It is utilized worldwide for defense-related interactive simulations, and has been adapted to many other uses such as air traffic control simulations, virtual manufacturing, and entertainment. The HLA has placed new requirements upon the network infrastructure which cannot be satisfied using existing technology. In general terms, Distributed Simulation systems are heterogeneous systems collaborating to perpetuate synthetic environments. Frequently they are designed to be interactive, incorporating legacy simulators, and analytical models. The integration of these complex systems into a virtual environment depends on the ability of the systems to reliably share data in real-time.
Most significant simulations comprise several integrated networks.
This introduces complications of bandwidth allocation, and multi-point communications. Finally, many of the simulations must be designed to provide predictable and repeatable simulations. This implies predicable and reliable quality of service, and intolerance to latency irregularity. Given such demanding system requirements, current IP based solutions have proven kludgy and unreliable. A new paradigm is needed.