Tactical Wireless Communications and Networks: Design Concepts and Challenges

7.4 Software Communications Architecture (SCA)

SCA's intended goal is to provide architecture for the deployment, management, interconnection, and intercommunication of software components in embedded, distributed-computing communication systems. SPR developers, following this approach, should maximize software application portability, reusability, and scalability. There are many definitions of a SPR; the JTRS program defines it as:

A radio or a communication system whose output signal is determined by software and the output is entirely reconfigurable at any given time, within the limits of the radio or system hardware capabilities (e.g. processing elements, power amplifiers, antennas, etc.) by loading new software as required by the user.

This new software is referred to as “waveform software” or simply as the “waveform.” Thus, a radio is capable of multiple mode operations (including variable signal formatting, data rates, and bandwidths) within a single hardware configuration. Multichannel configuration can thus provide simultaneous multimode operation. Achieving this SPR capability is dependent on the ability to select and configure the appropriate hardware that supports the software required for a specific system. The selection of hardware elements is not solely based on the input/output (I/O) devices of the communication system (analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), power amplifiers, etc.), but also on the processing capabilities of the elements. An element can be a general ...