NetworkFirst

1. NetworkFirst Interoperability Through NetworkFirst Norman Hrapchak & Brian Leger February 12, 2003

2. Today’s Systems Our Focus: The Future Today Market Demand M/A-COM Digital Trunked IP Packet Technology Voice & Data High Capacity TDMA Multi-mode SW radios Analog Circuit Sw. Primarily Voice 1 Call/Channel Proprietary Quality/Service Flexibility Data Applications Capacity Interoperability

3. OpenSky: An IP solution

4. OpenSky Design Paradigms • Build the network top-down • Wide area switching • Connectionless services • Group calling • Voice & Data • Facilitate Interoperability • Network-level Gateways • Multi-mode radios • Internetworking of private systems • Leverage industry standards • TCP/IP, CDPD (IS-732), ANSI 102 (P25 Phase I) CAI, … Packet Technology Internet Protocols

5. Traditional Networks Switch Circuit Switching Nodes Base Sites Terminals The Client Server Model Server Packet Switching Routers IP Base Sites Clients A New Model For Switching: Packet Switched Client/Server Architecture

6. Application IP System Interfaces:An All-IP Network Application IP Application IP Console IP Radio/Switch Client/Server IP TDMA Airlink Interoperability IP Base Station IP Inter System IP IP Network Administration IP Network Management

7. PA Statewide Voice/Data Radio Network 95% Radio Coverage - 45,000 sq/miles 27 State Agency Participants 25,000  150,000 Users Counties – Interoperation Connectivity Currently rolling out the Network

8. Rationalizing the New Architecture • Why Packet Switched IP? • Industry Standard for Data Networks • Well Suited to Connection-less Push-to-Talk Group Voice Services • Cost Effective • Why Client-Server? • The Norm for Complex System Applications • Why TDMA? • Spectrum Efficiency • Effective Integration of Voice, Data & Control • Why Cellular? • Highly Scalable to Large and Small Networks • Can Tailor Coverage and Capacity Within Network

9. Solving Interoperability NetworkFirst

10. Key Question How to provide immediate interoperability among State, County, Local, and Federal Emergency First Responders?

11. Solution Options To achieve interoperability, you can: Adopt Radio Standard Adopt Network Standard or IP Network supports all existing radios and systems Everyone Uses same radio and system

12. Interoperability Through the Customer’s Eyes • What it means • The ability to communicate between mobile and fixed personnel participating in group-based, coordinated, operations • What is necessary • A vision and an operational plan • Cooperation between participating agencies • Products and technology • What it needs to accomplish • Remain non-intrusive for normal day-to-day operations • Support pre-planned and unplanned scenarios • Perspectives of different types of buyers • Economic: How do I maximize return on current investment and what do I get for my incremental investment? • Technical: What service do my users really need? • Political: What have I contributed to the security of my constituency?

13. The Present State of Public Safety Communications • Federal • Utilize federal NTIA regulated bands • Most agencies use analog non-trunked, some analog trunked use • Beginning deployment of P25 conventional, increased interest in P25 trunking • State • Most state-wide networks are Low band & VHF conventional analog • State Patrol and DOT’s tend to drive statewide use • Regional use of VHF and UHF bands • Very limited deployment of statewide trunking • Some early migration to 800 MHz digital trunked • Local Tier 1 County and Municipal • Analog trunked radio with migration to digital trunked radio • Local Tier 2 County and Municipal • Conventional analog with some early migration to conventional digital P25

14. The Interoperability Problem • Multiple Agencies: • Federal, State, County and Local • Multiple Frequency Bands • VHF-low, VHF-high, UHF (low, T-band), 800, NPSPAC, 700 (proposed) • Multiple Vendors - Proprietary Protocols • Other Variables: • Multiple SW revisions, control channel rates, etc. • Narrowband & Wideband

15. The “Ideal” State • An ubiquitous network with: • Coverage everywhere • A user can use his/her radio wherever they are asked to go • Full connectivity • A user can communicate with whomever he/she needs to • Barriers to achieving the Ideal State • No unified frequency plan • Every band exists everywhere … but • Band use is licensed for individual use – no clear concept of resource sharing • This is not a technical issue it is a regulatory issue • Today’s radios do not implement effective mobility management • Requires user to remain cognizant of coverage (channel) • Trunked systems address part of this concern • The radio channels that are in use are not part of a comprehensive switched network

16. State-of-the-Art for Interoperability • Simulcast Trunked Radio Systems • Separated the channel from the group • Full interoperability for all participating agencies • Allow roaming within the coverage area • Users select whom they talk to • Dispatchers can patch groups together for increased interoperability • Interfaces to conventional radio systems • Wide Area Multisite Trunked Systems • All the features of Simulcast Trunked Radio Systems • With increased coverage area • Conventional overlay for legacy radios and interoperability with local governments • Network interfaces to existing trunked systems

17. A Long-Term View of Interoperability • Probably the best long-term interoperability solution is: • Statewide Digital Trunked Systems with: • Conventional Overlay to analog systems within the state • Federal, state and local level • Networked Trunked interfaces to existing trunked systems within the state • Why states: • Significant geographic coverage • States can bridge the gap between Federal and Local governments • States have the right economies of scale • Statewide systems are becoming practical to implement Homeland Security money will be funneled through the states

18. Short Term View of Interoperability • What drives the short-term view? • Minimal cost – maximize leverage of customer’s existing equipment • Fast to deploy – Must be capable of being deployed across a state in less than 3 years • Provides a technology step towards the long term solution • The answer is NetworkFirst! • Start with a modern network backbone • IP packet switched • Interconnect existing conventional and trunked systems • Enable incremental investment to achieve the long-term objective

19. NetworkFirstBridging the Past to the Future Gateway Dispatch Center Other State Trunked PSTN Regional Operations Center Federal VHF Regional Operations Center Municipal 800MHz Digital Trunked County UHF Conventional

20. Conventional Systems Trunked Systems OpenSky Data OpenSky Voice P25IP EDACS Future Systems Conventional Interoperability • Switching • Network Administration • Network Management IP Backbone • Routers • Wide Area Links The NetworkFirst Roadmap

21. Comparing Interoperability Solutions

22. Technical Overview of NetworkFirst NetworkFirst Building Blocks NetworkFirst Interfaces System Scalability System Addressing and ID’s Resource Pools Security

23. The Gateway • Converts audio protocols into VOIP • Universal audio ports • 1 DVU card per talkpath • Each DVU has a unique IP address • Network Management Clients • User interface for Network Managers • Co-located or Remote • SUN and PC X-window clients NetworkFirst Building Blocks • The Operations Center • Redundant Voice Switch (VNIC) • Network Management Server • Network Administration Server • High speed redundant LAN • High capacity redundant Routers • The IP Backbone • Private Intranet • Built on standard Internet Protocols • Utilizes third party equipment • Wide variety of communication media • Network Administration Clients • User interface for Network Administrators • Co-located or Remote • WEB Browser

24. Network Administration Server Regional Operations Center VNIC Application Software IP Network Backbone Network Management Server Redundant Ethernet Switch (HUB) Redundant Router Redundant Voice Switch (VNIC)

25. The IP Backbone • IP Networks are comprised of a mesh of routers • Routers are connected by links such as point-to-point microwave • Routers use IP addresses to route packets from one link to another • Routers use routing tables to perform this routing function Source Address Destination Address Control Packet Data IP Packet UDP … 10.52.25.5 10.52.30.7 Digital Voice 10.52.30.xx Subnetwork 10.52.25.xx Subnetwork 10.52.30.xx 10.52.30.7 10.52.25.5 10.52.30.xx 10.52.30.xx 10.52.30.xx

26. DVU Cards provide Audio-to-IP Connects to IP Router 38.4 kb/s SLIP RS-232 Connects to local PBX or POTS Line Serial Data to Network Optional PSTN Interface Universal Audio Port 600W Balanced Audio Optional E&M Signaling 4-Wire Audio and signaling

27. Trunked Radio Systems NetworkFirst System Interfaces Conventional Radio Systems Consoles Consoles Trunked Base Sites Conventional Base Sites Console Switch Matrix System Controller Desk Sets PSTN Conventional Base Sites IP Consoles Network Management & Administration

28. Network Operations Center (NOC) Regional NetworkFirst System Regional NetworkFirst System Regional NetworkFirst System Conventional & Trunked Radio Systems Conventional & Trunked Radio Systems Conventional & Trunked Radio Systems Levels of Administration Building a Larger System • The Network Operations Center • Network-wide Administration • Network-wide Management • Remote Clients System Administration Regional Administration Agency Administration

29. Addressing and IDs • Talkgroups • IP Addresses • The User ID Structure Defines: • Regional Networks implemented as Regional Operations Centers • Agency Operations Centers • Service Provider Network ID (SPNI) • Not used in the NetworkFirst Interoperability Application

30. Talkgroups • Talkgroups are the fundamental entities for facilitating interoperability • NetworkFirst Talkgroups have many of the same characteristics as in a trunked radio system • Most NetworkFirst functions are tied to the talkgroup • Inter and Intra-regional calls • Priority & preemption • Call control timers • Blocking and Non-blocking behaviors

31. NetworkFirst Security • Some observations about security • A system is only as secure as its weakest link • When dealing with conventional radio, the analog radio transmission is the weakest link • Easy to detect, easy to eavesdrop • To some degree security and interoperability impose conflicting requirements • Security limits access • Interoperability expands access • Within its boundaries, NetworkFirst provides security through encryption • Encryption is end-to-end: from DVU to DVU • Encryption utilizes the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES, FIPS-PUB-197 with 128 bit keys)

32. Configuring & Managing NetworkFirst Network Administration System Network Management System

33. Network Administration System Overview • Every NetworkFirst system includes a Network Administration System • This includes both single ROC systems as well as multi-ROC systems • A single NAS can configure a network of ROCs • The NAS is implemented in a multi-user, Client-Server, WEB-based architecture • Network Administration Server • JAVA WEB Front End – Implements the user interface • Sybase database manager • Provisioning Agent • Network Administration Clients • WEB Browsers • Password Protected access to server • Multiple Levels of Administration Privileges • Administer, Configure and Control Resource Pools • Talkgroups, IP Addresses, DVUs

34. System Level Administration • Create and manage Administration Accounts • Create Administration Classes • Assign access rights(read/write) to databases for admin classes • Add regional networks to system • Create talkgroup property and priority classes • Establish geographic distribution of talkgroups

35. Regional Network Level Administration • Create agencies within region • Assign IP Address pools to agencies within the regional network • Enable agencies to access talkgroup priority and property classes for use within the regional network • Can perform all Agency Administration functions

36. Agency Level Administration • Create talkgroups • Assign IP addresses to DVUs • Configure static and dynamic talkgroups for DVUs • Add Console Systems • Perform Encryption Key Management (Future release)

37. Solution Design Considerations • Operational Considerations • What system(s) are being interconnected • Who needs to talk to who - Fleet mapping • Equipment Considerations: • System Sizing & Capacity • How many ROCs • IP Backbone Design

38. Conventional Systems Trunked Systems OpenSky Data OpenSky Voice P25IP EDACS Future Systems Conventional Interoperability • Switching • Network Administration • Network Management IP Backbone • Routers • Wide Area Links The NetworkFirst Roadmap

39. When is NetworkFirst the Right Answer? • When you want interoperability on demand • When you want users to determine who they talk to • When you want a scalable solution • When you want a migration path • When you don’t have enough money to replace all your radios • When you don’t have 5 years to create a solution

40. To private wireless users who require the highest level of security, reliability, interoperability and capacity, M/A-COM is the most experienced provider of the most technologically advanced voice and data networks. www.macom-wireless.com