By Anantha Krishnan M
Express News Service
Express News Service
Bangalore: It's now amongst the best, but not from the West! It's working and it's in demand. No jingoistic claim this. Outsmarting the technological denials and the uncertainties that loomed large over imported software, Indian scientists are now calling the shots after developing middleware and virtualization technologies for military systems. In the commercial space, the implementation of distributed computing solutions, called middleware, meant that development of networked computer applications was greatly simplified, and the activity moved away from the “nerds” to being an industrial process.
By the beginning of 1980s, India's military planners and strategists realised that Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) could be a potent force multiplier. “The military minds felt strongly that the effect of doctrines and weaponry could be amplified through the exploitation of ICT in the Command and Control (C2) chain. This lead to the development of C2 systems which were complex distributed applications. It was therefore natural to consider the usage of middleware in the development of such applications,” sources said.
Soon the excitement died down with the military grade middleware being the prime possession of an exclusive club of nations. “It was denied to India for the development of its C2 systems, creating a a major technology bottleneck for Indian defense. The technology denial was subtle with the military middleware technology being embedded as an integral part of the foreign systems,” sources said.
This smart-thinking by the West meant that India had the choice of importing the complete system, but not its constituent sub-assembly. In addition, the full system, apart from being prohibitively expensive, would have residual issues like suitability to Indian military doctrines.
Though the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (CAIR) officials in Bangalore and their bosses in Delhi were not 'comfortable' in too many probing queries, Express has confirmed that a Made in India-matured requisite military middleware technology is in place. The product line is competitively positioned with respect to similar systems being used elsewhere in the world. “This critical development has opened design options for Indian defence that were till recently not possible. Even in the pursuance of virtualization technologies, we have made inroads,” claim sources.
Out of bounds and out of sight for media and those who are bracketed along as the 'need-not-know-category,' these new-age capabilities developed by Indian brains are critical in the design of low cost test-beds that would be complex enough to model large networks for the evaluation of its military middleware solutions.
It is now confirmed that the CAIR has established a fully-virtualized test-bed, which is the first of its kind in India, and amongst the first few in the world. The design of this testbed has been actively sought by various research groups and armed forces.
By the beginning of 1980s, India's military planners and strategists realised that Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) could be a potent force multiplier. “The military minds felt strongly that the effect of doctrines and weaponry could be amplified through the exploitation of ICT in the Command and Control (C2) chain. This lead to the development of C2 systems which were complex distributed applications. It was therefore natural to consider the usage of middleware in the development of such applications,” sources said.
Soon the excitement died down with the military grade middleware being the prime possession of an exclusive club of nations. “It was denied to India for the development of its C2 systems, creating a a major technology bottleneck for Indian defense. The technology denial was subtle with the military middleware technology being embedded as an integral part of the foreign systems,” sources said.
This smart-thinking by the West meant that India had the choice of importing the complete system, but not its constituent sub-assembly. In addition, the full system, apart from being prohibitively expensive, would have residual issues like suitability to Indian military doctrines.
Though the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (CAIR) officials in Bangalore and their bosses in Delhi were not 'comfortable' in too many probing queries, Express has confirmed that a Made in India-matured requisite military middleware technology is in place. The product line is competitively positioned with respect to similar systems being used elsewhere in the world. “This critical development has opened design options for Indian defence that were till recently not possible. Even in the pursuance of virtualization technologies, we have made inroads,” claim sources.
Out of bounds and out of sight for media and those who are bracketed along as the 'need-not-know-category,' these new-age capabilities developed by Indian brains are critical in the design of low cost test-beds that would be complex enough to model large networks for the evaluation of its military middleware solutions.
It is now confirmed that the CAIR has established a fully-virtualized test-bed, which is the first of its kind in India, and amongst the first few in the world. The design of this testbed has been actively sought by various research groups and armed forces.
Copyright@The New Indian Express
Part 6 Tomorrow: Secure Operating Systems
