Winlink 2000 Digital Messaging for EmComm

1. Winlink 2000Digital Messaging for EmComm By Steve Waterman, K4CJX Winlink 2000 Network Administrator, Winlink 2000 Development Team

2. WL2K: Current Status • DHS HQ Common Message Server/RMS now in place. Fort Huachuca Army Intelligence Base to follow, making five mirror image, redundant Common Message Servers available. (System operates currently at 20 percent on ONLY one CMS). • Current secure WL2K FTP site to be moved to Fort Huachuca. • Proposed “RF only” process being implemented in stages. • The Network is fully operational and proven. It is very robust. • WL2K is being reviewed, proposed, and used, by an ever-increasing number of Agencies. • The entire topology has been updated and enhanced. • Let’s look at this value-added available tool….from an agency view..

3. In a “Real-Life” Mass Casualty Event, we must look at MARS WL2K from an “Interoperability” Point-of-view.

4. Interoperability: Winlink 2000 Today by the numbers • Over 99% system availability since Nov, 1999. • 4 Full-time, Redundant, Mirror image, Common Message Servers (CMS) in Halifax, San Diego, Washington DC, and Perth, all in hardened sites, providing excellent reliability, worldwide. (Wash DC is DHS sponsored, Halifax is Canadian Sponsored) • 145 total HF Radio Message Servers, worldwide, in 2 major Service Classes. Public & EmComm Amateur, Government (MARS controlled) maintaining separate operations. More than 346 VHF/UHF entry points in CONUS. • Approximately 10,000 Weekly Radio users communicating with over 98,000 Email recipients, pushing an average of 150,000 messages or 280,000 minutes, monthly, with an average duration of 3.4 Minutes at 3,600 bytes/per message. The average time from message origination to pickup for delivery is approximately 3.3 minutes, regardless of distance. • The greatest growth is now in Emergency Communications preparedness.

5. Growth of the Winlink 2000 system is attributed to the change in the way people now communicate(and disaster awareness.) “Written documents impose their own kind of discipline”Albert Einstein Consistency Record tracking Accuracy “I can’t work without e-mail!”

6. Why Winlink 2000 is used for EmComm. • Uses de facto e-mail, the World’s standard for written communications. • Provides “last Mile” local radio digital messaging directly for served agencies, using existing e-mail programs, on existing computers, with no additional “invasive” software…seamlessly and transparently. • Provides wide area coverage from inside a disaster area withoutthe Internet, and with a minimum amount of additional client hardware or software. • Has a proven record of reliability, and continues to be responsive to the needs of its user communities. Although Winlink 2000 has proven itself to be attractive to the agencies we wish to serve, like anything else, it must first be Implemented by those who will benefit by its use.

7. Real-Time Status view of the Winlink 2000 Common Message Server System

8. Real-time Status Winlink 2000 HF PMBO/RMS Pactor, Worldwide 85 Public 30 EMCOMM 33 MARS 1 UK Cadet Force

9. Real-time Status Blue = Public Green = EmComm Brown = MARS Red = Off-line

11. Real-time Status VHF/UHF Telpac/RMS Packet: 346 Active shown MARS VHF numbers increasing (not shown).

12. Winlink 2000 Telpac/RMS Packet, CONUS MARS NOT SHOWN

13. Winlink 2000 Near Real-Time ProactiveUser Position Reports MARS NOT SHOWN

14. Winlink 2000 Topology HALIFAX CMS • E-mail IN and OUT • Real-Time RMS access • Real-Time TelNET access • WX and other Info • Position Reporting SAN DIEGO CMS DHS HQ CMS PERTH CMS • Mirror image, redundant Common Message Servers (CMS) provide: • IETF RFC 2821 de facto e-mail between Winlink 2000 users and Internet Recipients over telnet, Web mail or Radio links. • Retrieval of Weather and other information available as files or URL pages from the Internet. • Position Reporting for Mobile applications.

15. Radio Message Servers “RMS” are always connected to the CMS System via the Internet in a star network topology, serving as radio nodes on the Winlink 2000 network. • RMS Pactor for HF provides short or long haul availability to internet e-mail. • RMS Packet for VHF/UHF “last mile” e-mail availability to Internet e-mail. • RMS Relay provides continual communications with the CMS system when no Internet is available to bridge the “last mile.”

16. To CMS’s (Round Robin) RMS VHF/UHF Packet RMS HF Pactor CMS Telnet & WEB browser e-mail • RMS Gateways provides real-time access to the CMS system from many locations, worldwide. It actually bridges HF radio to the Internet. • The RMS systems are separated into “classes” such as the “Government” class, or the Amateur Radio class. • In each class, the RMS system nodes are all redundant, mirror images of each other. • Should an RMS Pactor Gateway be separated from the Internet, it will become invisible to the radio user. • Radio users understand that they may check in on any RMS Pactor Gateway within their licensed class, depending on propagation, and the RMS availability to the Internet.

17. To CMS’s (Round Robin) NO Internet 2nd RMS VHF/UHF Packet 1s t RMS VHF/UHF Packet RMS HF Relay (with small MsgRetention database) Via HF Radio HF RMS Pactor Radio Network • “Last Mile” RMS Packet provides real-time access to the CMS system from the “last mile,” in support of local areas such as County governments, or other communities of interest. • Multiple RMS Packet (VHF/UHF) gateways may be linked to one RMS Relay for local hubbing and HF relay to an RMS Pactor gateway. • RMS Relay allows RMS Packet to reach the rest of the Winlink 2000 system via HF (Radio) Pactor when local Internet is broken.

18. To CMS’s (Round Robin) Via Internet CMS Telnet RMS VHF/UHF Packet RMS HF Pactor • Two separate clients: • Airmail, a single application client. • Paclink MP, a single/Multiple user client with standard POP3 e-mail clients as a user interface. Contains automatic hierarchical routing, secure login, and “auto-precedence.”

19. MISSION: Our primary mission is to provide our agencies with the value-added services they want. They want “interoperability among all available services.” Today, that includes digital messaging in the form of de facto e-mail extendibility from all available resources. We have such a network in place. It is now up to us to be organized and trained with the proper tools to respond to any casualty event. Certainly, in such events, being available to provide de facto e-mail where it is otherwise unavailable is key.

20. In today’s World, we cannot predict the size, nature or location of disaster areas! We be must prepared, Globally. Local? Regional? Global?

21. “The Real World,” does it really work? Example of agency use: Hurricanes, Typhoons “The” AsianTsunami Failure of IntelSat 804 Forest Fires (US, Australia) Humanitarian Missions Health Mercy Missions Research Missions Missing/distressed vessels (continual) Agency EmComm Friend Ships International Boat Watch Network

22. The ability to go where summoned is critical. “Outside the Steve Hicks Special” “Inside The Steve Hicks Special”

23. The ability to go where summoned is critical. The ability to go where summoned is critical. “Outside the Steve Hicks Special” “Inside The Steve Hicks Special”

24. Demo for Congress

25. -----Original Message----- From: Hennigan, Joe Sent: Friday, March 09, 2007 11:13 AM To: Chief, Army MARS Subject: The Department of Homeland Security Sponsorship of Winlink 2000. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Operations Coordination Directorate (OPS) has made great strides over the last 3 months in support of the Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS). In cooperation with Army MARS, and DHS Transportation Security Agency, DHS Operations Coordination Directorate (OC) has installed a WinLink 2000 system, to include hosting one of four redundant, mirror image, Common Message Server (CMS) Hubs, a Radio Message Server (RMS,) and end-user client applications for HF Operations. WinLink 2000 is a COTS application suite, allowing users the ability to extend an e-mail capability and GPS Positioning data between an HF Radio and the internet. DHS has the capability to literally pass data from anywhere in the world, no matter how austere. DHS is one of many Government Agencies with HF radio capabilities, but this particular solution provides DHS with a unique set of extended capabilities. The WinLink 2000 system consists of many different components, making it very stable and reliable in times of need. WinLink 2000 is utilized by many Emergency Response Agencies, including the Department of Defense (DoD). The MARS Winlink 2000 radio messaging system can both be contacted through this application via conventional HF/VHF/UHF radio communications, or via standard e-mail through the MARS Winlink 2000 radio e-mail system, to any number of operators throughout the world to get messages promptly delivered where normal standard e-mail does not exist. This is critical to any emergency response requirement. This capability is proof positive of the DHS's commitment to enhancing emergency communications. Best regards, Joe Hennigan, Director, Technology Support Operations Coordination Directorate Department of Homeland Security

26. Recent Deployment for Tennessee Emergency Management Agency -----Original Message-----From: David Wolfe [mailto:wolfemail@bellsouth.net] Sent: Saturday, February 09, 2008 20:45To: K4CJXSubject: TEMA Mission NR 8  Although there was no commercial power at the deployment site, TEMA's communications infrastructure was fully operational.  Both the VHF High Band and 800 MHz repeater systems had good coverage for voice command and control.  Our shortage was internet connectivity, and our unmet needs were e-mail and the ability to send pictures.  Winlink provided EXACTLY what was not available by any other means.  We also utilized it to reduce the "chatter" on our C2 nets by sending short event notices direct to TEMA operations.   Thanks for all your help and support.  The TEMA folks were impressed with your professionalism, enthusiasm and work. David Wolfe, Chief of Communications Tennessee Emergency Management Agency

27. In a 911 Center, a “belly-up” E-Mail Server can be a disaster! -----Original Message----- From: Bill Jorgensen <TnWc-EOC1@Winlink.org> Sent: Friday, January 14, 2005 16:30 To: k4cjx@comcast.net Subject: WinLink2000 Steve, Winlink 2000 was installed recently in the Williamson County Emergency Communications Center and Outlook Express set up on my work station desk top to access the Winlink server. I never imagined I would be using it as soon as I did. About two weeks ago the Williamson County GroupWise Server encountered problems and was off line for three hours. During this time period the Emergency Communications Center was without GroupWise e-mail, but in its place, I was able to use Winlink 2000 as a backup e-mail service until the County's was restored. Since this time, Outlook Express icons for emergency email have been put on all desktops in the Emergency Communications Center, and with the Mayor's office.. I do know the time will come again when an incident such as a server going down or if we lose the "last mile" of the internet, we won't have connectivity. It is reassuring to know we will have Winlink 2000 at our disposal during that time of need. In the emergency communications field every second counts. William K. Jorgensen, Director Williamson County Department Of Emergency Communications

28. The County Digital Initiative - Results - Winlink—Mayor Approval* Sent: 3/4/2006 6:55:00 PM Subject: Williamson County Amateur Radio Emergency Drill Bill, Please extend my thanks on behalf of the Williamson County, TN, Government to the Williamson County Amateur Radio Emergency Service Volunteers for their excellent work this Saturday, March 4, 2006. As a part of the “drill,” I am sending you this message from the Winlink 2000 system. In addition, having witnessed other types of communications support as well from WCARES, it is certainly comforting to know that our County is prepared should any need arise for the use of these volunteers and their communications systems. Rogers Anderson Mayor, Williamson County, TN * (courtesy of CQ Magazine)

30. It is just a matter of time.. Are we ready?

31. Meeting Resistance: A recent statement from a Congressman after the Special Congressional Report, Failure of Initiative was provided to Congress as a result of the many communications mishaps during and after Hurricane Katrina: “One can only imagine the tragic consequences of learning the valuable lessons of Katrina, recent tornados, and other such disasters, both large and small, only to have someone be singled out for not allowing the very methodology that has had a proven record of saving of lives and property. Any subsequent casualty event that would follow without such a capability would be difficult to explain in any governmental investigation, much less to the public.”