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Ivancic, William

Publications and source records attributed to Ivancic, William.

Adopting Internet Standards for Orbital Use

After a year of testing and demonstrating a Cisco mobile access router intended for terrestrial use onboard the low-Earth-orbiting UK-DMC satellite as part of a larger merged ground/space IP-based internetwork, we reflect on and discuss the benefits and drawbacks of integration and standards reuse for small satellite missions. Benefits include ease of operation and the ability to leverage existing systems and infrastructure designed for general use, as well as reuse of existing, known, and well-understood security and operational models. Drawbacks include cases where integration work was needed to bridge the gaps in assumptions between different systems, and where performance considerations outweighed the benefits of reuse of pre-existing file transfer protocols. We find similarities with the terrestrial IP networks whose technologies we have adopted and also some significant differences in operational models and assumptions that must be considered.

Wood, Lloyd↗

Secure, Network-Centric Operations of a Space-Based Asset: Cisco Router in Low Earth Orbit (CLEO) and Virtual Mission Operations Center (VMOC)

This report documents the design of network infrastructure to support operations demonstrating the concept of network-centric operations and command and control of space-based assets. These demonstrations showcase major elements of the Transformal Communication Architecture (TCA), using Internet Protocol (IP) technology. These demonstrations also rely on IP technology to perform the functions outlined in the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) Space Link Extension (SLE) document. A key element of these demonstrations was the ability to securely use networks and infrastructure owned and/or controlled by various parties. This is a sanitized technical report for public release. There is a companion report available to a limited audience. The companion report contains detailed networking addresses and other sensitive material and is available directly from William Ivancic at Glenn Research Center.

Ivancic, William↗

Quality of Service for Real-Time Applications Over Next Generation Data Networks

This project, which started on January 1, 2000, was funded by NASA Glenn Research Center for duration of one year. The deliverables of the project included the following tasks: Study of QoS mapping between the edge and core networks envisioned in the Next Generation networks will provide us with the QoS guarantees that can be obtained from next generation networks. Buffer management techniques to provide strict guarantees to real-time end-to-end applications through preferential treatment to packets belonging to real-time applications. In particular, use of ECN to help reduce the loss on high bandwidth-delay product satellite networks needs to be studied. Effect of Prioritized Packet Discard to increase goodput of the network and reduce the buffering requirements in the ATM switches. Provision of new IP circuit emulation services over Satellite IP backbones using MPLS will be studied. Determine the architecture and requirements for internetworking ATN and the Next Generation Internet for real-time applications.

Ivancic, William↗

QoS for Real Time Applications over Next Generation Data Networks

Viewgraphs on Qualtity of Service (QOS) for real time applications over next generation data networks are presented. The progress to date include: Task 1: QoS in Integrated Services over DiffServ networks (UD); Task 2: Interconnecting ATN with the next generation Internet (UD); Task 3: QoS in DiffServ over ATM (UD); Task 4: Improving Explicit Congestion Notification with the Mark-Front Strategy (OSU); Task 5: Multiplexing VBR over VBR (OSU); and Task 6: Achieving QoS for TCP traffic in Satellite Networks with Differentiated Services (OSU).

Ivancic, William↗

Achieving End-to-End QoS in the Next Generation Internet: Integrated Services over Differentiated Service Networks

Currently there are two approaches to provide Quality of Service (QoS) in the next generation Internet: An early one is the Integrated Services (IntServ) with the goal of allowing end-to-end QoS to be provided to applications; the other one is the Differentiated Services (DiffServ) architecture providing QoS in the backbone. In this context, a DiffServ network may be viewed as a network element in the total end-to-end path. The objective of this paper is to investigate the possibility of providing end-to-end QoS when IntServ runs over DiffServ backbone in the next generation Internet. Our results show that the QoS requirements of IntServ applications can be successfully achieved when IntServ traffic is mapped to the DiffServ domain in next generation Internet.

Bai, Haowei↗

Achieving QoS for Aeronautical Telecommunication Networks over Differentiated Services

Aeronautical Telecommunication Network (ATN) has been developed by the International Civil Aviation Organization to integrate Air-Ground and Ground-Ground data communication for aeronautical applications into a single network serving Air Traffic Control and Aeronautical Operational Communications. To carry time critical information required for aeronautical applications, ATN provides different Quality of Services (QoS) to applications. ATN has therefore, been designed as a standalone network which implies building an expensive separate network for ATN. However, the cost of operating ATN can be reduced if it can be run over a public network such as the Internet. Although the current Internet does not provide QoS, the next generation Internet is expected to provide QoS to applications. The objective of this paper is to investigate the possibility of providing QoS to ATN applications when it is run over the next generation Internet. Differentiated Services (DiffServ), one of the protocols proposed for the next generation Internet, will allow network service providers to offer different QoS to customers. Our results show that it is possible to provide QoS to ATN applications when they run over a DiffServ backbone.

Bai, Haowei↗

Achieving End-to-End QoS in the Next Generation Internet: Integrated Services Over Differentiated Service Networks

Currently there are two approaches to provide Quality of Service (QoS) in the next generation Internet: An early one is the Integrated Services (IntServ) with the goal of allowing end-to-end QoS to be provided to applications; the other one is the Differentiated Services (DiffServ) architecture providing QoS in the backbone. In this context, a DiffServ network may be viewed as a network element in the total end-to-end path. The objective of this paper is to investigate the possibility of providing end-to-end QoS when IntServ runs over DiffServ backbone in the next generation Internet. Our results show that the QoS requirements of IntServ applications can be successfully achieved when IntServ traffic is mapped to the DiffServ domain in next generation Internet.

Bai, Haowei↗

Modem Characterization Through a Wideband, Hard-Limited Ka-Band Satellite Channel

NASA is using a commercial customized TDMA/FDMA bandwidth on demand modem for use with the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) to highlight the numerous services and experiments that can be performed using small Ka-Band terminals. Characterizing the modems proved challenging due to the characteristics of the satellite transponder. The ACTS channel is hard-limited and up to 900 MHz wide. The channel has some unusual dynamic properties due to the satellite and antenna system, which make modem testing through the satellite challenging and the test requirements stringent. The satellite Multi-Beam Antenna (MBA) has a 1 hertz oscillation induced by the momentum wheel, which causes the transmit antenna pattern to move slightly. This results in a 1 hertz oscillation in the ground station receive power, with amplitude changes up to 1 dB depending on terminal location within a spot beam and associated gain slope. In addition, ACTS experiences a solar induced "thermal event" each day. This "thermal event" occurs when the sun heats the antenna support structure causing the transmit and receive reflectors to mispoint. This results in a slowly decreasing or increasing power density at the ground station receiver as the antenna pattern moves off bore-site. This paper describes the method used to fully characterize the TDMA/FDMA modem through the ACTS wideband, hard-limited transponder. In particular, techniques are discussed for conducting RF measurements on such a channel, the affect that the thermal characteristics and 1 hertz variations have on the accuracy of the results, and suggested means to minimize the error and provide useful and valuable data.

Reinhart, Richard C.↗

NASA Lewis Meshed VSAT Workshop meeting summary

NASA Lewis Research Center's Space Electronics Division (SED) hosted a workshop to address specific topics related to future meshed very small-aperture terminal (VSAT) satellite communications networks. The ideas generated by this workshop will help to identify potential markets and focus technology development within the commercial satellite communications industry and NASA. The workshop resulted in recommendations concerning these principal points of interest: the window of opportunity for a meshed VSAT system; system availability; ground terminal antenna sizes; recommended multifrequency for time division multiple access (TDMA) uplink; a packet switch design concept for narrowband; and fault tolerance design concepts. This report presents a summary of group presentations and discussion associated with the technological, economic, and operational issues of meshed VSAT architectures that utilize processing satellites.

Ivancic, William↗