This issue of The Edge discusses only a few of the
many themes that the networking and communications industry
is working on today. Nevertheless, the articles here address
some of the most important networking concerns facing the
government. They can be grouped roughly under the headings
High-Speed Networking and Wireless and Mobile Communications.
Satellite communications are becoming central to true global
connectivity. Soon, satellite systems will be available that
provide a dial tone anywhere in the world. Right behind will
be satellite-based networks and networks that link space vehicles.
"A Transport Protocol for Space Communications"
tells how MITRE developed a modification to the TCP/IP network
protocol that increases the throughput on long-latency satellite
links. The new protocol not only applies to space, but can
benefit throughput in the more traditional tactical, mobile,
and wireless environments.
Another extremely important communications topic for the
military is that of mobile networking and communications.
MITRE has several projects and internal R&D activities
addressing terrestrial-based mobile communications ranging
from cellular systems to mobile mesh networks in which the
entire network is moving, as in the Army's Force XXI initiative.
The work of one of these programs is discussed in "Mobile
Ad Hoc Networking and Tactical Internet Radio."
On a related note, "Communications Layering" stresses
the need to pursue further the layering of functionality of
military wireless communication systems. Layering and the
concomitant standardization of interfaces have yielded vast
benefits in the broader arena of networking and communications.
In order for the DoD to achieve success in the ongoing move
toward software radios, with an increasing emphasis on COTS
protocols and reusable components, further elaboration of
layering is necessary at the link layer and physical layer.
Not everyone is interested in communicating over long distances.
In the world of high performance computing, the objective
is to move information between processors over very short
distances at the fastest speeds possible. "High Performance
Computing with System Area Networks" provides the insight
into the activities of the parallel computing industry and
how it is driving the development of some very-high-bandwidth
system area network protocols.
There is no doubt that we are moving to a network-centric,
data-centric communications model in which data transmission
over a network is valuable because of the large number of
users connected to the network. It is important to realize,
however, that the growth of the commercial communications
industry is driven by the needs of the end-users: the networking
technologies are implemented as a service to those users.
We have all come to expect a short useful lifetime for our
computers, software, and electronics in exchange for functionality
that increases drastically over the same time period. As systems
architects, decision-makers, and implementers, we need to
expect a more rapid turn-around of our communications infrastructures
as well. The key, however, is through the application of the
technical and system engineering knowledge evident in articles
such as these toward the construction of truly scaleable,
extendible networks and communication systems.
For more information, please contact guest
editors Robert Moose or Christopher Nissen using
the employee directory.
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