PUMA Brochure:
Introduction
Capabilities
Physical Interfacing
Control
Monitoring
Recording
Support and Training
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Stand Alone Control, Monitoring and Recording of MIDS LVT Data and Functions
Introduction
Lockheed Martin UK Information Systems & Global Services Limited, has developed a real-time portable software tool to control, monitor and record MIDS Tactical Data Link and engineering data from the Ethernet Support Equipment Bus (Support Port) of a MIDS Low Volume Terminal (LVT).
The tool is designed to be used by engineers as a MIDS diagnostics capability and is a key component for any MIDS/Link 16 platform development programme. It is particularly useful for supporting rig-based Test and Acceptance activities and MIDS LVT Performance Assessments; and for field-based MIDS/Link 16 Testing, Trials and Operational Data Recording. The software tool runs on a standard laptop PC running Microsoft Windows®.
PUMA independently interfaces to the Support Port of any variant of MIDS LVT and
thereby provides comprehensive Stand Alone Control Panel (SACP) and Test Support
Recording Device (TSRD) capabilities. It enables a user to monitor, control and
record MIDS LVT memory locations, registers and Data Transfer Blocks (DTB). This
includes all host data bus exchanges for the MIDS Platform Type host interface
protocol in use.
Link 16/IJMS messages and MIDS LVT internal data recorded by PUMA in
ground-based test environments or from live trials can be exported to MANDRIL
for subsequent analysis and matched against events in the system.
PUMA enables a user to capture real-time data and rapidly export it to MANDRIL to quickly determine the specific message field values transmitted by various units in a MIDS network. PUMA’s intuitive menu-driven Microsoft Windows® user interface provides comprehensive LVT control functions, including Adaptable Parameter (AP) and Maintenance Parameter (MP) configuration; initialisation data and status data requests; DTB and Functional Input/Output Messages (FIM/FOM) filtering functions.
Monitoring functions allow a user to assess all aspects of ongoing performance of a MIDS LVT. The tool’s ability to “look into” and record MIDS LVT internal data offers a MIDS platform integration engineer the ability to determine which side of a platform host interface “divide”, a functional problem lies.
PUMA is used to support a number of national and multinational MIDS/Link 16 platform development programmes. The tool’s facilities enable engineers to control, monitor and record MIDS/Link 16 data independently of a platform’s host data bus; diagnose problems rapidly and find solutions and workarounds.
PUMA has a growing international user base; it is the tool of choice for the
multinational Eurofighter/Typhoon MIDS/Link 16 integration programme.