Category: Military

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Icon-Topo 2.0 – New Capabilities

Icon-Topo supports Mobile Unit (MU) mobility between HF Networks, enabling application communications over a wider area than can be achieved with a single ground station. It provides a way to schedule the movement from one HF network to another, ensuring that as an MU goes about its deployment the communications network is kept up and running.

The below is the list of changes brought in with version 2.0:

ACP 127 Support

Mobile Units (MUs) can be configured as “ACP 127 only” with routing over M-Switch ACP 127 broadcast circuits.  ACP 127 MUs can be moved between broadcast on different HFAPs using Icon-Topo schedules.  When messages are routed between HFAPs following routing change,  ACP 127 will be used to transfer messages between HFAPs if an ACP 127 circuit is configured.  Otherwise the message will be protocol-converted to SMTP or X.400 (and converted back to ACP 127 on the new HFAP).

This capability allows flexible MU movement between HFAPs.   Note that MU ACP 127 configuration must be done manually.

XMPP Support

Icon-Topo now supports configuration of M-Link XMPP routing for MU, HFAP and FAREP.  This requires M-Link 19.3 Edge (FAREP)  or M-Link 19.3 MU Gateway (HFAP and MU).  This provides full MU mobility for XMPP services.

General

Four important new features are provided:

  1. HTTPS (HTTP over TLS) access is provided for Icon-Topo configuration server.   Self signed certificate will be generated.  A standard certificate can be configured.
  2. Directory access using LDAP from configuration and update servers may be configured to use TLS
  3. M-Switch access from update server may be configured to use TLS.
  4. Isode Product Activation now controls both configuration and update servers.

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Harrier 3.3 – New Capabilities

Harrier is our Military Messaging client. It provides a modern, secure web UI that supports SMTP, STANAG 4406 and ACP 127. Harrier allows authorised users to access role-based mailboxes and respond as a role within an organisation rather than as an individual.

Harrier Inbox view (behind) showing Military Messaging security label and priority parameters; and Message view (in front).
Harrier Inbox view (behind) showing Military Messaging security label and priority
parameters; and Message view (in front).

The following changes have been made with the 3.3 release:

Integration with IRIS WebForms

Harrier’s generic support for MTF (Message Text Format) has been extended by provision of a close integration with  Systematic IRIS WebForms. This provides convenient creation and display of MTFs using the IRIS WebForms UI within Harrier.

IRIS Forms message attachment in Harrier Military Messaging Client
IRIS Forms message attachment

Further examples and an in-depth description can be found in the Isode white paper  C2 Systems using MTF and Messaging.

Browser Support Enhancements

New session handling, which allows a users to open multiple sessions per browser and multiple views.  This enables a user to easily access multiple mailboxes at the same time.

PKCS#11 HSM Support

PKCS#11 HSM (Hardware Security Module) support is added. This has been tested with HSMs from Nitrokey, Yubico, Gemalto and the SoftHSM software. This provides two capabilities, which can be managed using Cobalt 1.4.

  1. The private key for the server, protecting HTTPS access.
  2. Private keys for Users, Roles and Organizations. supporting message signing and encryption.

Other Enhancements

  • Audit logging when user prints a message
  • Option to enforce security label access control checks.  By default, these are advisory, with enforcement generally provided by M-Switch.
  • Default security label in forward and reply to the label of the message being replied to or forwarded.  
  • Option to configure backup servers for IMAP, SMTP and LDAP to provide resilience in event of primary server failing.
  • Option to use local timezone instead of Zulu for DTG, Filing Time and Scan Listing.
  • When using Zulu timezone, show local time in tool tip.
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Draft, Review & Release

This week we are excited to announce the release of Harrier 3.1 and Cobalt 1.1.

These releases are an important step for our Draft, Review & Release Solution, a capability of particular interest within Military Deployments.

Draft and Release is a process of handling formal military communication, it is vital for scenarios where formal responsibility must be taken for messages sent. For example, Military commands sent as messages needing to be approved/released by an appropriate senior officer. More information on this can be found in our recently updated whitepaper.

This latest release of Harrier provides a new, simple and intuitive UI for drafters, reviewers, and releasers, making each task straightforward. Also included is a visual workflow, allowing easy tracking of messages.

There will be situations where it makes sense to send directly and to avoid any workflow. Cobalt allows simple control of users who can send directly for selected messages based on SIC and Priority.

Cobalt provides a range of capabilities to support Formal Military Message Handling Systems (MMHS), with capabilities oriented towards the support of systems using Isode’s Harrier, M-Box, and M-Switch products.

Downloads and accompanying release notes can be found in the evaluator and customer sections of the website.

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HF for more than just messaging

Over the last two years, Isode has been working alongside other HF experts to update STANAG 5066 from edition 3 to 4, motivated by the need to keep this vital standard current with the latest messaging developments.

One particular area of interest for Isode is enabling TCP applications to perform efficiently over HF links and our CEO, Steve Kille, gave a presentation in this area at the most recent HFIA meeting back in March. You can find a PDF of the presentation, ‘Web Browsing over HF’, here.

In an ideal world all mission-critical applications would take advantage of specific optimized protocols for HF but, as it’s impractical to do this for every service, having mechanisms to support generic services that run over IP in high-speed networks is necessary.

To provide IP services over HF in a reasonably efficient manner, a central challenge is to provide a mechanism to support TCP-based applications efficiently. This can be done with a TCP PEP (Performance Enhancing Proxy), such as our recently announced Icon-PEP product.  Icon-PEP product enables deployment of IP Applications over an HF network using STANAG 5066 link layer as the interface to that network. More information can be found on the Icon-PEP product page.

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Isode Military Capabilities at DSEI 2021

DSEI is the premier showcase for military technology of all types. Held every other year, DSEI attracts one the largest international audiences, with over 75,000 visitors from 114 countries at DSEI 2019.

Isode will be displaying a number of unique capabilities at DSEI 2021, which you can see on our stand on the UK Pavilion, including:

Military Email

Isode’s end-to-end solution fronted by Harrier, our web based military messaging client, and including message servers and gateways covering all of the major military messaging standards.

Harrier military mail client compose Screen
Isode Harrier Web-based Email Client for Military Messaging supports the draft and release process to support formal release and approval of messages by an appropriate officer.

Military Instant Messaging

Instant messaging, using the XMPP standard, is an increasingly important component of military communications systems. Isode clients, servers and gateways allow XMPP traffic over standard and constrained (SatCom/HF) links a s well as between XMPP and legacy instant messaging systems such as IRC, all of which can be controlled using Isode’s extensive security labelling infrastructure.

At DSEI 2021 we will be giving the first public demonstration of the web version of our Swift XMPP Client.

You can find more information on Isode’s products set for Military Messaging and Military Instant Messaging by following the links.

Isode Military Messaging and Military Instant Messaging products have been successfully deployed with the land, air and naval forces of over 30 countries.

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Taking a Stand at DSEI 2021

For the first time, Isode will be taking a stand in independent capacity, for DSEI 2021.

DSEI is the premier showcase for military technology of all types. Held every other year, DSEI attracts one the largest international audiences, with over 75,000 visitors from 114 countries at DSEI 2019.

We have attended DSEI for a number of years but always in support of demonstrations, by our valued partners, of their solutions for military messaging.

This year, we are joining over 1000 exhibitors in taking our own stand at DSEI.

Isode staff on exhibition booth
Jon Purvis, Hannah George and Jeff Tillotson on the Isode exhibition stand.

As well as enabling us to provide on-site support of demonstrations by partner companies, this will also provide a central point for showcasing Isode’s unique capabilities in secure messaging and instant messaging to the many key decision makers who regularly attend DESI.

Isode messaging and instant messaging solutions are now deployed with the land, air and naval forces of over 30 countries.

You’ll find Isode on the UK Pavilion at DSEI, which will be held at the ExCel Centre, London on 14-17 September 2021.

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Military Messaging at NITEC’18

NITEC is the annual flagship event of the NATO Communications and Information Agency, which took place this year in Berlin between 22nd and 24th May.

Isode took a small stand, alongside the main conference room, to demonstrate our server, gateway and client products. The main focus of Isode’s demonstration this year was Harrier, our web based military messaging client which works alongside both Isode’s own messaging servers and Microsoft Exchange.

As well as bringing a modern user interface to military messaging, Harrier’s small footprint and easy deployment makes it ideal for those organisations looking to upgrade with a minimum amount of disruption to existing infrastructure. Harrier was demonstrated with Isode’s messaging servers and messaging gateways, showing email over a simulated HF link between a fixed and mobile unit using a variety of military messaging formats.

With the commercial focus of this year’s NITEC being the recently announced competition for the New NATO Messaging Service (NNMS), many visitors commenting on the suitability of Isode’s products for the core messaging requirement of that competition.

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Reporting from the Nordic HF Conference – New HF ALE (Automatic Link Establishment)

Isode CEO, Steve Kille, is attending, presenting at and reporting from the Nordic HF Conference (HF 16) on the island of Faro, Sweden.

Professor Eric Johnson led Wednesday morning’s session with an excellent presentation on new ALE work, called 4G ALE or Wideband ALE (Wideband ALE – The next generation of HF). This was followed by a presentation by Harris on preliminary measurements. Eric noted the importance of work in this area to support new WBHF and to reduce setup times. This is key technology for HF.

This work is being done by US DoD, with support from key US vendors (in particular Harris and Rockwell Collins). I asked when details of this work might be made available, and the answer was “not clear” and perhaps end of next year. This will likely be at the point when the work is published as a US Mil Spec. Then it will be shared with the rest of the world, and presented as a fait accompli for NATO to standardise. This may be a good way to achieve a solid standard. However, it feels to be locking out non-US involvement and giving unfair competitive advantage to US vendors.

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Reporting from the Nordic HF Conference – Wide Band HF

Isode CEO, Steve Kille, is attending, presenting at and reporting from the Nordic HF Conference (HF 16) on the island of Faro, Sweden.

WBHF is a key new development, and there were two good papers at Nordic HF on measurements during Session 2 on Monday.

Vivianne Jodalen, Terje Mikal Mjelde and William M. Batts reported on measurements made in the arctic (Wideband HF in the Arctic) and measurements made across the Atlantic (Performance of a transatlantic long-haul wideband HF system).

The good news is that a range of successful measurements were made in over-the-air environments. The practical results suggest that 6kHz channels (wider than 3 kHz narrowband) can often be achieved, but it was often not possible to realise the maximum of 24kHz. Throughput was generally quite a bit less than the “top end”.

While this is useful information and gives performance much better than narrow band, it is a long way short of the top end 120 kbps. I think there is a real risk that people have been over-sold WBHF and will be disappointed with the reality. This would be a pity, as it offers useful improvements.

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NITEC16 and Harrier (Web)

NITEC is the annual flagship event of the NATO Communications and Information Agency, organised this year in cooperation with the Ministry of Defence, Estonia.

NITEC is both a conference and an exhibition and this year Isode took a small exhibition stand to show demonstrations of a wide range of our server and messaging software. NITEC was also the first public outing of the web-based version of our Harrier military messaging client.

Our demonstration setup (illustrated below) showed email, text chat and forms data exchange between two domains, using different security policies over a constrained network link.

Isode demonstration setup for NITEC

The constrained network link was simulated using MoRaSky, an Isode test tool which emulates (HF) Modems, Radios and Sky (Ionosphere).

Attendees were shown security label mapping and conversion, clearance-based message control in email, 1:1 chat and multi-user chat using Isode’s message clients (Swift for XMPP & Harrier for Email) and servers (M-Switch & M-Link).

NITEC was the first public showing of Harrier (Web)

NITEC proved to be a great source of feedback on Isode products, especially Harrier, and we’re looking forward to incorporating that feedback into future versions of Harrier and future demonstrations.