For the warfighter, communication no longer means two-way radios and semaphore; a global military requires global, on-demand communications, from HD video feeds and Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) to simpler services like email. But this enhanced need for digital communication means more strain on communication networks, especially at forward operating bases and other locations in theater. So how can the modern warfighter leverage the latest in communications without completely overrunning the network? The answer lies in implementing Quality of Service by utilizing technology as old as IP itself: the rarely used Differential Service Code Points (DSCP) bits that are included in every IP packet header.

In the not-so-distant past, U.S. military forces relied on relatively simplistic tools to communicate with soldiers in the field, from two-way radios to semaphore and signal flares. But with inevitable technological advancements and the need for an increasingly global military reach, simplicity in communications has quickly become a thing of the past.

Advanced communications are necessary, given a constantly evolving theater of operations and the global scale on which the U.S. military must operate. With Voice-Over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) calling, email, Web conferencing, and even streaming High-Definition (HD) video, warfighters in-theater can remain in constant contact with command, whether it be a hardened headquarters in Kabul or a base in the continental United States.

Advanced comms also mean advanced problems, resulting from the complexities inherent in managing high-bandwidth technologies, like video. Ultimately, the connected warfighter faces three key challenges in keeping communications open:

· Managing high-bandwidth applications, like HD video feeds from drones or warfighter-mounted cameras

· Remaining connected while on the move

· Ensuring that critical information makes it to the right organizations at the right time

Out of these three challenges, the first and last can cause the most trouble during the average deployment, requiring specialized strategies to combat. The second roadblock is being met by the Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (WIN-T) Increment 2, which provides deployed military companies with highly portable, self-contained Local Area Networks (LANs) complete with a ready-to-use satellite uplink for external communications over the Secure Internet Protocol Router Network (SIPRNet). This means that the connectivity is there for the warfighter, but real-time communications might not be, thanks to the other issues standing in the way. By implementing Quality of Service (QoS) on the most congested links, network engineers will help ensure that the most critical data gets through (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Screenshot from network monitoring tool that shows how much traffic is flowing in each of three different QoS levels on a single router interface. This image shows that traffic picks up after 6 a.m. and that the volume of traffic is fairly evenly split among the three QoS levels.

Controlling the data tide

Remotely Piloted Vehicles (RPVs) or drones have become an integral component of U.S. military operations overseas. Beyond the obvious combat benefits of an ever-present weapon in the sky, drones provide critical intelligence about enemy movement, green/blue troop locations, and even weather updates. All RPVs are equipped with real-time HD video cameras, allowing for instantaneous updates on combat operations both in-theater and back in the U.S.

While incredibly useful for command-and-control, HD video, especially streaming HD video, can wreak havoc on communications networks. Many FOBs rely on low-bandwidth satellite uplinks, primarily WIN-T Increment 2, which provide connectivity but can be easily bogged down by high-bandwidth applications like streaming HD video. As a slow uplink struggles to handle the massive amount of data required by the video feed, all other communications grind to a halt, from emails to VoIP calls, potentially creating a communications meltdown that could lead to lost intelligence or even lost assets.

‘Critical’ doesn’t mean ‘Wait awhile’

Compounding the challenge of capacity is the issue of lost information. When a network is over-capacity – be it from an HD video feed, a low-bandwidth uplink, or simply a massive amount of standard VoIP calls and email – data packets will be dropped during the wait for transmission, and depending on which data packets are dropped, can lead to corrupted intelligence or data that is lost completely.

What warfighters in-theater need is a way to tell their networks how to prioritize data, as the busiest and most congested links often have to choose which data packets to drop. Configuring network routers to make intelligent, mission-aligned decisions about which information to drop when congested helps ensure that critical information flows uninterrupted. To gain this capability, Quality of Service (QoS) can be implemented on routers that will make these crucial decisions, most commonly by leveraging the Differential Service Code Points (DSCP) bits inherent to the IP protocol.

Decades ago, the engineers building the IP protocol, with the backing of DARPA, recognized that the ability to set communications priority would be needed and built in prioritization of data packets with the DSCP bits. As such, most QoS implementations leverage these bits to discern the importance or order of data transmission over IP.

Clearing the lines

DSCP is implemented as seven bits (zero or one) within an IP packet header. These bits specify the relative importance of that packet, allowing routers to decide which packets are most critical and which can be dropped if congestion occurs. Essentially, the DSCP bits can be thought of as the exclamation point marker on an email, in terms of getting the attention of a router or network switch.

Typically, these markers are ignored by most hardware and software networking technologies – unless QoS settings are activated. Despite the little-used nature, many IP-enabled devices – from switches and routers to software-based networking products – have QoS settings, although the ease-of-use varies wildly. While it sounds as simple as flipping a switch on a router, the truth is that enabling QoS, especially in-theater, is far more complex than it seems.

First, a policy decision must be made about which applications are most mission-critical, with the corresponding DSCP settings assigned to them. Then, the routers must be configured to understand the intent of the policy decisions and go through rigorous testing and validation to ensure that the application’s DSCP markers and the router’s QoS settings are working as intended. Once tested and approved, it’s time for rollout.

On some network devices, enabling QoS is as simple as flipping a soft-switch or checking a few options on a user interface. This is not, however, a universal fact; Some pieces of hardware require fairly complex commands to enable QoS – a skill that is typically not found in deployed companies. With this in mind, it’s important for U.S. forces to have configuration tools that can manage these complex tasks through automating QoS setup.

Configuration tools, like SolarWinds’ Network Configuration Manager (NCM), can automatically configure QoS settings (and others) on routers and help warfighters implement the QoS policies that define how “critical” each message is, be it email, VoIP, or video feeds. These solutions can push out the changes to appropriate network devices, ensuring that all routers, switches, and other devices maintain the same QoS settings.

Beyond router configuration, it is also important to monitor when routers drop packets because of QoS settings and which applications are affected (Figure 2). This is where network traffic monitoring tools come into play, as many not only monitor routers but also the QoS activity on specific devices, including:

· When QoS is dropping packets

· Which DSCP settings are having packets dropped

· How much data in total is being dropped

Figure 2: Screenshot showing when QoS policy on the router interface is dropping data, how much data is being dropped, and the QoS class that is being affected. This screenshot shows only a single QoS level has had dropped packets since midnight.

Flexibility within these tools cannot be overstated, since QoS needs are not static. As the goals/mission of a deployment change, so must the information that is relayed via network communications. Video might be of critical importance one day, while email or VoIP calls might be a high-priority import the next. Tools like NCM and network traffic monitors help warfighters manage these changing needs by allowing easy changes to be made to QoS settings on multiple routers and enabling visibility into which data is being dropped and when.

Two-way communications

Ultimately, it’s no longer about warfighters being in touch with commanders – that’s a given in today’s military. Instead, the onus is on providing actionable intelligence, and this new necessity makes the management of comms networks a priority for the modern warfighter, whether it’s controlling bandwidth for HD drone feeds, getting critical data through the lines, or just ensuring that commanding officers can have a conference call without dropped calls. The age of one-way radio communications is over; complex global challenges mean complex communications needs, which warfighters can meet through proper implementation of QoS and careful management of network resources.

Ed Bender is Lead Federal Systems Engineer at SolarWinds, a provider of IT management software. With more than 20 years of experience in the federal IT world, Ed focuses on helping civilian and military agencies leverage IT management tools and strategies to enhance overall productivity. His experiences in federal IT also include application security, systems optimization, and supercomputer operations. Ed can be reached at [email protected].

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