microwave_site_monitoring

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Copyright 2007 DPS Telecom

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this white paper or portions thereof in any form with-out written permission from DPS Telecom. For Information, please write to DPS Telecom 4955 E. Yale

Ave., Fresno, CA 93727-1523 Call: 1-800-622-3314 Email: [email protected]

Printed in the U.S.A


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Microwave Site Monitoring DPS Telecom 4955 East Yale Avenue, Fresno, California 93727 (800) 622-3314 Fax (559) 454-1688 www.dpstelecom.co

Many network operators are quick to classify microwave as an outdated communication method. As

fiber has proliferated the need for microwave communications infrastructure has been reduced.

However, microwave still makes up a vital segment of the telecommunications industry, and there are

still many microwave sites in operation today.

For some sites, microwave is the only means of communication available. These sites are generally

very isolated, making them very difficult and expensive to get to. Windshield time can be a huge

expenditure for these sites, which makes effective microwave site monitoring crucial to your bottom

line and happy client base.

This white paper will teach you what you absolutely need to know about microwave site monitoring.

In the following pages, you will learn to identify what microwave equipment you need to monitor and

how you can bring in these network alarms. You will also learn about important Federal

Communications Commission regulations that you must follow to maintain visibility of your network.

While providing you with information on migrating away from a microwave based network, this white

paper will also help you to maximize the effectiveness of your microwave site monitoring. With the

inclusion of more advanced applications, including ring polling of your microwave sites, you will be

able to expand your microwave monitoring capabilities and knowledge.

History of Microwave Site Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Analog vs. Digital Microwave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

What You Need to Monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

4 Things Your Microwave Monitoring System Must Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

6 Issues Faced at Older Microwave Sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Prepare to Upgrade to Digital Microwave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Your Legacy Microwave Migration Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Case Study: National Grid Protects Service Reliability with T/Mon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Upgrade Your monitoring System at No Cost to You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

EMI Noise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Monitoring Your Decommisioned Tower Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Ring Polling of Your Microwave Sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Contents

Executive Summary

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History of Microwave Site MonitoringIn 1945, the first microwave relay system was introduced by Western Union. This experimental system trans-

mitted communication signals via radio along a series of towers between New York and Philadelphia.

This line of sight communications technology eventually became the dominant transmission method for tele-

com companies. Prior to satellite and cellular communications technologies, microwave technology was themost commonly used method for transmitting telephone and other communications.

Today, fiber-optic communication dominates the telecommunications industry. However, microwave commu-

nication is still widely used at many sites in the United States. For many of these microwave sites, there is

simply no other cost-effective transmission option. This is particularly true at the most remote microwave

sites, which can be very expensive to extend fiber to.

Analog vs. Digital MicrowaveMicrowave communications can take both analog and digital form. Some of the advantages of each format

are:

Analog Microwave

Already in Service at Your Sites- Analog microwave technology is most likely already installed and in

service at your sites. Since you are already using this transport method, you are probably familiar with it.

In this case, its best to continue using the data transmission equipment you are already comfortable with.

Already Paid For- As it is has been a part of your microwave communications network for a long time,

analog transportation equipment is almost certainly already paid for. By continuing to use this communi-

cation method, you will avoid the expense of upgrading your transport technology.

Known Performance Characteristics- Analog microwave provides you with known performance charac-

teristics. Because it is already in use at your microwave sites, you already know the quantity of communi

cations it can handle during any given time period and what transmission capabilities it has.

.Digital Microwave

Newer, More Reliable Technology- Digital microwave communications use newer communications tech-

nology. This provides you with more advanced monitoring capabilities. It also makes it easier to purchas

and replace equipment, as it is more readily available than older devices that support analog microwave.

Higher Bandwidth- The high bandwidth of digital microwave communications provides for increased data

capacity. This larger bandwidth enables the transmission of more verbose protocols. It also decreases

system poll time.

Allows Dropping off of LAN for Devices- With digital microwave, you can bring LAN connections to

your equipment as they become available. This enables you to expand your LAN network as you can

afford to do so, without having to develop additional communications infrastructure to support the

changes.

Better Reporting- Because digital microwave uses the newest microwave transport technology, you will be

able to deploy more advanced communications equipment. These advanced devices will provide you with

much better reporting than your legacy equipment. Where before, your notifications may have been

received as a single bit to translate using a database, digital microwave can provide you with detailed,

readable reports.

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Microwave Site Monitoring DPS Telecom 4955 East Yale Avenue, Fresno, California 93727 (800) 622-3314 Fax (559) 454-1688 www.dpstelecom.com


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What You Need to Monitor

1) Environmental Conditions- Environmental conditions can severely effect microwave trans-mission. Your need to monitor environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity to

ensure that site conditions do not exceed certain thresholds that can cause your important equipment

to malfunction. You need to monitor alarms coming from this equipment to prevent these failures.

2) Power Conditions- Your microwave network is hugely dependent on your power supply. Thesesystems must be hot-wired into a grid. This makes it increasingly important for you to monitor your

other power sources, such as generators and batteries, enabling you to quickly roll-out a fuel truck

or portable generator when you receive a power source alarm.

3) Microwave-Specific Equipment- If your microwave-specific equipment fails, your entiremicrowave network could lose connectivity. It is important to monitor your microwave transport

equipment to prevent outages and reduce your overall network downtime.

4) Transport Equipment- The equipment that supports your network communications is criticalto your operations. When a failure occurs with your communications transport, you will miss

important incoming data that is critical to your operation. You may even be unable to conduct any

of your revenue-generating processes, losing money every minute your network remains offline.

You need to monitor the equipment that transports your data to get your network quickly back

online.

5) Tower Lights- FCC regulations make tower light monitoring a must for every organization withtowers. To avoid hefty fines, and dangerous situations for air traffic, you need to know if your

tower lights have failed. Monitoring this equipment will enable you to quickly respond to a situa-

tion before you must report an unresolved outage to the FCC (FCC Regulations for Tower Light

Monitoring: Sec. 17.48 Notification of extinguished lights).

4 Things Your Microwave Monitoring System Must Do

1) Access Reflective Power Levels- Reflective power is any energy that is reflected back to yourtransmitter, rather than leaving your tower. Your monitoring system must monitor your transmission

equipment to determine how much reflective power you are encountering, as it is an indication that

you are not maximizing your transmission capability.

2) Monitor Analogs- It is important that your monitoring system can provide alarm data for analogvalues, such as temperature and humidity.

3) Monitor Battery Voltage- Analog sensors also allow you to monitor the voltage of batteries asthey discharge, letting you know when they may need replaced. It is imperative that your

microwave monitoring system provides these analog sensors, which allow you to keep your network

online by proactively responding to potential equipment failures and network outages before they

occur.

4) Monitor Wind Speed- Harsh winds can affect transmission quality across your microwave net-work. In extreme cases, the safety of your microwave towers can even be threatened. Monitoring

wind speed allows you to be instantly notified of these extremes, enabling you to quickly secure

your tower equipment to protect your microwave communications.

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6 Issues Faced at Older Microwave Sites

1) Legacy Equipment is Unreliable- Simply put, legacy equipment has a very high failure rate. Dueto age and lack of support for devices, legacy equipment often cannot provide the communications support

needed at microwave sites.

2) Difficulty Finding Replacement or Spare Parts for Repairs- Unfortunately, parts for legacyequipment can be difficult to find. At many older microwave sites, visibility of entire sites can be lost,simply because operators are unable to locate the parts they need to repair their legacy devices.

3) Equipment Vendors No Longer in Business- While microwave is still used by many companies,it is an older technology. Vendors that were once at the forefront of this technology may no longer exist.

This can make obtaining equipment, firmware, and even support virtually impossible.

4) The Network Operator is About to Retire, and No One Knows the Equipment- Newercompanies generally do not deploy microwave technology. For this reason, many of todays network pro-

fessionals do not know how to use microwave equipment (or even have a basic understanding of how

microwave transmission works!) At microwave sites, this can present a significant challenge finding asuitable replacement for network operators as they retire.

5) Poor Documentation of Legacy System- Older legacy systems are often very poorly documented.This makes learning an older microwave system even more challenging for operators who are new to the

site. Without proper documentation, new operators may not be able to optimally monitor their equipment,

simply due to a lack of knowledge of important monitoring system applications.

6) Monitoring is Seen as Outdated Technology- Microwave technology has been largely replacedwith copper and fiber-optic communications. Remotes found at older microwave sites are considered to be

outdated, and incapable of meeting todays visibility needs. This is particularly true of remotes that were

included with the original microwave system, which are often discontinued by the original vendors.

Remote Alarm Solution: KDA 864

The KDA provides 64 reversible alarm inputs, 8 N.O. relay form A contacts, wire wrap connectors, rack mountable 19" & 23"

The KDA 864 is a multiprotocol, downloadable alarm and control remote that packs 64 alarm points and

8 control points into a single 19-inch housing. You can daisy-chain up to four KDAs for added capacity

and include additional functions like TBOS and analog monitoring in the expansion card slot.

64 discrete alarms, 8 controls, for DCP, E2A, TBOS, TL1, TRIP, 4 or 8 TBOS Ports, 8 or 16 Analog

Input Channels, 4 TBOS Ports and 3 ASCII Craft Ports, 24 Additional Controls with Latching Relays

Supports 202 Modems along 0-4 base bands, and FSK Modems on 4-8 and 8-12 base bands

For more information, check out the KDA on the Web at

www.dpstelecom.com/kda864_microwave .

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Prepare to Upgrade to Digital MicrowaveTo get your company ready for an upgrade from analog to digital microwave, you will need to seek

out equipment that can meet your exact upgrade needs. To prepare yourself to monitor digital

microwave communications, keep these points in mind:

1) Provide for adequate external alarming- If your analog microwave network has built inalarming, you stand to lose all of your monitoring capabilities during your transition to digital

microwave. Without this important visibility, you will be blind to problems within your

microwave network. By providing for adequate external alarm monitoring, you will avoid this

visibility loss when you upgrade to digital microwave transport.

2) Ready your database for porting- It is important that any new master is capable of port-ing in your existing database. With the extensive amount of data entry youve invested in your

alarm database, you simply cannot afford to lose it. Advanced monitoring masters can port in

your database, preventing you from losing all of your alarm points during your transition from

analog to digital transmission.

3) Avoid extra rewiring- By deploying dual interface remotes, you will avoid expensive andtime consuming rewiring of all your remotes once you upgrade your transmission network (ex.

Serial to LAN). This will reduce your costs during the upgrade process, making upgrading your

monitoring the least of your budgetary concerns.

DPS is Committed to Meeting Your Exact NeedsDPS Telecom is an industry-leading manufacturer of customized alarm management products. Our custom engineer-

ing and agile manufacturing capabilities allow create custom monitoring products that meet your exact needs.

We wanted to replace all the masters with one master. We also

wanted to add native IP remotes and migrate as many sites as possi-

ble to IP network monitoring."

"DPS was the only one that said it could do it all, either through

hardware or software. Everyone else had an exception."

John Mullen and Daniel Jackson

Dominion

"It was very important for us to find a vendor who was willing to customize

the alarm system to meet our needs. Like many carriers, we have a mix of

equipment everything from microwave radio systems to high capacity

dense wave division multiplexing systems. We needed an alarm system that

could pull in TBOS alarms, discrete alarms, SNMP ... DPS has products

that meet our needs.

Paul Mankins

Norlight Telecommunications

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Your 2-Step Legacy Migration PlanIf youre using a legacy microwave master, youve probably been struggling to keep your system up

and running. As newer technology is introduced, it becomes harder and harder to find replacement

parts or replacement units. Vendors frequently close their doors, leaving you without support for your

monitoring system. If you have been encountering these problems, or simply feel that your monitoring

system is no longer capable of meeting the needs of your network, it is time to consider a gradual

migration to more advanced equipment.

Step 1: Replace Your Legacy Master With an Advanced, Multi-Protocol Master

The first step in the migration process it to replace your most important piece of monitoring equipment,

your system master. If your master fails, you stand to lose visibility of your entire network for days as

you search for a capable technician, or a replacement unit. Replacing your master before a major com-

munication failure occurs will not only prevent extended periods of network downtime, but it will also

provide you the functionality of advanced monitoring equipment without replacing your existing RTUs.

Advantages of Modern Alarm Masters:

Reliable, automatic reporting of alarms via pager or email

Support for multiple protocols, including legacy protocols

Convenient browser interface brings all of your alarms into one window

Remote control of your network equipment

Lower maintenance costs due to improved troubleshooting and specific repair instructions

When seeking out a master, it is important to find a vendor that is capable of porting your database to

preserve your time investment. It is also important to find a master that support a wide range of legacy

protocols. Deploying an advanced master with these capabilities will enable you to maintain network

visibility using your existing remotes. This helps you to spread out the cost of your new monitoring

system by allowing you to upgrade your equipment over several budget cycles.

Step 2: Gradually Replace Your Legacy Remotes as Your Budget Allows

Spreading your equipment purchases out over several budget cycles minimizes the burden of purchas-

ing new equipment. Completion of your legacy migration can take as little or as much time as you

need it to, without losing visibility of your network during a forklift swapout.

As your legacy remotes fail, or as your visibility needs grow, you can replace your legacy RTUs unit

by unit. Your modern RTUs can be quickly and easily configured to interact with your modern master.

In doing so, you will be able to view all of your alarms within your master system browser, as well as

remotely control your RTUs and other network devices. There are a number of other advantages.

Advantages of Modern Alarm Collection Remotes:

High alarm capacity for increased device visibility Ability to seamlessly transition to new reporting interfaces

Alarm point grouping by severity, location, or other user-specified criteria

Automatic email and page notification of alarm events with a LAN or dialup connection

Now that your legacy migration is complete, you can enjoy the peace of mind that only advanced mon-

itoring systems can provide you. Not only that, but you will have a large storage of back-up RTUs in

the event you need to temporarily replace a remote. While minimizing your equipment outlay, a grad-

ual migration will decrease your windshield time, and save your company from a lengthy period of

downtime in the event of a legacy master failure.



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Step Two: Complete Your System

with Modern Monitoring Remotes

Step One: Upgrade to an

Advanced System Master

Before: An Outdated Legacy

Microwave Monitoring System

9

1. Legacy protocol support. T/Mon can extract critical

alarm data from many proprietary legacy protocols,

including Datalock, Larse, Badger, Dantel, and NEC,

bringing all of your alarms from over 25 different legacy

and modern protocols onto one screen.

2. Support for multiple serial polling legs and electrical

interfaces. T/Mon can poll devices from many different

serial legs. With support for many different electricalinterfaces, including FSK and 202 modems, you will be

able to effectively monitor your entire network.

3. Detailed alarm notifications in plain English that

your staff will immediately understand and take

action on. Every notification includes full information

about the alarm, including its severity, location, date/time

stamp, and a user-defined description.

4. Immediate notification of changes of state (COSs),

including new alarms and alarms that have cleared. You

dont have to hunt to find out whats changed in your net-

work T/Mon lists it for you.

5. A continuously updated list of all current standing

alarms. Even if the system operator acknowledges thealarm, it remains in the Standing Alarms screen until it is

cleared.

6. Text message windows displaying specific instruc-

tions for the appropriate action for an alarm. System

operators, even without extra training, will know pre-

cisely what to do and who to call in case of an alarm.

The T/Mon NOC Remote Alarm Monitoring System provides

total visibility of your network status and automatically

notifies the right people to keep your network running.

Sign up for a Web demo of T/Mon NOC

at www.dpstelecom.com/webdemo

10 T/Mon NOC Features that Legacy Masters Cant Match

7. Nuisance alarm filtering. Unimportant alarms that

generate meaningless status notices or oscillate between

alarm and clear conditions subconsciously train your staff

to ignore the alarm monitoring system. T/Mon filters outnuisance alarms, allowing your staff to focus its attention on

serious threats.

8. Pager and e-mail notifications. Send alarm notifications

directly to maintenance personnel, even if theyre away

from the NOC.

9. Derived alarms and controls that combine and correlate

data from multiple alarm inputs and automatically control

remote site equipment to correct complex threats.

10. Mediation of all alarms to SNMP traps sent to MOM

With an outdated monitoring system,

you may be missing your important

alarms, or lack site

visibility altogether in some areas

By upgrading your master first, you

will maintain constant network visibil-

ity, eliminating the extended downtime

associated with a forklift swapout

Migration allows you to add advanced

remotes as you can afford to,

deploying your modern monitoring

system over several budget cycles



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Case Study: National Grid Protects Service Reliability

with T/Mon, NetGuardians, and KDAsNational Grid is one of the world's largest utilities,

focused on delivering energy safely, reliably, efficient-

ly, and responsibly. They own and operate gas and

electricity transmission and gas distribution networks

in the UK and US and electricity distribution networksin the US. National Grid aims to be the world's pre-

mier network utility.

A Clear Need for MonitoringWhat most people might not know is that there is a

considerable amount of underlying telecommunication

infrastructure required to maintain daily operations at

National Grid. This equipment has to be aggressively

monitored. T/Mon has been a key part of their net-

work surveillance strategy since 1990.

T/Mon was ini-tially used to

monitor

Datalok

remotes at

National Grid

microwave

sites. Security

is a primary

concern, as is

basic environ-

mental and

equipment

alarming.

Quick and Efficient ChangeoversOver the last 16 years, National Grid has transitioned

from Datalok remotes to DPS KDA 8964s. "The

switchovers go really smooth. We maintain a single

database at the T/Mon master and download the

KDA. We then send a tech to the field to cutover the

wiring and 30 minutes later the site is up," said Mary

Steffen, Sr. IT Analyst.

Newer site upgrades have migrated to the NG216 and

NetGuardian832. "The analog capabilities of these

remotes will allow us to trend key readings such as

temperature, battery and RSL" said Tim LaChance,

Team Lead - Network operations. "Once you see what

these new units can do, you almost wish all of your

sites could do this."

T/Mon Provides Full Network VisibilityNational Grid's T/Mon architecture is quite sophisticat-

ed. They have several markets each with their own

T/Mon which in turn report to a T/Mon MOM (Manager

of Managers). The T/Mon MOM gives the NOC full

visibility into the remote networks as well as its own

remotes.

The NOC is manned 7x24, so when alarms come into

the system, the operators assess the problem and

take appropriate dispatch actions. One potential action

is to use T/Mon to issue a manual page. This manual

page allows the operator to quickly select the proper

technician as well as type in the specific actions to

execute. This is superior to automatic paging becausethe operator can take many other factors and chang-

ing circumstances into consideration prior to acting.

Text Messages Enable Rapid Operator

TrainingOver the years, National Grid has found the T/Mon to

be both an effective and easy-to-use tool. "New oper-

ators can be trained in half a day. We have set up

very clear instructions in the text message on what

actions are to be taken," says Mary.

DPS Factory Training ProvidesComprehensive UnderstandingBoth Mary and Tim recently attended DPS factory

training. Mary came to the class with years of experi-

ence. Tim, from his management point of view, want-

ed to know more about DPS products & monitoring

applications. Mary expected that the she would have

to sit patiently and wait for the class to catch up with

what she already knew, but she experienced some-

thing quite different. "The class went at a very good

Tim LaChance

Mary Steffen

National Grid

National Grid is able to quickly train new operators using

T/Mons text message notifications

10

With the analog capabilities of the NetGuardian 832A, National

Grid can monitor key readings such as temperature and

battery levels



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pace and I learned new ways of doing things

along the way."

One of the best aspects of the training for Mary

and Tim was learning how they could maximize

the use of their T/Mon. "We can now use the

ASCII processor on the T/Mon to Telnet into our

devices to find out the root cause of a problemand report that directly to the alarm screen. This

will allow our operators to get critical information

much faster because they won't have to open

the Telnet and issue the queries to get more

detail. This is especially good because they

avoid the complication of the subtle variances in

command syntax between various elements.

Collectively, this shortens the time to dispatch,

which is good for everybody."

Get More Success Stories:

To get more client success stories and other inform-

ative alarm monitoring articles delivered right to

your inbox, subscribe the the DPS Telecom alarm

monitoring e-magazine- The Protocol.

Visit The Protocolwebsite at:

www.TheProtocol.com

11

Learn About Remote Site Monitoring From the Monitoring

Experts: Attend DPS Telecom Factory TrainingLearn network alarm monitoring in-depth in a totally practical hands-on class. The DPS Telecom Factory

Training Event will show you how to make your alarm monitoring easier and more effective. Youll learn

microwave alarm monitoring, migration techniques, derived alarms and controls, and how to configure auto-

matic email and pager notifications. DPS training is the easiest way to learn alarm monitoring, taught by

technicians who have installed hundreds of successful alarm monitoring deployments.

For dates and registration information, call 1-800-693-3314 today or go to www.dpstelecom.com/training

[DPS Factory Training] really was the best training class Ive been to in my telecom

career.

Mary Steffen, National Grid

DPS Factory Training is a big help in not feeling intimidated by your network monitoring

system. Its excellent presented in the right way and tailored to the needs of the class.Bill Speck, 3 Rivers Telephone

ASCII and TL1 commands... [were] presented very well, making the introduction to a

new language enjoyable!Dewayne Hamilton, Level 3 Communications



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Upgrade Your Monitoring System at No Cost to You

If you are operating outdated monitoring equipment along your frequency band, you may have an

opportunity to update your monitoring without any financial outlay on the part of your company. Due

to the shortage of FCC frequencies available, your company may be able to secure an advanced new

monitoring system at no cost to you by selling use of your frequency. By capitalizing on these FCC

frequency opportunities, you can leverage your microwave communication band to secure a modern-

ized monitoring system for your company.

How to Get Another Company to Pay for Your New Monitoring SystemDue to the shortage of frequencies now available for purchase, many wireless providers have

approached companies with older frequency bands with purchase offers. In exchange for use of your

frequency band, many of these companies will offer you compensation. These companies cannot oper-

ate their networks using the hard-coded legacy equipment that is programmed for use strictly at these

sites, thus presenting a perfect opportunity for you to obtain an advanced new monitoring system while

the other guy pays the bill.

This is a perfect opportunity to upgrade your legacy equipment without having to expend your entiremonitoring budget purchasing new equipment. Instead, you can work with the other users of your fre-

quency band to develop an advanced monitoring system that provides the visibility you need with the

advanced features you deserve.

Other Things to Keep in Mind During Your Controlled Legacy MigrationYou can replace your legacy system at your own pace, without making a large initial expenditure on

new equipment. Replacing just your master is 7 to 10 times cheaper than a forklift system swapout,

and will ensure that you have visibility of your network throughout the entire process.

You can gradually deploy your modern monitoring system, spreading the cost over several budgetcycles while maintaining network visibility. The first step in this migration process is to purchase an

advanced system master. An advanced master will be able to collect alarms from your legacy remotes,

while supporting advanced new remotes as you add them to your network

When Replacing Your Site, Bring Alarms up to Contemporary StandardsWork with your frequency user to ensure they deploy an alarm monitoring system that meets all of

your monitoring needs. This is an excellent opportunity to upgrade to reliable, contemporary equip-

ment that meets the demands of todays network monitoring needs.

Seek equipment that can support multiple protocols, and can report alarms from these protocols auto-

matically. These alarms should all be brought together in a single browser window, enabling you toeffectively monitor all of your microwave sites using a single system operator. These features will help

you to decrease your bottom line expenditures on labor, windshield time, and repairs by allowing for

quick and easy troubleshooting and problem solving.

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13

Full-Featured RTU Focus:

The NetGuardian 832A G4

High Capacity SNMP RTU IP Ping Monitor

8-Port Terminal Server

Stand-Alone Monitoring and Notification

The NetGuardian 832A monitors 32 discrete

alarms and 8 analog alarms, pings 32 network

elements, controls 8 relays, acts as an 8-port

terminal server, and reports via SNMP, e-

mail, or pager..

High Capacity: 32 discrete alarms (expand

able to 176), 32 ping alarms, 8 analog

alarms, 8 controls, and 8 serial ports

Reports alarms to multiple SNMP managers

or T/MonXM

NEBS-compliant

8-port terminal server for multiple-user

LAN access to PBXs and switches

Internal modem for dial-up backup path

Configure and monitor via Web browser

E-mail and pager notifications

Free lifetime firmware upgrades

Free Windows-based utility for off-site edit-

ing and LAN-based remote provisioning

Multiple customization and expansion

options

CE-compliant

All units are custom built to order. Allow 2-4weeks for delivery. All DPS Telecom prod-

ucts are backed by our 30-Day, No-Risk

Guarantee: "If you buy our equipment and are

not satisfied for any reason during the first 30

days, simply return it."

For more information, check out the

NetGuardian on the Web at

www.DpsTelecom.com/ng_microwave.

EMI NoiseElectromagnetic Interference can be extremely problematic

at microwave sites. Interference impairs communications

by interrupting the transmission/receipt of data between

your microwave towers.

To prevent EMI noise from interrupting your mission-criti-

cal communications, it is important to purchase network

equipment that meet the standard requirements for EMI

noise. Equipment that has been properly tested for EMI

noise levels in anechoic chambers can give you the assur-

ance that your important data transmission wont be inter-

rupted by interference from your own equipment.

The Bellcore Network Equipment Building System (NEBS)

requirements indicate multiple compliance levels for differ-

ent types of equipment. NEBS is a common set of safety,

spatial and environmental design guidelines applied to

telecommunications equipment in the United States. Tolearn more about these requirements and tower light moni-

toring, refer to the DPS Telecom Tower Light Monitoring

Tech Brief.

Monitoring Your Decommissioned

Tower LightsEven if you are no longer operating your tower equipment,

the FCC mandates that you continue to meet the lighting

and observation requirements enforced for active sites.Alarm monitoring systems for your decommisioned tower

sites will save you the from making a major demolition

investment, while still meeting the FCCs safety require-

ments. Purchasing tower light monitoring equipment is sig-

nificantly cheaper than deconstructing your tower.

Monitoring your decommisioned tower lights also provides

for the safety of air traffic travelers. Even though you may

not be using your tower equipment, it still poses a large

Get the Tower Light Monitoring

Tech Brief at DpsTelecom.comAre you prepared for your next tower light failure?

If you don't have adequate monitoring equipment

deployed at your remote tower sites, the answer is

probably an unfortunate "No".

Learn how to effectively monitor your tower lights

with the DPS Tower Light Monitoring Tech Brief

Download it at:

www.DpsTelecom.com/microwave_tower_lights.



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14

Ring Polling of Your Microwave SitesRing polling is an advanced microwave application that allows you to continue data transmission dur-

ing a communication break. It can also be used to troubleshoot communication problems between your

microwave tower sites.

With ring polling, communication is backhauled, meaning that messages are transmitted from site to

site sequentially. This allows you to maintain microwave transmission during a communication failure

because data can be sent from either side. The data will simply have to be transmitted in two direc-

tions.

Ring polling also provides for troubleshooting of network problems. By sending data in both direc-

tions around the ring of sites, you can identify where a communication problem has occurred. This will

save you time and money by efficiently identifying communication problems and speeding repair

times, while still transmitting and receiving your important data.

The following diagram provides an example of the troubleshooting application of ring polling. If a

message is sent from LAN Site 1, to microwave Site 1, to Site 2, to Site 3, but doesnt make it to Site4, a network operator can send a backhaul message from LAN Site 2. If the message stops at Site 4,

the operator can determine the break is between Sites 3 and 4, and dispatch a technician to repair the

problem immediately.

Ring polling provides for troubleshooting of problems along ringed microwave networks



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Get the Facts Before You Purchase Your Next Network Monitoring System

If you found the information in this white paper useful, youll also be interested in the other white papers in the DPS Telecom

Network Monitoring Guide series. Each paper is a complete guide to an essential aspect of network monitoring. These are the

facts you need to know to make an informed purchase of your next network monitoring system.

Perfect-Fit Alarm MonitoringDo you have a specialized monitoring need that no off-the-shelf product can solve? Does it seem like you

need to buy several products just to get the job done? At DPS, we design and build custom products to

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Practical Guide to SNMP Troubleshooting

Your Are you encountering problems with your SNMP implementation? Are you planning to expand yourSNMP deployment? This white paper is a guide to troubleshooting SNMP. Get valuable tips for identify-

ing and solving problems with MIBs, firewalls, traps, IP routing, and more. To receive this report, visit:


Monitoring Alarms Over T1

Monitoring sites outside of your existing LAN used to be difficult, expensive, and time-consuming. Now,

new technology allows you to effectively monitor sites when T1 is the only available connection. This

new white paper will show you how to monitor your outside plant sites, cost-effectively provide Ethernet

to site equipment, and maximize your ROI. To receive this report, visit:


Give Us Your FeedbackSend your comments to [email protected]

This all sounds great, but where can I get product details?If you would like to know more about the products and services mentioned in this white paper, visit www.dpstelecom.com

and click Applications. or Products.



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US $36.95

We protect your network like your business depends on itTM

About the AuthorsAbout the Authors

Robert Berry is founder and CEO of DPS Telecom, an industry-leading devel-

oper of network alarm management solutions. Two decades' experience

designing remote telemetry systems have taught Berry that technology is most

powerful when it meets real-world business needs. DPS Telecom clients have

grown to appreciate Berry's dedication to developing technology solutions that

lower costs and raise revenue.

In the two years UBTA-UBET has used T/Mon, the company's

alarm handling has substantially improved. The T/Mon has

given us better notification, and I think it's made us a lot more

responsive to (E2A) alarms,"

Rick Hoffman

UBTA-UBET

It is hard to find companies with the intelligence and aptitude to meet the

customers exact needs, and I believe that is what DPS is all about.

Lee Wells

Pathnet

Andrew Erickson is Lead Writer for The Protocol, the monthly alarm monitoring

ezine from DPS Telecom (www.TheProtocol.com). Experience writing website

content and product documentation have prepared him to capture the expertiseof the DPS Engineering team in a clear and concise white paper.


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