Expand Networks (News - Alert) has announced that Multi-National Forces – West, the highest level of command for the U.S. Marines Corps Marine Air -Ground Task Force (MAGTF) in Iraq, has deployed their WAN optimization technology.

 

The optimization technology has been deployed to improve the performance of critical applications over satellite links used in the operations in Iraq and has helped to successfully support the U.S. Marines relocation from Camp Fallujah to Al Asad Air Base.

 

In addition, it also continues to optimize traffic to overcome database replication time-outs of its Biometric Automated Toolset (BATS) technology between checkpoints in the region.

 

BATS holds sensitive biometric data—fingerprints and retina scans—and is used by all Marines manning military checkpoints in the region. Also, it’s a significant intelligence application for capturing known or suspected terrorists.

 

Officials said that it is vital this database remain accurate and updated. However, design limitations of satellite networks can cause high latency and packet loss, affecting application performance that result in delayed file transfer and slow response times.

 

U.S. Marines recognized it could apply a WAN optimization strategy to keep all databases across the region synchronized reliably and efficiently.

 

Captain Criston W Cox (News - Alert), MNF-W Data Systems Officer, said that before implementing the optimization technology, the throughput averaged 8 to 9 kbps with multiple timeouts over the TDMA SATCOM links.

 

“To overcome the issues, we were regularly updating alternative servers at base and would fly them out to the isolated sites via helicopters to keep the data updated. This created a significant cost in manpower and air transport requirements,” he said.

 

Cox said that once the organization put the Expand Accelerator’s online, the BATS server interface indicated a constant transfer rate at 5.8 mbps, with no time outs or data corruption, and this was over a 2 mbps link.

 

Expand Networks’ integrated WAN optimization technology combines techniques such as byte-level caching, dynamic compression and TCP acceleration to enable available satellite bandwidth and maximization of real-time interactive TCP traffic.

 

“This latest deployment is a great example of how our technology successfully addresses the problematic congestion and latency issues experienced by the forces over satellite links to ensure all users are placed in virtual proximity of their applications, even in the most remote location,” said Howard Teicher, vice president for public sector and satellite markets at Expand Network.