Page 116 - DCAP608_REAL TIME SYSTEMS

Unit 11: Application of Clock-driven Scheduling

targeting system, is particularly unique because it can interface between different Notes
communications formats.

“The IDM is a complete communications unit and a critical piece of equipment,” said Bob
Woodward, director, tactical communication systems at ICI. “The IDM essentially provides
full networking capability to tactical users and RF-based data communication connectivity
to the commercial mobile communication market.” It interconnects the U.S. military’s
major networks for both manoeuvre and fire support, and also provides critical linkage to
the military’s legacy systems.

Plans are underway for ICI’s IDM to incorporate an embedded subset of the Army’s
innovative Force XXI Battle Command, Brigade and Below (FBCB2) System software
called EBC (embedded battlefield command), which satisfies the Army’s growing trend
toward smaller, handheld computer devices. FBCB2 allows different vehicles on a battlefield
to share a joint situational awareness picture in real time. Hypothetically, a Crusader
mobile artillery piece could ‘see’ on its computer battlefield map the same enemy that a
Comanche helicopter flying miles away from it has just spotted. The Crusader could then
target its weapons using radar data provided by the Comanche helicopter.
While FBCB2 software will ultimately run in every ground vehicle for the Army, EBC will
be integrated into virtually all Army aviation equipment, thereby enabling Army personnel
to communicate with one another over the Tactical Internet (which uses the same protocols
as the Internet but whose IP addresses are tied to Army vehicles constantly on the go).
A Smarter Way to Communicate
Historically, FBCB2 software ran on the Solaris® operating system, which is a large,
process-oriented piece of software. However, the addition of EBC and the requirement for
compact computer devices prompted the need for a better, more efficient solution.
Redesigning the IDM to accommodate a Solaris card, a disk, and another display for the
Contd...

LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 111