Release Notes for Cisco Resilient Mesh Release 5.6.31
These release notes contain the latest information about using Cisco Resilient Mesh (formerly known as CG-Mesh) software with IPv6 Resilient Mesh Endpoints (RMEs) such as meters, and the Cisco IR509 WPAN Gateway and IR529 WPAN Range Extender.
Cisco Resilient Mesh is an embedded network stack for Smart Grid assets within a Neighborhood Area Network. Cisco Resilient Mesh provides end-to-end IPv6 communication and implements open-standard protocols at every layer in the network stack, including but not limited to IEEE 802.15.4e/g, 6LoWPAN, IPv6, RPL, UDP, and CoAP. In Smart Grid assets such as residential electric meters, the Cisco Resilient Mesh software functions within a dedicated Communications Module that connects to an Application Module through a PPP link.
System Requirements
If you plan to run Cisco Resilient Mesh Release 5.6.31, you must have the following required hardware and software components:
Platform |
Minimum Cisco IOS/CG-OS Software Release Required |
---|---|
Cisco 1000 Series Connected Grid Router |
Cisco IOS Release 15.6(3)M |
Cisco IR529 (SL-IR529-K9-10) |
cg-mesh-node-5.6.31-b98280b-RELEASE-ir529.bin |
WPAN module: CGM-WPAN-FSK-NA (LIC-CGR1K-WPAN-ip) |
cg-mesh-bridge-ITRDPKG-5.6.31-b98280b-itron30.bin |
Supported Software Features
This section covers the supported software features.
Compromised Node Eviction
A compromised node is one where the device can no longer be trusted by the network and/or operators. Nodes within an IEEE 802.15.4 PAN must possess the currently valid Group Temporal Key (GTK) to send and receive link-layer messages. The GTK is shared among all devices within the PAN and is refreshed periodically or on-demand. By communicating new GTKs to only trusted devices, compromised nodes may be evicted from the network.
RPL
In its route-over architecture, Cisco Resilient Mesh performs routing at the network layer using the Routing Protocol for Low-Power and Lossy Networks (RPL).
Cisco Resilient Mesh requires a Cisco 1000 Series Connected Grid Router (CGR) to provide connectivity to other IPv6 networks. The CGR (Field Area Router (FAR)) must serve as a RPL Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) root and store information reported in DAO messages to forward datagrams to individual nodes within the mesh network.
6LoWPAN
The 6LoWPAN adaptation layer adapts IPv6 to operate efficiently over low-power and lossy links such as IEEE 802.15.4. The adaptation layer sits between the IPv6 and IEEE 802.15.4 layers and provides IPv6 header compression, IPv6 datagram fragmentation, and optimized IPv6 Neighbor Discovery.
Frequency Hopping
Cisco Resilient Mesh implements frequency hopping across 64 channels with 400-kHz spacing in the 902 to 928 MHz ISM band. The frequency-hopping protocol used by Cisco Resilient Mesh maximizes the use of the available spectrum by allowing multiple sender-receiver pairs to communicate simultaneously on different channels. The frequency hopping protocol also mitigates the negative effects of narrowband interferers.
Firmware Upgrade Procedure
The Cisco Resilient Mesh bridge firmware can be installed by CLI or from IoT FND.
For more information on upgrading the firmware, see the latest Release Notes for Cisco 1000 Series Connected Grid Routers for Cisco IOS Release at: www.cisco.com/go/cgr1000-docs.
FND Configuration
Cisco Resilient Mesh solution is managed and monitored by the Cisco IoT Field Network Director (FND), which provides the necessary backend network configuration, monitoring, event notification services, network stack firmware upgrade, as well as FND outage and meter registration. IoT FND also retrieves statistics on network traffic from the interface.
For more information on using IoT FND, refer to the latest version of Cisco IoT Field Network Director User Guide at:
![]() Note |
For a detailed description on the Cisco Resilient Mesh CLI, refer to Cisco Connected Grid WPAN Module for CGR 1000 Series Installation and Cisco Resilient Mesh Configuration Guide (Cisco IOS). |
CoAP Simple Management Protocol
Cisco Resilient Mesh implements the CoAP Simple Management Protocol (CSMP) for remote configuration, monitoring, and event generation over the IPv6 network. The CSMP service is exposed over both the mesh and serial interfaces.
Power-outage Notification
Cisco Resilient Mesh supports timely and efficient reporting of power outages and restorations.
In the event of a power outage, Cisco Resilient Mesh enters power-outage notification mode and the node stops listening for traffic to conserve energy. Cisco Resilient Mesh triggers functions to conserve energy by notifying the communication module and neighboring nodes of the outage. The outage notification is sent using the same security settings as any other UDP/IPv6 datagram transmission.
In the event of a power restoration, a Cisco Resilient Mesh node sends a restoration notification using the same communication method as the outage notification. The communication modules unaffected by the power outage event deliver the restoration notification.
Registration of Endpoint
You can register and manage Cisco Resilient Mesh Endpoints (RMEs) such as (meters) using the CSMP protocol.
Limitations and Restrictions
Cisco recommends that you review this section before you begin working with the module. These are known limitations that will not be fixed, and there is not always a workaround for these issues. Some features might not work as documented, and some features might be affected by recent changes to the CG-OS router hardware or software.
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CSCub49104
Symptom: Output from show mesh-security session all does not show all current mesh security sessions.
Conditions: This issue occurs in the output of the show mesh-security session all command.
Workaround: To find out the mesh-key status of a meter, use the show mesh-security session mac <mac-address> command.
Caveats
This section addresses the Open and Resolved caveats that are relevant to Cisco Resilient Mesh. This section also provides information on how to use the Bug Tool Kit to find further details on the caveats.
Resolved Caveats
This section summarizes resolved caveats to the Cisco Resilient Mesh.
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CSCvn99263
FE FND (SF00778921) Range Extender changes device type & group after 5.6.21 FW.
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CSCvs12566
Radio coming online after outage with Radio off procedure 119 specified.
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CSCvh60873
CG-Mesh 5.6.21 fast reform performance degrades if DHCP reserve unlimited.
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CSCvh62236
Fast reformation degrades if nodes' DHCPv6 lease time exceeds (2^32 - 1) seconds.
-
CSCvp83516
PAN leave reason is not reported to FND by meter.
Accessing Bug Search Tool
You can use the Bug Search Tool to find information about caveats for this release, including a description of the problems and available workarounds. The Bug Search Tool lists both open and resolved caveats.
To access Bug Search Tool, you need the following items:
-
Internet connection
-
Web browser
-
Cisco.com user ID and password
To access the Bug Search Tool, enter the following URL:
Accessing Error Message Decoder
You can look up explanations for console error message strings found in system logs at the following location:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/partner/support/tsd_most_requested_tools.html
Feature History
Feature |
Cisco IOS Release |
Feature information |
---|---|---|
Cisco Resilient Mesh firmware 5.6.31 |
Cisco IOS Release 15.6(3)M |
Cisco Resilient Mesh enhancement. |
Related Documentation
Consult the following resources for related information about the Connected Grid WPAN Module for technical assistance.
Hardware Overview and Installation
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Cisco CG-OS Release Notes for CGR 1000
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Cisco Connected Grid Module Guides
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Cisco CGR 1240 Hardware Installation Guide
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Cisco CGR 1120 Hardware Installation Guide
Supported Cisco Antennas and Accessories
Cisco CGR 1000 and 2000 Series Connected Grid Antennas Guides
Regulatory Compliance and Safety Information
Cisco Network Modules and Interface Cards Regulatory Compliance and Safety Information
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/routers/access/interfaces/rcsi/IOHrcsi.html