Compressed Internet Protocol Data Via Geosynchronous Earth Orbit Satellite Circuits
SPAWAR N01-052, Phases I & II, Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR)
An analysis of system requirements for enhancement of communications in the stressed submarine environment was completed. Root causes of submarine networking difficulties were identified and associated with shortfalls in legacy communications systems. Specific enhancements were defined using the OSI model as a template. Existing open system standard protocols, algorithms and technologies, and COTS/GOTS products, were identified for integration and application to specific improvements. Research conducted focused on investigating and defining requirements for an integrated system, comprising enhanced Data Link, Network and Transport protocols (OSI Layers 2-4), and an innovative Application Traffic Controller (ATC, operating in OSI Layers 5-7), enabling IP networking despite poor environmental characteristics and severe operational conditions. Phase I results are a requirements specification and system design for a product, to be prototyped in Phase II and commercialized as COTS in Phase III. A system was proposed to improve networking in the described environment by implementing the following features:
- Reduce bandwidth requirements by caching information that doctrine permits to be used despite age.
- Reduce bandwidth requirements by transparently compressing file traffic per application data type.
- More effectively use “up” time and more reliably deliver critical information within time constraints by hierarchically classifying, prioritizing and queuing traffic in accordance with approved doctrine.
- More optimally transport traffic by automatically selecting from SCPS and MDP gateways on the basis of traffic addressing mode (uni- or multi-cast) and destination platform operating mode (EMCON or not).
- Perform all of the above automatically and transparently per sys admin specified rules, but provide user and sys admin GUIs to monitor the automatic operation and enable manual override.
Portions of the preliminary design were implemented and tested. This proved the viability of the development approach, the choice of Linux as the development platform and the integration of various other open source software. Web caching was verified using Apache’s mod_proxy. A model for transparently inserting application-specific compression and decompression processes between applications and the network was suggested. A conceptual framework for prioritization and queuing was drafted. A user interface for the monitoring and management of transmission queues was mocked up.
The Navy requested CTI accelerate the usual 24-month SBIR Phase II period of performance to 18 months. CTI complied, and completed the prototype another 6 weeks earlier than the initial accelerated schedule. The accelerated Phase II efforts included in a “by-invitation” briefing for a US Navy Fleet Working Group at Crystal City, VA and an additional briefing, installation, and demonstration for NAVSEA personnel at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) in Newport, RI. The Phase II Option was exercised in December 2003 and the Phase III transition is progressing, with commercialization plans, preliminary financials, competitive analysis, and target markets developed. The Automated Digital Networking System (ADNS) working group submitted the ATC as an unfunded requirement in the 2006 Program Objective Memorandum (POM) cycle.
Investment capital is sought to transition the technology to commercial applications.