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Digital IF
On-Ramp to the Ground Station in the Cloud
 Bridging the Gap between RF and IP
The satellite industry is in the midst of dramatic within each are several significant technical With Digital IF, antennas can be placed at the
change much of it centered on the ground - not hurdles such as timing, network latency and optimal location based on costs, real estate
just in space. As the world has broadly embraced jitter, error correction and more. availability and signal reception. This placement
IP technology for communications and other can be independent of the signal processing,
applications, including a paradigm shift to cloud What is RF over IP? occurring anywhere, at any distance from
and virtual platforms - the space industry has Digital IF (Intermediate Frequency) is a the antenna. In this way Digital IF can move
been slower to integrate this trend due to the technology that extends the transport of analog digitalized spectrum deterministically anywhere
physics challenges of analog RF technologies IF data to IP-based networks. Also referred to over an IP network, and reconstruct it at its
and managing real-time data flow across IP as “RF over IP,” “Packetized IF” and “IF over destination for processing by either digital or
networks. IP,” Digital IF has the potential to provide analog equipment. This can occur with minimal
much needed flexibility in ground station added latency and no lost data while being
Fortunately, progress has been made moving architectures and enable the RF-to-IP business agnostic to the spectral content.
some satellite management software to virtual and technology cases. The ability to digitize
machines, but the vision of a fully enabled and transport RF signals in real-time without Kratos, a leader in ground segment solutions,
virtual ground station has proved elusive. data loss effectively removes the limitations has solved the underlying technical challenges
The first central challenge is how to reliably, of distance and signal degradation imposed by of Digital IF as well as the reliable transport
confidently and securely assure the conversion analog RF. This has been one of the greatest and reconstruction of signals with a pair
of RF waveforms into IP data without loss hurdles facing operators trying to maximize of complementary products that enable a
of quality. The second challenge is how to their infrastructure investments and capitalize major advance in ground station operations.
manage the distribution of this real-time data on the latest technologies, whether that’s moving SpectralNet® and DataDefender™ do more than
across IP networks and into cloud and virtual ground systems to the cloud, centralizing (or just enable virtual ground station operations, they
environments. These challenges are more than decentralizing) operations or trying to avoid also solve a variety of related challenges for satellite
a simple digitization problem because hidden service interruptions caused by rain fade. operators, such as site diversity, centralization,

1 - Digital IF - On Ramp to the Ground Station in the Cloud

responsive disaster recovery and even rain fade 3. TCP’s use of the “slow start” algorithm
mitigation. As a result, Digital IF has emerged as a gradually increases the amount of data
viable solution for satellite, teleport and network transmitted until it finds the network’s
operators seeking to assure mission performance, maximum carrying capacity. This means
increase service levels and reduce infrastructure that it may take several seconds for the
costs. link utilization to build up to the available
bandwidth.
Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)-based sensor
Overcoming Limitations of TCP/IP
data streams. Whether on private networks or
One key challenge facing operators is how to Unfortunately, traditional Forward Error
the public Internet, TCP and User Datagram
get their RF signals into the private or public Correction (FEC) codes, such as Reed-Solomon,
Protocol (UDP) impairments can temporarily
cloud with confidence. While this seems provide no protection against IP data loss. If a bit
increase latencies by more than a second. Packet
straightforward, an integrated approach is needed error occurs within a packet, the IP checksum
re-ordering rates can temporarily exceed 1.0E-
that both converts RF signals into standard fails and the entire packet is lost, providing no
3 and deliver packets hundreds of milliseconds
IP streams, and also reliably transports and opportunity for the user’s FEC algorithm to
later than expected. At times, loss rates may
guarantees this IP traffic reaches its destination. repair it. As a result, error correction must be
exceed 1.0E-2 and the link can experience short-
These tasks are closely aligned and therefore performed at the packet level.
term outages of several seconds.
an end-to-end solution that includes RF to IP
convergence, packet loss mitigation and successful
In addition, TCP was designed to provide
A Better Way with SpectralNet
transport over typically impaired network links Due to recent technological advancements,
guaranteed delivery over IP networks through
for processing in the cloud is necessary. The TCP/IP has now become a viable solution for
retransmission. Until now it has rarely been used
reliability of the Transmission Control Protocol/ the deterministic and low-latency requirements
for real-time networks for the following reasons:
Internet Protocol (TCP/ IP) is well-known, but of Digital IF. Digital IF schemes overcome
due to its packet-based nature until now has not packet loss problems by enabling the accurate
1. TCP’s retransmission mechanism and
been well suited for long-distance, real-time regeneration of the analog spectrum at its
Congestion Avoidance (CA) algorithms
Digital IF transmission. destination. SpectralNet uses an algorithm
add excessive worst-case latencies to the
called Packet Forward Error Correction
network. In practice, a receive side must
For one thing, IP packets aren’t always received (P-FEC), which treats successive packets in a
maintain a buffer - an order of magnitude
in the same order as they were sent. They can be digital IF data stream as data elements subject
larger than the Round-Trip Time (RTT) -
delayed by network traffic and lost or discarded to loss/repair. If a packet is lost, the error-
to ensure the connection doesn’t slow to a
when the disordered packets are reassembled at correcting code information available in nearby
stop.
the destination. RF signal processing equipment, packets allows the reconstruction of the lost
2. The CA algorithms employed by TCP can
on the other hand, requires packets to be received data, just as a traditional error correction code
interact poorly with long-haul network
in order and without delays and be complete, can reconstruct lost bits from nearby encoded
links and result in TCP utilizing much less
otherwise modem time-outs, reboots and received bits. This allows the P-FEC method
than the available link bandwidth.
transmission failures occur.

Impaired links are a common problem in IP

networks and can cause packet loss, packet
delays, jitter, packet duplication, packet
corruption and can significantly degrade the
performance of Wide Area Networks (WAN).
For example, streaming data, especially at
medium to high rates, are often impaired due
to TCP/IP’s inability to fix the problems listed
above while simultaneously delivering the
data consistently at the required rate of speed.
Applications that require consistent, low-latency,
guaranteed packet delivery include satellite and SpectralNet Narrowband displays the RF stream it has received for transport and/or the transmitted RF stream it
has regenerated from the transport.

Digital IF - On Ramp to the Ground Station in the Cloud - 2

 moving digitalized spectrum deterministically
anywhere over an IP network via techniques
such as precision time reference algorithms and
Packet Forward Error Correction (P-FEC).
SpectralNet preserves both frequency and
timing characteristics, so the original signals and
data can be recorded, broadcast or processed in
the cloud and, if needed, reconstructed at any
destination for analog processing.

To help minimize the impact of its network

loading, SpectralNet allows the desired
SpectralNet Wideband dashboard displays spectrum from a VITA 49 stream, the RF signals of the IP streams, and
the overall health status of the unit. signal center frequency and instantaneous
capture bandwidth to be sub-band tuned
to improve the effective data rate greatly over number of sample bits set per A/D sample. from the input RF spectrum source so that
straight UDP, without incurring the two-way For example, a 10-20x factor is applied to the no unneeded data (i.e., unoccupied noise
traffic impacts and high latency associated capture bandwidth in MHz when determining floor region) is sent over the network. This
with TCP/IP protocol. SpectralNet’s P-FEC the resulting network throughput requirements spectral channel capability also allows multiple
algorithm has operationally proven that lossless, in Mbps. Therefore 40 MHz of RF bandwidth signals of interest to be selectively tuned and
low-latency transport of packetized IF data is requires 400-800 Mbs per second of transport distributed to different destinations for either
feasible even in the presence of severe burst bandwidth. digital or analog processing. The bit resolution
packet losses. setting of the A/D sampler is also adjustable
SpectralNet is a network gateway solution that from 4-12 bits to optimize the network
Legacy satellite ground systems have typically provides time deterministic data transport and loading while preserving signal integrity for
been co-located, with data timing being very minimal latency over IP network protocols. modem processing. By bringing RF data into
well defined and understood. In the new IP As shown in Figure 1, Digital IF provides a the IP network environment, SpectralNet
centric world, systems can be decentralized. viable, reliable and cost-effective solution for enables processing with less expensive, more
However, for IP based systems to operate,
timing across disaggregated networks needs to The Road to Ground Stations in the Cloud
be tightly managed. SpectralNet also leverages
According to Gartner, the worldwide public cloud services market is expected to grow at
precision time references at either end of the
18% per year and will be a $300 billion business by 2021. This reflects a continued shift away
link as well as data handling algorithms to ensure
from legacy IT services to cloud-based systems. Cloud computing’s promise is the effective
accurate time-release of data to its output D/A outsourcing of hosting and maintaining software applications, data and even operating
converters. This allows modulation and coding systems, while harnessing the power of greater computing power than a given enterprise
schemes that rely on precise timing, such as would be justified in maintaining itself. This enables organizations to transition from a rigid
TDMA and frequency-hopping waveforms, to capital expense (CAPEX) to flexible operating expense (OPEX) model.
be correctly processed after WAN transport.
Space industry technology is evolving rapidly and there’s a growing requirement to process
Managing the Digitized IF Transport massive amounts of data. For example the emergence of High Throughput Satellites (HTS)
In modern networks, data throughput is a has created both a need to manage ever-increasing bandwidth and the creation and reach of
precious resource. Any A/D sampling process new services. In the defense industry there’s a need for greater resiliency, especially pertaining
used to capture and digitize an RF input source to standing-up and tearing-down battlefield missions on demand. For these reasons, satellite
requires minimal network throughput to operators are increasingly seeking a cloud strategy. According to World Teleport Association
achieve sufficient data transport and spectrum (WTA) Executive Director, Robert Bell “The Cloud is a technology development that is now
regeneration. This amount of required affecting how every teleport customer thinks about their requirements and the expanding
network throughput is directly related to options for meeting those requirements.” Operators need to consider transitioning away
the A/D sampling rate used (dictated by the from the traditional business models, mission support systems and operational processes
instantaneous RF capture bandwidth), and and explore re-inventing their existing ground systems in the cloud to remain competitive in
the amount of sampling resolution in the a fast-changing industry.

3 - Digital IF - On Ramp to the Ground Station in the Cloud

flexible, software-based methods in the and the emergence of Virtual Network a cloud-based architecture, satellite operators
cloud. For example, a purely software-based Functions (VNFs) on generic hardware. can now capitalize on the cloud benefits
modem application becomes feasible, where available in the larger telecommunications
modulation, coding and framing algorithms are In the broader telecommunications market, industry.
performed using commodity server hardware there has been widespread adoption of
in a centralized cloud processing center. If the advanced networking capabilities such as Embracing a Standards Based Approach
modem algorithms are changed, no equipment Software Defined Networks (SDN) that Traditionally, Software-Defined Radios (SDRs),
modifications are required at the ground enables operators to respond more quickly to whether digital or analog, have had a stove
antenna site, and software-only modifications changing business requirements. In addition, piped design - a connect-the-dots series of
to the modem application can adapt to the the emergence of 5G promises faster networks, components all strung together. Each SDR
changes within a virtualized processing multicast streaming, IoT and more, all of receiver manufacturer developed custom and
environment. This allows lower overall cost which will demand better coupling between proprietary digitized data formats and meta-data
and flexibility in reusing the ground equipment the increasingly IP-based mainstream telecom formats that made interoperability of data from
as space platforms and waveforms change. It systems and the satellite segment. different receivers impossible. As a result, each
also dramatically reduces the ground station connection was unique in terms of things like
hardware footprint allowing for greater By removing the tight coupling between the control signal levels and digital protocols.
portability and ease of deployment. antenna and downstream processing elements,
reliability is increased, and disaster recovery is SpectralNet leverages VITA 49, a protocol that
SpectralNet ... How It Works simplified. If an antenna site fails or experiences has emerged as the infrastructure standard for
SpectralNet brings analog RF data to the interference, the processing center in the cloud open interfaces between different components
IP network world, unleashing the power of can easily connect to a different antenna to of a radio system. VITA 49 resolves the dilemma
virtualization and centralization of ground control the asset. In addition, two antennas can of interoperability among SDR applications by
architectures for satellite and ranging ground receive signals from a single satellite asset and providing a rich set of features for signal data
systems, teleports, UAV and missile ranges, relay the IF stream to a lone processing center packets and context data packets that can be
and ISR data processing. where the signals can be combined. Because used for a wide range of applications. It provides
cloud resources are hosted virtually, they can an interoperability framework for SDRs, and
SpectralNet’s ability to perform long-haul be spread across multiple physical machines and the transport protocol conveys timestamped
network transport and reconstruction of any locations. Maintenance of processing elements signal data in IF Data packets and meta-data in
signal enables the ground segment architecture is conducted at a central location or outsourced context packets. VITA 49 abstracts the receiver
and provides significant benefits. Of these, entirely to the cloud provider. data from specific hardware implementations,
enabling cloud-based ground station operations thus enabling a common software suite to
has perhaps the most dramatic possibilities. Resulting new business models become possible be developed independent of the receiver
Advances in signal processing in the cloud has that monetize service creation agility and architectures, manufacturers, and physical links.
opened the door for a paradigm shift from rapid deployment of dynamic services. With
hardware-centric to software-centric networks SpectralNet as a reliable, Digital IF on-ramp to

VITA-49

Cloud Network and

Signal Processing

VITA-49 Packets enable direct

SpectralNet enabled ground station VNF processing in the cloud
Back to legacy RF infrastructure
if needed
Provides reliable IP transport using standards based Enables application processing in
Efficiently captures, digitizes and VITA-49 protocol and manages the bandwidth cloud or re-creation of analog
packetizes RF waveforms to minimize requirements signals if needed

Figure 1: SpectralNet RF conversion and IP transport

Digital IF - On Ramp to the Ground Station in the Cloud - 4

 transporting the digitized RF signal to a
Safeguarding Service and the Bottom Line central facility.
SpectralNet provides real-time digitization of up to 500 MHz of RF bandwidth, lossless two-way • Equipment sharing. In addition to antennas,
transport of RF over private and public IP networks, and faithful analog reconstruction of RF
centralization of EAR- restricted and
spectrum from a single antenna. While SpectralNet’s core function is to provide data for further
sensitive cryptographic equipment and
utilization, it can also insulate the system against signal loss. Additional SpectralNet units,
software improvements have strengthened
software, and antennas can be arranged in various ways to take service protection to the next
level with N+1 Failover and Site Diversity to defend the signal in the event of equipment failure the overall risk posture and allows lower
or environmental interference. protection- level security approaches to be
used at teleport sites.
Carrier-grade equipment in a carrier network includes levels of availability and redundancy
that are commonly installed so that there is no single point of failure. Beyond having redundant Assuring Transmission with DataDefender
power, redundant cards, and redundant data paths, all important engineering tools that are For many applications of Digital IF, SpectralNet
used to create a highly available network, SpectralNet can provide the next layer of transport supplies all the conversion capabilities required.
surety. This next layer entails the automation of critical system redundancy and resilience with
Other applications — for example those that
N+1 failover capability. If the primary digitizer stops operating, the system prevents service
require consistent, low-latency, guaranteed
interruption by automatically failing over to a hot standby redundant SpectralNet digitizer.
packet delivery such as satellite- and UAV-
Failover capabilities protect against service loss when hardware stops operating but further based sensor data streams— may require
system configuration and additional SpectralNet units can defend service quality when faced addressing additional capabilities, including
with environmental interference. In the event of signal loss due to rain fade, interference, the ability to successfully transmit IP data over
maintenance issues, or system equipment outages beyond the SpectralNet hardware itself, impaired network links. DataDefender is a high-
SpectralNet units are designed to work together with Site Diversity software to mitigate any performance and highly reliable WAN assurance
sign of signal loss to the end user. At the hub teleport, the Site Diversity application evaluates solution that enables the transmission of IP
the differences in the streams from the primary local antenna and a remote geographically
streams over impaired IP network links.
diverse antenna and seamlessly and cost-effectively switches from one to the other without
data interruption or noise, independent of distance and delay.
DataDefender’s capabilities include the repair
Unexpected signal interruption for reasons that are outside of the SpectralNet hardware and of dropped packets by using two highly efficient
software are effectively removed from the equation when reliable RF digitization is combined protocols, P-FEC and Intelligent Retransmission
with the next level of redundancy of N+1 failover and Site Diversity features. Protocol (IRP). Both protocols are configurable,
which allows the system designer to tune the
Enabling the Cloud, OpenSpace, and More simply by transporting the RF signal to a system to each individual link while minimizing
SpectralNet digitizers are a key component of different antenna without the need to network overhead. P-FEC is like traditional
the satellite ground system’s digital on ramp to provision or locate processing hardware in Forward Error Correction in that the data stream
the next-gen transformation in delivering data to the new geography. contains additional information that allows the
the virtual ground station. Kratos’ OpenSpace • Effective Rain Fade Mitigation. Provides receiver to correct for intermittent holes in
platform is the industry’s only fully managed, site diversity by enabling users of high the data. Instead of protecting individual bits,
virtual and software-defined satellite ground frequency (Ka/Ku) satellites to mitigate however, P-FEC covers entire packets, allowing
system. The platform includes Virtual Network rain fade concerns by geographically the receiver to recreate lost packets in real time
Functions for signal processing in the cloud or dispersing multiple antennas and then without using a back channel to signal and then
on premise. SpectralNet reliably delivers data to
any destination – on premise, to the Cloud, or
to OpenSpace.

In addition, the benefits of Digital IF enabled by

SpectralNet go far beyond the cloud, offering
more effective, secure and reliable infrastructure
strategies. These include:

• Increased revenue opportunities via hub

extension. Enables new service markets

5 - Digital IF - On Ramp to the Ground Station in the Cloud

 Real-time Data Real-time Data

IP Network

DataDefender Full Duplex

DataDefender
STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3

DataDefender Encodes DataDefender Corrects for

Select Transport Protocol
and Controls IP Data Packet Loss, Duplication,
(PFEC, IRP)
Based on Select Protocol Re-ordering and Jitter

DataDefender Analytics
Figure 2: DataDefender traffic delivery over impaired network links

wait for a retransmission. DataDefender’s high jitter, which can result in extremely bursty satellite operator’s ground systems. Successfully
performance IRP provides the reliability of output that can overwhelm end-device receive completing this journey from the analog RF
TCP without the disadvantages that impair real- buffers. DataDefender’s deterministic, end- world to IP ecosystem begins with successful
time streaming. IRP interprets the packet loss to-end latency control eliminates the effect of RF to IP digital conversion and IP network
on a WAN as a signal to slow down, using the latency jitter and allows the system designer transport, and the reliable delivery of IP traffic
available bandwidth to deliver mission critical to treat the WAN as a long wire with constant, to its final destination – including a cloud
data as efficiently as possible. known latency. infrastructure. Digital IF via SpectralNet
provides the satellite operator an on-ramp to
DataDefender protects against partial or Finally, since traditional protocols offer little this digital transformation and the first step
complete link failure through two techniques: insight into the latency, ordering or loss towards successfully leveraging IP networking
Network Diversity and Adaptive Rate Buffering. characteristics of a link, DataDefender includes and cloud adoption. Together SpectralNet and
Network Diversity is used to send redundant analysis tools to help characterize and understand DataDefender enable this RF to IP conversion
data down multiple routes to a single receiver specific impairments. Once performance and assure the signals are reliably received at their
which merges the streams back together. This limitations are identified, DataDefender’s packet final destination – even over impaired network
allows data to be delivered without loss or delay protection features can help improve network links. The benefits of this transformation provide
even in the event of a complete link failure but performance for error-free communication the operator with lower costs, more flexible
requires additional bandwidth. Conversely, between systems separated by a WAN and software-based processing, improved resilience,
Adaptive Rate Buffering does not require a lossless IP architecture supporting cloud enhanced test and troubleshooting, and reduced
additional bandwidth, but adds latency. When strategies. vulnerability at remote ground systems in the
link throughput drops below the incoming user cloud.
data rate, DataDefender buffers the excess data The Coming Digital Transformation of the
and sends it out when the link quality is restored. Ground Station
Adaptive Rate Buffering can also be used as a rate The digital transformation of the ground
converter in situations where bursts of incoming enterprise is having a significant effect on the
data exceed the WAN bandwidth.

DataDefender also addresses re-ordering and

duplication by providing a constant latency re-
ordering window that corrects out of order
and duplicated packets without introducing
unwanted latency - regardless of rate. A related
challenge facing WAN transport is latency and

Digital IF - On Ramp to the Ground Station in the Cloud - 6

 SpectralNet serves as the digitizer for the
TM

OpenSpace platform, the industry’s only

Dynamic Ground Platform fully virtual and software-defined satellite
ground system. The OpenSpace platform
Management
includes Virtual Network Functions for signal
processing in the cloud or on premise. The
Controller Digital OpenSpace Controller administers how
On
Ramp service chains are deployed and OpenSpace
Virtual Network Functions
OpsCenter provides unified management
across the entire satellite ground system.

About Kratos

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) develops transformative,

affordable technology for the Department of Defense and commercial customers.
Kratos is changing the way breakthrough technology for these industries are brought
to market through proactive research and a streamlined development process. Kratos
specializes in unmanned systems, satellite communications, cyber security/warfare,
microwave electronics, missile defense, training and combat systems. For more
information, go to www.KratosComms.com.

Kratos Technology & Training Solutions

5971 Kingstowne Village Parkway
Suite 200
Alexandria, VA 22315
www.KratosDefense.com
[email protected]