless networks. Usually, simulation parameters such as topology and traffic patterns are predefined to observe the behaviour reproducibly. However, for learning about the dynamic behaviour of a system, a live interaction that allows changing parameters on the fly is very helpful. This is especially interesting for providing interactive demonstrations at conferences and fairs. In this paper, we present a remote interface to OMNeT++ simulations that can be used to control the simulations while visualising real-time data merged from multiple OMNeT++ instances. We explain the software architecture behind our framework and how it can be used to build demonstrations on the foundation of OMNeT++.
Florian Meyer, Ivonne Andrea Mantilla-González, Florian Kauer and Volker Turau. Performance Analysis of the Slot Allocation Handshake in IEEE 802.15.4 DSME. In Proceedings of 18th International Conference on Ad Hoc Networks and Wireless (AdHoc-Now 2019), Springer, October 2019, pp. 102–117. Luxembourg.
@InProceedings{Telematik_adhocnow_2019, author = {Florian Meyer and Ivonne Mantilla-González and Florian Kauer and Volker Turau}, title = {Performance Analysis of the Slot Allocation Handshake in IEEE 802.15.4 DSME}, booktitle = {Proceedings of 18th International Conference on Ad Hoc Networks and Wireless (AdHoc-Now 2019)}, pages = {102-117}, publisher = {Springer}, day = {1-3}, month = oct, year = 2019, location = {Luxembourg}, }
Abstract: Wireless mesh networks using IEEE 802.15.4 are getting increasingly popular for industrial applications because of low energy consumption and low maintenance costs. The IEEE 802.15.4 standard introduces DSME (Deterministic and Synchronous Multi-channel Extension). DSME uses time-slotted channel access to guarantee timely data delivery, multi-channel communication, and frequency hopping to mitigate the effects of external interferences. A distinguishing feature of DSME is its flexibility and adaptability to time-varying network traffic and to changes in the network topology. In this paper we evaluate the ability of DSME to adapt to time-varying network traffic. We examine the limits for slot allocation rates for different topologies. The evaluation is performed with openDSME, an open-source implementation of DSME.
Florian Meyer and Volker Turau. Delay-Bounded Scheduling in IEEE 802.15.4e DSME using Linear Programming. In Proceedings of 15th International Conference on Distributed Computing in Sensor Systems (DCOSS), May 2019, pp. 659–666. Santorini, Greece.
@InProceedings{Telematik_ISIoT_2019, author = {Florian Meyer and Volker Turau}, title = {Delay-Bounded Scheduling in IEEE 802.15.4e DSME using Linear Programming}, booktitle = {Proceedings of 15th International Conference on Distributed Computing in Sensor Systems (DCOSS)}, pages = {659-666}, day = {29-31}, month = may, year = 2019, location = {Santorini, Greece}, }
Abstract: The Deterministic and Synchronous Multi-Channel Extension (DSME) protocol is a recent amendment to the IEEE 802.15.4 standard. It combines contention-based and time-division medium access, offers channel diversity, and is aimed to support IIoT applications with stringent requirements in terms of timeliness and reliability. In this paper, we show how to configure DSME for a given data collection task. This includes the definition of the slot and frame length and the slot and channel schedule. We formulate different scheduling strategies as linear programs minimizing latency and energy. We verify our results through theoretical analysis and simulations and compare them with state-of-the-art scheduling algorithms. The results indicate a reduced delay of up to 80% for deep networks while also increasing reliability. Additionally, the proposed scheduling strategies significantly reduce the required buffer size.
Florian Meyer, Ivonne Mantilla and Volker Turau. Sending Multiple Packets per Guaranteed Time Slot in IEEE 802.15.4 DSME: Analysis and Evaluation. Internet Technology Letters, April 2020.
@Article{Telematik__2020, author = {Florian Meyer and Ivonne Mantilla and Volker Turau}, title = {Sending Multiple Packets per Guaranteed Time Slot in IEEE 802.15.4 DSME: Analysis and Evaluation}, pages = , journal = {Internet Technology Letters}, publisher = {Wiley Online Scientific}, month = apr, year = 2020, }
Abstract: Coping with bursty traffic is a common yet challenging task in the industrial Internet of Things (IoT). For example, 6LoWPAN 1 is a standard that defines the integration of LoWPAN 2 with IPv6, by fragmenting large IPv6 packets into several smaller MAC‐layer packets. Therefore, it is necessary to envision message delivery mechanisms, which provide support for highly varying traffic. In this paper, we analyze sending multiple packets per guaranteed time slot (GTS) in IEEE 802.15.4 DSME to alleviate traffic during the contention‐access period (CAP) and increase the reliability in scenarios with bursty traffic. The evaluation shows that increasing parameter SO extends the network throughput beyond default operating conditions and also provides overprovisioning beneficial for delivering sporadic messages. A comparison with the transmission of a single packet per GTS demonstrates a reduction of the total number of transmitted CAP messages by 99% while increasing the packet reception ratio by 48% for bursts with 20 packets.
Florian Meyer, Ivonne Andrea Mantilla-Gonzales and Volker Turau. New CAP Reduction Mechanisms for IEEE 802.15.4 DSME to Support Fluctuating Traffic in IoT Systems. In Proceedings of 19th International Conference on Ad Hoc Networks and Wireless (AdHoc-Now 2020), Springer, October 2020, pp. 159–179. Bari, Italy / Virtually.
@InProceedings{Telematik_adhocnow_2020, author = {Florian Meyer and Ivonne Andrea Mantilla-Gonzales and Volker Turau}, title = {New CAP Reduction Mechanisms for IEEE 802.15.4 DSME to SupportFluctuating Traffic in IoT Systems}, booktitle = {Proceedings of 19th International Conference on Ad Hoc Networks and Wireless (AdHoc-Now 2020)}, pages = {159-179}, publisher = {Springer}, day = {19-21}, month = oct, year = 2020, location = {Bari, Italy / Virtually}, }
Abstract: In 2015, the IEEE 802.15.4 standard was expanded by theDeterministic and Synchronous Multi-Channel Extension (DSME) toincrease reliability, scalability and energy-efficiency in industrial appli-cations. The extension offers a TDMA/FDMA-based channel access,where time is divided into two alternating phases, a contention accessperiod (CAP) and a contention free period (CFP). During the CAP, transmission slots can be allocated offering an exclusive access to theshared medium during the CFP. The fractionτof CFP’s time slots ina dataframe is a critical value, because it directly influences agility andthroughput. A high throughput demands that the CFP is much longerthan the CAP, i.e., a high value ofτ, because application data is only sentduring the CFP. High agility is given if the expected waiting time to senda CAP message is short and that the length of the CAPs are long enoughto accommodate necessary GTS negotiations, i.e., a low value ofτ. OnceDSME is configured according to the needs of an application,τcan onlyassume one of two values and cannot be changed at run-time. In thispaper, we propose two extensions of DSME that allow to adoptτto thecurrent traffic pattern. We show theoretically and through simulationsthat the proposed extensions provide a high degree of responsiveness totraffic fluctuations while keeping the throughput high.
Florian Meyer and Volker Turau. QMA: A Resource-efficient, Q-learning-based Multiple Access Scheme for the IIoT. In 2021 IEEE 41st International Conference on Distributed Computing Systems (ICDCS), IEEE, October 2021, pp. 864–874. Washington DC, USA / Virtually.
@InProceedings{Telematik_icdcs_2021, author = {Florian Meyer and Volker Turau}, title = {QMA: A Resource-efficient, Q-learning-based Multiple Access Scheme for the IIoT}, booktitle = {2021 IEEE 41st International Conference on Distributed Computing Systems (ICDCS)}, pages = {864-874}, publisher = {IEEE}, day = {7-10}, month = oct, year = 2021, location = {Washington DC, USA / Virtually}, }
Abstract: Many MAC protocols for the Industrial Internet of Things, such as IEEE 802.15.4 and its extensions, require contention-based channel access for management traffic, e.g., for slot (de)allocations and broadcasts. In many cases, subtle but hidden patterns characterize this secondary traffic, but present contention-based protocols are unaware of these patterns and therefore cannot exploit them. Especially in dense networks, these protocols often do not provide sufficient throughput and reliability for primary traffic, i.e., they cannot allocate transmission slots in time. In this paper, we propose QMA, a contention-based multiple access scheme based on Q-learning. It dynamically adjusts transmission times to avoid collisions by learning patterns in contention-based traffic. We show that QMA solves the hidden node problem without the overhead for RTS/CTS messages and, for example, increases throughput from 10 packets/s to 50 packets/s in a hidden three-node scenario without sacrificing reliability. Additionally, QMA's scalability is evaluated in a realistic scenario for slot (de)allocation in IEEE 802.15.4 DSME, where it achieves up to twice more slot (de)allocations per second.
Florian Meyer, Phil Malessa, Jan Diercks and Volker Turau. Are Group Acknowledgements Worth Anything in IEEE 802.15.4 DSME: A Comparative Analysis. In Accepted for Publication in Proceedings of 5th International Conference on Cloud and Internet of Things, CIoT '22, IEEE, March 2022. Marrakesh, Morocco.
@InProceedings{Telematik_CIoT_2021, author = {Florian Meyer and Phil Malessa and Jan Diercks and Volker Turau}, title = {Are Group Acknowledgements Worth Anything in IEEE 802.15.4 DSME: A Comparative Analysis}, booktitle = {Accepted for Publication in Proceedings of 5th International Conference on Cloud and Internet of Things, CIoT '22}, pages = , publisher = {IEEE}, day = {28-30}, month = mar, year = 2022, location = {Marrakesh, Morocco}, }