Claims:We claim:
1. A method for parallel handling of one or more data packets of Variable Message Format (VMF) in a tactical communication network, the method comprising:
receiving, by an Intelligent Messaging Terminal (IMT) (103), one or more data packets from at least one of, a host (101) associated with the IMT (103) and plurality of nodes (109) associated with the IMT (103), through plurality of ports (107) configured in the IMT (103);
parsing, by the IMT (103), header of each of the one or more data packets to detect security status of each of the one or more data packets is at least one of secured or non-secured;
performing, by the IMT (103), at least one of:
transmitting, by the IMT (103), the one or more data packets received from the host (101) to a security device (105) associated with the IMT (103) for encrypting the one or more data packets whose security status is determined to be secured;
deleting, by the IMT (103), the one or more data packets transmitted to the security device (105) and transmitting the encrypted data packets to the plurality of nodes (109) through the plurality of ports (107) by formatting the encrypted data packets to a predefined format; and
transmitting, by the IMT (103), the one or more data packets received from the host (101) to the plurality of nodes (109) through the plurality of ports (107), when the security status of the one or more data packets is determined to be non-secured; and
transmitting, by the IMT (103), the one or more data packets received from the plurality of nodes (109) to the security device (105) for decrypting the one or more data packets whose security status is determined to be secured;
deleting, by the IMT (103), the one or more data packets transmitted to the security device (105) and transmitting the decrypted data packets to the host (101) by formatting the decrypted data packets to the predefined format, wherein the decrypted data packets are stored in the host (101); and
transmitting, by the IMT (103), the one or more data packets received from the plurality of nodes (109) to the host (101), when the security status of the one or more data packets is determined to be non-secured.
2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the IMT (103) is capable of parallelly handling reception and transmission of the one or more data packets having the security status of at least one of secured and non-secured based on a queuing mechanism.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the one or more data packets are associated with a priority and a level, wherein the level corresponds to the level of source node from which each of the one or more data packets are received.

4. The method as claimed in claims 2 and 3, wherein the queuing mechanism comprises prioritizing the data packet having priority higher than priority of other data packet, when the one or more data packets belong to same level.

5. The method as claimed in claims 2 and 3, wherein the queuing mechanism comprises prioritizing the data packet having priority higher than priority of other data packet, when the one or more data packets belong to different levels.

6. The method as claimed in claims 2 and 3, wherein the queuing mechanism comprises prioritizing the data packet belonging to level higher than level of other data packet, when the one or more data packets belong to same priority.

7. The method as claimed in claims 2 and 3, wherein the queuing mechanism comprises prioritizing the one or more data packets based on their sequence of arrival when the one or more data packets belong to same priority and same level.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of ports (107) are configured to receive or transmit the one or more data packets of the VMF through a corresponding media link among plurality of media links.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein receiving the one or more data packets from the plurality of nodes (109) comprises:
segregating, by the IMT (103), the one or more data packets received on each of plurality of media links based on respective message format;
transmitting, by the IMT (103), each of the one or more data packets to the media link corresponding to their message format; and
receiving, by the IMT (103), each of the one or more data packets through a link buffer corresponding to the message format through the respective media link, wherein the link buffer de-formats and buffers each of the one or more data packets.
10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein transmitting the one or more data packets to the plurality of nodes (109) comprises:
processing, by the IMT (103), each of the one or more data packets to determine respective message format; and
transmitting, by the IMT (103), each of the one or more data packets to a link buffer corresponding to the message format, wherein the link buffer buffers, formats and transmits each of the one or more data packets to a corresponding media link among plurality of media links.
11. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein plurality of media links are High Frequency (HF) Radio, Ultra/Very High Frequency (U/VHF) Radio, Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT), Wired Line (WdLine) and Fibre Optic Cable (FOC).

12. An Intelligent Messaging Terminal (IMT) (103) for parallel handling of one or more data packets of Variable Message Format (VMF) in a tactical communication network, the IMT (103) comprises:
a receiving unit (219) configured to receive one or more data packets from at least one of, a host (101) associated with the IMT (103) and plurality of nodes (109) associated with the IMT (103), through plurality of ports (107) configured in the IMT (103);
a parsing unit (223) configured to parse header of each of the one or more data packets to detect security status of each of the one or more data packets is at least one of secured or non-secured;
a data packet handling unit (225) configured to perform at least one of:
transmitting, through a transmitting unit (227), the one or more data packets received from the host (101) to a security device (105) associated with the IMT (103) for encrypting the one or more data packets whose security status is determined to be secured;
deleting, through an erasing unit (229), the one or more data packets transmitted to the security device (105) and transmitting the encrypted data packets to the plurality of nodes (109) through the plurality of ports (107) by formatting the encrypted data packets to a predefined format; and
transmitting, through the transmitting unit (227), the one or more data packets received from the host (101) to the plurality of nodes (109) through the plurality of ports (107), when the security status of the one or more data packets is determined to be non-secured; and
transmitting, through the transmitting unit (227), the one or more data packets received from the plurality of nodes (109) to a security device (105) associated with the IMT (103) for decrypting the one or more data packets whose security status is determined to be secured;
deleting, through the erasing unit (229), the one or more data packets transmitted to the security device (105) and transmitting the decrypted data packets to the host (101) by formatting the decrypted data packets to the predefined format, wherein the decrypted data packets are stored in the host (101); and
transmitting, through the transmitting unit (227), the one or more data packets received from the plurality of nodes (109) to the host (101), when the security status of the one or more data packets is determined to be non-secured.
13. The IMT (103) as claimed in claim 12, wherein the IMT (103) is capable of parallelly handling reception and transmission of the one or more data packets having the security status of at least one of secured and non-secured based on a queuing mechanism.

14. The IMT (103) as claimed in claim 12, wherein each of the one or more data packets are associated with a priority and a level, wherein the level corresponds to the level of source node from which the receiving unit (219) receives each of the one or more data packets.

15. The IMT (103) as claimed in claims 13 and 14, wherein the data packet handling unit (225) is configured to prioritize the data packet having priority higher than priority of other data packet, when the one or more data packets belong to same level, as part of the queuing mechanism.

16. The IMT (103) as claimed in claims 13 and 14, wherein the data packet handling unit (225) is configured to prioritize the data packet having priority higher than priority of other data packet, when the one or more data packets belong to different levels, as part of the queuing mechanism.

17. The IMT (103) as claimed in claims 13 and 14, wherein the data packet handling unit (225) is configured to prioritize the data packet belonging to level higher than level of other data packet, when the one or more data packets belong to same priority, as part of the queuing mechanism.

18. The IMT (103) as claimed in claims 13 and 14, wherein the data packet handling unit (225) is configured to prioritize the one or more data packets based on their sequence of arrival when the one or more data packets belong to same priority and same level, as part of the queuing mechanism.

19. The IMT (103) as claimed in claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of ports (107) are configured to receive or transmit the one or more data packets of the VMF through a corresponding media link among plurality of media links.

20. The IMT (103) as claimed in claim 12, wherein to receive the one or more data packets from the plurality of nodes (109),
a segregating unit (221) associated with the IMT (103) is configured to segregate the one or more data packets received on each of plurality of media links based on respective message format;
the transmitting unit (227) is configured to transmit each of the one or more data packets to the media link corresponding to their message format; and
the receiving unit (219) is configured to receive each of the one or more data packets through a link buffer corresponding to the message format through the respective media link, wherein the link buffer is configured to de-format and buffer each of the one or more data packets.
21. The IMT (103) as claimed in claim 12, wherein to transmit the one or more data packets to the plurality of nodes (109),
a determining unit (222) associated with the IMT (103) is configured to process each of the one or more data packets to determine respective message format; and
the transmitting unit (227) is configured to transmit each of the one or more data packets to a link buffer corresponding to the message format, wherein the link buffer is configured to buffer, format and transmit each of the one or more data packets to a corresponding media link among plurality of media links.
22. The IMT (103) as claimed in claim 12, wherein plurality of media links are High Frequency (HF) Radio, Ultra/Very High Frequency (U/VHF) Radio, Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT), Wired Line (WdLine) and Fibre Optic Cable (FOC).
, Description:TECHNICAL FIELD
The present subject matter is related in general to the field of data security in tactical communication network, and more particularly, but not exclusively to a method and a device for parallel handling of one or more data packets of Variable Message Format (VMF) in a tactical communication network.
BACKGROUND
Generally, in a tactical network scenario, data security plays a very important role. Data packets of Variable Message Formats (VMFs) that are communicated in tactical communication network need to be subjected to secured communication by means of encryption at transmitting end and decryption at receiving end.
The existing systems have different mechanisms for handling secure and non-secure messages. However, the existing systems include certain drawbacks, firstly, the existing systems are confined to handling only data packets of a predefined message format. When data packets of VMFs are communicated in the tactical network, the existing systems may not be compatible, thereby compromising on security and also restricting communication to certain predefined format which may not be apt in tactical network scenarios. Further, the existing systems handle either secured or non-secured messages at a given point of time, thereby causing delay in transmission and reception of the data packets which may be very critical in tactical network scenarios.
Therefore, there is need for a mechanism which parallelly handles both secured and non-secured messages of VMFs in the tactical network scenarios, without compromising on security of data being communicated.
SUMMARY
One or more shortcomings of the prior art are overcome, and additional advantages are provided through the present disclosure. Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniques of the present disclosure. Other embodiments and aspects of the disclosure are described in detail herein and are considered a part of the claimed disclosure.

Disclosed herein is a method for parallel handling of one or more data packets of Variable Message Format (VMF) in a tactical communication network. The method comprising receiving, by an Intelligent Messaging Terminal (IMT), one or more data packets from at least one of, a host associated with the IMT and plurality of nodes associated with the IMT, through plurality of ports configured in the IMT. Further, the method includes parsing header of each of the one or more data packets to detect security status of each of the one or more data packets is at least one of secured or non-secured. Upon parsing the header, the method includes performing at least one of transmitting the one or more data packets received from the host to a security device associated with the IMT for encrypting the one or more data packets whose security status is determined to be secured, deleting the one or more data packets transmitted to the security device and transmitting the encrypted data packets to the plurality of nodes through the plurality of ports by formatting the encrypted data packets to a predefined format, and, transmitting the one or more data packets received from the host to the plurality of nodes through the plurality of ports, when the security status of the one or more data packets is determined to be non-secured, and, transmitting the one or more data packets received from the plurality of nodes to a security device associated with the IMT for decrypting the one or more data packets whose security status is determined to be secured, deleting the one or more data packets transmitted to the security device and transmitting the decrypted data packets to the host by formatting the encrypted decrypted data packets to the predefined format, wherein the decrypted data packets are stored in the host, and, transmitting the one or more data packets received from the plurality of nodes to the host, when the security status of the one or more data packets is determined to be non-secured.
Further, the present disclosure comprises an Intelligent Messaging Terminal (IMT) for parallel handling of one or more data packets of Variable Message Format (VMF) in a tactical communication network. The IMT includes a receiving unit, a parsing unit, a data packet handling unit, a transmitting unit and an erasing unit. The receiving unit is configured to receive one or more data packets from at least one of, a host associated with the IMT and plurality of nodes associated with the IMT, through plurality of ports configured in the IMT. Further, the parsing unit is configured to parse header of each of the one or more data packets to detect security status of each of the one or more data packets is at least one of secured or non-secured. The data packet handling unit configured to perform at least one of transmitting, through a transmitting unit, the one or more data packets received from the host to a security device associated with the IMT for encrypting the one or more data packets whose security status is determined to be secured, deleting, through an erasing unit, the one or more data packets transmitted to the security device, and, transmitting, through the transmitting unit, the encrypted data packets to the plurality of nodes through the plurality of ports by formatting the encrypted data packets to a predefined format, and, transmitting, through the transmitting unit, the one or more data packets received from the host to the plurality of nodes through the plurality of ports, when the security status of the one or more data packets is determined to be non-secured, and, transmitting, through the transmitting unit, the one or more data packets received from the plurality of nodes to a security device associated with the IMT for decrypting the one or more data packets whose security status is determined to be secured, deleting, through the erasing unit, the one or more data packets transmitted to the security device and transmitting the decrypted data packets to the host by formatting the encrypted decrypted data packets to the predefined format, wherein the decrypted data packets are stored in the host, and, transmitting, through the transmitting unit, the one or more data packets received from the plurality of nodes to the host, when the security status of the one or more data packets is determined to be non-secured.
The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DIAGRAMS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrate exemplary embodiments and, together with the description, serve to explain the disclosed principles. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The same numbers are used throughout the figures to reference like features and components. Some embodiments of system and/or methods in accordance with embodiments of the present subject matter are now described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:

FIG.1A shows an exemplary architecture for parallel handling of one or more data packets of Variable Message Format (VMF) in a tactical communication network in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG.1B shows an exemplary tactical communication network in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG.2A shows a detailed block diagram of IMT for parallel handling of one or more data packets of Variable Message Format (VMF) in a tactical communication network in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG.2B shows an exemplary configuration of plurality of ports with corresponding media links in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG.2C shows an exemplary structure of a header of the one or more data packets in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG.3 shows a flowchart illustrating a method of parallel handling of one or more data packets of Variable Message Format (VMF) in a tactical communication network in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIG.4 is a block diagram of an exemplary computer system for implementing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure.
It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any block diagram herein represent conceptual views of illustrative systems embodying the principles of the present subject matter. Similarly, it will be appreciated that any flow chart, flow diagram, state transition diagram, pseudo code, and the like represent various processes which may be substantially represented in computer readable medium and executed by a computer or a processor, whether or not such computer or processor is explicitly shown.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the present document, the word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any embodiment or implementation of the present subject matter described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.
While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiment thereof has been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail below. It should be understood, however that it is not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the disclosure.
The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a setup, device or method that comprises a list of components or steps does not include only those components or steps but may include other components or steps not expressly listed or inherent to such setup or device or method. In other words, one or more elements in a system or apparatus proceeded by “comprises… a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the system or method.
The present disclosure provides a method and a device for parallel handling of one or more data packets of Variable Message Format (VMF) in a tactical communication network. The tactical communication network may be a hierarchical network including plurality of levels. Each of the plurality of levels may be configured with an Intelligent Messaging Terminal (IMT), which in turn may be associated with a host. Further, the IMTs configured in the plurality of levels may communicate via plurality of nodes associated with the IMTs. In some embodiments, the IMT may include a plurality of ports, each port may be configured to handle reception and transmission of one or more data packets of VMFs. Further, the IMT may be associated with a security device that may be configured to encrypt and decrypt the one or more data packets received by the IMT. In some embodiments, the IMT may receive the one or more data packets from at least one of, the host associated with the IMT and the plurality of nodes associated with the IMT. Further, the IMT may parse header of each of the one or more data packets to detect security status of each of the one or more data packets. In some embodiments, the security status of each of the one or more data packets may be secured or non-secured. Based on the security status of each of the one or more data packets, the IMT may perform one or more actions to securely communicate each of the one or more data packets to their respective destination.
The present disclosure ensures that, at any given point of time, only one copy of each of the one or more data packets is stored in the host associated with the IMT. Further, since the IMT is configured with plurality of ports, the present disclosure is capable of handling reception and transmission of the one or more data packets of VMFs based on priority and level associated with each of the one or more data packets.
In the following detailed description of the embodiments of the disclosure, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosure, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The following description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.

FIG.1A shows an exemplary architecture for parallel handling of one or more data packets of Variable Message Format (VMF) in a tactical communication network in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

The architecture 100a comprises a host 101, an Intelligent Messaging Terminal (IMT) 103, a security device 105, and port 1071 to port 107n (also referred as plurality of ports 107). The host 101 may be an electronic device that is configured to communicate with other hosts via a communication network (not shown in the FIG.1A). As an example, the host 101 may be a server, a computer, a laptop and the like. In some embodiments, the communication network may be a tactical communication network including plurality of levels indicating hierarchy. As an example, the tactical communication network may be a wired communication network, wireless communication network or a combination of both wired and wireless communication network.
Further, the host 101 may be associated with the IMT 103 via the communication network. The IMT 103 may include plurality of ports 107 that may be configured to receive and transmit one or more data packets of Variable Message Formats (VMFs). In some embodiments, each of the plurality of ports 107 may be pre-configured to handle the one or more data packets belonging to a certain format. Further, the IMT 103 may be associated with plurality of nodes 109 via the communication network. In some embodiments, the plurality of nodes 109 may be, but not limited to, IMTs 103 associated with other hosts in the tactical communication network. FIG.1B shows an exemplary tactical communication network 100b comprising plurality of hosts 101 associated with plurality of IMTs 103 which are in turn associated with plurality of nodes 109. In some embodiments, the IMT 103 may be configured at the plurality of levels of the tactical communication network. Further, the IMT 103 may be associated with the security device 105. In some embodiments, the security device 105 may be external to the IMT 103 as shown in the FIG.1A. In some other embodiments, the security device 105 may also be configured in the IMT 103. The security device 105 may be configured to encrypt and decrypt the one or more data packets received from the IMT 103.
FIG.2A shows a detailed block diagram of the IMT 103 for parallel handling of one or more data packets of VMFs in a tactical communication network in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
In some implementations, the IMT 103 may include data 203 stored in a memory 205 associated with the IMT 103. In some embodiments, the memory 205 may be configured in the IMT 105 as shown in the FIG.2A. In one embodiment, the data 203 may include header data 207, received packet data 209, and other data 211.

In some embodiments, the data 203 may be stored in the memory 205 in form of various data structures. Additionally, the data 203 can be organized using data models, such as relational or hierarchical data models. The other data 211 may store data, including temporary data and temporary files, generated by the various units of the IMT 103 for performing the various functions of the IMT 103.
Further, as illustrated in the FIG.2A, the IMT 103 may include a receiving unit 219, a segregating unit 221, a determining unit 222, a parsing unit 223, a data packet handling unit 225, a transmitting unit 227, an erasing unit 229 and other units 231 which are described herein in detail. The other units 231 may be used to perform various miscellaneous functionalities of the IMT 103. It will be appreciated that such aforementioned units may be represented as a single unit or a combination of different units.

The data 203 stored in the memory 205 may be processed by the aforementioned units of the IMT 103. In some embodiments, the aforementioned units may be stored within the memory 205. In some other embodiments, the aforementioned units may also be present outside the memory 205 as shown in FIG.2A and may be implemented as hardware. Further, each of the aforementioned units may be communicatively coupled to a processor configured in the IMT 103. As used herein, the term unit refers to a FPGA (Field Programmbale Gate Array), an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) and memory that execute one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitable components that provide the described functionality.
In some embodiments, the receiving unit 219 may receive one or more data packets from at least one of, a host associated with the IMT 103 and plurality of nodes 109 associated with the IMT 103 through plurality of ports 107 configured in the IMT 103. In some embodiments, the one or more data packets may belong to VMFs. Further, each of the plurality of ports 107 may be pre-configured to receive and transmit the one or more data packets belonging to a certain message format through a corresponding media link among plurality of media links. As an example, the plurality of media links may include, but not limited to, High Frequency (HF) Radio, Ultra/Very High Frequency (U/VHF) Radio, Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT), Wired Line (WdLine) and Fibre Optic Cable (FOC). An exemplary configuration of the plurality of ports 107 with corresponding media links is as shown in the FIG.2B. In FIG.2B, port 1071 is configured to receive/transmit one or more data packets compatible with the media link HF Radio, port 1072 is configured to receive/transmit one or more data packets compatible with the media link U/VHF Radio and port 107n is configured to receive/transmit one or more data packets compatible with the media link VSAT.
In some embodiments, the one or more data packets may randomly arrive at the plurality of media links from the plurality of nodes 109. Upon arriving at the plurality of media links, the segregating unit 221 may initially segregate each of the one or more data packets based on the message format. Further, the transmitting unit 227 may transmit each of the one or more data packets to the media link corresponding to their message format, among the plurality of media links. Further, each of the one or more data packets may pass through a link buffer corresponding to the message format through the respective media link. As an example, media link “VSAT” may be associated with a VSAT link buffer. Similarly, the media link “HF Radio” may be associated with a HF Radio link buffer. In some embodiments, the link buffer may de-format and buffer each of the one or more data packets. In some embodiments, formatting and de-formatting of the one or more data packets may be as per required protocol. Subsequently, the receiving unit 219 may receive each of the one or more data packets of VMFs through each link buffer.
Similarly, when the receiving unit 219 receives the one or more data packets from the host 101, the determining unit 222 associated with the receiving unit 219 may process each of the one or more data packets to determine their respective message format. Subsequently, the transmitting unit 227 may transmit each of the one or more data packets to the link buffer corresponding to the message format. The link buffer may further buffer, format and transmit each of the one or more data packets to the corresponding media link among the plurality of media links, for further transmission to the plurality of nodes 109.
Upon receiving the one or more data packets, the parsing unit 223 may parse header of each of the one or more data packets. FIG.2C shows an exemplary structure of a header of the one or more data packets. As shown in the FIG.2C, each data packet may include two parts, the header and a message. The header may include, but not limited to, Source Node Identity (SNID), an Immediate Node Identity (IDID), Message Length (ML), Message ID and Information related to priority of the data packet and level of the data packet.
In some embodiments, the parsing unit 223 may parse header of each of the one or more data packets to detect security status of each of the one or more data packets. As an example, the security status of the one or more data packets may be secured or non-secured. In some embodiments, the one or more data packets bearing the security status as “secured” may contain critical data which would require encryption before communicating the one or more data packets in the tactical communication network. In some embodiments, the one or more data packets bearing the security status as “non-secured” may not contain critical data, hence may skip the process of encryption before communicating the one or more data packets in the tactical communication network.
Further, the parsing unit 223 may also detect priority and level associated with each of the one or more data packets. In some embodiments, the priority associated with each of the one or more data packets indicates importance and urgency of the corresponding data packet. On the other hand, the level associated with each of the one or more data packets may indicate hierarchical level of source node from which the receiving unit 219 receives the corresponding data packet. In some embodiments, the security status, the priority and the level detected for each of the one or more data packets may be temporarily stored as the header data 207.
Further, the data packet handling unit 225 may parallelly handle reception and transmission of the one or more data packets having the security status of at least one of secured and non-secured based on a queuing mechanism. In some embodiments, the queuing mechanism may be based on the priority and the level associated with each of the one or more data packets. As part of the queuing mechanism, the data packet handling unit 225 may encounter at least one of the below mentioned scenarios.
Scenario 1 - Data packets associated with same level and different priorities
When the level associated with two data packets is same, the data packet handling unit 225 may prioritize the data packet having the priority higher than the priority of other data packet. As an example, consider data packets “A” and “B” associated with the level and priority as shown in the below Table 1:
Data packet Level Priority
A 2 2
B 2 1
Table 1
In the above Table 1, data packets “A” and “B” are associated level 2, however, the priority of data packet “B” is higher than the priority of data packet “A”. In such scenarios, when two data packets belong to same level, the data packet handling unit 225 may prioritize the data packet having higher priority.
Scenario 2 - Data packets associated with different levels and different priorities
Further, in some embodiments, when the level associated with two data packets is different, the data packet handling unit 225 may still prioritize the data packet having the priority higher than the priority of other data packet. As an example, consider data packets “A” and “B” associated with the level and priority as shown in the below Table 2:
Data packet Level Priority
A 2 2
B 3 1
Table 2
In the above Table 2, data packets “A” and “B” are associated with different levels, level 2 and level 3 respectively. However, the priority of data packet “B” is higher than the priority of data packet “A”. In such scenarios, when two data packets belong to different level, the data packet handling unit 225 may still prioritize the data packet having higher priority.
Scenario 3 - Data packets associated with different levels and same priorities
Further, in some embodiments, when the priority associated with two data packets is same, the data packet handling unit 225 may prioritize the data packet having the level higher than the level of other data packet. In some embodiments, lower the value, higher the level i.e. level 1 is considered higher than level 2. As an example, consider data packets “A” and “B” associated with the level and priority as shown in the below Table 3:

Data packet Level Priority
A 3 1
B 2 1
Table 3
In the above Table 2, data packets “A” and “B” are associated with different levels, level 2 and level 3 respectively. However, the priority of data packets “A” and “B” are same. In such scenarios, when two data packets are associated with same priority, the data packet handling unit 225 may prioritize the data packet having higher level than the other data packet.
Scenario 4 - Data packets associated with same level and same priority
Further, in some embodiments, when the priority and the level associated with two data packets is same, the data packet handling unit 225 may prioritize the two data packets based on their sequence of arrival. As an example, consider data packets “A” and “B” associated with the level and priority as shown in the below Table 4:
Data packet Level Priority Sequence of arrival
A 2 1 1
B 2 1 2
Table 4
In the above Table 4, data packets “A” and “B” are associated with same level and priority. However, the data packet “A” arrived at the receiving unit 219 before the data packet “B”. In such scenarios, when two data packets belong to same level and same priority, the data packet handling unit 225 may prioritize the data packet “A” for arriving at the receiving unit 219 before the data packet “B”.
In some embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to the aforementioned scenarios. There may occur different scenarios apart from the aforementioned scenarios and the queuing mechanism followed by the data packet handling unit 225 may vary based on the scenarios.
Upon queuing each of the one or more data packets based on the abovementioned queuing mechanism, the data packet handling unit 225 may perform at least one of the following actions based on the detected security status of each of the one or more data packets and based on source of the one or more data packets.
When the receiving unit 219 receives the one or more data packets from the host 101 and the security status of the one or more data packets is detected to be secured:
the data packet handling unit 225 may control the transmitting unit to transmit the one or more data packets to a security device 105 associated with the IMT 103 for encrypting the one or more data packets. Subsequently, the security device 105 may encrypt the one or more data packets. Further, the transmitting unit 227 may transmit the encrypted data packets to the plurality of nodes 109 through the plurality of ports 107. In some embodiments, the link buffer associated with the plurality of ports 107 may buffer and format the encrypted data packets to a predefined format prior to transmission of the encrypted data packets to the plurality of nodes 109. Further, the erasing unit 229 may delete the one or more data packets transmitted to the security device 105 i.e. the one or more data packets received from the host 101.
When the receiving unit 219 receives the one or more data packets from the host 101 and the security status of the one or more data packets is detected to be non-secured:
the data packet handling unit 225 may control the transmitting unit to transmit the one or more data packets directly to the plurality of nodes 109 through the plurality of ports 107. In some embodiments, the link buffer associated with the plurality of ports 107 may buffer and format the one or more data packets to a predefined format prior to transmission of the plurality of data packets to the plurality of nodes 109.
When the receiving unit 219 receives the one or more data packets from the plurality of nodes 109 and the security status of the one or more data packets is detected to be secured:
the data packet handling unit 225 may control the transmitting unit to transmit the one or more data packets to a security device 105 associated with the IMT 103 for decrypting the one or more data packets. Subsequently, the security device 105 may decrypt the one or more data packets. Further, the transmitting unit 227 may transmit the decrypted data packets to the host 101 by formatting the decrypted data packets to a predefined format. Further, the erasing unit 229 may delete the encrypted data packets i.e. the encrypted data packets that were transmitted to the security device 105 for decryption, from the memory 205 of the IMT 103, such that, only one copy of the decrypted data packets is stored in the host 101 at any given point of time.
When the receiving unit 219 receives the one or more data packets from the plurality of nodes 109 and the security status of the one or more data packets is detected to be non-secured:
the data packet handling unit 225 may control the transmitting unit to transmit the one or more data packets directly to the host 101. In some embodiments, the link buffer associated with the plurality of ports 107 may buffer and format the one or more data packets to a predefined format prior to transmission of the plurality of data packets to the host 101. The one or more data packets received from the plurality of nodes 109 may be stored as the received packet data 209 in a decrypted form or plain text form.
Henceforth, the process of parallel handling of one or more data packets of Variable Message Format (VMF) in a tactical communication network is explained with the help of one or more examples for better understanding of the present disclosure. However, the one or more examples should not be considered as a limitation of the present disclosure.

Consider an exemplary scenario where the IMT 103 receives 2 data packets from the plurality of nodes 109 and transmits 2 data packets received from the host 101 to the plurality of nodes 107. The following Table 5 provides information related to each of the data packets.
Data
packet Source Compatible Media link Priority Level Security status
A Node 1 U/VHF Radio 1 2 Secured
B Node 1 VSAT 2 2 Non-Secured
C Host 1 VSAT 2 1 Secured
D Host 1 U/VHF Radio 2 1 Non-secured
Table 5
Consider, data packets “A” and “B” arrived at the plurality of media links at the same time. The data packets “A” and “B” may be segregated based on the message format and further may be transmitted to the respective media link. In this scenario, since message format of the data packet “A” is compatible with the media link “U/VHF Radio”, the data packet “A” is transmitted to the media link “U/VHF Radio” and similarly, the data packet “B” is transmitted to the media link “VSAT”, parallelly. Further, the U/VHF Radio link buffer associated with the port configured for the media link “U/VHF Radio” may de-format and buffer the data packet “A”, similarly, the VSAT link buffer associated with the port configured for the media link “VSAT” may de- format and buffer the data packet “B”. Further, the data packet handling unit 225 may prioritize the processing of data packets “A” and “B” based on the priority and level associated with the data packets “A” and “B”. Priority of the data packet “A” is 1 and priority of the data packet “B” is “2”, while both the data packets “A” and “B” are associated with the same level “2” i.e. both the data packets “A” and “B” are received from nodes configured at hierarchical level 2 in the tactical communication network. Therefore, as per scenario 1, the data packet “A” is prioritized compared to the data packet “B”. Further, as per the above Table 5, consider upon parsing the header of the data packet “A”, the security status is detected to be “Secured”. Immediately, the data packet “A” is transmitted to the security device 105 for decryption. The data packet “A” thus decrypted is formatted and transmitted to the host 101 and simultaneously, the encrypted data packet “A” is deleted from the memory 205. On the other hand, upon parsing the header of the data packet “B” consider the security status is detected to be “Non-Secured”. Upon detection, the data packet “B” is formatted and directly sent to the host 101 without the need for decryption, since the data packet is non-secured.
While the data packets “A” and “B” were being processed as mentioned above, consider the host 101 provided the data packets “C” and “D” for transmission to the plurality of nodes 109. The data packet handling unit 225 may prioritize the processing of data packets “C” and “D” based on the priority and level associated with the data packets “C” and “D”. Priority of the data packet “C” and “D” is 2 and the level associated with both the data packets “C” and “D” is “2” i.e. both the data packets “C” and “D” are received from nodes configured at the hierarchical level 2 in the tactical communication network. Therefore, as per scenario 4, the data packet “C” is prioritized compared to the data packet “D” as the data packet “C” arrived prior to the data packet “D”. Further, as per the above Table 5, consider upon parsing the header of the data packet “C”, the security status is detected to be “Secured”. Immediately, the data packet “C” is transmitted to the security device 105 for encryption. The data packet “C” thus encrypted may be forwarded to the VSAT buffer link since the message format of the data packet “C” is detected to be compatible with the media link “VSAT”. Further, the data packet “C” is buffered, formatted and transmitted to the port 107 configured for the media link “VSAT”. Further, the port 107 transmits the encrypted data packet to the destination node via the media link “VSAT”. Subsequently, the data packet “C” transmitted to the security device 105 is deleted from the memory 205. On the other hand, upon parsing the header of the data packet “D”, consider the security status is detected to be “Non-Secured”. Upon detection, the data packet “D” is directly transmitted to the U/VHF Radio buffer link since the message format of the data packet “D” is detected to be compatible with the media link “U/VHF Radio”, without the need for encryption. Further, the data packet “D” is buffered, formatted and transmitted to the port configured for the media link “U/VHF Radio”. Further, the port transmits the data packet “D” to the destination node via the media link “U/VHF Radio”.
FIG.3 shows a flowchart illustrating a method of parallel handling of one or more data packets of Variable Message Format (VMF) in a tactical communication network in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
As illustrated in FIG.3, the method 300 comprises one or more blocks illustrating a method for parallel handling of one or more data packets of VMF in a tactical communication network. The method 300 may be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions. Generally, computer-executable instructions can include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, procedures, modules, and functions, which perform functions or implement abstract data types.

The order in which the method 300 is described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described method blocks can be combined in any order to implement the method 300. Additionally, individual blocks may be deleted from the methods without departing from the spirit and scope of the subject matter described herein. Furthermore, the method 300 can be implemented in any suitable hardware, software, firmware, or combination thereof.

At block 301, the method 300 may include receiving, by an Intelligent Messaging Terminal (IMT) 103, one or more data packets from at least one of, a host 101 associated with the IMT 103 and plurality of nodes 109 associated with the IMT 103. The IMT 103 may receive and transmit the one or more data packets which are secured, non-secured and the like, parallelly. In some embodiments, the IMT 103 may receive the one or more data packets from the plurality of nodes 109 through plurality of ports 107 configured in the IMT 103. In some embodiments, each of the plurality of ports 107 is configured for receiving the one or more data packets compatible with a particular media link among plurality of media links.
At block 303, the method 300 may include parsing, by the IMT 103, header of each of the one or more data packets to detect whether security status of each of the one or more data packets is secured or non-secured. In some embodiments, the one or more data packets whose security status is detected to be secured, may be encrypted or may require encryption. On the other hand, the one or more data packets whose security status is detected to be non-secured, may be present in a decrypted form i.e. plain text. Further, the IMT 103 may parse the header of the one or more data packets to detect priority and level associated with each of the one or more data packets. In some embodiments, the IMT 103 may prioritize processing of each of the one or more data packets based on the priority and the level.
At block 305, the method 300 may include performing, by the IMT 103, at least one of:
- Transmitting the one or more data packets received from the host 101 to a security device 105 associated with the IMT 103 for encrypting the one or more data packets whose security status is determined to be secured and subsequently, deleting the one or more data packets transmitted to the security device and transmitting the encrypted data packets to the plurality of nodes 109 through the plurality of ports 107 by formatting the encrypted data packets to a predefined format; and
- Transmitting the one or more data packets received from the host 101 to the plurality of nodes 109 through the plurality of ports 107, when the security status of the one or more data packets is determined to be non-secured; and
- Transmitting the one or more data packets received from the plurality of nodes 109 to the security device 105 for decrypting the one or more data packets whose security status is determined to be secured, and subsequently deleting the one or more data packets transmitted to the security device 105 and transmitting the decrypted data packets to the host by formatting the decrypted data packets to the predefined format. In some embodiments, the decrypted data packets are stored in the host 101; and
- Transmitting the one or more data packets received from the plurality of nodes 109 to the host 101, when the security status of the one or more data packets is determined to be non-secured.
FIG.4 is a block diagram of an exemplary computer system for implementing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure.
In some embodiments, FIG.4 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary computer system 400 for implementing embodiments consistent with the present invention. In some embodiments, the computer system 400 can be Intelligent Messaging Terminal (IMT) 103 that is used for parallel handling of one or more data packets of Variable Message Format (VMF) in a tactical communication network. The computer system 400 may include a central processing unit (“CPU” or “processor”) 402. The processor 402 may include at least one data processor for executing program components for executing user or system-generated business processes. A user may include a person, a person using a device such as those included in this invention, or such a device itself. The processor 402 may include specialized processing units such as integrated system (bus) controllers, memory management control units, floating point units, graphics processing units, digital signal processing units, etc.
The processor 402 may be disposed in communication with input devices 411 and output devices 412 via I/O interface 401. The I/O interface 401 may employ communication protocols/methods such as, without limitation, audio, analog, digital, stereo, IEEE-1394, serial bus, Universal Serial Bus (USB), infrared, PS/2, BNC, coaxial, component, composite, Digital Visual Interface (DVI), high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI), Radio Frequency (RF) antennas, S-Video, Video Graphics Array (VGA), IEEE 802.n /b/g/n/x, Bluetooth, cellular (e.g., Code-Division Multiple Access (CDMA), High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA+), Global System For Mobile Communications (GSM), Long-Term Evolution (LTE), WiMax, or the like), etc.
Using the I/O interface 401, the computer system 400 may communicate with the input devices 411 and the output devices 412.
In some embodiments, the processor 402 may be disposed in communication with a communication network 409 via a network interface 403. The network interface 403 may communicate with the communication network 409. The network interface 403 may employ connection protocols including, without limitation, direct connect, Ethernet (e.g., twisted pair 10/100/1000 Base T), Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), token ring, IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/x, etc. Using the network interface 403 and the communication network 409, the computer system 400 may communicate with a host 101, a security device 105 and a plurality of nodes 109 (1091 up to 109n). The communication network 409 can be implemented as one of the different types of networks, such as intranet or Local Area Network (LAN), Closed Area Network (CAN) and such. The communication network 409 may either be a dedicated network or a shared network, which represents an association of the different types of networks that use a variety of protocols, for example, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), CAN Protocol, Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), etc., to communicate with each other. Further, the communication network 409 may include a variety of network devices, including routers, bridges, servers, computing devices, storage devices, etc. The host 101 may be a server, a computer, a laptop and the like. Further, the plurality of nodes 109 may include, but not limited to, IMTs associated with other hosts in the tactical communication network and other nodes in the tactical communication network. In some embodiments, the processor 402 may be disposed in communication with a memory 405 (e.g., RAM, ROM, etc. not shown in FIG.4) via a storage interface 404. The storage interface 404 may connect to memory 405 including, without limitation, memory drives, removable disc drives, etc., employing connection protocols such as Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA), Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE), IEEE-1394, Universal Serial Bus (USB), fibre channel, Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI), etc. The memory drives may further include a drum, magnetic disc drive, magneto-optical drive, optical drive, Redundant Array of Independent Discs (RAID), solid-state memory devices, solid-state drives, etc.
The memory 405 may store a collection of program or database components, including, without limitation, a user interface 406, an operating system 407, a web browser 408 etc. In some embodiments, the computer system 400 may store user/application data, such as the data, variables, records, etc. as described in this invention. Such databases may be implemented as fault-tolerant, relational, scalable, secure databases such as Oracle or Sybase.
The operating system 407 may facilitate resource management and operation of the computer system 400. Examples of operating systems include, without limitation, APPLE® MACINTOSH® OS X®, UNIX®, UNIX-like system distributions (E.G., BERKELEY SOFTWARE DISTRIBUTION® (BSD), FREEBSD®, NETBSD®, OPENBSD, etc.), LINUX® DISTRIBUTIONS (E.G., RED HAT®, UBUNTU®, KUBUNTU®, etc.), IBM®OS/2®, MICROSOFT® WINDOWS® (XP®, VISTA®/7/8, 10 etc.), APPLE® IOS®, GOOGLETM ANDROIDTM, BLACKBERRY® OS, or the like. The User interface 406 may facilitate display, execution, interaction, manipulation, or operation of program components through textual or graphical facilities. For example, user interfaces may provide computer interaction interface elements on a display system operatively connected to the computer system 400, such as cursors, icons, checkboxes, menus, scrollers, windows, widgets, etc. Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) may be employed, including, without limitation, Apple® Macintosh® operating systems’ Aqua®, IBM® OS/2®, Microsoft® Windows® (e.g., Aero, Metro, etc.), web interface libraries (e.g., ActiveX®, Java®, Javascript®, AJAX, HTML, Adobe® Flash®, etc.), or the like.
In some embodiments, the computer system 400 may implement the web browser 408 stored program components. The web browser 408 may be a hypertext viewing application, such as MICROSOFT® INTERNET EXPLORER®, GOOGLETM CHROMETM, MOZILLA® FIREFOX®, APPLE® SAFARI®, etc. Secure web browsing may be provided using Secure Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTPS), Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), Transport Layer Security (TLS), etc. Web browsers 408 may utilize facilities such as AJAX, DHTML, ADOBE® FLASH®, JAVASCRIPT®, JAVA®, Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), etc. In some embodiments, the computer system 400 may implement a mail server stored program component. The mail server may be an Internet mail server such as Microsoft Exchange, or the like. The mail server may utilize facilities such as Active Server Pages (ASP), ACTIVEX®, ANSI® C++/C#, MICROSOFT®, .NET, CGI SCRIPTS, JAVA®, JAVASCRIPT®, PERL®, PHP, PYTHON®, WEBOBJECTS®, etc. The mail server may utilize communication protocols such as Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP), Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI), MICROSOFT® exchange, Post Office Protocol (POP), Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), or the like. In some embodiments, the computer system 400 may implement a mail client stored program component. The mail client may be a mail viewing application, such as APPLE® MAIL, MICROSOFT® ENTOURAGE®, MICROSOFT® OUTLOOK®, MOZILLA® THUNDERBIRD®, etc.
Furthermore, one or more computer-readable storage media may be utilized in implementing embodiments consistent with the present invention. A computer-readable storage medium refers to any type of physical memory on which information or data readable by a processor may be stored. Thus, a computer-readable storage medium may store instructions for execution by one or more processors, including instructions for causing the processor(s) to perform steps or stages consistent with the embodiments described herein. The term “computer-readable medium” should be understood to include tangible items and exclude carrier waves and transient signals, i.e., non-transitory. Examples include Random Access Memory (RAM), Read-Only Memory (ROM), volatile memory, non-volatile memory, hard drives, Compact Disc (CD) ROMs, Digital Video Disc (DVDs), flash drives, disks, and any other known physical storage media.
A description of an embodiment with several components in communication with each other does not imply that all such components are required. On the contrary a variety of optional components are described to illustrate the wide variety of possible embodiments of the invention.
When a single device or article is described herein, it will be readily apparent that more than one device/article (whether or not they cooperate) may be used in place of a single device/article. Similarly, where more than one device or article is described herein (whether or not they cooperate), it will be readily apparent that a single device/article may be used in place of the more than one device or article or a different number of devices/articles may be used instead of the shown number of devices or programs. The functionality and/or the features of a device may be alternatively embodied by one or more other devices which are not explicitly described as having such functionality/features. Thus, other embodiments of the invention need not include the device itself.
The specification has described a method and a system for parallel handling of one or more data packets of Variable Message Format (VMF) in a tactical communication network. The illustrated steps are set out to explain the exemplary embodiments shown, and it should be anticipated that on-going technological development will change the manner in which particular functions are performed. These examples are presented herein for purposes of illustration, and not limitation. Further, the boundaries of the functional building blocks have been arbitrarily defined herein for the convenience of the description. Alternative boundaries can be defined so long as the specified functions and relationships thereof are appropriately performed. Alternatives (including equivalents, extensions, variations, deviations, etc., of those described herein) will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art(s) based on the teachings contained herein. Such alternatives fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosed embodiments. Also, the words "comprising," "having," "containing," and "including," and other similar forms are intended to be equivalent in meaning and be open ended in that an item or items following any one of these words is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of such item or items, or meant to be limited to only the listed item or items. It must also be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
Finally, the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and it may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter. It is therefore intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by any claims that issue on an application based here on. Accordingly, the embodiments of the present invention are intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the invention, which is set forth in the following claims.

Referral numerals
Reference Number Description
100a Architecture
100b Exemplary tactical communication network
101 Host
103 Intelligent Messaging Terminal (IMT)
105 Security device
107 Plurality of ports
109 Plurality of nodes
203 Data
205 Memory
207 Header data
209 Received packet data
211 Other data
219 Receiving unit
221 Segregating unit
222 Determining unit
223 Parsing unit
225 Data packet handling unit
227 Transmitting unit
229 Erasing unit
231 Other units
400 Exemplary computer system
401 I/O Interface of the exemplary computer system
402 Processor of the exemplary computer system
403 Network interface
404 Storage interface
405 Memory of the exemplary computer system
406 User interface
407 Operating system
408 Web browser
409 Communication network
411 Input devices
412 Output devices