1.2) Main Entites and Interactions

Access, Isolation, Protection

• All the facilities of AERPAW are connected with each other by the AERPAW Secure Backplane (not explicitly shown in the above diagram), a dynamically reconfigurable programmable network that isolates AERPAW from the rest of the world at Layer-1, by means of a dedicated fiber plant.  

• Remote resources connect to this backplane using VPN access, integrating them into one or more of the virtual Layer-2 networks in the AERPAW Backplane.  

• Experimenters use public Internet access to interact with the AERPAW Portal website, and VPN access to interact with their specific experiments.  

• The AERPAW Backplane allows AERPAW Operations personnel to manage the entire facility, using multiple virtual Layer-2 networks isolated by VLANs.

• The AERPAW Backplane also isolates the different experiments from each other and from the AERPAW management planes mentioned above.  

• Each Experiment is provided with two distinct Layer-2 VLAN networks.

AERPAW as a Batch-Mode Facility

Experimenters develop experiments in a virtual environment and submit experiments for execution on the physical testbed once development is complete. AERPAW Operations personnel (Ops) then execute these submitted experiments in the physical testbed environment and collect the output of the experiments as designed by the Experimenters, which are available for Experimenters to view and analyze back in the virtual environment.

This is not an arbitrarily decided constraint, but a considered architectural choice. In operating a facility with programmable radios and programmable air vehicles, we are obligated to make, and uphold, certain guarantees to the FCC and FAA.  However, we also want to allow Experimenters the ability to program those radios and air vehicles, ideally without needing to become fully conversant with FCC and FAA regulation details, obtain exemptions, or expertise in techniques to ensure compliance. Batch mode operation allows us to interpose critical filters and monitors into the Experiment code execution flow allows us to guarantee safe and compliant operation. It is one of the most valuable features of the AERPAW platform that we assume this guarantee ourselves, rather than passing on the responsibility for compliant operations (and liability for non-compliance) to you, the Experimenter.