Subject: I-D Action: draft-wang-6tsch-6top-00.txt

From: [email-masked]
Date: Sun, 14 Jul 2013 17:22:13 -0700

A New Internet-Draft is available from the on-line Internet-Drafts directories.

	Title           : 6TSCH Operation Sublayer (6top)
	Author(s)       : Qin Wang
                          Xavier Vilajosana
                          Thomas Watteyne
	Filename        : draft-wang-6tsch-6top-00.txt
	Pages           : 60
	Date            : 2013-07-14

Abstract:
   The recently published [IEEE802154e] standard formalizes the concept
   of link-layer resources in LLNs.  Nodes are synchronized and follow a
   schedule.  A time slot in that schedule corresponds to an atomic
   link-layer resource, and can be allocated to any pair of neighbors in
   the network.  This allows the schedule to be built to tightly match
   each node's bandwidth, latency and energy constraints, while ensuring
   collision-free communication.  The [IEEE802154e] standard does not,
   however, present a mechanism to do so, as building and managing the
   schedule is out of the standard's scope.  Routing layers such as the
   IETF IPv6 Routing Protocol for LLNs (RPL) provide a mechanism to
   route multipoint-to-point traffic (from devices inside the LLN
   towards a central control point) and point-to-multipoint traffic
   (from the central control point to the devices inside the LLN).
   Network layer overlays cannot be optimized and adapted to take
   advantage of the cell-based topology created by the underlying TSCH
   MAC layer as a missing set of functionalities need to be defined.
   This document describes the 6TSCH Operation Sublayer (6top) and the
   main commands it provides to upper network layers such as RPL or
   GMPLS.  The set of functionalities includes feedback metrics from
   cell states so network layers can take routing decisions, TSCH
   configuration and control procedures, and the support for centralized
   and decentralized scheduling policies.  In addition, 6top can be
   configured to enable packet switching at layer 2.5, analogous to
   GMPLS.  Once a multi-hop track is defined, input cells can be mapped
   to output cells and packets can be relayed without the need of higher
   layer routing. 6top defines the operations so input cells and output
   cells can be mapped and the configuration maintained.

The IETF datatracker status page for this draft is:
https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/draft-wang-6tsch-6top

There's also a htmlized version available at:
http://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-wang-6tsch-6top-00

Internet-Drafts are also available by anonymous FTP at:
ftp://ftp.ietf.org/internet-drafts/