Get the Most Out of Your DCI Network with FS AmpCon™-T

In Data Center Interconnect Networks, it is widely known that enterprises face challenges in managing network configuration and administration. A significant number of companies struggle with configuration inconsistencies, performance bottlenecks, security vulnerabilities and other issues, resulting in data loss and difficult troubleshooting. To improve speed, uptime, and stability, organizations must embrace powerful network manager to simplify management, specifically tailored for DCI network management and configuration. Now FS introduces AmpCon™-T, an advanced network management platform to improve and streamline your DCI Network in optical networking. Here we will present the features of the latest developed platform.

What Is AmpCon™-T?

AmpCon™-T (short for Amplified Control-Transport) is an integrated operations and maintenance (O&M) management platform for optical networking, which provides visualized management and multi-dimensional monitoring capabilities. AmpCon™-T serves as a groundbreaking and pivotal first step for FS in the development of network management solutions in the optical transport network. It now supports FS's newest DCI devices, the D7000 Series, to provide management optimal for your DCI infrastructure.

Figure 1. AmpCon™-T with D7000 Series

Why Choose FS AmpCon™-T?

Delving deeper into dashboard, management, monitoring, configuration and security, let's explore the multitude of reasons why FS AmpCon™-T is the ideal choice for your network management needs. Discover the value that FS AmpCon™-T brings to your DCI network.

Live Dashboard and Unified Interface Save Your Time

As the number of devices increased, users could hardly know the conditions of all devices and found it difficult to identify and solve network issues. So a real-time and powerful dashboard is helpful. With AmpCon™-T's reporting platform, the monitoring efficiency is enhanced through the utilization of rich visual charts and graphs and you can get real-time insights into the status and performance of the networks. The interfaces can also display topology view of the entire network and end-to-end connection of the devices in the networking, so you can check, monitor and configure it within seconds, which can minimize the time required for operations and maintenance tasks and leave more time for other critical network management activities, ultimately improving overall productivity and performance in a Data Center Interconnect network deployment.

Figure 2. The Unified Interface in AmpCon™-T

All-in-one Monitoring Enhance Efficiency

A robust centralized monitoring system is essential for effectively handling various issues and alarms that arise in a network. AmpCon™-T provides a rich set of alarm monitoring and handling rules, as well as performance management grouping for monitoring resources.

• Centralized Alarm Management: One of the key benefits of AmpCon™-T is centralized alarm management so that users can view and filter current and historical alarms. You can create alarm suppression rules and enable alarm email notifications, ensuring prompt alerts to critical events. Detailed alarm information can be displayed and filtered for easier analysis. Additionally, events can be forwarded to email for efficient communication and collaboration. Once there is a fault, there is an alert.

• Faults Locations with Telemetry: Network telemetry is another crucial feature of AmpCon™-T aimed at reducing fault handling time. It enables fine-grained monitoring by collecting high-precision and diverse data that accurately reflects the network's status. This empowers you to quickly locate faults in complex networks. By configuring telemetry subscriptions, devices can continuously report data, minimizing business interruptions and enhancing the reliability and stability of the network.

• Fiber Loss Monitoring and Distance Measurement: With OTDR from the D7000 Series, fiber attenuation and actual distance can be measured to identify fault locations along the link. For instance, in a 40km link, if an abnormal attenuation value is detected at the 20km mark or if only a 20km distance is measured, it indicates a fault or a complete breakage at that point. AmpCon™-T presents this detection in a visual format, significantly improving the efficiency of troubleshooting and minimizing the impact of network faults on business operations.

• Comprehensive Performance Monitoring: Users can easily access performance data, view performance trends, and enable/disable performance monitoring points. This comprehensive monitoring capability enables you to monitor the network's performance status and make informed decisions to optimize network operations.

Figure 3. A Robust Monitoring System

Differentiated Services Configuration Increases Flexibility

AmpCon™-T supports differentiated service configuration, and you can configure L0, L1, and E2E end-to-end services. You can perform operations such as creating, deleting, and editing services on relevant devices, greatly improving configuration flexibility. This ensures that the system can meet the specific demands of various business scenarios effectively.

Data Backup and Log Management Ensures Data Security

As the security of data is a must, AmpCon™-T supports database backup. By regularly backing up database files, data security is guaranteed. You can recover the data in the event of system failures, reducing the risks of data loss and business interruptions. Moreover, AmpCon™-T simplifies operations with its log management. You can look, backup, delete, and export system-generated log files. These logs capture your actions within the system, and you can track the system's operational status, events, and fault information. With this feature, organizations can better monitor the system's performance, identify issues promptly, and streamline troubleshooting processes.

Applications of AmpCon™-T Management Platform

AmpCon™-T is deployed with the D7000 Series in DCI networks, providing robust management and monitoring features for 500 network elements. The user-friendly interface displays topology view of the network, enabling real-time monitoring of connectivity and operational status to build a strong DCI network.

Figure 4. The Application of AmpCon™-T

Summary

AmpCon™-T represents a significant leap for FS in the field of optical networks. In the future, FS plans to make AmpCon™-T manage more optical network series, achieving unified management of optical transmission devices. We also strategize to develop specialized network management platforms for different application scenarios. AmpCon-DC will focus on data center management, while AmpCon-Campus will cater to campus environments. FS's commitment to providing modern, streamlined solutions for customers will never change.