Upgrading automated communications control systems.

Today's communications system of the RF Armed Forces and its subsystems (the controlled communications net--CCN--and the communications control system) are deployed on RF land and sea areas and above them, in the air and outer space.

Communications control centers interact with centers of control systems of combined units and large strategic formations of the RF Defense Ministry, the RF State Net and the nets of other ministries and agencies of the RF deployed in respective regions.

The time needed to solve problems and implement the results obtained specified by the documents is in double-digit minutes. To make communications stable, there are multiple backups of channels, which makes the communications system much costlier and reduces the utilization of channels factor. This contradiction between the required stability of the system and its cost can be eased to a considerable extent through automating the communications control system.

By now, there have been developed and introduced complexes of an automated communications control system (ACCS) of first and second generations. They, however, have considerable drawbacks:

* Owing to the absence of an automated "communications facility-computer" interface, the solving of any problem has to be initiated by assigned personnel;

* Data on CCN contained in databases of ACCS control centers reflect only the content of some documents related to signal communications plan;

* Interaction between complexes of automation facilities of various ACCS subsystems is organized via the assigned personnel.

The above drawbacks may cause, first, considerable interruptions in communication; second, the results of estimating the status of CCN are as a rule at variance with its actual status; third, deciding in real time on the way to restore communications and redistribute communications resources is practically impossible; fourth, it is rather hard to organize interaction between various functional ACCS subsystems. These drawbacks can be eliminated through the introduction of a third-generation ACCS the research for which has been going on since the late 1980s.

The accepted guidelines for the creation and upgrading third-generation ACCS consist in achieving an information and logical unity of its subsystems, as well as increasing stability and effectiveness of functioning.

The above ACCS is based on the principles of an integral system and superimposing its functional subsystems with the possibility of changing the control loop and dimensions of the controlled section of the net. Integrity is ensured through the use of interrelated algorithms of centralized distribution and redistribution of CCN resources and automation of the "bottom-to-top" communications control system.

Standard characteristics of the complex of automation facilities (CAF) are determined using specially developed methods that take into account the main peculiarities of the CCN and the communications control system. The CAF is constructed on the principle of a basic system and consists of computer hardware with a standard set of programs and a database; inputs; displays; agents; a data transmission net.

ACCS agents are microprocessors embedded in communications facilities, automated channel (path, line) distributing frames with local or remote control that help change modes of operation and utilization of communications facilities. CAF controlling secondary nets use agents that, under certain circumstances, change the flow intensity of incoming calls.

The ACCS data transmission net is constructed on the basis of dedicated channels. In some cases it is possible to use channels of secondary controlled nets. Data are transmitted across the data transmission net in one-address, multi-address and circulation modes.

There exist operational and design specifications of facilities that control communications facilities and complexes of facilities to guide work related to automation of the "communications facility-computer" interface. It is considered that these facilities should enable the use of manual, automated and automatic control. With this in mind, rules have been developed of designating the objects of accounting, forms of data representation and general structural diagrams of the data and measuring channels. The installation of the interface eliminates the main drawbacks of the second-generation ACCS and makes it possible to simplify the structure of the communications control system of an object by reorganizing the numerous group of members of duty teams of signal centers into a centralized group of high proficiency-rated specialists who operate and maintain communications facilities of communications centers. Thus the number of communications centers and personnel can be cut by half or two thirds.

Third-generation ACCS net algorithms (the software subsystem) will make it possible to adopt automated control of communications in other control echelons of the Armed Forces and resources of the communication nets of other agencies.

Models of a communication net for efficient control of communications and the structure of data in the complex of ACCS automation facilities are developed on the supposition that the "communications facility-computer" interface is automated. Two basic models have been developed in accordance to the CCN designation.

The first basic model (communications net graph) takes into account the following structural properties.

* First. Two communications facilities can be linked with each other by only one line (landline communications facility or an electric signal propagation medium).

* Second. Many of the objects comprising communications line paths, communications routes and channels are unique.

* Third. The communications layout diagram has a permanent and changeable parts, but the changing of switching patterns is based on using permanent rules.

* Fourth. The "Normal," "Alert" and "Emergency" status of any facility can change randomly regardless of the status of the other communications facilities, but the objects of control of other classes (for example, directions of communication) are, as a rule, correlated with the status of the communications facilities and between themselves.

The second basic model (secondary nets resources graph) takes into account limits imposed on the redistribution of communications resources between secondary nets.

We assume that the essence of efficient control of communications is comprised of decisions made by the operations duty communications control center (CCC) and actions by members of duty teams of the signal centers who change the status and/or the switching pattern. The outlined assumptions together with the basic models have been accepted as input data for developing particular (predictive) models needed to perform communications control tasks.

The structures of data on the object of control (OC) and the objective of control developed today (see Fig.) take into account all peculiarities of CCN and processes of communications control and simplify the initial preparation and updating of databases of the communications control system centers.

The controlled communications net can store about five gigabytes. Roughly 80 percent of these data, however, can be stored in CAF peripherals and databases of centers that control primary and secondary nets (local databases). For example, data on status criteria of communications facilities, channels and line paths are advisable to store in ACCS agents (providers of data) embedded in channel-forming and switching facilities, as well as data on sectors of the primary and secondary nets should be stored in databases of control centers of these nets. The central database and local databases of one object and a signal center form its distributed database.

[FIGURE OMITTED]

The size of the central database can be additionally reduced by a factor of seven or eight by two methods.

* First, by replacing data on the object of control on levels one through four with programs of synthesis of these data, specifically: the data on paths of the communications channels and line routes should be replaced with a program of synthesis of bipolar nets without bypasses; data on structures of communications and sectors of primary and secondary nets and on combined sector lines of communication, with programs of synthesis of the bipolar nets with bypasses.

* Second, by replacing, on the same levels of the communications control system, data on net coordinates of objects of control with a program synthesizing the communication net structure. This would reduce the size of the central database to no more than 120 megabytes.

Databases should be compiled in accordance with a special method and in the form of a technical standards document. The main sections in it are: a description of the CCN model; a plan showing the division of objects of control in accordance with the levels of the communications control system; a system assigning names of objects and control tasks; forms of input and output documents for the assigned personnel's work with the database; priorities of ACCS tasks with regard to each other; criteria of changing the status of objects of control; a standard sample. It is easy to see that the document is in essence an assignment to develop special software for third-generation ACCS. All solutions should be tested on a simulation facility. Incoming data on CCN is entered in the database in a center for the operation of software and dataware and the preparation of databases.

The many standard characteristics developed so far of the third-generation ACCS and its CAF represent two technical standards documents. Both documents classify the systems and complexes of control according to their belonging with echelons and levels of the communications control system in every echelon and also in accordance with the mobility criterion. The structures of general specifications ACCS and its CAF should meet are mainly identical. There are specially developed methods to substantiate the values of specifications.

Additional costs of developing a third-generation ACCS, including organization of a center for the operation of software and dataware and the preparation of databases and automation of the "communications facility-computer" interface are offset by a considerably more efficient performance of the communications net. Studies carried out so far give grounds to say that the probability-temporal CCN characteristics will improve five to eight times with the adoption of third-generation ACCS. The costs of achieving the same result can be four or five times higher if we use some other methods and keep second-generation ACCS. Furthermore, third-generation ACCS would not call for further modifying them to conform to newly adopted information technology.

A.V. SHURMIN

Candidate of Technical Sciences