1. Software Communication Architecture Compliant Software Defined Radios
“all the world’s a network and its people are merely nodes…”
S. Murat Bicer
Dr. Jeffrey E. Smith
Mercury Computer Systems, Inc.
HPEC – September 2002

2. Agenda
Last year’s summary of Software Defined Radio (SDR) and Software Communications Architecture (SCA)
SCA current standing
JTRS position
Roadmap
OMG progress to date
SDRF activities
SCA reference implementation
SDR/SCA demonstration
November goals
Architecture
Future work
Summary

3. Last Year’s SDR and SCA Summary
Described SCA
Definition
Motivation
Goals
Programming methodology
Architecture
Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) SDR/SCA requirements
Relation to Object Management Group (OMG) and its many standards; and the Software Defined Radio Forum (SDRF)
Described overlap between SCA/SDR goals and high-performance embedded computing

4. Agenda Last year’s SDR and SCA summary SCA current standing
JTRS position
Roadmap
OMG progress to date
SDRF activities
SCA reference implementation
SDR/SCA demonstration
November goals
Architecture
Future work
Summary

5. JTRS Position

6. Roadmap 4/1/02 11/02 4/03 7/03 10/27/02 1/6/03 5/12/03 9/03 8/25/02
LOI to submit RFP due
Revised submission due
Initial submission due
BOD vote to adopt spec
Candidate RFI/RFP/RFC
Embedded system distributed component framework (D&C, file services, devices, domain mgt.)
Radio components interfaces (SW radio RFP, radio devices, system apps and DM)
Lightweight services (excluding logging – naming, event, timer, notification)
Lightweight log service RFC
Light CCM RFP (deployment, min. set of capability)
4/1/02
11/02
4/03
7/03
10/27/02
1/6/03
5/12/03
9/03
8/25/02
10/18/02
6/28/02
vote issue
9/25/02
comments
N/A
11/03
2/18/03
3/3/03
8/03
NEY
NEY = Not established yet

7. OMG Progress to Date
Approved software radio and lightweight services request for proposals (RFPs)
Lightweight logging request for comments (RFCs) in comment period
Deployment and configuration initial submission
Lightweight services initial submission and lightweight CORBA component model (CCM) RFP in work
Published SCA platform independent model (PIM) on swradio.omg.org
Coordinated with SWR Forum (SDRF)

8. SDRF Activities
Definition and development of hardware abstraction layer (HAL)
Research on the applicability of Mercury’s FPGA architecture/ middleware as a submission to SDRF
Requirements for radio software download for RF reconfiguration
Canadian Research Center (CRC) SCARI project oversight

9. Agenda Last year’s SDR and SCA summary SCA current standing
JTRS position
Roadmap
OMG progress to date
SDRF activities
SCA reference implementation
SDR/SCA demonstration
November goals
Architecture
Future work
Summary

10. SCA Reference Implementation
A proof-of-concept SCA reference implementation to explore advantages and difficulties
Reusable SCA core framework (CF) implementation code
A platform specific model (PSM) for OMG SCA platform independent model (PIM)
A minimum-SCA definition
Platforms:
x86 PC w/ WindowsNT
4-node Mercury computer w/ WindowsNT runtime host
Sun Blade 100 w/ Solaris
Tools used:
Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0, g++, ccmc++
OIS ORBexpress, ACE/TAO, SCE
Rational Rose

11. SCA Reference Implementation

12. Mercury’s SCA CF Implements the basic behavior defined in SCA
Provides the building blocks for SCA-compatible radios
CF is compiled as a DLL
Waveform developers implement their waveforms as SCA “applications”
Components of these waveforms inherit the CF components and use the CF DLL
CF DomainManager is used to install these waveform applications
The new CF does not use fat binaries to load waveform applications

13. Creating Applications
UI asks for all ApplicationFactory(s)
Application to instantiate is chosen
UI issues create( ) on ApplicationFactory
ApplicationFactory determines applicable device(s) on which to load application code defined in Domain Profile
ApplicationFactory
~~~~~ ~~
~~~
XML
Files
~~~~
Domain Profile
Device
load/execute,
allocate capacities
Bring resources
into existence on
physical devices
Resource(s) bring port(s) into existence
connects
resource ports
ApplicationFactory connects the port(s) to form application
Application developers provide implementations of the base application interfaces in their applications, using the framework control and framework services interfaces as needed and describe their application with a software profile.
Core application services developers provide the framework control and framework services interfaces and process the domain profile DTDs.
Resource 2 1 3
Physical Device 1
Physical Device 2
Resources are then configured, initialized, and started

14. Agenda Last year’s SDR and SCA summary SCA current standing
JTRS position
Roadmap
OMG progress to date
SDRF activities
SCA reference implementation
SDR/SCA demonstration
November goals
Architecture
Future work
Summary

15. November Goals
Demo FM3TR, WCDMA component and reconfigurability and waveform interoperability on multiple platforms and varying scalability.
Minimal SCA compliant, working with “average” of existing open reference implementations, OMG SDR PIM, and DTKs.
Call FPGA and software components from same middleware complying with SCA interfaces. Same infrastructure will scale and take advantage of low-level infrastructure (where it exists) e.g. data reorg, PAS, MPI, …
Integrate (W)RDL as part of infrastructure and demo to show positioning of happy co-existence.

16. Demo Architecture Noise GUI Record Adapter Encode CVSD Encode FM3TR
TCP DX
PAS
PAS
CFP
GUI
Record
Adapter
Encode
CVSD
Encode
FM3TR
MSK
Mod. +
DUC
D/A
I/F FH
Next freq hop
CFP
TCP DX
PAS
PAS
Playback
Adapter
Decode
CVSD
Decode
FM3TR
MSK
Demod
Symbol
Synch
DDC
A/D
I/F FH
Next tune freq
Rate
Converter
Encode
WCDMA
Vocoder
SW DUC
D/A
I/F

17. November Demo Two versions Two versions will merge in the future
SCA – Win 2k, ACE/TAO CORBA
SCA/SCE – heterogeneous hardware
Two versions will merge in the future
Three waveforms on both SCA platforms
FM3TR (Future Multi-Band Multi-Waveform Modular Tactical Radio)
SSB (Single Sideband)
WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access)
For all waveforms, digital domain signals are converted to analog signals in the IF stage

18. November Demo SCA – Win 2k SCA/SCE Implements a subset of SCA
Component reconfigurability
Waveform interoperability
Domain manager
Uses CORBA for command and control
Uses C++ streams for communications between components
SCA/SCE
Implements a different subset of SCA
Scalable over heterogeneous processing elements
E.g., Pentiums, G4s, FPGAs
Provides seamless communication structure for stream applications

19. November Demo (continued)
Interoperability of waveforms
Demodulating an FM3TR waveform
Transmitting it as a WCDMA waveform
Reconfigurability in component level
Deploying software resources on different hardware platforms
Software DUC, FPGA DUC, etc..
Reconfigurability in application level
Loading new waveforms on air
Changing waveforms on air

20. Agenda Last year’s SDR and SCA summary SCA current standing
JTRS position
Roadmap
OMG progress to date
SDRF activities
SCA reference implementation
SDR/SCA demonstration
November goals
Architecture
Future work
Summary

21. Future Work
Work on OMG, SDRF, and JTRS Technology Laboratory (JTeL) as a part of Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) contract (3 years)
Extend demo to SIGINT applications
Productize middleware
Extend SCA CF
Work with JTeL on SCA compliance (provide reference SCA implementation)
Work with (W)RDL vendors of role of their technology with SCA

22. Summary An OMG version of the JTRS SCA is being developed
Ongoing SDRF activities
An SCA CF reference implementation has been developed
A demo will be used to show SCA
Compliance
Interoperability
Reconfigurability