Service Modules

The AME Server's capabilities are determined by the number of Services, or Service Modules, that are found in the system's Service Module Library. These Services are compiled/linked into the AME via a straightforward, standardized integration process.

The guidelines under which the AME's Services are developed require that each Service Module have the inherent capability to provide all the necessary information to the AME Client for its individual configuration.

This information is contained in two formats. First, configuration information is provided in the form of tags similar to XML or HTML. This information is then used locally or transferred to a remote Client. Second, once this information is transmitted, the remote Client will have all of the information necessary for creating a User Interface. This is an extremely powerful feature, as the Client can immediately build a user interface for a Service that has never previously been encountered.

The AME is capable of accepting data from a myriad of different sources and formats. The input source can be either a hardware or a software communications element. Regardless of which, as long as the appropriate input Service Module is available in the Service Module Library, the AME can interface with that component. Examples of some common Input Services Modules include File Reader, RS-232 Input, Turbo Input, RS-422 Input, and Net Input.

To input data from a file, for example, an operator simply selects the File Reader Service Module from the Service Module Library and "plugs" it into the first Processing Slot.

Virtually any communications component that supports a software control interface can be a Processing Service Module. Some common Processing Services Modules are Packet Extractor, Frame Synchronization, and Header Extractor.

As mentioned earlier, a Processing Service Module can be a hardware communications element. For example, antenna pedestals, bit synchronizers, and data acquisition cards can all be integrated into the AME to become Service Modules that users can select from, configure, and control.

Finally, using the same standardized integration process, the AME can easily integrate communications protocols into the AME architecture. By converting protocols into Service Modules, an AME-enabled communications system can communicate between multiple levels/layers of systems and subsystems.

Similar to an Input Service Module, an Output Service Module allows the user to output data in any format available in the Service Module Library. Common Output Service Modules include File Writer, RS-232 Output, CFDP Output, RS-422 Output, and Network Server. Data can be output in any available format, at any point in the AME's processing string.

When an operator clicks on a Service Module on the Service Module Workspace, it brings up its own configuration window. Each Service Module's Graphical User Interface (GUI) displays the necessary parameters to configure a particular Service and the name/logo of the organization that created/integrated that particular component. An example of MissionSpace's RS-422 Receiver Module GUI is shown below.