NASA Exploration Program - Netcentric Operations - Request for Information

[Ivancic, William D. (GRC-RCN0)]

NASA's Constellation Program has decided to implement a space-based
network centric operations architecture.    This is good.  However, the
requirements are not always well founded.  It would greatly benefit NASA
if experts in networking and security could comment - particularly on
the Command, Control, Communication and Information (C3I)
Interoperability Specification (Volume 1) and the Data Exchange Protocol
(Volume 5).

Whatever decisions are made today will affect space-communications for
the next 50 to 75 years.  Note, we are still using 1970's technology on
Shuttle and Station.  Thus, any constructive criticism will be
appreciated.

Some areas that would be good to get feedback on include:

* Starting with IPv4 rather than IPv6.  NASA has, for all
practical purposes, no IPv4 flying today, to a move to IPv6 today would
mean no transition whereas implementing IPv4 would result in a period of
transition.
* The proposed IPv4 addressing scheme.
* The call for Protocol Enhancing Proxies (PEPs).   The going in
thought is that most communication would be via UDP and even
Delay/Disruption Tolerant Network (DTN) protocols, so PEPs will not
really help.
* IPsec is the baseline security mechanism.  There are
requirements for IKE or IKEv2 for space-base systems.  IKE and IKEv2
system will not operate over unidirectional links and use a decent
amount of bandwidth to negotiate security associations.  This is
problematic over unidirectional links and for extremely low bandwidth
links such as 24 kbps, 72 kbps.
* Baseline is static routing rather than dynamic routing.  Many
within NASA believe that static routes are easier to manage than dynamic
routes.  
* Comments on protocols that may not be wise to deploy and
alternative architectures or protocols.  Of particular interest is what
will or will not operate in off-nominal situations (unidirectional
links, low bandwidth links, high delay links).  

======
NASA has issued a Request for Information (RFI) regarding the
Exploration Initiative's Constellation Program's Communications,
Command, Control and Information (C3I) activities, including

1.  Request for comments on the C3I Interoperability Specification
Volumes 1 and 5
2.  Request for information on available communications concepts and
capabilities
3.  Request for information on available commercial products for space
vehicle command and control

The RFI was released this week and can be found at the following URL.
Note that, per NASA/JSC policy, you will be prompted to request a
user-id and password so that NASA has a record of who has accessed the
documents.  This is meant to be a simple process.

http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/eps/synopsis.cgi?acqid=124099

Please note, comments should be sent to the point of contact identified
in the RFI.

******************************
Will Ivancic


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