[Tinyos-help] Random Number

[Matthias Gauger]

Hello Chao,

On the one hand you want to avoid generating the same sequence of random 
numbers each time you start your wireless sensor nodes and you want to 
avoid predictability. On the other hand you want to reach a global 
consensus among the nodes about the sequence of random numbers.

Reaching the first goal should be possible with an external source of 
randomness like used in TinyRNG. The second goal could be achieved by 
using the same seed on all nodes for your RNG. Reaching both goals at 
the same time sounds extremely hard. You are basically trying to solve 
the consensus problem in distributed systems (with a particularly 
difficult system model --> unreliable wireless sensor nodes)...


Matthias


> Now the problem is that I need to generate a sequence of random numbers 
> for all the sensor nodes, that is, after initiation and generation of 
> the numbers, every node knows exactly what these numbers are.
> If I call the random number generator in the StdControl.init(), then 
> each node may generate different numbers, and thus they can not achieve 
> a consensus. Thus, do I have to generate these numbers via some outer 
> programs and explicitly declare them in the node initiation? Is their 
> any better methods?
> 
> Thanks,
> Chao
> _______________________________________________
> Tinyos-help mailing list
> Tinyos-help at millennium.berkeley.edu
> https://www.millennium.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/tinyos-help