Hey, great thread Sys. I work with this stuff everyday and I learn something new everyday!
Another cool thing about LonTalk over FT10 is that each packet sent contains the expected number of packets in it's transaction. So, all the devices on the channel use this info to calculate the backlog (how busy the channel is) and randomly adjust their media access time slots to reduce the probability of 2 devices sending at the same time. I think it's called P-Persistent CSMA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access)protocol. And, you can assign a specific time slot to a device - Channel Priority. It's like having your own car pool lane and nobody can drive in it but you. But, this can negatively affect all the rest of traffic - who cares you say! Priority is best implemented for critical devices operating on a channel operating with high traffic. Plus, routers have priority buffers that always forward priority packets first.
I hear the new LonScanner protocol analyzer (LSPA) is soon to be released which will show you a live packet log and includes statistics, error rates, filter options, and more! It will sell somewhere around $500 - much less than Loytec and with more features. Also, Echelon probably won't sell very many new PCC-10 cards as the USB interface is out any day!
Have a good one!
lb
A hundred million nodes - it's a LON story.