INNOVATING TACTICAL NETWORKS: A SOFTWARE-DEFINED NETWORK APPROACH

Abstract

The current traditional network paradigm used in the Marine Corps has a demonstrated pattern of success in decades of austere environment operations. However, the adoption of a new idea to reduce time, effort, and manpower related to the installation, operation, and maintenance of tactical networks that simultaneously improves current network capability and capacity is attractive. That new idea is software-defined networks. Three primary keys will encourage the Marine Corps to embrace this new network technology: it must work with current network inventory, it must be capable of maintaining current configuration standards, and it must have the potential to greatly improve upon the current network model. On a physical test bed, this work seeks to evaluate all three requirements. Working topologies that consist of both software-defined and traditional network elements seamlessly connect to create a hybrid solution with near-term relevance. Then, the effective inclusion of virtual local area networks and access control lists on software-defined switches validate the ability to maintain current configuration standards. Lastly, instances of scripted configuration, resident topology constructs, and local central configuration tools show the automation potential of software-defined networks.