Predictable communications for net-centric homeland defense

LOS ANGELES, CA – A breakthrough technology was recently introduced that that will dramatically reduce the time and cost of deploying high-availability mobile communications networks for homeland defe

LOS ANGELES, CA – A breakthrough technology was recently introduced that that will dramatically reduce the time and cost of deploying high-availability mobile communications networks for homeland defense operations.

โ€œSoftware virtual networksโ€ (SVNs) can now be built that enable engineers to evaluate new wireless network components and technologies faster and at much lower cost than has been possible until now. Scalable Network Technologies, a Los Angeles-based provider of highly sophisticated software and technical services for wireless network development, developed this new technology, which will be launched under the brand name EXataTM in the fourth quarter of 2008.

Mobile Command and Control

National defense is becoming network-centric. Information is now the greatest source of power, and communication between decision makers and field forces to turn information into effective action is the critical link in projecting that power to defend the homeland. Mobile communications networks used by the military will need to interoperate with legacy and emerging communications technologies used by domestic public safety agencies, relief organizations and private sector entities in order to maximize execution effectiveness in the field.

Federal, state and local governments will need to perform two communications improvement feats simultaneously: integrate new technologies into existing infrastructures to improve interoperability and balance the ability to share information with the need to protect it from external threats.

Software Virtual Networks Accelerate Development

Today, network engineers use a combination of simulation technology, computer models of physical networks or network systems, analogous to โ€œflight simulatorsโ€ used by pilots and physical โ€œtestbeds,โ€ scaled-down versions of fully-deployed networks built with prototypes of the new technology being evaluated.

Simulation has become highly sophisticated over the last twenty years and is best suited for evaluating solution concepts and initial designs in the early stages of the development cycle. Depending on the complexity of the network and the need for real-world fidelity, large-scale simulations and/or testbeds are used to evaluate designs prior to deployment.

EXata breaks new ground in speed and fidelity compared to competitive simulation and emulation systems. The underlying computer code, known as the kernel, is built with patented computationally efficient code that dramatically increases speed and accuracy on any computing platform. EXata is the only emulation system that can use advanced parallel processing to digitally represent every layer in the wireless communications protocol โ€œstack.โ€

When evaluating network designs using EXata SVNs, any hardware, software or human user connected to the emulated network is not able to tell the difference between a real network component and its emulated replacement. As a result, engineers can take promising technologies from early designs tested with simulation tools, develop โ€œvirtual prototypes,โ€ and integrate them into the SVNs, which in turn can be interoperated with existing deployed networks. EXata also produces greater predictability of actual performance. Many more potential solutions can be tested and evaluated in a given time period, allowing engineers to solve more problems with fewer technical compromises.
SVNs created in EXata deliver two substantial advantages over physical testbeds. First, emulation enables engineers to test and evaluate potential interoperation solutions much earlier in the design process, at a fraction of the cost of physical testbeds. Emulation reduces cost by minimizing prototype iterations through the development cycle. It also eliminates the need to acquire large physical spaces within which to construct testbeds; you canโ€™t test routing protocols or connectivity issues if all the radios are in the same room.

Second, EXata produces better predictability of actual performance because engineers can test solutions against all potential environmental effects. As a result, many more potential solutions can be evaluated and more problems can be solved with fewer technical compromises.

The Future โ€“ Adaptive Networks

The next generation of field tactical communications for both warfighting and homeland defense operations will be adaptive networks โ€“ software-based radios and transmission equipment that can adapt dynamically to conditions and seamlessly interoperate with disparate communications technologies. Accurate, scalable simulations will be essential to the development of networks based on adaptive technologies because of sensitive interactions between the complex software โ€œlayersโ€ involved.

Network emulation with EXata will lead to faster and better solutions to pressing homeland security needs like first responder coordination, intelligence sharing, and information assurance and security.

About Scalable Network Technologies

Scalable Network Technologies is the leader in parallel processing technology for network performance evaluation. The company develops and supports high-fidelity evaluation software tools used for predicting the performance of computing and communications networks and network devices. SNT has created a new category of evaluation tools for todayโ€™s sophisticated networks that meets the demand for real-time, real-network performance testing. Widely recognized for its flagship product, QualNet, the companyโ€™s customers include major aerospace and defense contractors, the US Department of Defense, mobile network operators, as well as research agencies and universities.

About the author

Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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