Government Technology - December 2008 - (Page DC19)

www.digitalcommunities.com ™ We didn' t have to forklift out our existing network and bring in a new one, which meant we had very minimal downtime during the migration, nothing more than a couple of minutes for a site.∫ – DONNIE CLAUNCH, TELECOMMUNICATIONS TECHNICAL ADMINISTRATOR, TACOMA, WASH. a significant issue for network planners, according to Claunch, who was a key Æ gure in the rollout of the new network. It took them about half a year to gradually phase in MPLS. Their strategy was to break down the existing network ring in segments, layering in MPLS one segment at a time. The conversion took place with minimal disruption; it was virtually invisible to users. ™ We didn' t have to forklift out our existing network and bring in a new one, which meant we had very minimal downtime during the migration, nothing more than a couple of minutes for a site,∫ Claunch said. The changeover was not without hurdles. In one case, a software glitch halted progress, but Alcatel-Lucent quickly Æ xed the problem, Claunch said. ™ They had people here. They pinpointed what was going on, and they corrected it.∫ Today things go even more smoothly in the rare event of a hiccup. Redundancy and monitoring, inherent within MPLS, ensure that problems are identified, isolated and resolved with complete transparency. ™ The sites never even know anything is wrong,∫ according to Jeff Lueders, the city ' s cable communications and franchise services manager. With all the pieces in place, Tacoma now has the network architecture it needs: a system well provisioned to meet the growing needs of a complex municipal infrastructure. A 10-gigabit backbone connects four hubs with service loops at each hub connected to multiple users. Network managers can control the speed and determine the volume of gigabits per subscriber. Operationally, ™ tunneling∫ has already proven to be a valued feature. MPLS allows for the creation of private connections from one location to another, essentially letting an entity form its own VLAN. ™ Suppose the police department has one group that talks together, and the Æ re department has a group, and administration has a group,∫ Claunch said. ™ They can all send their trafÆ c without it ever getting intermingled. Agency trafÆ c is separate going through that tunnel and it stays separate, so the police department is never going to see what the Æ re department is seeing.∫ The ability to manage and prioritize traf Æ c also improves the overall quality of service. From the end-user' s perspective, the network delivers on the promises of simplicity and speed. ™ Users open up a database, Alcatel-Lucent Ethernet Switch/Router platforms are designed to deliver scalable, reliable and predictable service quality metro Ethernet services over an IP/MPLS network. The carrier-grade 7450 Ethernet Service Switch (ESS) and 7250 Service Access Switch (SAS) routers overcome the limitations imposed by traditional Ethernet switches by providing industryleading density and performance, while minimizing operating expenses to reduce the total cost of ownership. Alcatel-Lucent 5620 Service Aware Manager (SAM) provides integrated network and service management for converged IP/Ethernet/MPLS multiservice networks. and it opens up for them immediately,∫ Lueders said. ™ They don' t have to go and get a cup of coffee while they wait for it.∫ Most signiÆ cantly, Tacoma' s newfound networking muscle enables not just action but also productivity. To name just one example, justice is served more swiftly these days because the county juvenile justice center can call up documents and court records faster than ever before. With the new services and innovative tools made possible by MPLS, all of Tacoma' s networked ofÆ ces and agencies – rescue workers, sanitation operations, engineering corps, administrative personnel and many more – are more efÆ cient and ultimately cost-effective. Alcatel/Lucent Alcatel-Lucent delivers complete, best-in-class communications solutions aligned with the most challenging mission imperatives of government, and tailored to business needs. Alcatel-Lucent: serving those who serve the public in an always-on world. For more information visit http://www1.alcatel-lucent.com/us/slg/ or call 1-800-252-2835 DIGITAL COMMUNITIES DECEMBER 08 19 http://www.digitalcommunities.com http://www1.alcatel-lucent.com/us/slg/ http://www1.alcatel-lucent.com/us/slg/

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Government Technology - December 2008

Government Technology - December 2008 Contents Point of View Four Questions for... On the Scene Big Picture Year in Review Who Controls Your Network? Paper Makes a Comeback Halting Meth Abuse Spectrum Up Close signal:noise Digital Communities Contents Becoming a Digital Community Rethinking 700 MHz Smart Grids: Powering the Future Gearing Up for Crime 2.0 Software Predicts Crime Local Portals on the Red Carpet More Than Just a Pretty Face

Government Technology - December 2008

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