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Developing wireless sensor network applications in a virtual environment

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Abstract

We describe our “holistic” platform for developing wireless ad hoc sensor networks and focus on its most representative and essential virtualization component: VUE2 (the Virtual Underlay Emulation Engine). Its role is to provide a vehicle for the authoritative emulation of complete networked applications before physically deploying any wireless nodes. The goal is to be able to verify those applications exhaustively before programming the hardware, such that no further (field) tests are necessary. We explain how VUE2 achieves this goal owing to several facilitating factors, most notably the powerful programming paradigm that our platform adopts. As implied by the holistic nature of the discussed system, our work touches upon operating systems, simulation, network protocols, real-time systems, and programming methodology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computing Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2E8

    Nicholas M. Boers, Paweł Gburzyński & Ioanis Nikolaidis

  2. Olsonet Communications, 51 Wycliffe Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K2G 5L9

    Włodek Olesiński

Authors
  1. Nicholas M. Boers
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  2. Paweł Gburzyński
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  3. Ioanis Nikolaidis
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  4. Włodek Olesiński
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Correspondence to Paweł Gburzyński.

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Boers, N.M., Gburzyński, P., Nikolaidis, I. et al. Developing wireless sensor network applications in a virtual environment. Telecommun Syst 45, 165–176 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11235-009-9246-x

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