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System Architecture and Operating Systems

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The Art of Wireless Sensor Networks

Part of the book series: Signals and Communication Technology ((SCT))

Abstract

The emergence of resource constrained embedded systems such as sensor networks have introduced unique challenges for the design and implementation of operating systems. In OS designs for these systems, only partial functionality is required compared to conventional ones, as their code is running on a much more restricted and homogeneous platform. In fact, as illustrated by microcontrollers, most hardware platforms in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) simply do not have the required resources to support a full-fledged operating system. Instead, operating systems for WSNs should adapt to their unique properties, which motivate the design and development of a range of unique operating systems for WSNs in recent years. In this chapter, we systematically survey these operating systems, compare them in their unique designs, and provide our insights on their strengths and weaknesses. We hope that such an approach is helpful for the reader to get a clear view of recent developments of wireless sensor network operating systems.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    LiteOS uses a revised version of the Intel hex format, called lhex, to store binary applications. lhex stands for LiteOS Hex.

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Acknowledgments

The work in this book chapter is in part supported by the NSF grant CNS-0953238 and CNS-1117384.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA

    Yanjun Yao, Lipeng Wan & Qing Cao

Authors
  1. Yanjun Yao
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  2. Lipeng Wan
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  3. Qing Cao
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yanjun Yao .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. College of Engineering and Computer Science, Department of Computer and Information Science, University of Michigan-Dearborn, Dearborn, Michigan, USA

    Habib M. Ammari

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Yao, Y., Wan, L., Cao, Q. (2014). System Architecture and Operating Systems. In: Ammari, H. (eds) The Art of Wireless Sensor Networks. Signals and Communication Technology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-40009-4_21

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-40009-4_21

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-40008-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-40009-4

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