Seeking Power Across Boundaries
ILC has a number of NMS projects underway. For example, NBC is tapping the company for backhaul management. Maxview will be used to simplify link scheduling to NBC affiliates and to streamline data feeds.
"We can coordinate any number of remote sites and then overlay a scheduling system on top of the NMS," says Krikorian, who adds that by combining subsystems, broadcasters can enjoy the added advantages of Maxview, such as event correlation across technologies and precise transmission plan scheduling.
Nebraska Educational Telecommunications (NET) is expanding its Maxview NMS to now include monitor and control of all the digital transmitter sites throughout the state. The project began with the monitoring and control of the satellite uplink facility, and then expanded later to include distance learning equipment.
"This latest expansion further illustrates Maxview's versatility in managing virtually any type of network equipment. It allows broadcasters to bring transmitter sites into the same system with the other components they want to manage," says Krikorian.
Telmex has embraced the Maxview Dominion in order to manage its data, long distance and switching networks. "The Telmex project does not include satellite. The relevant point, however, is that they are using Maxview, the same exact product as our satellite customers, to manage equipment through other network management systems," says Krikorian. "This speaks to a trend that has just begun--satellite network managers cannot afford to seek solutions that are targeted purely to satellite networks because truly universal network management systems will answer the needs of telecom, cable, wireless and satellite networks. Its power is transferable across sector boundaries."
Strict Rules Remain
M&C's Gray sees most companies remaining quite firm when it comes to NMS boundaries, and the imposing of strict rules on the use of browsers running throughout the Internet. "Browser interfaces are okay when it comes to things like alarm data, but total remote site control from a browser is not going to happen. At least not for now," Gray says.
Various types of redundancy, Uplink Power Control (UPC), Built-In Test (BIT) and early warning systems at the local site have to be visible via the NMS. Virtual uplink power control (UPC) for rain attenuation events needs to have the flexibility of using a variety of sources and control points for continuous service. Virtual downlink power control is also becoming an issue because network managers must accurately monitor the output chains.
"This allows the network operators to look at uplink signals prior to integrated receiver/decoder monitoring, counteracting the system's UPC. In addition to automated active controls, we see customers looking for more pre-failure analysis," says Gray. "Now, there are early warning systems with BIT that have many automated Go/No-Go decisions with user configurable alarm criteria. We see more of these higher level functions being requested by many of our customers."
The early warning systems, such as carrier monitoring, use simple methods of relative power measurement in the form of Effective Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP) measurements using C/N, channel power or marker power algorithms. Spectral population monitoring uses simple power measurements or carrier masking algorithms.
"We too are seeing an increased need by our customers to control all remote sites from one location," says Earl Franklin, chairman of Asheville, NC-based Crystal Computer Corp. "This shift in operations, which includes centralcasting, business continuity/disaster recovery and network operations centers, allows the customers to decide whether to allow autonomous operation of remote sites or to allow central control of remote sites. Crystal offers all of these capabilities in our crystalvision NMC product line."
Crystal, which recently parted ways from ILC, is a supplier of real-time network management and control for the broadcast industry. Its customers include Fox, ABC, Disney Channel, ESPN, CNN/Turner, QVC and Sky LA. "In addition to adapting our services through this network control evolution, we are now offering leasing options, thus allowing our customers to realize these benefits now rather than later," Franklin adds.
Adapting To Network Needs
Satellite network operators are looking closely at how they allocate spectrum and how effective their game plan really is when it comes to things like frequency re-use. Providing spectrum to the traffic handling systems that request it and reclaiming spectrum from those systems that are no longer using it are key objectives for companies like Inmarsat.
Last summer, Denmark-based Thrane and Thrane signed a five-year contract with Saskatoon-based SED Systems, a division of Calian Technology Ltd. Thrane and Thrane is providing the Radio Access Network to Inmarsat as part of Inmarsat's Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN). SED's Radio Frequency Subsystem (RFS) and Global Resource Management (GRM) subsystem are important parts of this new system.
"For the I4 satellite program at Inmarsat, the GRM dynamically manages the set of available payload frequencies, allocating them for traffic bearing systems such as the I4 BGAN, I4 Regional-BGAN and Inmarsat's other existing and evolved services," says Pat Thera, SED's business director for network management systems.
What makes all this possible is a rules-based engine that is able to adapt to the changing needs of the network, according to Thera. The rules not only allow the GRM to maximize frequency re-use when processing traffic demand, but the GRM also allows for these rules to be modified on the fly by the satellite operator without requiring any loss of service.
"This happens without shutting the system down. So, as more knowledge of new services and user behavior is gained, the behavior of the GRM can be modified without requiring a software upgrade," says Thera.
In addition, as each new type of carrier is added, it must be compared with all of the other carrier types in the network. The effect of the different carriers and modulation schemes must be carefully analyzed to ensure that when carriers are assigned to frequency blocks they do not affect the quality of service (QoS) provided.
"As users demand more service, it is important to re-use frequencies wherever possible in order to maximize the availability of all of the different services," says Thera. "The FPS being provided by SED assists Inmarsat in meeting that challenge by providing a wide range of features to model the various satellite payloads in Inmarsat's constellation, the types of carriers and traffic profiles."
In the realm of comprehensive frequency planning tool sets, SED has pushed the envelope as far as possible. With these FPS tools, an operator can create optimal frequency plans based on visual depictions of the allocated spectrum. Interference can be spotted and traffic patterns plotted. Thus, traffic demand problems are solved quickly without creating new problems in the process.
"It has certainly been one of SED's largest technical challenges to date," says Thera. "Whether the service being provided is fixed or mobile, the allocated spectrum still needs to be managed and used as efficiently as possible."
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