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DoD to Put Internet Router in Space
narramissic writes "ITworld is reporting that the Department of Defense plans to launch in the first quarter of 2009 a satellite-based router to deliver military communications. Satellite operator Intelsat will manage the three-year Internet Routing In Space (IRIS) project, while Cisco will provide IP networking software for the on-board router. After testing, the satellite will be available for commercial use. From the article: 'Potential nonmilitary benefits of the IRIS program include the ability to route IP (Internet Protocol) traffic between satellites in space in much the same way packets are moved on the ground, reducing delays, saving on capacity and offering greater networking flexibility, Lloyd Wood, space initiatives manager in the Global Defense, Space & Security division of Cisco, said Thursday.'"
Speaking of which, how DO they manage "realtime" data on that w/o the lag? It wouldn't exactly be true realtime if ~250ms delay keeps chucking in there. While that may be no biggie now, I can see where that would/could be a factor as real battlefields become just as data-dependant as the game ones. (cue lots of "haha, you got pwned by the Chinese!" jokes here, but seriously... I wonder how they're going to eventually get around that; the physics would be gnarly at best...)
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.... the SSID will be Linksys right?
This is my opinion. To make sure you don't steal it, it's covered by the DMCA.
TFA said the existing system involves
source - satellite#1 - ground-based router - satellite#2 - destination
The new system will be
source - satellite #1 - space router - satellite #2 - destination
or even better
source - space router - destination
Depending on where the satellite is, you may have just shaved a few tenths of a second off the one-way trip.
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I guess I'll have to step up and take one for the team.
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DOD To Boldy Route Where No Man Has Routed Before.... These are the voyages of the Star switch Cisco...
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I work at Johnson Space Center and we are testing this right now. The idea is that in the future (ie when we have a moonbase, etc) that all communication will be in IP packets over RF links.
Currently the RF links use multiplexed frames with different PN sequences and frame sync headers to communicate, so the position of each bit within the frame means something.
With IP packets, we wouldn't really have to decode/demux the frames to get the information. Each entity could send data based on its IP address. As mentioned before - the lag time issue is gonna be pretty messy, unless we used UDP or something similar. We are just in the beginning stages right now for our purposes, so just configuring the routers and getting the data into an RF link and be errorless is what we are fighting.
Hope that sheds some light on why. Also - the frequencies we are talking about are going to be S, K, Ku, Ka, and higher, so it isn't likely that a script kiddy will have access to that kind of equipment. Also - the links will be encrypted and PN spread, making it less likely to be intercepted/hax0r'd...
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First: Learn how moderating works on slashdot. They can't comment non-AC because their accurate flamebait moderations would go away.
Second: You ARE bating flame. Hence your flamebait moderations, which in my opinion, were correctly applies.
Third: This is not the place for a debate on why you're a dick bag and why the guy who made the joke you're getting all pissed off about is an asshole.
Fourth: Just because you have family in the armed forced doesn't mean we automatically give half a shit about your opinion.
Fifth: I'm an asshole for making this reply.
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