Consolidated tactical network analysis for optimizing bandwidth Marine Corps Support Wide Area Network (SWAN) and TCP accelerators

Abstract

In 2004, the Support Wide Area Network (SWAN) system added significant capability to the way Marines communicate on the battlefield. Today, the SWAN system is still a critical segment in Marine communications and the TCP accelerator is being evaluated for a potential upgrade. Due to the rapid nature of the SWAN procurement process, in-depth testing procedures have never been established for this system. As a result, there are no procedures to effectively test and evaluate SWAN components for equipment upgrade. Currently, MCSC relies on two IT consulting agencies, the U.S. Army Information Systems Engineering Command and the SWAN lab on Camp Pendleton to evaluate components being considered for upgrade. This thesis explores these testing approaches, specifically addressing the TCP accelerator. It also evaluates the testing efforts and combines them into a single, standardized, repeatable and more accurate test that can be applied to the SWAN system or any other tactical Marine Corps network and their components.