A layered communications architecture is advocated for the military's Global Communications Grid (GCG) or Global Grid (GG), the communications infrastructure of the Global Information Grid (GIG).
Layered Communications Architecture for the Global Grid*
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A layered communications architecture is advocated for the military's Global Communications Grid (GCG) or Global Grid (GG), the communications infrastructure of the Global Information Grid (GIG). A seven-layer reference model consisting of Mission, Application, Service, Transport, Network, Link, and Physical Layers is introduced; the GG corresponds to the Transport and Network Layers. The fundamental concept for military interoperability inherent in the GG architecture, viz., network-centricity, is explained. The importance of "layering" communications protocols and functions is discussed. Examples of layering communications, management, and security functions are provided. *Research reported in this paper was supported by the U.S. Air Force Electronic System Center under contract number F19628-99-C-0001.