Project Report

SuperDirect & SuperDirect Hub

Engineer:
Designation: Network Engineer
Department: Network Operation Center

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Sr.No & Chapter Name

Page No.

IDirect System Overview--------------------------------------------------------------------------------3

IDirect Hub Series----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------5
IDirect Hub Advantages---------------------------------------------------------------------------------7
Chassis Default Slot Groups----------------------------------------------------------------------------8
Hub Line Cards & Designation-----------------------------------------------------------------------10
Adaptive Coding and Modulation Benefits---------------------------------------------------------11
Evolution DVBS2 Line Cards Types-----------------------------------------------------------------12
iNFINITI Line Cards Types---------------------------------------------------------------------------13
Evolution Satellite Routers DVBS2 Series & Feature------------------------------------------14
iNFINITI Satellite Routers Series & Features-----------------------------------------------------15
Protocol Processor Functionality---------------------------------------------------------------------15
Overview of the Network Management System for iBuilder-----------------------------------16
Components of the Network Management System-----------------------------------------------17
NMS Server Services-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------18
NMS Processor Architecture--------------------------------------------------------------------------19
Remote Site Design Considerations------------------------------------------------------------------20

iDirect System Overview

System Overview:
An iDirect network is a satellite based TCP/IP network with a Star topology in which a Time
Division Multiplexed (TDM) broadcast downstream channel from a central hub location is
shared by a number of remote nodes. iDX Release 2.0 supports both iDirect SCPC downstream
carriers and DVB-S2 downstream carriers. An example iDirect network is shown in Figure 1.
iDX 2.0 does not support iSCPC or Mesh networks.

Figure 1: Sample iDirect Network

The iDirect Hub equipment consists of an iDirect Hub Chassis with Hub Line Cards, a Protocol
Processor (PP), a Network Management System (NMS) and the appropriate RF equipment. Each

remote node consists of an iDirect broadband router and the appropriate external VSAT
equipment. The remotes transmit to the hub on one or more shared upstream carriers using
Deterministic-Time Division Multiple Access (D-TDMA), based on dynamic time plan slot
assignment generated at the Protocol Processor.
The selection of an upstream carrier by a remote is determined either at network acquisition time
or dynamically at run-time, based on a network configuration setting. iDirect software has
features and controls that allow the system to be configured to provide QoS and other traffic
engineered solutions to remote users. All network configuration, control, and monitoring
functions are provided via the integrated NMS.
The iDirect software provides:

Packet-based and network-based QoS, TCP acceleration

TCP acceleration
AES link encryption
Local DNS cache on the remote
End-to-end VLAN tagging
Dynamic routing protocol support via RIPv2 over the satellite link
Multicast support via IGMPv2
VoIP support via voice optimized features such as cRTP

An iDirect network interfaces to the external world through IP over Ethernet ports on the remote
unit and the Protocol Processor at the hub.
An iDirect network interfaces to the external world through IP over Ethernet via 10/100 Base-T
ports on the remote unit and the Protocol Processor at the hub. The following figures, beginning
with Figure 2-2 iDirect IP Architecture, p. 5 describe the IP level configurations available to a
network operator.
The iDS system allows you to mix traditional IP routing based networks with VLAN based
configurations. This capability provides support for customers that have conflicting IP address
ranges in a direct fashion, and to support multiple independent customers at a single remote site
by configuring multiple VLANs directly on the remote.
Figure 2: iDirect System Architecture

iDirect Hub Series

Hub Chassis Series

Series 15100 Universal Hub (5IF)
Series 12100 Universal Hub
Additional Hub Components
NMS
Hub Line Cards
Hub Protocol Processors

Figure 3: Hub Series

1: Compact, 11U, 19 rack mountable chassis

2: Accommodates Up To 20 Line Cards
3: 5IF interface supporting multiple bands and transponders on up to five satellites
4: Supports DVB-S2/ACM or iNFINITI on the 5:Outbound, D-TDMA on the inbound
Gigabit Ethernet LAN interfaces
6: Location of Reference Clock Modules
7: N: M Line Card Redundancy
8: 1: N Power and Fan Redundancy
9: MIDAS chassis controller card
10: CFM fans for additional cooling

Power requirements
1: Input Voltage Range
200-240 VAC Single Phase
2: Frequency
47 Hz 63 Hz
3: Current Consumption
10 Amps maximum
4: AC Input Connector
IEC-320-C20 receptacle
5: AC Power Cord
12 AWG, <HAR>, country specific

IDirect Hub Advantages

Scalability

Access to up to 5 satellites from one location

Allows multiple in- and outbound networks
within the same chassis serving thousands of sites
Line card slots (Timing Groups) within chassis
can be activated as network grows

Bandwidth Efficiency

Works in DVB-S2/ACM or iNFINITI TDM mode

Advanced GQoS capability ensures optimal bandwidth usage and differentiation

Flexibility

Virtual Network Operator (VNO) capability

Each remote can be configured differently (CIRs, Minimum and Maximum Rates)
Carriers can be on multiple transponders

High Performance

Deterministic MF-TDMA delivering high bandwidth efficiencies and responsiveness for

traffic balancing among remotes
Completely redundant solutions include power, fan and line card redundancy for
uncompromised reliability.

Manageability

iVantage NMS efficiently manages networks and provides essential monitoring and
control operations
Convenient plug-in modules for ease of expansion and maintenance

Chassis Default Slot Groups

Figure 4: Chassis

Up to 5 Multi -Upstream networks per chassis easily, without additional configuration

(5IF)

Figure 5: Hub Chassis Connectivity

Each Group uses common (network, frame synchronization) timing on the backplane
Groups can be combined to increase multi--Upstream capacity by enabling the
software configurable jumper

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A Single (Solo) Downstream--Upstream network can take any slot since it does not
interact with backplane timing
Rear panel TX/RX port parings fixed as shown, & cannot be reconfigured regardless
of final Network configuration

Slot Group Variations Example

Figure 6: Chassis Internal Architecture

Slot Groups 1, 2, and 3 are jumpered on the Backplane to share timing (requires
software configuration only)
Network 1 has one Downstream and 11 Upstream carriers (or some spares ex, 10
Upstream & one StandbyHLC)
Network 2 has one Downstream and 1 Upstream (does not use timing on the
backplane Solo HLC)
Network 3 has one Downstream and 3 Upstream (one Standby HLC)
Network 4 has one Downstream and 3 Upstream (no spares configured; no auto
redundancy this network)
Network 5 has one Downstream and 1 Upstream (does not use timing on the
backplane also Solo HLC)
Each network can have its own characteristics (Frame length, oversubscription, etc.)
Standby Cards MUST adhere to established criteria for successful auto fail-over
capability

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Hub Line Card Designation

Each network carrier requires a dedicated line card of one type or another
M1D1, 1 Modulator 1, Demodulator; means HLC is Tx& Rx capable
M0D1, No Modulator, 1 Demodulator; means HLC is hardware-wise Rx only capable
Evolution XLC-10 line card has one modulator (Transmit one downstream carrier)
Evolution XLC-11 line card is 1 mod/1 demod; Tx and Rx capable; dual mode (DVB-S2
or TDM outbound)
Spare, or Standby configured Hub Line Cards MUST be of the same type for proper
failover

IDirect Hub Line cards

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Figure 7: Line Cards

Adaptive Coding and Modulation Benefits

Why ACM:
Enables each remote to operate at the most efficient coding and modulation (MODCOD)
scheme based on local conditions
How iDirect ACM works:
Assesses link conditions at each remote based on:
Location within the satellite contour
Antenna size and RF performance
Clear sky or rain fade conditions
iDirect ACM benefits:
Increased data throughput and bandwidths savings
DVB-S2 design optimized to maximize ACM performance
Real-time ACM gain monitoring through NMS (iMonitor)
Ease of network configuration

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iDirect DVB-S2/ACM Specifications

System Performance
Supports all modulation types: QPSK, 8PSK, 16APSK, 32APSK
Supports all LDPC Code rates
Full support for ACM
Maximum Symbol Rate: 45 MSym/s _ saturate a 54 MHz transponder
Data Rate: up to 140 Mbit/s using 16APSK
Leverages current industry-leading iDirect MF-TDMA upstream

Evolution DVBS2 Line Cards Types

iNFINITI Line Cards Types

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Evolution Satellite Routers DVBS2 Commercial

Evolution Router Series Features

Throughput Rates:

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Carrier Symbol rates: up to 45 Msps

IP Data Rates: up to 149 Mbit/s
DVB-S2/ACM or iNFINITI outbound; MF D-TDMA inbound
Modulation and Coding
2D 16-State, QPSK, 8PSK, 16APSK
LDPC coding scheme
Adaptive Coding and Modulation (ACM)
Protocols and traffic engineering
Extensive range of IP routing protocols
Group QoS, application based QoS, CIR and bandwidth on demand
VLAN tagging
Features
IP/ router functionality (local DNS caching, DHCP, DHCP helper, NAT (PAT))
TCP/IP and Web acceleration, RTTM, cRTP
AES encryption optional (256-bit)
TRANSEC, FIPS140-2 certification optional
Spread-spectrum waveforms optional

iNFINITI Satellite Routers

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iNFINITI Router Features

Throughput Rates
Carrier Symbol rates: Outbound up to 15 Msps, inbound up to 7.5 Msps
IP Data Rates: Outbound up to 17 Mbps, inbound up to 7.7 Mbps
Proprietary TDM, MF D-TDMA
Modulation and Coding
BPSK, QPSK, 8PSK
FEC code rates supported: 0.431 0.879
Eb/No range: 3.9 7.9dB
Protocols and traffic engineering
Extensive range of routing protocols (RIPv2, static routes)
Supports extensive range of IP routing protocols (TCP,UDP,ICMP,IGMP,IRDP)
Group QoS, application based QoS, CIR and bandwidth on demand
VLAN tagging
Features
IP/ router functionality (local DNS caching, DHCP, DHCP helper, NAT (PAT)
TCP/IP and Web acceleration, RTTM, cRTP
Supports star, mesh and SCPC
AES encryption optional (256-bit)
TRANSEC, FIPS140-2 certification optional
Spread-spectrum waveforms optional

Protocol Processor Functionality

True Heart of the iDirect Hub
Models currently supported:
Dell PowerEdge 1950 III
IBM xSeries 335/336/3550 Slim Line Server (end of life by IBM)
Support for single or multiple networks, on one or multiple satellites
Dynamically assigns the available inroute bandwidth based on a fairness algorithm
considering CIR configurations, application or traffic type, priority, and availability
Automatically adjusts remote uplink power to increase availability of remote site
Automatic Symbol and Frequency Offset Control to adjust for satellite and remote site
movement
Ensures only authenticated remote sites are allowed into the network
Handles remote acquisition and synchronization of the remote site

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Provides dynamic and static IP routing functionality to all remotes

Overview of the Network Management System for iBuilder

Introduction
iDirects Network Management System (NMS) is a powerful suite of applications and servers
that provide complete control and visibility to all components of your iDirect networks. The
NMS client/server system architecture consists of three series of components:
Three NMS applications with Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) that allow you to configure and
monitor your network
A database that stores the data entered by and displayed to users
A middleware tier that manages access to the database on behalf of user operations
Gathering the Information You Need
You must have the following information readily available when creating a new network.
Spacecraft and carrier information, such as:
Longitude (Geo location)
Transponder translation frequency
Hub Up/Down local oscillator
LNB stability
Carrier uplink and downlink frequencies
FEC block sizes
FEC blocks per outroute frame (See the Network Planning Tool and its User Guide.)
Data rates
Overall IP architecture plan for hub components
Geographic location of the hub
Line Card serial numbers and slot numbers
Number of inroutes
Tx/Rx or Tx-only line cards, depending on downstream/upstream data rates (Refer to
Frequency hopping (requires that a Reference Clock Module be installed on your hub chassis)
or carrier grooming mode
Remote serial numbers and geographic locations

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Components of the Network Management System

The NMS consists of several client/server components that work together to provide the
functions and views necessary to control your network. These components are briefly discussed
below:
iBuilder
The iBuilder application provides all configuration and control functions to network operators.
Configuration options consist of
creating network elements (e.g.
networks, line cards, remotes) and
specifying
their
operational
parameters, such as QoS profiles or IP
addresses. Control options consist of
applying the specified configurations
to the actual network elements,
retrieving
active
configurations,
resetting elements, and upgrading
element software and firmware.
iMonitor
The iMonitor application provides
complete visibility to the real-time
status and operational data of network
elements. Status refers to the realtime state of network elements, such as
OK, warning, or alarm. Operational
data are captured in a variety of network statistical data tables and displays, revealing, for
example, IP traffic statistics, satellite link quality, and hardware component operating values.
In addition to real-time visibility, iMonitor allows you to access state and statistics from the
historical archive in order to analyze anomaly conditions and perform trend analyses. Refer to
Network Management System iMonitor User Guide for a complete list of real-time and historical
data available through iMonitor.

iSite

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The iSite application is used primarily for commissioning new sites and monitoring TDMA
remotes from the local LAN side. It contains functions to help installers calculate antenna
azimuth/elevation, perform antenna pointing, and put up a continuous wave (CW) carrier for
antenna peaking, cross-polarization and 1dB compression tests. It also provides configuration
and real-time state/statistical information for one or more remote units. Instead of interacting
with the NMS middleware, it connects directly to each remote to perform all of its operations.
iSite does not provide access to historical information.

NMS Server Components

The NMS server processes run on your NMS Linux Server machines. There are a number of
NMS servers processes, each of which performs a specific set of back-end functions.
Configuration Server
The configuration server is the core component of the NMS server family. It manages access to
the configuration database, which contains all the element definitions for your networks and their
operational parameters. Additionally, the configuration server provides most network control
functions (configuration apply, firmware download, resetting, etc.). The other servers also use
this server to determine what the network components are.
Real-time Data Server
The real-time data server collects most of the network statistics produced by your network
elements. These statistics include IP stats for each remote, remote status messages, timeplan slot
assignments, line card statistics, etc. Additionally, the real-time data server provides these
statistics to the GUI clients for real-time and historical display.
Event Server
The event servers primary job is to generate warnings and alarms and send them to iMonitor for
display. Warnings and alarms are collectively known as conditions. The event server also
collects and archives all system events and provides them to iMonitor for display.
Latency Server
The latency server measures round-trip time, or latency, for every active remote in your
networks.
These measurements are stored in the archive and provided to iMonitor for display.
NMS Controller Server
The control server manages the PP Controller Server processes running on the NMS server.
PP Controller Servers

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The PP Controller processes control the samnc process on each PP blade.

NMS Monitor Script

This simple script monitors all other servers and restarts them automatically if they terminate
abnormally. It records a log file of its activities and can be configured to send e-mail to
designated recipients when it restarts any of the other servers. Consolidation Script
The consolidation process periodically consolidates records in the statistics archive to preserve
disk space on the server machine. Default consolidation parameters are already entered into your
configuration database; they can be tuned to your particular storage requirements if necessary.

Remote Site Design Considerations

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Antenna selection process

Size determined by Upstream Carrier (Link Budget)
Cost typically a secondary consideration
Block Up Converter, or BUC
Up to5Watt BUC powered (DCV) by the Remote itself, no external power
Booster, or High Power Amplifier (HPA) add-ons require external AC power
Remote powers 1st stage BUC (1-2watt typical)
External ACV must be present at roof/antenna location (for HPA/SSPA stage)
Low Noise Block (down converter), or LNB
Dielectric Resonance Oscillator (DRO) LNB; common, least expensive
Phase Lock Loop (PLL) LNB needed only for specific applications
Required when Downstream </= 512 kbps)
Required for all Mesh configured remotes (ext. reference preferred, not reqd)
LNB Stability determines remote acquisition sweep range (2 x stability)
Private hub also requires use of an externally referenced PLL LNB

Coaxial Cable selection critical

Length will affect Link Budget results (signal attenuation/losses)
DC loop resistance will affect DC power ultimately available to power
BUC