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Universal IP at Last
10/29/2004
Now, the only question is: Is your network infrastructure ready for the influx of IP-connected devices and services? Some of the new applications, such as security, are in the life-safety category and require a highly reliable network. Voice and video traffic have additional needs for timely delivery.
The Final Exam
You’re ready for Universal IP, but is your network? Ask yourself the
following six questions:
1—What level of redundancy d'es your network incorporate?
Do you have secondary power sources such as UPS and/or a generator? Do network
switches have connections to more than one other device?
2—How much bandwidth is available? Video eats bandwidth like
candy. If you haven’t checked bandwidth availability, now
would be a good time to do it. Need help? Try MRTG, a freeware package for real-time
monitoring of your traffic (mrtg.hdl.com/mrtg.html).
3—Can your current “data” network equipment support
Quality of Service (QoS)? [Definition, courtesy of About.com:
“The goal of QoS is to provide guarantees on the ability of a network
to deliver predictable results. Elements of network performance within the scope
of QoS often include availability (uptime), bandwidth (throughput), latency
(delay), and error rate.”] If you aren’t sure about QoS, ask the
person who configures your network switches.
4—How secure is your network, both from a cyber
and a physical perspective? If you plan to add IP-based life-safety systems
such as fire alarming, this is truly critical.
5—What environmental conditions do your networked devices
live under? If it’s too hot or humid, network equipment
failure rates go up dramatically.
6—Are your people ready? That is, are they up
to speed on things like QoS in the network? If not, now is the time to prepare
them. Alcatel has an easy-to-follow white paper about QoS at www.alcatel.com/industry_analysts/pdf/qos_custper_wp.pdf.
If VoIP is on the horizon, you should also train your network folks on some
of the peculiar requirements of voice systems, such as echo cancellation. A
recommended site for more about VoIP is www.voip-calculator.com/directory.
Did you pass? If not, make your plans and tackle the issues now, so that you, too, can support outstanding applications on your Universal IP network.
Wendy Chretienis a Network Systems Consultants with Elert & Associates , an independent technology consultancy.
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