Isode Icon-5066 1.2Major New Features

Isode's Icon-5066 1.2 release is a Fully Supported Isode release of Icon-5066 (see the Supported Releases page for more details).

Read on for the major changes that Icon-5066 1.2 introduced.

Proxy Modem / Crypto Bypass

A capability is added to drive a modem or ALE device that is not directly accessible from the machine on which Icon-5066 is running. This is achieved by a new Icon-5066 proxy modem driver which communicates with the modem and with the core Icon-5066 server using XML messages transported by Isode's secure Guard Content eXchange Protocol (GCXP).

This can be used to provide connectivity to a modem at a remote location, which can be helpful in some deployments (e.g., where a separate modem is used for Tx and Rx at different sites). However, the primary goal of this capability is to address crypto bypass, with the Icon-5066 core server running red side and proxy modem server running black side. User data will pass through a crypto device. Control messages can pass through a pair of XML Guards, such as Isode M-Guard (see https://www.isode.com/products/m-guard.html). XML Guards like Isode M-Guard operate as application level data diodes, with control information flowing from red side to black side and monitoring information going in the opposite direction.

TLS

TLS (Transport Layer Security) support is added in this release. This is provided for a number of functions, with optionally independent trust anchors and private keys:

  • Access to the Web management and monitoring console over HTTPS.
  • Communication between the Icon-5066 red-side processes.
  • Operation of STANAG 5066 SIS over TLS.
  • Support for GCXP communication between the Icon-5066 core server and an XML
    Guard or proxy modem driver.

Icon-5066 Console Management UI Refresh and Enhancement

The management and monitoring UI has some significant improvements in general approach and presentation. Apart from general UI enhancement some additional functionality has also been introduced:

  • Additional ALE monitoring and information reported.
  • Improved information on transmissions, including information on previous Rx and Tx.
  • Show power amplifier information (currently only through Collins RT-2200A), show errors, PA level, and VSWR.
  • Show when modem is placed in EMCON state.
  • Display when automatic sounding used (Collins RT-2200A) and sounding interval.
  • Control choice of 4G ALE to use synchronous (2G style) or asynchronous (3G style).

Other Features

The following additional features are also included in this release:

  • 4G ALE Control. Options to always use Deep WALE, with default to attempt once with Fast WALE and then fall back to Deep WALE.
  • Improved ALE linking failure handling, with jitter and time to search between linking attempts.
  • Improved and more robust handling of ALE link failures.