FAA ITWS systems utilized at the major CONUS International Airport traffic control towers (TRACONs), like the FAA WARP connections to WSR-88Ds before them, are ready to transition their connections to WSR-88Ds from FTI analog to FTI digital (IP). With Engineering Change Proposal 298 as the authority, the ROC has been infusing narrowband adaptation changes to support the ITWS IP transition since RPG Build 8. And on October 29, 2008 the ROC certified the ITWS IP interface for RPG Builds 10 - and beyond.

As noted with the link to the schedule provided above, several operational ITWS systems connecting to multiple WSR-88Ds have already successfully transitioned their WSR-88D analog connections to FTI IP without issue.

Good news; nothing is required of WSR-88D focal points to support the ITWS IP transition other than to ensure that TCP port that the ROC assigned their IP connection to is in a "CON PEND" (Connect Pending) state. That's it!

How could it be so easy? The ITWS IP connections are logical, accomplished via IP addressing over the pre-existing physical Ethernet connections between the FAA FTI router and the RPG router that were phased into place by WSR-88D Mod Notes 96 and 101 for the WARP Program’s transition to FTI IP service.

The ITWS IP transitions should go smoothly owing to the pre-transition collaboration efforts of ROC Engineering and Program Branches and the ITWS Program Office. Toward that end the ROC provided ITWS software engineers with an RPG clone and narrowband adaptation data for each RPG supporting a dedicated ITWS connection. The TDWR software engineers then loaded the respective RPG site narrowband adaptation data on the RPG clone and verified the ITWS TCP port(s) addressing against its ITWS TRACON counterpart similarly loaded on an ITWS processor clone. The IP connectivity for each system was thereby tested prior to the ITWS Program releasing the IP transition Mod (FAA SSM-ITWS-0120) to the ITWS maintenance staff at the TRACONs.

What happens next? The link to the ITWS transition schedule above reflects when the ITWS IP transition Mod is expected to be in the possession of the respective ITWS maintenance staff. The ITWS Mod asks that the ITWS maintenance staff contact Mark Albertelly, ROC Hotline, to identify when they want to perform their IP transition. Mark will then update each site's Comms Documentation Web page to reflect the Product Distribution Comms Status screen Line # that the new ITWS IP connection should occur on and identify the IP transition date provided by the TRACON. We then just watch and wait for the ITWS technicians to make the transition.

Please note that the aforementioned activities relate to pre-existing ITWS to WSR-88D analog connectivity exclusively. Beginning in early 2009 as new ITWS systems were being installed their WSR-88D connectivity was brought on-line as FTI IP from the start.

Please call Mark Albertelly or the WSR-88D Hotline if you have any questions.

Thanks In Advance for Your Help with this Initiative,
Mark Albertelly