SAKITM
Compact, Low-Power
ATM-SONET Network Node








Planning Systems Inc.
21294 Johnson Road
Long Beach, MS 39560

Contact
John Walrod

Phone
(228) 863-0007 ext. 117

Fax
(228) 863-0281

E-mail
jwalrod@plansys.com

Web Site
http://www.plansys.com/

Product information Adobe Acrobat File

Information dominance has always been an important factor in defense and military operations throughout history. The DoD has recently accelerated research, development, and deployment of Network-Centric Warfare (NCW) systems to create new types of information links for competitive advantage. High-speed Network Nodes, which provide packet switching and network interfaces, and the links between these Nodes form the foundation of the network system.

The many potential advantages of NCW systems, such as decreased time, decreased costs, and improved performance, are well-documented. However, significant technical barriers exist to network deployment in many DoD applications including:

    • Network Node Size
    • Network Node Power
    • Network Node Reliability/Ruggedness
    • Network Speed/Bandwidth

To date, the majority of Internet build-out has been "office-centric". Commercial network switches are generally 19-inch wide rack-mount boxes with 120VAC power cords, designed for office-space environments. Network interface cards (NICs) are generally PCI or VME-based form factors, for use in high-power PCs and workstations. In contrast, the majority of potential DoD NCW applications require compact, rugged, low-power Network Nodes with high-bandwidth capabilities such as:

Network Nodes on

  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Planes, Jets, Helicopters, Missiles
  • Unmanned Ground Vehicles, Tanks, and Combat Vehicles
  • Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs), Submarines, Ships, Boats, Diver Vehicles, Torpedoes.
  • Robots and Microbots
  • soldiers (e.g., wearable computing) and hand-held equipment
  • Sensor Networks for undersea and terrestrial surveillance, monitoring, environmental measurements, and unattended ground sensors.
  • MicroSatellite and Nanosatellites Networks

The SAKITM Network Node provides a compact, low-power, high-speed ATM-SONET Node for rugged environments. The SAKI Network Node provides both network-switching and network-interface functions for applications such as sensor networks and mobile networks. The node is both modular and adaptable, enabling a wide range of high-performance, low-latency network infrastructure applications.

The SAKI Network Node technology was originally developed for sensor network applications including (1) Navy surveillance sensor networks, (2) Navy towed array sonar sensor networks, (3) Commercial seismic sensor networks, (4) Navy shipboard networks and ship/submarine monitoring , and (5) Navy measurement range networks.

The SAKI Network Node technology is now in Phase III of the SBIR program and is being widely deployed with thousand of channels delivered to numerous DoD and commercial customers.

Key government agencies which can further benefit from the technology include:

    • DoD laboratories, research organizations, and program offices which are developing next-generation network-centric systems, including DARPA, NASA, AFRL, ARO, ONR, NRL, SPAWAR, AFSCOM, CECOM, OSD, NUWC, NSWC, and NAVSEA

    • DoD organizations which are deploying high-speed network-based systems in rugged environments (e.g., ground sensors), remote locations (e.g., seafloor), and portable/mobile applications (e.g., UAVs, robots)

    • DoD and Government agencies which are deploying sensor networks for applications such as environmental monitoring, surveillance, security, machine monitoring, and battlefield awareness.

    • DoD and Government agencies which are deploying high-speed networks for acoustics, radar, video, and communications

Traditional Network Nodes have typically fallen into one of three categories:

    • High-power, non-portable rack-mount equipment, typical of COTS ATM-SONET equipment. Typical costs for a traditional COTS 4-port switching node are $10K-$15K.

    • Miniature, custom Network Nodes with proprietary and non-standard interfaces. These Nodes are typically provided only in custom military systems and are not available as stand-alone products.

    • Low-power Network Nodes using low-speed, high-latency links such as Ethernet.

SAKI is the first low-power, miniature ATM-SONET Node technology to be made available for general commercial and military use. Because of the extensive use of open-standard interfaces and COTS components, high-speed (155 Mbit/s) SAKI Network Nodes can be manufactured for less than $1K per Node in quantity.

The SAKI Network Node is the world’s smallest and lowest power ATM-SONET Node. It provides an add/drop data bus, ATM-SONET network interface, and ATM virtual channel switching for space- and power-constrained networks such as sensor networks, robotic networks, and shipboard networks.

Features

  • Open-standard 155.52 Mbits/s bi-directional ATM-SONET interface
  • Compatible with COTS ATM switches and network interface cards
  • ATM Adaptation Layer (AAL5) protocol processor with CRC-32 error detection
  • Low-latency ATM-SONET data transmission for real-time applications
  • 10 Mbit/s LVDS/RS-485 data bus for high-speed data add/drop
  • RS-232 serial port for low-speed data add/drop
  • SONET byte and frame output clocks (19.44 MHz, 8 kHz) for system timing distribution
  • Embedded test signal generator for system diagnostics
  • GeminiTM port links multiples Nodes to provide a multi-port ATM-SONET Node
  • Configuration and programming functions are network accessible
  • Auto-discovery and self-configuration for network self-organization
  • Time-tag function stamps add-data for system correlation of data from multiple locations
  • Architecture supports daisy-chain, ring, and star network topologies
  • Standard ATM-SONET twisted-pair interface with optical and wireless options
  • Programmable architecture accommodates application-specific network requirements
  • Compact cylindrical form-factor for crush-resistance and pressure-tolerance
  • Low-power (<1 Watt) for mobile, remote, and portable applications

1. John Walrod, "Sensor Networks for Network-Centric Warfare", Invited Paper, Network-Centric Warfare Conference, October 31, 2000, Washington, D.C.

2. John Walrod, "Network-Centric Undersea Surveillance Sensor Arrays", Undersea Defence Technology 2000, London, England, June 29, 2000.

3. John Walrod, "ATM Telemetry in Towed Arrays", Undersea Defence Technology ‘97, Hamburg, Germany, June 24-26, 1997.

4. John Walrod, "Using the Asynchronous Transfer Mode in Navy Communications", Sea Technology, May 1997, pp.19-28.

Limited-feature Phase I SAKI Nodes (2.3 Watts per Node) have been available for 2 years and are currently in operation in numerous Navy and commercial sensor network systems. The next-generation SAKI Network Node is in Phase II prototype testing and is transitioning to Phase III product release. Planning Systems Inc. is currently accepting orders for the Phase III Nodes and is offering licensing opportunities for the SAKI technology.

The Phase III SAKI Network Node is scheduled for release in Q2-2001. The SAKI network-programmable, modular architecture allows the Node design to be adapted to a wide variety of network applications. Planning Systems Inc. encourages potential clients to contact us regarding product definition and features to accommodate emerging programs.

Planning Systems Incorporated (PSI, http://www.plansys.com/) is a diversified high technology company, founded in 1972 and headquartered in McLean VA, with more than 300 technical staff in multiple locations nationwide. PSI provides applied science & systems engineering, Information Technology (IT) applications, and custom-designed electronics to the Federal Government and commercial clients. PSI has unique technical expertise in multiple disciplines, such as: acoustics, radar, seismic, sonar, electro-optics, remote sensing, image processing, sensor networks, telemetry, data acquisition, and noise & vibration control. PSI has developed and designed network-based data systems and products (Ethernet, ATM, SONET, Fibre Channel, Bluetooth, wireless LAN, cellular comm) since 1989.

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