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STANAG 5066 Console

 

Isode's applications can be deployed over STANAG 5066, which is essential for HF Radio, and provides performance and interoperability benefits for VHF/UHF. Isode provides a GUI Console, to help set up, test, and monitor STANAG 5066 infrastructure. This is designed to support deployments of Isode applications over STANAG 5066, independent of the choice of STANAG 5066 server.

Key Benefits

The Isode STANAG 5066 Console offers the following benefits:

• Management GUI Interface independent of STANAG 5066 Server.
• GUI setup and testing of STANAG 5066 network, independent of Isode server applications
• Service Discovery of remote systems.
• Latency and Throughput testing.
• Operator Chat using the standard STANAG 5066 protocol.

Architecture

The STANAG 5066 Console is a GUI application that connects to a STANAG 5066 Server. It supports:

• The STANAG 5066 HF Operator Chat Protocol, which can be used with any remote HF Operator Chat client.
• Isode protocols that communicate with a peer STANAG 5066 Console.
  

Connection Setup

STANAG 5066 Console can connect to multiple STANAG 5066 Servers, which is useful for testing. An operational deployment is likely to use a single local STANAG 5066 server.

Service Discovery

STANAG 5066 Console can discover (automatically or on demand) the identity and operator defined names of other connected systems. This is done by use of a broadcast message, which connected servers respond to. The screenshot above shows three clients, each of which has “discovered” the other two. This simplifies setup and testing of a network.

Operator Chat

Operator Chat, as defined in Appendix F of STANAG 5066, is designed to support simple operator to operator communication. STANAG 5066 Console allows easy operator chat to any peer system, as shown above. This screen shot is supporting both sides of the chat, which is useful for testing but would be unusual for an operational system.

Performance Testing

Performance optimization is critical for operation over slow links. Application measurements are often complex to interpret, and are not a straightforward mechanism to diagnose and measure the underlying systems. STANAG 5066 provides basic tools for measuring the application level view of the underlying STANAG 5066 network. The following capabilities are provided:

• Latency test. This is illustrated above. This is using a simulator, so the times are much shorter than for one using a radio.
• Throughput test.
• Tests may be for a fixed number of packets or continuous.
• Sending is “full speed” and so tests STANAG 5066 server flow control.
• All STANAG 5066 parameters can be adjusted, as illustrated below.

Security

The STANAG 5066 SIS protocol does not have any security features, so care must be taken in deployment configuration, to ensure that only trusted components can connect.

Interoperability

STANAG 5066 Console has been tested against a reference STANAG 5066 server, and against the RapidM RM6 Server. Isode is keen to test with other STANAG 5066 Servers. Please contact us if you wish to work with us on this.

Conformance

STANAG 5066 "Profile for High Frequency (HF) Radio Data Communication" Edition 1, Amendment 1. This will be published soon as Edition 2. Specific features:

• SIS Protocol.
• Operator Chat (Appendix F).

Future Work

Isode is interested in feedback on this product, and on new capabilities and features desired.
Isode is considering extending this product to work directly over UDP/IP, so that it can be used in conjunction with ACP 142 applications deployed to support multicast and EMCON over IP networks.

Availability

STANAG 5066 Console is available on Solaris, Windows, Linux and HP-UX. More details on supported platforms and versions can be found here.