Cisco Systems, Inc.
Dynamic suspension of network operations by root for improved power outage recovery in low power and lossy network

Abstract:

In one embodiment, a method comprises: detecting, by a root network device in a low power and lossy network (LLN) operating in a downward-routing mode, an outage among at least a substantial number of LLN devices in the LLN; initiating, by the root network device, a dynamic suspension of network operations in the LLN during the outage, including causing existing Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of all the LLN devices to be maintained during the outage, and causing all the LLN devices to limit transmissions to Power Outage Notification (PON) messages, Power Restoration Notification (PRN) messages, or minimal-bandwidth data packets, based on the root network device switching the LLN from the downward-routing mode to a collection-only mode; and selectively restoring, by the root network device, the LLN to the downward-routing mode in response to detecting PRN messages from at least substantially all the substantial number of LLN devices.