Internetworking in the MUOS CAI and the advanced narrowband system

Abstract

Next generation mobile tactical narrowband systems, embodied in the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS), must plan internetworking operations expected to serve 12 years starting in 2007. MUOS may deploy its own satellite Common Air Intet$ace (CAI) waveform to serve low rate, high mobility handhelds as well as larger terminals with higher capacity than predecessor UFO. The CAI media access control (MAC) is likely to be specialized to handle fading, interference and ef$cient multiple access. Above the MAC, use of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) standards and "middleware '' for network management, connections and transport can mitigate development and O M cost and risk on one hand, while exploiting protocol and technology innovations on the other to achieve a "sustainable" internetwork strategy. This paper considers three COTS-based internetworking constructs: I ) a transparent, client-server-based "Access Registry'', 2) negotiated connections using Mobile IP for network security, and 3) variable Layer 3-to-MAC CAI data modes using IP or ATM cells with a closer look at an ATMMAC. The three constructs are proposed to be widely applicable across varying CAI MAC and multiple access approaches.