SUPPORTING APPLICATION EFFECTIVENESS IN A NETWORK ENVIRONMENT

• US 20110004686A1
• Filed: 09/14/2010
• Published: 01/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Purpura, William J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,520,503 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/16 in which the time allocation to individual channels within a transmission cycle is variable, e.g. to accommodate varying complexity of signals, to vary number of channels transmitted H04J3/17, H04J3/24 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/22 in which the sources have different rates or codes simultaneous speech and digital data or video transmission H04M11/06; see provisional also H04J3/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76

Abstract

A system for performing a mission/control application by means of an integrated application in a network-centric environment using one or more capabilities attributed to the application, with each capability being assigned one or more priorities for the application. The system may have at least one node configured to identify a change in the one or more capabilities, and to negotiate in the network-centric environment to resolve the change. The node may further be configured to negotiate until the application is provided with one or more resources resolving the change in accordance with one or more applicable priorities.

Claims

1. A system for performing a mission/control operation utilizing an integrated application in a network-centric environment requiring the availability of one or more capabilities attributed to the application, each capability assigned one or more priorities for the application, the system comprising at least one node configured to:

identify a change in the one or more capabilities; and

negotiate in the network-centric environment to resolve the change; and

the node further configured to negotiate until the application is provided with one or more resources resolving the change in accordance with one or more applicable priorities.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more capabilities is qualified by one or more performance parameters, and the at least one node is configured to negotiate to resolve the change in accordance with one or more applicable performance parameters.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more capabilities includes one or more functionality levels, and the at least one node is configured to negotiate to resolve the change in accordance with one or more applicable functionality levels.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one node is configured to modify one or more priorities to resolve the change.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more capabilities are hierarchically ordered, and the at least one node is configured to negotiate as to each of the one or more capabilities in the hierarchical order.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more capabilities include at least interoperability.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more resources comprise at least one of the following:

storage, processing, bandwidth and an input/output port.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one node is configured to modify one or more functionality levels to resolve the change.

9. A system for performing a mission/control operation by means of integrated applications in a network-centric environment, the system comprising:

a plurality of nodes having a plurality of applications;

the nodes and applications being configured with reference to a framework, the framework predefining an ordered relationship hierarchy of a plurality of network capabilities providable by applications and nodes in the environment, the hierarchy having interoperability as a base capability upon which all of the other predefined capabilities depend;

at least one node configured to;

identify a change in the one or more predefined capabilities attributed to the given application;

negotiate in the network-centric environment to resolve the change; and

the at least one node further configured to negotiate until the given application is provided with one or more resources resolving the change in accordance with one or more applicable priorities of the given application.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein each said application is attributed with one or more of the predefined capabilities, and each of the capabilities being attributed to the one given application having one or more assigned priorities.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein each of the one or more capabilities attributed to the given application is qualified by one or more performance parameters.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one node is configured to negotiate to resolve the change in accordance with one or more performance parameters applicable to the given application.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein each of the one or more capabilities attributed to the given application includes one or more functionality levels.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one node is configured to negotiate to resolve the change in accordance with one or more functionality levels applicable to the given application.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one node is configured to modify one or more priorities of the given application to resolve the change.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one node is configured to negotiate, as to each one of the one or more capabilities, in an order determined by the hierarchy.

17. A system comprising:

a network having a plurality of nodes including a plurality of applications;

the network configured such that;

a given node of the network operates to detect a change in one or more resources supporting a given application on the given node;

the plurality of nodes and applications configured in the network with reference to a framework predefining an ordered relationship hierarchy of a plurality of network capabilities providable by the applications and nodes, the hierarchy having interoperability as a base capability upon which all of the other predefined capabilities depend, and each said application attributed with one or more of the predefined capabilities;

the given node operating to test, in a first order predetermined by the hierarchy, the predefined capabilities attributed to the given application to identify an affected capability in which a change caused the detected change in the one or more resources; and

the given node healing the affected capability, the healing performed by;

the given node negotiating, in a second order determined by the hierarchy, with other nodes of the network for one or more resources to resolve the detected change;

the given node verifying, as to the attributed capabilities of the given application in the second order determined by the hierarchy, that the one or more resolving resources support the attributed capabilities, if any, of the given application that support the affected capability; and

the given node making the one or more resolving resources available to the given application.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the verifying comprises ensuring that one or more performance parameters qualifying the supporting capabilities, if any, are satisfied.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the one or more capabilities of the hierarchy include information assurance, data management, knowledge management, and collaboration in communities of interest.

20. The system of claim 17, further comprising enabling the given node to negotiate with other applications for a resolving resource;

and

wherein the first order determined by the hierarchy begins with interoperability and the second order ends with interoperability.