A Processing Architecture for Survivable Command, Control, and Communications

Internetwork operating systems and distributed database-management systems hold promise for solving many of the critical requirements associated with "survivable" Command, Control, and Communications (C³). These requirements include automated resource and process management, name and location transparency, processing-resource heterogeneity accommodation, availability, reliability, and consistency of distributed and replicated databases. This paper presents work in progress on distributed-systems technologies needed for survivable C³ systems. A processing architecture developed by SRI International that results in C³ systems considered to be "survivable" is described. The design and implementation of a prototype distributed system based on this architecture at SRI International for the joint ArmyIDARPA Distributed Communications/Processing Experiment (ADDCOMPE) program is described. Finally, the implications of this prototype for future research are discussed.