A CORBA-based interoperable auto-configuration system design for battlefield networks

Abstract

The rapidly changing network topology of battlefield networks warrants an efficient configuration management system for the battlefield network to function efficiently. Furthermore, it is very important to provide uninterrupted services to the mission critical applications in the tactical battlefield network. In this work we propose an interoperable auto-configuration management system for the army's tactical networks. The interoperability stems from the fact that we support communications both through the tactical Internet and an ATM-based tactical backbone network. The proposed design also enhances network robustness by allowing for reconfiguration after a facility failure, thereby providing uninterrupted service to the mission critical applications. In addition, we propose the use of a directory service system to facilitate configuration management in the dynamic battlefield environment. In order to accommodate a distributed and heterogeneous computing environment, a CORBA-based architecture is proposed to realize a practical implementation of the proposed auto-configuration management system design.