Running norBMS over virtual radios

Abstract

The Norwegian Army is dependent on radios for command and control on the tactical operating field. A radio network emulator that assists in training of the personnel and in testing new computer applications before deployment, may increase the efficiency and the reliability on the operating field. Using the Extendable Mobile Ad-hoc Emulator (EMANE) open source framework, we developed a virtual radio network that is able to serve IP traffic from real applications in real-time. The virtual radio implemented is a typical military long-range narrowband radio. The network emulator, implemented on a Linux server with a large number of processors, simulates up to 99 radio nodes and provides a standard IP interface to external terminals. This document outlines the software architecture and the services provided by the emulator.