Software Communication Architecture Compliant Software Defined Radios

1. Software Communication Architecture Compliant Software Defined Radios “all the world’s a network and its people are merely nodes…” S. Murat Bicer Dr. Jeffrey E. Smith Mercury Computer Systems, Inc. HPEC – September 2002

2. Agenda • Last year’s summary of Software Defined Radio (SDR) and Software Communications Architecture (SCA) • SCA current standing • JTRS position • Roadmap • OMG progress to date • SDRF activities • SCA reference implementation • SDR/SCA demonstration • November goals • Architecture • Future work • Summary

3. Last Year’s SDR and SCA Summary • Described SCA • Definition • Motivation • Goals • Programming methodology • Architecture • Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) SDR/SCA requirements • Relation to Object Management Group (OMG) and its many standards; and the Software Defined Radio Forum (SDRF) • Described overlap between SCA/SDR goals and high-performance embedded computing

4. Agenda • Last year’s SDR and SCA summary • SCA current standing • JTRS position • Roadmap • OMG progress to date • SDRF activities • SCA reference implementation • SDR/SCA demonstration • November goals • Architecture • Future work • Summary

5. JTRS Position

6. Roadmap Revised submission due BOD vote to adopt spec LOI to submit RFP due Initial submission due • Candidate RFI/RFP/RFC • Embedded system distributed component framework (D&C, file services, devices, domain mgt.) • Radio components interfaces (SW radio RFP, radio devices, system apps and DM) • Lightweight services (excluding logging – naming, event, timer, notification) • Lightweight log service RFC • Light CCM RFP (deployment, min. set of capability) • Radio components interfaces (SW radio RFP, radio devices, system apps and DM) NEY = Not established yet

7. OMG Progress to Date • Approved software radio and lightweight services request for proposals (RFPs) • Lightweight logging request for comments (RFCs) in comment period • Deployment and configuration initial submission • Lightweight services initial submission and lightweight CORBA component model (CCM) RFP in work • Published SCA platform independent model (PIM) on swradio.omg.org • Coordinated with SWR Forum (SDRF)

8. SDRF Activities • Definition and development of hardware abstraction layer (HAL) • Research on the applicability of Mercury’s FPGA architecture/ middleware as a submission to SDRF • Requirements for radio software download for RF reconfiguration • Canadian Research Center (CRC) SCARI project oversight

9. Agenda • Last year’s SDR and SCA summary • SCA current standing • JTRS position • Roadmap • OMG progress to date • SDRF activities • SCA reference implementation • SDR/SCA demonstration • November goals • Architecture • Future work • Summary

10. SCA Reference Implementation • A proof-of-concept SCA reference implementation to explore advantages and difficulties • Reusable SCA core framework (CF) implementation code • A platform specific model (PSM) for OMG SCA platform independent model (PIM) • A minimum-SCA definition • Platforms: • x86 PC w/ WindowsNT • 4-node Mercury computer w/ WindowsNT runtime host • Sun Blade 100 w/ Solaris • Tools used: • Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0, g++, ccmc++ • OIS ORBexpress, ACE/TAO, SCE • Rational Rose

11. SCA Reference Implementation

12. Mercury’s SCA CF • Implements the basic behavior defined in SCA • Provides the building blocks for SCA-compatible radios • CF is compiled as a DLL • Waveform developers implement their waveforms as SCA “applications” • Components of these waveforms inherit the CF components and use the CF DLL • CF DomainManager is used to install these waveform applications • The new CF does not use fat binaries to load waveform applications

13. UI asks for all ApplicationFactory(s) • Application to instantiate is chosen • UI issues create( ) on ApplicationFactory ~~~~~ ~~ ~~~ XML Files ~~~~ ~~ Device Device Device ApplicationFactory Domain Profile ApplicationFactory connects the port(s) to form application Resource(s) bring port(s) into existence Resource 1 Physical Device 1 Resource 3 Resource 2 Bring resources into existence on physical devices connects resource ports Physical Device 2 Creating Applications ApplicationFactory determines applicable device(s) on which to load application code defined in Domain Profile load/execute, allocate capacities Application developers provide implementations of the base application interfaces in their applications, using the framework control and framework services interfaces as needed and describe their application with a software profile. Core application services developers provide the framework control and framework services interfaces and process the domain profile DTDs. Resources are then configured, initialized, and started

14. Agenda • Last year’s SDR and SCA summary • SCA current standing • JTRS position • Roadmap • OMG progress to date • SDRF activities • SCA reference implementation • SDR/SCA demonstration • November goals • Architecture • Future work • Summary

15. November Goals • Demo FM3TR, WCDMA component and reconfigurability and waveform interoperability on multiple platforms and varying scalability. • Minimal SCA compliant, working with “average” of existing open reference implementations, OMG SDR PIM, and DTKs. • Call FPGA and software components from same middleware complying with SCA interfaces. Same infrastructure will scale and take advantage of low-level infrastructure (where it exists) e.g. data reorg, PAS, MPI, … • Integrate (W)RDL as part of infrastructure and demo to show positioning of happy co-existence.

16. + Demo Architecture Noise TCP DX PAS PAS CFP GUI Record Adapter Encode CVSD Encode FM3TR MSK Mod. DUC D/A I/F FH Next freq hop CFP TCP DX PAS PAS Adapter Decode CVSD Decode FM3TR MSK Demod Symbol Synch DDC A/D I/F Playback FH Next tune freq Rate Converter Encode WCDMA SW DUC D/A I/F Vocoder

17. November Demo • Two versions • SCA – Win 2k, ACE/TAO CORBA • SCA/SCE – heterogeneous hardware • Two versions will merge in the future • Three waveforms on both SCA platforms • FM3TR (Future Multi-Band Multi-Waveform Modular Tactical Radio) • SSB (Single Sideband) • WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) • For all waveforms, digital domain signals are converted to analog signals in the IF stage

18. November Demo • SCA – Win 2k • Implements a subset of SCA • Component reconfigurability • Waveform interoperability • Domain manager • Uses CORBA for command and control • Uses C++ streams for communications between components • SCA/SCE • Implements a different subset of SCA • Scalable over heterogeneous processing elements • E.g., Pentiums, G4s, FPGAs • Provides seamless communication structure for stream applications

19. November Demo (continued) • Interoperability of waveforms • Demodulating an FM3TR waveform • Transmitting it as a WCDMA waveform • Reconfigurability in component level • Deploying software resources on different hardware platforms • Software DUC, FPGA DUC, etc.. • Reconfigurability in application level • Loading new waveforms on air • Changing waveforms on air

20. Agenda • Last year’s SDR and SCA summary • SCA current standing • JTRS position • Roadmap • OMG progress to date • SDRF activities • SCA reference implementation • SDR/SCA demonstration • November goals • Architecture • Future work • Summary

21. Future Work • Work on OMG, SDRF, and JTRS Technology Laboratory (JTeL) as a partof Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) contract (3 years) • Extend demo to SIGINT applications • Productize middleware • Extend SCA CF • Work with JTeL on SCA compliance (provide reference SCA implementation) • Work with (W)RDL vendors of role of their technology with SCA

22. Summary • An OMG version of the JTRS SCA is being developed • Ongoing SDRF activities • An SCA CF reference implementation has been developed • A demo will be used to show SCA • Compliance • Interoperability • Reconfigurability