A new Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) Working Group is being co-chaired by executives from Cisco and Arch Rock Corp. The IETF Routing Over Low-power and Lossy Networks (ROLL) Working Group is developing a framework for using IP-base routing techniques over low-power, lossy networks—networks that wirelessly connect large numbers of sensors and other small embedded devices. Typical applications range from factory automation to the “connected” home.
Co-chairing the new working group, which held its first meeting in March during IETF-71 in Philadelphia, are Jean-Philippe Vasseur, distinguished engineer at Cisco, and David Culler, Arch Rock co-founder and chief technology officer, and professor of computer science at the University of California at Berkeley. The ROLL Working Group aims to build on recent IETF advances such as those of the IETF 6LoWPAN Working Group (RFC 4944), which addressed the standardization of IP protocols over low-power wireless radios links. The ROLL group’s focus is on developing efficient and interoperable routing protocols that support the use of open-standard, low-power IP networking over a variety of physical links, including IEEE 802.15.4, Bluetooth, Low-Power Wi-Fi, and wired links.
“The IP standard is moving at breakneck speed into new spheres such as industrial monitoring, home, and building automation, and urban infrastructure networks,” said Culler. “But the links and devices in these environments have different characteristics than in the traditional IT-oriented Internet: lower power, bandwidth, and processing capability, the need to route around obstructions. Building on earlier IETF work that enabled IP to run efficiently in such environments, it is now critical to specify the most efficient dynamic routing protocols with multi-vendor interoperability in mind.”
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