Design and Development of a Computer-Based Message Transfer System for the Air Force Logistics Command Packet Radio Network

Abstract

The Air Force Logistics Command Packet Radio Network (PRN) is a specialized communications network that enables communication between eight logistics command centers throughout the continental United States. The PRN communications by transferring a message from a microcomputer onto a broadcast radio channel. This thesis effort designs, and partially develops the design for, a computer-based message transfer system that operates the PRN. First, system requirements are established, a logical system model is constructed, and validation tests are detailed. The computer-based message transfer system has two fundamental requirements--that it be easy to use and that it provide automatic routing through the network. Next, the design is built supporting a hierarchical program structure, modularity and information hiding. After the computer code, detailed by design, is written, it is tested. Testing involves a comparison of the validation tests detailed earlier with the computer program's operation. The results show that this thesis effort resulted in an operational computer-based message system for the PRN that satisfies the two fundamental requirements of ease of use and automatic routing.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 1988
Accession Number
ADA202571

Entities

People

  • William J. Taris

Organizations

  • Air Force Institute of Technology

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Beta Testing
  • C Programming Language
  • Classification
  • Command Centers
  • Computer Programming
  • Computer Programs
  • Computers
  • Lists (Data Structures)
  • Logistics
  • Multiple Access
  • Operating Systems
  • Personal Computers
  • Software Testing
  • United States
  • Validation
  • Verification Tests

Fields of Study

  • Computer science

Readers

  • Computer Networking
  • Computer Science.
  • Software Engineering