AC Summer 08 WIN-T Online - United States Army Signal Center of ...

These test events will be used
to provide data to support a
System Evaluation Report for
the WIN-T full rate production
decision and subsequent
fielding of the system.
Summary:
The WIN-T Increment 2 program
implements a robust test
strategy to provide critical information
in support of key program
milestones. It uses a series of “build-a
little, test-a little” events of increasing
complexity and scope to identify
potential design problems early on
and mitigate program risks.
Mr. Hutchinson is the lead test
engineer for the Warfighter Information
Network-Tactical Increment 2 and 3
program within Project Manager, WIN-
T, Fort Monmouth, N.J. He has more
than 30 years experience in testing
complex communications and command
and control systems.
In his current position, he develops
testing strategies and serves as the
principle point-of-contact for test related
issues.
ACRONYM QUICKSCAN
CERDEC – Communications-
Electronics Research, Development
and Engineering Center
COIC – Critical Operational Issues
and Criteria
HNR – Highband Network Radio
IA – Information Assurance
IOT – Initial Operational Test
KPP – Key Performance Parameters
LRIP – Low Rate Initial Production
LUT – Limited User Test
M&S – Modeling and Simulation
MANPRINT – Manpower and
Personnel Integration
NCW – Net Centric Waveform
NETOPS – Network Operations
OTM – On-the-Move
PM – Project Manager
PQT – Production Qualification
Test
S&TCD – Space and Terrestrial
Communications Directorate
SDD – System Design and
Development
TCM – TRADOC Capabilities
Manager
WIN-T – Warfighter Information
Network-Tactical
50 Summer 2008
Army ready with
next generation of
network operations
By Greg Wagner
The Army will be testing and
fielding various increments of their
flagship WIN-T program over the
next 12-to-24 months; for WIN-T
Increments 2 and beyond, this
includes an integrated Network
Operations capability. This capability
represents the next generation in
NetOps and, perhaps more significantly,
a fundamental paradigm
shift in how NetOps is accomplished
tactically. This paradigm shift is
largely driven by how the requirements
for the WIN-T Increment 2
and beyond network were written.
Rather than write specific
operational requirements against
classic network components (e.g.,
transmission, switching, network
management), the TRADOC Capabilities
Manager Network & Services
wrote a series of network-level,
performance-based requirements.
This “requirements” paradigm shift
resulted in an operational description
of how the whole network must
perform, and what the whole
network must do, rather than a
recitation of operational requirements
against specific, isolated
subsystems.
These performance-based
requirements are contained in the
WIN-T Capabilities Description
Document and the related WIN-T
Increment 2 Capabilities Production
Document. The CDD and CPD also
include five Key Performance
Parameters, which describe “musthave”
capabilities, without which
the system would not meet mission
critical functions. One of these KPPs
directly relates to NetOps (network
management in particular), and two
other KPPs indirectly involve
NetOps.
The specification of holistic,
performance-based network requirements,
coupled with three of the five
KPPs involving NetOps directly or
indirectly, requires a NetOps
materiel solution that is integrated.
WIN-T Increment 2 is fielding such a
NetOps solution. The term “integrated”
can mean many things; in
the context of WIN-T Increment 2,
integrated NetOps means integrated
with respect to the overall network,
and integrated with respect to work
flow.
WIN-T Increment 2 NetOps is
integrated with the larger network in
the sense that all aspects of the
NetOps agents and technologies are
located throughout the network and
interact with other network components
to make the automated, nearreal-time
monitoring and response
decisions required to meet the
network-level performance metrics
set forth in the CDD and CPD.
These decisions must be made in
concert with decisions made in other
network subsystems such as routing
and switching, admission control,
and transmission to yield a predictable
and guaranteed speed of service
for different types of traffic (voice,
video, data) and different traffic
importance (critical, routine, etc.) so
as to meet the commander’s priorities
for information flow. These
sorts of decisions cannot be made by
stand alone packages residing in a
central location.
WIN-T NetOps is integrated
with respect to work flow in the
sense that all aspects of the NetOps
process, from planning through
administration to monitoring and
response, are accomplished by a
single framework containing all
requisite data and functions, and