Windows NT device driver design in a multi-link translator and display system

The future vision of communication systems suggests a global grid will be used to enable links among any battlefield participant to any other participant. In the meantime, there are many diverse data links that have grown over many years, consumed substantial investment of effort and funding, and are not amenable to wholesale modernization. Consequently, there is a need for a set of tools, to allow interconnected communications among the existing data links. The multi-link translator and display system (MTDS) offers this set of tools. The MTDS provides three basic capabilities: to receive and display tactical data link information, to translate between tactical data link message sets, and to route the data link information between various physical interfaces. The MTDS translates between tactical digital information link (TADIL) A, TADIL B and TADIL J. This paper first describes the MTDS and then presents its Windows NT device driver design. Five important issues are discussed: mapping memory addresses, connecting driver interrupt service routines to interrupts, setting byte alignment in data packing, claiming driver resources and transferring data on industry standard architecture bus.