communications, and data access via INTERNET/
NIPRNET/SIPRNET.
TESS-NC TRANSITION HARDWARE.—The
physical appearance of TESS varies with the version of
the system in use as well as the location of each system.
Most TESS-NC Transition systems retain the deck-
mounted, shock-isolated equipment cabinets of the
TESS (3) as shown in figure 1-16. The individual
cabinets need not be located together, but are usually
distributed throughout the shipboard METOC office
spaces to provide several different workstations. The
primary operating system for TESS-NC Transition is
Windows NT 4.0. Each TESS-NC Transition system
consists of an METOC NT server, a METOC Terminal
server, and a METOC workstation. These components
are setup as a separate Windows NT domain. The
AN/SMQ-11 satellite receiver and a supplemental
remote workstation are also interfaced with the system,
but are not part of the Windows NT domain.
The METOC NT Server is the primary operator
workstation for the TESS NC Transition. It stores all
user information and profiles and authenticates all user
logons to the network. The METOC NT server consists
of a dual Pentium Pro 200 MHz processor with 128
megabyte RAM, a 4.2 gigabyte hard drive, and CD-
ROM. The METOC Terminal Server acts as a back-up
to the NT server. It operates with a single Pentium Pro
200 MHz processor, with 64 megabyte RAM, a 2.1
Gigabyte hard drive and CD-ROM. This computer is
designed without keyboard capability, providing
domain services without operator interaction. The
METOC Terminal server handles data ingest for
SMOOS as well as other external communication lines.
It also supports the closed circuit television (CCTV)
briefing capability. The METOC workstation acts as a
secondary operator workstation and consists of a Cyrix
200 MHz processor. It contains a high-resolution color
monitor and a keyboard. One or more color printers are
also connected to the TESS-NC Transition system.
TESS-TRANSITION SOFTWARE.—As
mentioned, the METOC NT server, the METOC
Terminal server, and the METOC Workstation operate
by using the Windows NT 4.0 operating system. Each
computer is loaded with Microsoft Office and
commercial web browsers for the Internet. Numerous
other government and commercial software programs
are available and will be discussed in chapter 2.
The
most important difference from previous versions of
TESS is Internet access. Additional information is
provided in the Supplemental Operator’s Manual for
the Tactical Environmental Support System Next
Century (NC) Transition, SPAWAR document EE685-
HC-SUP-010.
Figure 1-16.—TESS-NC Transition hardware configuration for aircraft carrier METOC office.
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