Design and Implementation of Information Interactive Interface between QualNet and Virtual Machine for Link16
Link16 is a high-speed line-of-sight tactical data link adopted by the U. S. Department of Defense and is widely used in the U. S. Navy,joint forces,and NATO forces,for which testing and evaluation is of military importance. Integrating physical Link16 equipment into simulation testing through hardware-in-the-loop technology can effectively improve the realism and accuracy of test results. However,the cost issue still arises when physical equipment networking test is required in the testing scenario. Therefore,a Link16-specific model based on QualNet MAC layer and a matching virtual machine information interactive interface are proposed. This model can realistically simulate Link16 communication behavior,achieve the functions such as node competition access,time slot division,and NPG grouping. Based on data distributed services,the virtual machine and the QualNet simulation server are connected through this interface,thereby incorporating the Link16 equipment model running on the virtual machine into the QualNet testing scenario. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed model has high realism and accuracy,and the interface introduces a delay of no more than 1 ms,providing a new method for large-scale data link network testing.
interactive interfaceLink16 data linkvirtual machineQualNet MAC layernetwork simulation