Army network gets some PEP
The Army and General Dynamics C4
Systems have awarded a contract to Expand Networks Inc. for
incorporation of wide-area network optimization technology into the
Army’s network.
WAN optimization devices, also known as performance enhancing
proxies (PEPs), perform a variety of functions to accelerate
application performance, increase throughput and reduce the amount
of data sent over a network. PEPs are especially useful in wireless
or satellite environments where latency may be high or bandwidth
low.
The Army will deploy the technology on its Warfighter
Information Network–Tactical (WIN-T), a mobile environment
where ad hoc communication links are frequently set up and torn
down. The network connects warfighters on the ground to the Defense
Department’s Global Information Grid (GIG). The PEP
technology will maximize the efficiency of data transfer and
enhance application performance for warfighters on the move.
Although PEP devices are often deployed as off-the-shelf
appliances, the Army will license Expand Networks’
Accelerator Operating System and integrate it directly into blades
in the WIN-T platform. Although most WAN optimization technology
focuses on accelerating Transmission Control Protocol applications,
the Expand technology will work with Army applications and systems
that use Space Communications Protocol Standard, a modification of
TCP optimized for high-latency satellite links.
About the Author
Dan Campbell is a freelance writer with Government Computer News and the president of Millennia Systems Inc.