JRE Overview and Discussion 30 January, 2008 RAF High Wycombe

Transcription

1 JRE Overview and Discussion 30 January, 2008 RAF High Wycombe 1

2 What is it? JRE - Joint Range Extension Some commercial products called JRE JREAP Joint Range Extension Application Protocol Thirty-Eleven JRE Processor A piece of equipment or software which interfaces JRE data to other data We will use JRE to mean a JRE system employing JREAP. 2

3 History US-led creation Originally a Beyond Line of Sight solution Original requirement: To exchange tactical data beyond line of sight in such a manner that the data can be used for situational awareness, planning and limited decision making. 3

4 Traditional J-Series BLOS 4

5 JREAP Standard Created New standard written and largely developed by engineers Designed to be Generic standard to enable communication over various media Focus on J-Series messages but with support for additional TDL data types Released as a MIL-STD in

6 Today Current version is MIL-STD-3011 First update - MIL-STD-3011A due soon Seen as a key enabler for network based operations. 6

7 Today continued JRE best thought of as Tactical Data over unintended bearers JRE can now be used to: Extend range of existing TDLs Connect Distant Nodes/Systems Join Disparate TDL Networks Provide Backup Link Capability Reduce network load Provide cost-effective connection to non-tdl platform Provide remote picture. 7

8 Today continued Message type candidates for JRE include: J-Series Messages Free Text Messages VMF Messages Link 22 Messages Common Message Format (CMF) Integrated Broadcast Service (IBS) Messages. 8

9 JRE System Benefits TDL information available to a wider audience Increases network capacity Records data age Modification of data during transit Provides open, non-proprietary format Industry-standard model lowers development cost. 9

10 International Usage Usage of JRE now outside the US Many European nations considering JRE system procurement Viewed as more than a BLOS Solution Other nations watching UK and US. 10

11 Challenges Standard Maturity System Interoperability Social Engineering Network Architecture Maturity. 11

12 MIL-STD

13 More Terminology JREAP is often discussed in context as JREAP-A or JREAP-C etc This denotes the specific appendix of MIL-STD-3011 being utilised. 13

14 MIL-STD-3011 Structure 14

15 Document Structure 15

16 Documented Message Types Only message headers and rules which MIL- STD-3011 documents are: JREAP Management Messages JREAP J-Series JTIDS/MIDS JREAP Free Text For Variable Message Format, MIL-STD-3011 refers to MIL-STD , the application layer standard for VMF. 16

17 Management Messages JREAP management messages are used to keep the JRE Link active and notify the JRE processors of their peers JREAP Management Messages include: Round-Trip-Time Delay Message Operator-to-Operator Messages Filter Messages Latency Threshold Messages Acknowledgement Messages Echo Messages. 17

18 Filters The Filter management message contains many different subtypes: Category/ID Label/Sub-label Point Type/Point Amplification Ellipse/Rectangle Geographic Closed Polygon Geographic Source Track Number Special Processing Indicator J28.2(x) Data Age Simulation. 18

19 Processing Rules Additionally, processing rules which help engineers plan their coding are included. These cover specific situations such as: Spare fields Retransmission timeouts J2.0 PPLI (Indirect PPLI). 19

20 JRE Interoperability 20

21 JRE Interoperability The release of MIL-STD-3011 has increased interoperability by reducing the construction of additional legacy point-to-point, satellite and IPbased data link systems However, quality control did not match up to that applied to many other TDL standards Much the same as VMF, JRE systems can combine other standards to produce interoperability issues. 21

22 MIL-STD-3011 Issues The document avoids hard decisions and is ambiguous! Many should statements rather than shall statements Many options for different interpretation by different solution providers. 22

23 MIL-STD-3011 Issues Some example interpretation problems with MIL- STD-3011 include: Data that crosses byte boundaries Suppliers can use echo messages or RTT messages to keep link alive Source Track number does not specify base Recurrence rates rarely specified. 23

24 MIL-STD-3011 Issues Major issues with document include: No minimum implementation beyond basic T/R for management messages Many should statements vice normative statements. Few examples shown No test cases No released updates since 2002 No NATO equivalent. 24

25 MIL-STD-3011 Issues Further technical issues include: No ability to limit/control the data rate No network management messages or control No guidance on picture management Limited time sync specification No integration natively with simulation systems Standard not backed up by any concept of operation catch all standard. 25

26 MIL-STD-3011 Appendix A&B Fairly well detailed Evolved from well understood technologies. 26

27 MIL-STD-3011 Appendix C Appendix C discusses the recommended way of establishing an IP connection through either UDP or TCP and the rules required to keep messages consistent over IP networks Few pages of detail Lack of operational/management context (port numbers, methods, etc). 27

28 Existing JRE Systems Many JRE systems already exist based on MIL- STD-3011 Few are fully compatible with each other More systems are being built with 3011-compliant interfaces, particularly JREAP-C MIDS LVT(2) and (11) have JRE processors built into their systems. 28

29 MIL-STD-3011 Procurement Any MIL-STD-3011 system will likely need documentation in addition to the standard Documentation should enhance requirements within standard, removing should statements and creating a minimum implementation Potential development of national 3011 interface requirement. 29

30 System Testing Interoperability assured (or not!) largely through post-engineering tests Large 3011 user groups exist to test interoperability through exercises Largely a peer-review situation based on trust Limited capability exists to fully test management messages and JRE functionality no correct answer! Most tests compare systems rather than certify. 30

31 System Testing Many 3011 systems have been tested and do not interoperate Problems are found throughout the entire stack Problems also commonly found due to network architectures Accurate test logs vital for offline test analysis Sharing of information on tests important for new 3011 users but information is scarce. 31

32 JRE Future Discussion 32