Migrate applications to IP whenever the time is right

The roots of OTN (Open Transport Network) go back to the early nineties when a new transmission technology was introduced in public networks: SDH/SONET. OTN Systems was the first to apply this synchronous transmission technology to the industry.

Although OTN uses SDH/SONET at the lower levels, the product supports all layer 2/3 packet protocols to build proper private networks.

OTN comes with a rich set of interface cards which allow users to connect any kind of traditional, peripheral equipment easily. This makes OTN the perfect system to migrate applications to IP whenever the time is right. Vast investments from the past are preserved and risks are reduced to a minimum.

An OTN network consist of nodes interconnected by fibre. The nodes, housing the interface cards, are connected in a physical ring topology. The dual ring structure guarantees sub 50 msec reconfigurations. Rings can be interconnected and the whole network is managed by a single, user-friendly network management system called OMS.

 

SDH/SONET: a proven technology

SDH/SONET (Synchronous Digital Hierarchy) networks have been the workhorse for carriers for decades. The major advantage of the technology is that it provides synchronous services. This means that transmission delays are constant and predictable. This is extremely important for specific applications like teleprotection used by the power utilities or signalling applications encountered in a railway environment.

Due to the increase of packet data, carriers have decreased their investments in SDH/SONET equipment over the years. OTN Systems has followed the trend towards packet data and has implemented unique features on OTN to handle packet data efficiently e.g. SLAN.

 

SLAN: dedicated bandwidth for each application

OTN makes it easy to create dedicated Ethernet LANs for individual services. Some services are better off with dedicated bandwidth on the network, bandwidth which cannot be compromised by any other applications. For example, a SCADA system connected to an SLAN cannot suffer from interference from e.g. a CCTV application. The bandwidth of an SLAN is always there, no matter the circumstances. The amount of bandwidth dedicated to an application is configured at set up and can be re-adjusted whenever necessary via the OMS. Moreover, specific L2/3 protocols can be added to each individual SLAN. A couple of point-and-clicks on the OMS will do the job.

 

Main features: 

  • Simple - Easy to set up and maintain OMS makes network management child's play. It takes 4 days of training to turn a novice into an expert;
  • Multi - Wide variety of interface cards for various industries. Extensive layer2/3 protocol suite. Support of delay sensitive applications;
  • Non-stop - Redundancy on various levels (fibre, PSU, network card etc.). Suited for harsh environments. Product life cycle of 15 years backed by OTN Systems;