Easier optical network monitoring with passive test probe
Looking for a more advanced, integrated troubleshooting and testing tool for optical network management, Adams turned to Empirix -- a vendor he had worked with years ago as vice president of engineering at Grande Communications, a Texas voice and broadband service provider.
Empirix's Hammer XMS, a passive traffic network monitoring probe, sits like a net in a rushing river to capture and record call data as it traverses the network, allowing for real-time proactive optical network monitoring, according to Dan Teichman, senior product marketing manager at Empirix.
"Like many service providers, [360networks has] made an investment in an IP infrastructure to provide voice over IP, but they still have TDM or old circuit switch technology that they interconnect to other carriers with," Teichman said. "They can get visibility as it enters and exits their network, as well as what's happening within their own network. It's a very common [need]."
The graphical user interface that comes with the Hammer XMS probe is easier than other software products for engineers, support staff and even CLEC customers to understand and analyze, Adams said. The software, which presents the analysis as a ladder diagram of call flow data, also does the data and analysis collection for them. The result: An average ticket of 10 calls takes 30 minutes to resolve.
The tool hasn't revealed any major faults in the network but rather a faster way to diagnose frequent but minor glitches in TDM to IP conversions, or vice versa, Adams said. Technicians use the probe mostly near 360network's core routers and at various locations within the network.
"I don't think it uncovered anything we didn't know about in our network. I think it allowed us to uncover them quicker," he said. "Empirix puts it together in a format that allows you to save time.... It allows us to get information more promptly. If there are changes in our network, we can analyze those much more quickly."