Embedded operating systems for wireless microsensor nodes

Sensor nodes fall somewhere in between the single application devices that need no operating system, and the more capable, general purpose devices with the resources to run a traditional embedded operating system. This is reflected in the design of sensornet operating systems, which provide a limited number of common services for application developers. These common services typically include hardware management of sensors, radios, and I/O buses and devices such as external flash. Other services needed by applications include task coordination, power management, adapting to resource constraints, and networking. In this chapter, authors examine the principles behind the design of sensornet operating systems, their basic architecture, and features that are unique to the sensor network domain. These principles are illustrated by examining two very different sensor operating systems, TinyOS and MOS (the MANTIS Operating System).