Performance improvements to NETCONF for airborne tactical networks

Network configuration (NETCONF) is a widely used protocol to deploy configuration of network devices. NETCONF uses different transport layer protocols like secure shell (SSH), simple object access protocol (SOAP), or blocks extensible exchange protocol (BEEP) (IETF RFCs 4742 through 4744), and assumes availability of a high bandwidth network for successful configuration deployment. In a dynamic MANET tactical edge network consisting of fast-moving aircraft and terrain obscuration, conditions exist where traditional NETCONF may be less effective and eventually fails to provide guaranteed services to the war fighter. In this paper, we will look at the performance of NETCONF in a limited bandwidth constrained environment with periods of high packet loss. We will also consider the performance effect of using other compression algorithms and binary XML to reduce the amount of configuration data that is sent. Finally, we will study the usage of UDP-based NETCONF transport to improve the performance of NETCONF. By using UDP, data can be delivered more quickly than in a TCP-based transport. The performance analysis of such an airborne network as applied to different tactical scenarios with hundreds of assets will be accomplished through simulation.