computer science

LonTalk

LonTalk is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand LonTalk rather than just read about it. In short: LonTalk is a networking protocol. Originally developed by Echelon Corporation for networking devices over media such as twisted pair, powerlines, fiber optics, and RF.

Key takeaways

LonTalk belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect LonTalk to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of LonTalk from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

LonTalk is a networking protocol. Originally developed by Echelon Corporation for networking devices over media such as twisted pair, powerlines, fiber optics, and RF. It is popular for the automation of various functions in industrial control, home automation, transportation, and buildings systems such as lighting and HVAC (such as in intelligent buildings), the protocol has now been adopted as an open international control networking standard in the ISO/IEC 14908 family of standards. Published through ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 6, this standard specifies a multi-purpose control network protocol stack optimized for smart grid, smart building, and smart city applications.

LonWorks LonTalk is part of the technology platform called LonWorks.

Protocol The protocol is defined by ISO/IEC 14908.1 and published by ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 6. The LonTalk protocol has also been ratified by standards setting bodies in the following industries & regions:

ANSI Standard ANSI/CEA 709.1 - Control networking (US) EN 14908 - Building controls (EU) GB/Z 20177.1-2006 - Control networking and building controls (China) IEEE 1473-L - Train controls (US) SEMI E54 - Semiconductor manufacturing equipment sensors & actuators (US) IFSF - International forecourt standard for EU petrol stations OSGP - A widely use protocol for smart grid devices built on ISO/IEC 14908.1 The protocol is only available from the official distribution organizations of each regional standards body or in the form of microprocessors manufactured by companies that have ported the standard to their respective chip designs.

Security An April 2015 cryptanalysis paper claims to have found serious security flaws in the OMA Digest algorithm of the Open Smart Grid Protocol, which itself is built on the same EN 14908 foundations as LonTalk. The authors speculate that "every other LonTalk-derived standard" is similarly vulnerable to the key-recovery attacks described.

See also BACnet -- A building automation and control protocol standardized by ASHRAE. List of automation protocols

References

External links Echelon Corporation Homepage Archived 2020-05-05 at the Wayback Machine Global Engineering Documents (purchase the current EIA, non-ANSI, specification document for EIA/CEA 709.1 Adept Systems - wrote the C Reference Implementation of the LonTalk protocol

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with LonTalk

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what LonTalk claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to LonTalk before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about LonTalk ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of LonTalk

In research: LonTalk appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses LonTalk in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: LonTalk is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Building automation, Network protocols, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for LonTalk outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study LonTalk in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what LonTalk means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain LonTalk out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is LonTalk in simple terms?

LonTalk is a networking protocol. Originally developed by Echelon Corporation for networking devices over media such as twisted pair, powerlines, fiber optics, and RF.

Why does LonTalk matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study LonTalk?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on LonTalk.