The IEEE 802.16-2004 wireless standard is a robust, wireless, longhaul solution for connecting remotely located, forward operating bases. Proof of concept for this capability is the NPS OFDM testbed for the research and support of the communications and collaborative processes between tactical operators within a wireless network. This thesis will attempt to develop strategies for implementing network management, establish a performance baseline for the NPS testbed and define the acceptable metrics for QoS. Field experimentation scenarios, network performance management tools and modeling tools are the techniques that we are using to assess the operation of 802.16 NPS testbed for its quality requirements. A baseline is conducted to record the state of the network operation and investigate the operational guidelines and conditions for the network to support collaborative applications. The baseline provides good organization, status monitoring and planning capabilities that will help in troubleshooting future failures. Using OPNET Modeler ACE we examine the network traffic flow and diagnose performance issues for critical applications. Finally, we develop appropriate policies to fine-tune network behavior within a holistic ad hoc collaborative environment.

Subjects: Systems engineering; Technology; Management; Communications; Situational awareness