NetworkFirst

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NetworkFirst

• Interoperability Through NetworkFirst
• Norman Hrapchak Brian Leger
• February 12, 2003

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Our Focus The Future Today
Todays Systems
Market Demand
M/A-COM
Digital Trunked IP Packet Technology Voice
Data High Capacity TDMA Multi-mode SW radios
Analog Circuit Sw. Primarily Voice 1
Call/Channel Proprietary
Quality/Service Flexibility Data
Applications Capacity Interoperability
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OpenSky An IP solution
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OpenSky Design Paradigms

• Build the network top-down
• Wide area switching
• Connectionless services
• Group calling
• Voice Data
• Facilitate Interoperability
• Network-level Gateways
• Multi-mode radios
• Internetworking of private systems
• Leverage industry standards
• TCP/IP, CDPD (IS-732), ANSI 102 (P25 Phase I)
  CAI,

Packet Technology Internet Protocols
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A New Model For Switching Packet Switched
Client/Server Architecture

• Traditional Networks
• Switch
• Circuit Switching Nodes
• Base Sites
• Terminals

• The Client Server Model
• Server
• Packet Switching Routers
• IP Base Sites
• Clients

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System InterfacesAn All-IP Network
Application IP
Application IP
Application IP
Console IP
Radio/Switch Client/Server IP
TDMA Airlink
Interoperability IP
Base Station IP
Inter System IP
IP Network Administration
IP Network Management
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PA Statewide Voice/Data Radio Network
95 Radio Coverage - 45,000 sq/miles 27 State
Agency Participants 25,000 ? 150,000
Users Counties Interoperation Connectivity
Currently rolling out the Network
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Rationalizing the New Architecture

• Why Packet Switched IP?
• Industry Standard for Data Networks
• Well Suited to Connection-less Push-to-Talk Group
  Voice Services
• Cost Effective
• Why Client-Server?
• The Norm for Complex System Applications
• Why TDMA?
• Spectrum Efficiency
• Effective Integration of Voice, Data Control
• Why Cellular?
• Highly Scalable to Large and Small Networks
• Can Tailor Coverage and Capacity Within Network

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Solving Interoperability
NetworkFirst
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Key Question
How to provide immediate interoperability among
State, County, Local, and Federal Emergency
First Responders?
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Solution Options
To achieve interoperability, you can
Adopt Radio Standard
Adopt Network Standard
or
IP Network supports all existing radios and
systems
Everyone Uses same radio and system
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Interoperability Through the Customers Eyes

• What it means
• The ability to communicate between mobile and
  fixed personnel participating in group-based,
  coordinated, operations
• What is necessary
• A vision and an operational plan
• Cooperation between participating agencies
• Products and technology
• What it needs to accomplish
• Remain non-intrusive for normal day-to-day
  operations
• Support pre-planned and unplanned scenarios
• Perspectives of different types of buyers
• Economic How do I maximize return on current
  investment and what do I get for my incremental
  investment?
• Technical What service do my users really need?
• Political What have I contributed to the
  security of my constituency?

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The Present State of Public Safety Communications

• Federal
• Utilize federal NTIA regulated bands
• Most agencies use analog non-trunked, some analog
  trunked use
• Beginning deployment of P25 conventional,
  increased interest in P25 trunking
• State
• Most state-wide networks are Low band VHF
  conventional analog
• State Patrol and DOTs tend to drive statewide
  use
• Regional use of VHF and UHF bands
• Very limited deployment of statewide trunking
• Some early migration to 800 MHz digital trunked
• Local Tier 1 County and Municipal
• Analog trunked radio with migration to digital
  trunked radio
• Local Tier 2 County and Municipal
• Conventional analog with some early migration to
  conventional digital P25

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The Interoperability Problem

• Multiple Agencies
• Federal, State, County and Local
• Multiple Frequency Bands
• VHF-low, VHF-high, UHF (low, T-band), 800,
  NPSPAC, 700 (proposed)
• Multiple Vendors - Proprietary Protocols
• Other Variables
• Multiple SW revisions, control channel rates,
  etc.
• Narrowband Wideband

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The Ideal State

• An ubiquitous network with
• Coverage everywhere
• A user can use his/her radio wherever they are
  asked to go
• Full connectivity
• A user can communicate with whomever he/she needs
  to
• Barriers to achieving the Ideal State
• No unified frequency plan
• Every band exists everywhere but
• Band use is licensed for individual use no
  clear concept of resource sharing
• This is not a technical issue it is a regulatory
  issue
• Todays radios do not implement effective
  mobility management
• Requires user to remain cognizant of coverage
  (channel)
• Trunked systems address part of this concern
• The radio channels that are in use are not part
  of a comprehensive switched network

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State-of-the-Art for Interoperability

• Simulcast Trunked Radio Systems
• Separated the channel from the group
• Full interoperability for all participating
  agencies
• Allow roaming within the coverage area
• Users select whom they talk to
• Dispatchers can patch groups together for
  increased interoperability
• Interfaces to conventional radio systems
• Wide Area Multisite Trunked Systems
• All the features of Simulcast Trunked Radio
  Systems
• With increased coverage area
• Conventional overlay for legacy radios and
  interoperability with local governments
• Network interfaces to existing trunked systems

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A Long-Term View of Interoperability

• Probably the best long-term interoperability
  solution is
• Statewide Digital Trunked Systems with
• Conventional Overlay to analog systems within the
  state
• Federal, state and local level
• Networked Trunked interfaces to existing trunked
  systems within the state
• Why states
• Significant geographic coverage
• States can bridge the gap between Federal and
  Local governments
• States have the right economies of scale
• Statewide systems are becoming practical to
  implement

Homeland Security money will be funneled through
the states
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Short Term View of Interoperability

• What drives the short-term view?
• Minimal cost maximize leverage of customers
  existing equipment
• Fast to deploy Must be capable of being
  deployed across a state in less than 3 years
• Provides a technology step towards the long term
  solution
• The answer is NetworkFirst!
• Start with a modern network backbone
• IP packet switched
• Interconnect existing conventional and trunked
  systems
• Enable incremental investment to achieve the
  long-term objective

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NetworkFirstBridging the Past to the Future
Gateway
Dispatch Center
Other State Trunked
PSTN
Regional Operations Center
Federal VHF
Regional Operations Center
Municipal 800MHz Digital Trunked
County UHF Conventional
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The NetworkFirst Roadmap
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Comparing Interoperability Solutions
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Technical Overview of NetworkFirst

• NetworkFirst Building Blocks
• NetworkFirst Interfaces
• System Scalability
• System Addressing and IDs
• Resource Pools
• Security

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NetworkFirst Building Blocks

• The Gateway
• Converts audio protocols into VOIP
• Universal audio ports
• 1 DVU card per talkpath
• Each DVU has a unique IP address

• Network Management Clients
• User interface for Network Managers
• Co-located or Remote
• SUN and PC X-window clients

• The Operations Center
• Redundant Voice Switch (VNIC)
• Network Management Server
• Network Administration Server
• High speed redundant LAN
• High capacity redundant Routers

• The IP Backbone
• Private Intranet
• Built on standard Internet Protocols
• Utilizes third party equipment
• Wide variety of communication media

• Network Administration Clients
• User interface for Network Administrators
• Co-located or Remote
• WEB Browser

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Regional Operations Center
Network Administration Server
VNIC Application Software
IP Network Backbone
Network Management Server
Redundant Ethernet Switch (HUB)
Redundant Router
Redundant Voice Switch (VNIC)
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The IP Backbone

• IP Networks are comprised of a mesh of routers
• Routers are connected by links such as
  point-to-point microwave
• Routers use IP addresses to route packets from
  one link to another
• Routers use routing tables to perform this
  routing function

Source Address
Destination Address
Packet Data
Control
IP Packet
10.52.25.5
10.52.30.7
Digital Voice
UDP
10.52.30.xx Subnetwork
10.52.25.xx Subnetwork
10.52.30.xx
10.52.30.7
10.52.25.5
10.52.30.xx
10.52.30.xx
10.52.30.xx
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DVU Cards provide Audio-to-IP
Connects to IP Router 38.4 kb/s SLIP RS-232
Connects to local PBX or POTS Line
Serial Data to Network
Optional PSTN Interface
Universal Audio Port 600W Balanced Audio Optional
EM Signaling
4-Wire Audio and signaling
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NetworkFirst System Interfaces
Conventional Radio Systems
Trunked Radio Systems
Consoles
Consoles
Trunked Base Sites
Conventional Base Sites
Console Switch Matrix
System Controller
Desk Sets
PSTN
Conventional Base Sites
IP Consoles
Network Management Administration
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Building a Larger System
Levels of Administration

• The Network Operations Center
• Network-wide Administration
• Network-wide Management
• Remote Clients

System Administration
Regional Administration
Agency Administration
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Addressing and IDs

• Talkgroups
• IP Addresses
• The User ID Structure Defines
• Regional Networks implemented as Regional
  Operations Centers
• Agency Operations Centers
• Service Provider Network ID (SPNI)
• Not used in the NetworkFirst Interoperability
  Application

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Talkgroups

• Talkgroups are the fundamental entities for
  facilitating interoperability
• NetworkFirst Talkgroups have many of the same
  characteristics as in a trunked radio system
• Most NetworkFirst functions are tied to the
  talkgroup
• Inter and Intra-regional calls
• Priority preemption
• Call control timers
• Blocking and Non-blocking behaviors

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NetworkFirst Security

• Some observations about security
• A system is only as secure as its weakest link
• When dealing with conventional radio, the analog
  radio transmission is the weakest link
• Easy to detect, easy to eavesdrop
• To some degree security and interoperability
  impose conflicting requirements
• Security limits access
• Interoperability expands access
• Within its boundaries, NetworkFirst provides
  security through encryption
• Encryption is end-to-end from DVU to DVU
• Encryption utilizes the Advanced Encryption
  Standard (AES, FIPS-PUB-197 with 128 bit keys)

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Configuring Managing NetworkFirst

• Network Administration System
• Network Management System

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Network Administration System Overview

• Every NetworkFirst system includes a Network
  Administration System
• This includes both single ROC systems as well as
  multi-ROC systems
• A single NAS can configure a network of ROCs
• The NAS is implemented in a multi-user,
  Client-Server, WEB-based architecture
• Network Administration Server
• JAVA WEB Front End Implements the user
  interface
• Sybase database manager
• Provisioning Agent
• Network Administration Clients
• WEB Browsers
• Password Protected access to server
• Multiple Levels of Administration Privileges
• Administer, Configure and Control Resource Pools
• Talkgroups, IP Addresses, DVUs

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System Level Administration

• Create and manage Administration Accounts
• Create Administration Classes
• Assign access rights(read/write) to databases for
  admin classes
• Add regional networks to system
• Create talkgroup property and priority classes
• Establish geographic distribution of talkgroups

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Regional Network Level Administration

• Create agencies within region
• Assign IP Address pools to agencies within the
  regional network
• Enable agencies to access talkgroup priority and
  property classes for use within the regional
  network
• Can perform all Agency Administration functions

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Agency Level Administration

• Create talkgroups
• Assign IP addresses to DVUs
• Configure static and dynamic talkgroups for DVUs
• Add Console Systems
• Perform Encryption Key Management (Future release)

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Solution Design Considerations

• Operational Considerations
• What system(s) are being interconnected
• Who needs to talk to who - Fleet mapping
• Equipment Considerations
• System Sizing Capacity
• How many ROCs
• IP Backbone Design

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The NetworkFirst Roadmap
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When is NetworkFirst the Right Answer?

• When you want interoperability on demand
• When you want users to determine who they talk to
• When you want a scalable solution
• When you want a migration path
• When you dont have enough money to replace all
  your radios
• When you dont have 5 years to create a solution

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