An X.25 Interface to the PLRS/JTIDS Network

The PLRS/JTIDS Hybrid (PJH) network is a position/location reporting and communication network composed of Position Location Reporting System (PLRS) User Units, Joint Tactical Information Distribution System (JTIDS) terminals and a net control station (NCS). A study is made of the advisability of using the commercially oriented X.25 protocol for host acccess to the PJH network. However, the military environment puts the following unique demands on an interface that are not directly supported by X.25: multiple addressing, security, precedence, classification, minimization of connector complexity and cable weight, and the desirability of a military host to address nodes internal to the network and thereby influence message routing. This paper discusses the merits and difficulties of using the X.25 interface in the military environment with respect to the above issues.