Cody Jenks Engineering Staff Cody.Jenks@vantagepnt

How to Plan a Network with the Ongoing Aggregation of Equipment and

Software Providers

Association of Communication EngineersFort Worth, TX---May 6-9, 2012

Cody JenksEngineering Staff

[email protected]

VPS proprietary. Do not reproduce without permission.

Industry Changes

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Agenda

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• Evolution of Video Networks• Video Troubleshooting• Vendor Instability• Limiting Risk and Protecting your Investment• Red Tape


Agenda

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VPS proprietary. Do not reproduce without permission.Page 5

Dedicated Networks

VPS proprietary. Do not reproduce without permission.Page 6

Network Convergence


Layer 3 Multicast

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• Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM) Routing• Required to route multicast traffic• PIM-Sparse Mode (PIM-SM)

• Layer 3 at all remote sites


Layer 2 Multicast at the Edge

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• Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP)• IGMP Proxy• IGMP Snooping

• Multicast VLAN Registration (MVR)• Layer 3 at central location


Agenda

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Video Lab

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• Upgrades can cause major issues• Upgrades should be tested before putting on production

network• Many companies have a dedicated Video lab

• Apply upgrades in lab first• Run several tests to ensure proper behavior


Video NOC

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• Dedicated Video Network Operations Center (NOC)• Technicians can see issues in real time• Correlate to what is seen in logs/monitoring


Video Test Points

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• Video monitor feeds from multiple points in the network• Allows technician to pinpoint where issue resides in

network


Video Monitoring

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• Alarming and Monitoring video networks is critical to troubleshooting

• Monitor packet loss and alert on errors• Several Video monitoring solutions available:

• Cisco Vidmon• Ineoquest• Sencore• Other vendors

• Network element monitoring• Solarwinds• Intermapper• Nagios• Cacti• Other vendors


Agenda

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Vendor Tournament Challenge

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Vendor Instability

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• Hard to foresee the future of certain vendors• Discontinued products• Vendor product lines being sold/discontinued

• Cisco Flip Video Camera and Umi• Ericsson SmartEdge• Nortel CS1500—Genband C15

• Quality of support for acquired products


Single-Vendor Network

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• Is a single-vendor network the solution to reduce risk?• Best of Breed

• Wal-Mart of Networking• Supporters think a company can reduce risk if integrating

single-vendor into network• Simplifies network• Lower interoperability testing costs• Fix issues more quickly• Lower OpEx

• What if that vendor is acquired or goes bankrupt?• Ongoing technical support programs may cost more


Agenda

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• Evolution of Video Networks• Video Troubleshooting• Vendor Instability• Limiting Risk and Protecting your

Investment• Red Tape


When Purchasing New Products

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• Request for Proposal (RFP) Process• Vendor pricing is not only thing to look at:

• Vendor financial stability• Obtain client references and discuss product with them• Determine product life cycle• Onsite technical sessions• Demo or try-and-buy in own network• Onsite Proof of Concepts (PoC) with vendor• Interoperability Tests (OJT)• Cross your fingers


How to Keep Equipment in Service Long Term

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• Purchase “future proof” equipment• Long life cycle

• Check for End of Life (EoL)• Subscribe to EoL Notifications

• Product roadmap• Spares• Scalability

• Extended warranties• Explore cost effectiveness of purchasing up to 5 years or more• Price is locked in for life of product• If vendor acquired, support contract is generally honored.

Renewals are another story• Be wary of purchasing ‘Gray’ market equipment

• Recertification• Software RTU fees


Required Standards Support

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• PIM Routing• Protocol Independent Multicast-Sparse Mode(PIM-SM)• PIM-SM Source Specific Multicast (SSM)

• SSM Mapping IGMP v2 to v3• IGMP v2/3

• IGMP Proxy• IGMP Snooping

• Multicast VLAN Registration (MVR)• IPv6 Protocol Suite• IEEE 802.1ag/ ITU Y.1731• 10Gig/40Gig/100Gig


Performance-based Contract

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• CYB-Such as RUS suite of contracts• Good contract is critical to avoid issues when

purchasing vendor solutions • Contracts should include:

• Contractor’s Bond• Required Standards Compliance• Installation Requirements• Final Acceptance Testing Requirements

• Burn-in• RFC 2544 Ethernet Testing• Failover• Any other tests as required

• Project Timeline• Payment Guidelines (90/90/10)


Agenda

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Federal Regulations

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• FCC NPRM regarding ICC and USF• Changes compensation methods for carriers

• Net Neutrality• Affects network management policies• Affects Service Level Agreements (SLA)


Conclusion

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• Video, Internet, and Voice networks are bleeding together• Test video upgrades in a lab before putting into production• Monitor video in real-time• Vendor instability is a concern for companies• Utilize RFP process when making major equipment

purchases• Must purchase “future proof” solutions by reviewing

specific information about the product• Consider purchasing extended warranty to cover intended

lifespan of solution• Ensure solution is in compliance with certain standards• Utilize performance-based contracts to safeguard

investments• Consider federal regulations when making investments


Final Thoughts

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• The industry is ever-changing and companies need to understand how to protect their investments

• Everyone is for sale for the right price and anyone can go bankrupt (i.e. Nortel)

• Need to prepare for unforeseen events by being informed and doing your research

• Using performance-based contracts can save you future headaches

• Some luck is involved


Thank You

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Cody Jenks Engineering Staff Cody.Jenks@vantagepnt