Object-Oriented Allocation of Resources in a Tactical Communications Network

摘要

The circuits in a military command and control network are expected to operate continuously in spite of changes and damage, and must be restored in minutes should they fail. This study examines circuit-building as a resource allocation problem, and describes an approach to the decentralized allocation of prioritized circuits in such a network, based on a saturation search algorithm, a circuit-request message ripples from an originating node through the network to the circuits's destination node, providing a path exists. Along the way the message retains cost and path information that is used to attenuate expensive routes and provide path information during the back-sweep of the allocation phase. An object-oriented program written in scheme helped capture the details of nodes, links, channels, and circuits in the network, and showed how these components would interact when guided by the algorithm. The program has two purposes. First, it validates the concept that a common software-based assistant, distributed to each node, can aid operators in the rapid reconstruction of a badly damaged network. Second, it provides a planning aide for tactical network designers, who can use the program to model nodes, trunk-lines, channels and circuits. A tactical network employing distributed allocation and priority-coding of its circuits, allows operators to for go stored restoration plans as their principal means of maintaining service. This approach offers flexibility and responsiveness despite the likelihood of multiple outages and rapid changes, something that plans can not always deliver especially in time of war. Theses. (RH)