Remotely Managed Fast Ethernet Media Converter with Bandwidth Allocation and Loopback
See also: PDF version

System Overview
The new Fast Ethernet media converter is a cost-effective 100 Mbps solution with in-band remote end management, bandwidth allocation and remote and local loopback.

The system consists of two types of units: chassis card units installed in the Transition Networks' chassis, managed via the CPSMM-xxx management card and standalone units installed in the remote location.

The in-band management enables network administrators to manage each port of the remotely installed units of the system. It is done in-band because management data is securely placed in the Inter-Packet Gap and it travels on the same fiber as network data. This product provides answers the demand for a product in applications where in-band management and cost efficiency are crucial.

The product is a very attractive solution for the following applications:

• Service provider offering data services to customers
• Managed connection of remote devices in the enterprise
  (Fiber to the workgroup/Desktop)

The converters need to be deployed in a back to back configuration to take advantage of all designed features.

Service Provider Application
The Point System™ line of 100BASE-TX to100BASE-FX chassis card converters with bandwidth allocation (CRMFE101x-200) will be used to convert existing copper ports from the edge switch and run fiber links to the customer. They will be installed in the Point System chassis CPSMC1xx0-x00) at the CO. Copper will be run from the edge switch to the converter card in the chassis. Copper will be converted to fiber in CRMFE101x-200 100BASE-TX to100BASE-FX card. Fiber will run to the customer premise. The remotely managed units (SRMFE10xx-200) are then installed in the CPE area. Service providers can now monitor and manage the entire optical link from the CO to the Customer Premise Equipment (CPE), change the bandwidth offered to the customer in the increments of 64kbps and perform a loopback test for maintenance or troubleshooting without the need for a truck roll.

Figure 1 (+)

This configuration offers several advantages in terms of link monitoring, SNMP management, failure notification and security, plus it offers a bandwidth allocation capability in the 64Kbps increments and remote or local loopback feature.

The point system cards at the CO and CPE offer the following advantages:

• N-Way Auto-Negotiation
• Bandwidth allocation capability in the 64Kbps increments Via SNMP management
• Remote or local Loopback for easy maintenance and link troubleshooting
• Bandwidth Utilization - This converter will also allow service providers to gather information about customers' bandwidth utilization. The information, which in conjunction with Transition Networks' Focal Point 2 Collector Application, can automatically be recorded in the database and used for accounting purposes or reported back to the customer.
• AutoCross that allows the twisted pair port to be automatically configured to the correct MDI or MDI-X configuration
• Link Pass Through and Far End Fault - link fault detection mechanisms
• Pause

The converters need to be deployed in a back to back configuration to take advantage of all designed features. Both chassis card or standalone units are hot swappable which means no need to reset any customer specific settings (e.g. bandwidth allocation) if there is a need to replace the units.

The xRMFE converter can also be used in conjunction with any Fast Ethernet 100BASE-TX or 100BASE-FX compliant devices. Please see table 2 to determine what feature set option is the most suitable for your application.

Table 1: Remote Management Features

Enterprise Application
There may be devices such as work stations or even servers located remotely from the data center or wiring closet (e.g. Shipping & Receiving stations.) If those distances exceed 100 meters, the user may need to use fiber optical cabling. In a larger enterprise network or a network with satellite locations data connections to each device on the far end are managed and monitored by administrator from the local data center. With remote end management, troubleshooting is made simpler and the need to send a network manager to the remote location can be minimized. The xRMFE solution has Auto-Negotiation, AutoCross, Link Pass Through, Far-End-fault or Pause features. Should the administrator require a certain configuration of above features, he/she can enable or disable them remotely. In the times of network capacity reaching its peak, the administrators can actively limit the bandwidth of less significant portions of the network allowing critical activities to enjoy full bandwidth.

Figure 2 (+)

In-Band Management
RMFE converters can be managed via the "Focal Point" management software, with our web based management using any standard web browser or through the command line interface (CLI). Focal Point is the same software package that is used in management of the Point System products. It offers full SNMP read/write management capabilities via a user friendly graphical user interface (GUI). Transition's GUI interface is supported on most major network management platforms such as HP Openview™, Sun Solaris, and NT. The web-based management can be accessed via any HTTP type browser. The level of control is identical for Focal Point and web-based interface. It gives full remote or local management. The Focal Point management software is fully SNMP compliant so simple text-based management is also supported.

Security of In-Band Management
The remote user is physically unable to receive the management information as the Inter-Packet Gap is used as transport mechanism for the Transition Networks propriatary management information. The management information travels only over fiber and is separated from the data flow in the chassis.

The management security is assured by a set of security features implemented only by Transition Networks. These include Firewall, MAC address Filtering, SNMP lock and Serial Port Locks

Firewall
Point System management agents contain an internal IP filter that can be configured through the Command Line Interface (CLI). Each rule entered into the IP filter matches packets based on source IP address, destination protocol, destination port, or combination of the three. These capabilities can be used to restrict access to the Agent to particular IP subnetworks or stations, on a service-by-service basis.

MAC Address Filtering
This feature allows the user to specify up to four trusted Ethernet Hardware addresses (i.e. MAC addresses) that are permitted to send IP packets to the Management Agent.

SNMP LOCK
The SNMPLOCK feature is designed to make it much more difficult for intruders to make changes to Management settings via a method known as "IP Spoofing." This feature of the Agent leverages the extreme difficulty of Telnet IP Spoofing by dropping all incoming SNMP packets unless there is a Telnet session currently established to the same IP address that is sending the SNMP packet. The Telnet session doesn't have to be used to manage the agent. It is merely there to verify connectivity back to the station that is sending the SNMP requests.

LOCK / UNLOCK
The LOCK command allows the CLI to be locked so that no commands can be entered.

Product Configuration
Transition's remotely managed Fast Ethernet converters are available in two versions. Standalone and The Point System™ chassis card to fit any CPSMCxxxx chassis cabinets.

The connector options include: Multimode (2km) ST or SC; Single Mode SC - dual fiber (20, 40,60, or 80km); or Single Mode SC - single fiber fiber (20, 40 or 60km).