OLT Configuration Guide: In-Band/Out-of-Band Management

In-band and out-of-band management are two distinct methods for managing PON OLTs, each with unique advantages and application scenarios. Selecting the appropriate one can significantly enhance the efficiency and security of your PON network management.

Unveiling In-band Management for GPON OLT

In-band Management is a network management method that uses existing network devices and interfaces to manage and configure equipment. This means that device management and business share the same network channel. In-band management typically uses standard network protocols for communication, such as SSH (for secure remote login), HTTP/HTTPS (for web management interfaces), and SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol, for monitoring network devices).

Since no additional interfaces or hardware support are required, configuration and management are relatively simple, and the deployment cost of the PON network is relatively low. However, the shared channel characteristic can lead to management traffic being affected by user traffic. During high network loads or congestion, management traffic may experience delays or packet loss. Overall, inband management for GPON OLT is a simple and cost-effective network management method, suitable for small to medium-sized network environments or situations with limited budgets.

In PON networks, the inband management interface of an OLT is the uplink port of the OLT device. Taking the FS OLT3610-08GP4S as an example, there are a total of 16 uplink ports. To use any uplink port, configure the address of the same subnet as the in-band management IP to that port.

Figure1：the uplink port of the OLT device

Figure2：in-band management within LAN vs In-band Management for Wide Area Networks

Overview of Out-of-band Management for GPON OLT

Unlike In-band Management, Out-of-band Management for OLT is a network management method that uses separate hardware interfaces or communication channels to manage and configure devices, without sharing network resources with user data traffic. Out-of-band Management typically relies on specialized devices and protocols for communication, such as console servers, out-of-band management cards (like IPMI cards), and remote management protocols (such as KVM over IP).

On one hand, out-of-band management offers high reliability and security. By isolating management traffic from user traffic, it effectively reduces the risk of management data being intercepted or attacked. Additionally, even if the PON network is interrupted or the OLT experiences a failure, administrators can still access the device for diagnostics, configuration, and maintenance. On the other hand, out-of-band management requires additional hardware and configuration, resulting in higher costs and more complex OLT deployment and management.

OLT outband management is typically suited for environments that require high availability and high security, such as data centers, enterprise networks, and remote offices.

For example, the FS OLT3610-08GP4S uses the "MGMT" port for Out-of-band Management. To manage the OLT device via this port, configure the PC with an address in the same subnet as the Out-of-band Management IP.

Figure3：the MGMT port of the OLT device

Figure4：Out-of-band Management within LAN vs Out-of-Band Management for WAN

How to Configure In-band/Out-of-band Management for OLT

We will use the FS GPON OLT OLT3610-08GP4S as an example to explain in detail how to configure in-band/out-of-band management.

Out-of-band Management

The out-of-band IP address refers to the IP address of the device's out-of-band port, represented as the MGMT port on the OLT3610-08GP4S panel. In the default configuration, there is no management IP address, which needs to be configured through the command line. Command line configuration for out-of-band management IP.

In-band Management

• Add/Delete VLAN

• Configure OLT Ports

OLT ports support the following modes: access mode, trunk mode, VLAN translation tunnel mode, and VLAN tunnel uplink mode. Each port has a default VLAN and PVID. All data packets received by the port without a VLAN tag belong to this VLAN. In trunk mode, a port can be assigned to multiple VLANs. It can also be configured to specify the types of packets to forward and the number of associated VLANs, i.e., whether the port sends tagged or untagged packets, and the VLAN list associated with the port. You can configure OLT ports using the following commands.

• Configure In-band IP

• AAA Configuration

Access control is used to manage users accessing the OLT or network access server (NAS) and to limit the types of services they can use. It provides authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) functions to enhance network security performance. The typical configuration is as follows:

Summary

In conclusion, understanding and configuring in-band and out-of-band management for your OLT is crucial for maintaining an efficient and secure network. By following the steps outlined above, you can achieve optimal performance and reliability of your GPON OLT. For more information on OLT devices and PON solutions, please refer to FS pon networks.