SCA 4.1

Published in August 2015, SCA v4.1 provides substantial improvements to the earlier SCA v2.2.2 specification.

• SCA 4.1 Profiles

  With SCA 4.1, implementers can tailor the SCA set of features to better match their radio requirements. As such, three profiles have been defined:

  • SCA Lightweight Profile
    • Best suited for radio platforms where the hardware modules have a static configuration.
    • Provides a minimum set of functionality which is applicable for resource (e.g. SWAP) constrained platforms.
  • SCA Medium Profile
    • Suited for radio platforms with plug-and-play but not removable hardware modules.
    • Still rather lightweight but it introduces a configurable, dynamic aspect.
    • The most flexible platform in that it provides the lightest weight implementation that supports the legacy SCA deployment model.
  • SCA Full Profile
    • Suited for radio platforms with removable, plug-and-play hardware modules.
    • Provides the full breadth of SCA deployment and management capabilities
    • Aligned to support prime power, multi-channel sets
• SCA 4.1 Resource Constrained Processors
  • Component scalability
    • Allow component developers to choose whether or not to implement some of the standard sub-component interface. The scalability will also be used to support the different profiles of the specification.
  • Scalability of the manager components
    • Allow developers to choose whether or not to implement all of the manager interfaces. The manager scalability will also be used to support the different profiles of the specification
  • Minimal ultra-Lightweight (uLw) AEP definition
    • Provides minimal uLw specification with optional grouping to extend capability
• SCA 4.1 Enhanced Information Assurance
  • Design patterns and strategies incorporate security awareness
  • Remove ability for a component to query information that could be inappropriately used
  • Harder to get an object reference to the DomainManager and learn about the system
  • Naming Service deleted
• SCA 4.1 Improved Performance
  • Faster Boot Times due to Port Connection improvements
    • Allows faster connections, reducing waveform startup boot time
    • Permits connections to be defined at build time…Reduces startup and security issues
• SCA 4.1 Testability Improvements
  • Total test time reduced based on profile implemented
    • Cost of increase test coverage complexity
  • Units of functionality and multiple base AEP profiles with optional function groups allow crisper test definitions
• SCA 4.1 Reduced Development Cost
  • Static analysis tools will have more prominence
    • Test all paths in the code
    • Find errors much earlier in the development process.
    • Provide immediate assistance by linking errors directly to the specification -this is a good way to “teach” the spec as code is being written.
  • Requirements cleanup
    • Reduced number of requirements
    • Removal of some redundant requirements
• SCA 4.1 Improved Portability of Waveform Design
  • Specification of PIM (Platform Independent Model) IDL Profiles
    • Full Profile
    • Ulw Profile
  • Rationalization of PSM (Platform Specific Model) IDL Profiles
  • Expanding scope to PHY Layers
  • Full and Ulw PIM IDL Profile applicable to DSP and FPGA
• SCA 4.1 Backwards Compatibility with SCA 2.2.2
  • SCA 4.1 ensures investment in SCA 2.2.2 applications can be reused in SCA 4.1 environment
    • An SCA 4.1 can now run any SCA 2.2.2 applications
    • Required several changes to SCAv4.1 to keep new features and still be backwards compatible
    • NordiaSoft led this effort for JTNC on behalf of WInnF
  • Support for applications composed of a mixture of SCA 4.1 and SCA 2.2.2 components.
    • Allow developers to perform a more incremental transition from SCA 2.2.2 to SCA 4.1
  • Enhance the ability to migrate legacy waveforms to an SCA model
    • Naming convention changes