Abstract: In one embodiment, a device receives data indicative of a routing topology of a network. The network comprises a root node and each node in the network has an associated network depth relative to the root node in the routing topology. The device assigns the nodes in the network to timeslots of a channel-hopping communication schedule in order of their associated network depths. The device assigns transmit and receive actions to the timeslots of the communication schedule for a particular time such that parent-to-child and child-to-parent communications alternate with network depth in the timeslots. The device sends the communication schedule with the node and action assignments to one or more of the nodes in the network.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a device receives data indicative of a routing topology of a network. The network includes a root node and each node in the network has an associated network depth relative to the root. The device selects a first subset of timeslots from a slotframe of a communication schedule based on the network depth of a particular node in the network. The device selects a second subset of timeslots from the first subset, based on a media access control (MAC) address of the particular node. The device assigns the second subset of timeslots to the particular node for reception in the slotframe of the communication schedule. The device sends the communication schedule to one or more nodes in the network.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method of determining backoff windows in a wireless computer network is disclosed. The method comprises defining, by an access point in the wireless computer network, a plurality of collision patterns related to message transmission via one or more communication channels in the wireless computer network; detecting, by the access point, occurrence of one of the plurality of collision patterns involving a group of sender nodes in the wireless computer network that have each transmitted a message to the access point and received no acknowledgement message from the access point indicating successful transmission; setting to a first length a length of a backoff window for avoiding collision in data transmission based on a size of the group of sender nodes; sending a first message to a first plurality of nodes in the wireless computer network, the first message instructing performance of backoff during the backoff window having the first length.

Abstract: In a multiple interface, low power and lossy network comprising multiple nodes, a Network Management System (“NMS”) communicating firmware upgrades in each node of a network utilizing centralized scheduling and distributed dissemination of firmware blocks. A firmware update image is broken into blocks and transmitted throughout the network of nodes. In certain instances, every node does not receive every firmware block. The NMS receives a bitmap from the nodes indicating which of the blocks each node is missing from the update. The NMS identify particular nodes that are missing blocks and source nodes that have the blocks and are nearest to the particular recipient nodes. The NMS determines the route for the source node with the block to deliver the block to the recipient node that this missing a block. The source nodes that are identified and instructed to communicate a block to a recipient node.

Abstract: A network device stores in its nonvolatile memory, in response to detecting a power outage in a tree-based network, an identifier for a preferred parent and a distance identifier for the network device within the network. In response to power restoration, the network device starts a trickle timer based on the ring identifier, for determining whether a beacon request from a transmitting node and destined for the preferred parent is detected during the waiting interval. In response to the network device detecting the beacon request during the waiting interval, the network device sets its channel hopping schedule to the corresponding channel hopping schedule of the transmitting node in response to determining the beacon request is destined for the preferred parent, enabling rejoining with the preferred parent in response to detecting a beacon from the preferred parent to the transmitting node via the corresponding channel hopping schedule of the transmitting node.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a network device starts a deferred discovery that defers to a prescribed transmission operation in response to detecting a message is from an identified higher device that is closer to a root of a network topology in a data network. The prescribed transmission operation and the deferred discovery each require a corresponding network device to wait at least a first half of a selected minimum contention interval before attempting transmission at a randomized position within a second half of the selected minimum contention interval. The minimum contention interval of the deferred discovery is at least twice the selected minimum contention interval. The network device transmits an updated message during the deferred discovery only if, upon reaching the corresponding randomized position of the deferred discovery, the subsequent messages from identified higher devices are less than a prescribed redundancy constant.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method of determining backoff windows in a wireless computer network is disclosed. The method comprises defining, by an access point in the wireless computer network, a plurality of collision patterns related to message transmission via one or more communication channels in the wireless computer network; detecting, by the access point, occurrence of one of the plurality of collision patterns involving a group of sender nodes in the wireless computer network that have each transmitted a message to the access point and received no acknowledgement message from the access point indicating successful transmission; setting to a first length a length of a backoff window for avoiding collision in data transmission based on a size of the group of sender nodes; sending a first message to a first plurality of nodes in the wireless computer network, the first message instructing performance of backoff during the backoff window having the first length.