RSD-WSN: remote source-level debugger for rapid application development in wireless sensor networks

Debugging Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) applications deployed on actual sensor nodes is difficult, since debuggers normally require a wired (e.g. USB) interface. In this paper we propose a mechanism for WSN application debugging that is based on remote access, through the wireless interface, and that uses the native environment in which the application was developed (i.e. it acts as a source-level debugger). The approach, called RSD-WSN, is based on creating continuous behavioral snapshots of a remotely located sensor node by binding it with a virtual node. Hence by using RSD-WSN, users can debug a WSN application node that is running remotely. This framework allows a programmer to develop an application using high level abstractions (finite state machine) and then automatically generate code for target platforms. The complied generated code could be then directly loaded on sensor nodes and the framework provides interfaces by which an application developer can bind execution sequences of a remote sensor node with a virtual simulated node, so that the developer can monitor node behavior and refine the application in case of unexpected behaviors.