Wireless sensor network protocol property validation through the system's simulation in a dedicated framework

This article presents a new simulation framework for wireless sensor networks based on QEMU and SystemC that aims at validating the binary code of wireless protocols by checking that the protocol's implementation complies with its property specifications during simulation. We describe the development of the model of a node's precise hardware platform capable of executing the protocol's binary code using TLMu, a QEMU wrapper that integrates into SystemC. Our simulation framework incorporates high abstraction level node models and highly detailed node models in a wireless network model based on SystemC. An observer module is added to the simulation framework to analyze exchanged frames and detect protocol property violations. Through our experimental study, we show the correct functionality of our hardware platform model through comparison with real frame exchange traces and the verification of one of the protocol's properties during simulation.