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Sergey Lapin02cf2282009-06-08 12:18:50 +00001
2 Linux IEEE 802.15.4 implementation
3
4
5Introduction
6============
7
8The Linux-ZigBee project goal is to provide complete implementation
9of IEEE 802.15.4 / ZigBee / 6LoWPAN protocols. IEEE 802.15.4 is a stack
10of protocols for organizing Low-Rate Wireless Personal Area Networks.
11
12Currently only IEEE 802.15.4 layer is implemented. We have choosen
13to use plain Berkeley socket API, the generic Linux networking stack
14to transfer IEEE 802.15.4 messages and a special protocol over genetlink
15for configuration/management
16
17
18Socket API
19==========
20
21int sd = socket(PF_IEEE802154, SOCK_DGRAM, 0);
22.....
23
24The address family, socket addresses etc. are defined in the
25include/net/ieee802154/af_ieee802154.h header or in the special header
26in our userspace package (see either linux-zigbee sourceforge download page
27or git tree at git://linux-zigbee.git.sourceforge.net/gitroot/linux-zigbee).
28
29One can use SOCK_RAW for passing raw data towards device xmit function. YMMV.
30
31
32MLME - MAC Level Management
33============================
34
35Most of IEEE 802.15.4 MLME interfaces are directly mapped on netlink commands.
36See the include/net/ieee802154/nl802154.h header. Our userspace tools package
37(see above) provides CLI configuration utility for radio interfaces and simple
38coordinator for IEEE 802.15.4 networks as an example users of MLME protocol.
39
40
41Kernel side
42=============
43
44Like with WiFi, there are several types of devices implementing IEEE 802.15.4.
451) 'HardMAC'. The MAC layer is implemented in the device itself, the device
46 exports MLME and data API.
472) 'SoftMAC' or just radio. These types of devices are just radio transceivers
48 possibly with some kinds of acceleration like automatic CRC computation and
49 comparation, automagic ACK handling, address matching, etc.
50
51Those types of devices require different approach to be hooked into Linux kernel.
52
53
54HardMAC
55=======
56
57See the header include/net/ieee802154/netdevice.h. You have to implement Linux
58net_device, with .type = ARPHRD_IEEE802154. Data is exchanged with socket family
59code via plain sk_buffs. The control block of sk_buffs will contain additional
60info as described in the struct ieee802154_mac_cb.
61
62To hook the MLME interface you have to populate the ml_priv field of your
63net_device with a pointer to struct ieee802154_mlme_ops instance. All fields are
64required.
65
66We provide an example of simple HardMAC driver at drivers/ieee802154/fakehard.c
67
68
69SoftMAC
70=======
71
72We are going to provide intermediate layer impelementing IEEE 802.15.4 MAC
73in software. This is currently WIP.
74
75See header include/net/ieee802154/mac802154.h and several drivers in
76drivers/ieee802154/