ISP redundancy site design diagram example

Free example service level agreement (SLA) for your business.

Solution 1
Redundant site (ISP MTG, ISP True Tower)

• Customer has link connected to ISP at either MTG or TTW site.
• International & Domestic Gatway is primary at MTG and backup is TTW.
• International & Domestic Gatway at MTG consists of multiple providers
•  International Link >> TIG, IIG, VSNL
•  Domestic Link >> CAT-NIX, TIG-NIX, TOT-NIX and TI
• Some of Internaltional & Domestic provider has backup root
• TIG >> Primary link/site is at MTG and backup is at TTW (both International and Domestic as well)
• Equipment which installed International & Domestic link is redundant Hardware for instance CPU, FAN Tray, Power Supply, Port/Interface etc. and maintenace contract also.
• Incase of MTG, primary site is down then the backup site is automatically take over
• UPS system & Generator backup for both site (MTG and True Tower)

Solution 2
Redundant ISP(Primary) , TI (Backup)

• Customer’s traffic normally flow via ISP 
• In case of ISP’s Domestic is totally down then Customer’s Domestic traffic automatically flow via TI instead
• In case of ISP’s International is totally down then Customer’s International traffic automatically flow via TI instead
• In case of both ISP’s Domestic and International are totally down then Customer’s traffic automatically flow via TI instead as well 

Service Level Agreement

1. Guaranteed service level

1.1 Availability

The guaranteed availability of the services of the agreement is 99.7% in any calendar month, after which the service availability is classified as “reduced availability”. If the availability of the service falls below 99% in any calendar month then there is “excessive downtime” 

1.2 Network latency

If the average network latency in any calendar month for domestic Internet traffic exceeds 50 ms. or for international traffic exceeds 350 ms. then this is a case of reduced availability. If the average network latency in any calendar month for domestic Internet traffic exceeds 80 ms. or for international traffic exceeds 500 ms. then there is excessive latency downtime.

1.3 Packet loss

If the average packet loss in any calendar month for domestic Internet traffic exceeds 1% or for international traffic exceeds 3% then this is a case of reduced availability. If average packet loss in any calendar month for domestic Internet traffic exceeds 2% or for international traffic exceeds 5% then there is excessive packet loss downtime.

2. Service level credits

2.1 Reduced availability

In case of reduced availability, ISP will credit designated service fees components up to the equivalent of the service fees during the number of days in the calendar month that the provided service level did not meet the guaranteed service levels.

2.2 Excessive downtime

In case of excessive downtime, ISP will credit designated service fees components up to 10% for every day that the provided service level did not meet the guaranteed service levels, with a maximum of the total service charge for that month.

2.3 Force mature

ISP has committed, where possible, to redundant systems and/or providers of services that are delivers to its customers. In case of service interruptions that are outside the influence of ISP, ISP reserves the right to adjust the service level credits to the level of the service credits that it receives from its suppliers, whom ISP has no control over. ISP will go through reasonable endeavors to claim any damages of its clients at its providers.

3. Service delivery information

3.1 Statistics

On request and for certain connection types, ISP can activate bandwidth utilization statistics (MRTG) that can be made available to the customer through a web interface. These statistics can provide the customer with a global indication about his bandwidth utilization. The statistics cannot be used to determine the actual service level delivered by ISP since this depends on many factors one of which is the condition and throughput of the customer premises equipment, which is outside the area of control of ISP.

3.2 SMS alert

Instead of pager alert, ISP can alert the customer by SMS. Customer agrees in that case with the non-priority that SMS services have on the network of mobile providers and will not hold ISP liable for any delays in the notification.

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How to plan LAN/WAN Network Refresh Project: End-of-Life equipment

Basic requirements: Framing, Value Drivers, Deliverables, Definition of Success and Project plan phase 1-5 for example

Network Refresh Framing Document

• Domestic sites with end of life equipment 
• LAN edge switches
• WAN routers
• Equipment that has been in service for 5-7 years
• Backup power supplies
• Telecom closet assessment/audit
• Power over Ethernet capabilities
• Sites with appropriate infrastructure to support power requirements
• Deployment of a standard architecture across all sites including equipment and protocols
• Compliance with security standards
• Removal of end of life equipment
• Self containing rack units for sites without a telecom closet
• Capitalized labor for remote offices that cannot be serviced by field team

Network Refresh Value Drivers

• Reliability of the infrastructure supporting business critical applications and processes.
• Reduced network downtime
• Reduced MTTR
• Increased redundancy
• Decreased latency, higher bandwidth
• Increased consistency and standardization of the WAN/LAN network.
• Reduced cost of operating infrastructure
• Reduced variance/variability in network infrastructure
• Network readiness and scalability to support future IT initiatives and business needs
• Video Conferencing, IPT, PoE support

• Cost Avoidance/Savings
• Mitigation of costs associated with increased equipment failures
• Reduction in hardware and maintenance costs
• Consolidation of hardware
• Alignment with Enterprise Architecture roadmap 

Key Business Deliverables

• Network Infrastructure – Upgraded LAN switches with PoE capability 
• Increased bandwidth – Ability to accommodate additional traffic and support applications such as IPT and Video Conferencing.
• Higher reliability/redundancy – Reduction of downtime and business incidents related to the LAN infrastructure
• PoE capabilities – Ability to support IPT infrastructure
• Reduced complexity of the LAN infrastructure – Reduction in overall cost of maintaining the LAN environment

Definition of Success

Vision of Success:  What does success look like with the Future/Desired state?

Full replacement of all End of Support Network switches and routers, resulting in a more reliable and supportable network, that is prepared to meet the future business and IT needs of the company.

Critical Success Factors:  What factors will ensure that the vision of success is met?

• Incident Free deployments (No Business/Safety Incidents as a result of swapping out equipment.)
• Project Schedule and Milestones completed on time.
• Project completed within budget.
• Infrastructure in Telecom closets is capable of supporting the new devices.

Success Metrics

• Results:  Project completed on schedule, within budget, and resulting in a more reliable and supportable network.  
• Business Incident Avoidance:
• Financial Measures:

Phase 1

• Gather information about the current network and understand business constraints 

Phase 2

• Identify, Develop, and Select Alternatives:
• Identified alternatives
• Gather pricing on each alternative
• Conduct Technical Reviews of each alternative
• Develop selection criteria and weights to select an alternative
• Complete high level design 
• Complete the business requirement with project team and stakeholder

Phase3

• Design VLAN
• Design IP Address For LAN, Server, Network Device, etc…
• Design and support documentation 
• Request approval to implement the system

Phase 4

• Wire Fiber Optic Cable, Wire CAT6 LAN Cable
• Install Network Device, Install Set Up Network Device
• Testing & Tuning system, Install Monitoring tool

Phase 5

• Review development, implementation and benefits of the LAN improvement project.
• Training, Documentation, 

Close out project: Let's plan....

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catalyst 4506 replacement guide

Brief Description: Replacement of 5513 due to numerous problems which led to network degradation.  A new 4500 will take its place.

	Action / description	Who	What is deliverable?	Status
1	Prep
1.1	Assign IP address	Local-IT	Fri 7 Sep 2007 (116.40.193.5 for testing and change it back to 116.40.193.4 when we completed configuration )	DONE
1.2	Drawing	Regional
1.3	Pre-configure and connect to network	Local-IT	Monday, September 10, 2007  inform to Regional	DONE
1.4	Configuration	Regional	Tuesday, September 11, 2007
1.5	Prepare CEMS Change	Regional	Tuesday, September 11, 2007	DONE
1.6	Outage announcement	Local-IT	Tuesday, September 11, 2007	DONE
1.7	Testing the switch before cutover	Regional	Friday, September 14, 2007	DONE
2	Actual Cutover		Saturday, September 15, 2007 08:30 a.m. to 05:00 pm
2.1	Cabling	Local-IT	8:30 am – 01:00 pm.
2.2	Physical Replace the switch	Local-IT	01:00  pm – 03:00 pm.
2.3	Testing 2.3.1 Soft Test 2.3.2 Physical Test (end user point signal check)	Regional Local-IT	03:00 pm – 05:00 pm.
3	Post Install
3.1	Documentation	Regional
3.2	Config revisions	Regional
3.3	CEMS enrollment	Regional

Note: All times shown here is Bangkok Time.


Detail Description: Before the Cutover:
- Pre-configure the 4500 switch.  Ports should be on vlan 15(116.40.193.0/24).  Must follow NST guides.
- Assign 116.40.193.5 as MNGT IP.
- Test DHCP of PC when connected to the port
- Burn in test.

Cutover:
- Shutdown 5513.
- Clear out un-necessary cables on the cabinet.
- Mount the 4500
- Check connectivity with the core switch.
- Try getting IP address from DHCP server

Impact: - No Network Connectivity to Floor 15. Users are asked to move to other floors during the activity.

Resources Impacted:  THBKKSL4-5513

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Guideline for Approving Vendor and Example Of Compare Vendor Spreadsheet

Guideline for request a new vendor or purchase/upgrade new hardware/software with a new vendor. I guide you through a highly effective, tried and tested method which simplifies the process and ultimately helps you make the right choice. There’re main reasons to show why you select some sources in order to support. The vendor status can be approved, unapproved, or inactive if you do not have sufficient reasons. I have presented 3 cases shared and typically help the customers as the following sample:

Process Impacted
To upgrade lease line link for Site A – Site B connection from 2Mbps to 10Mbps with Verizon MPLS
Nature and description of Exception

1. Thailand use Verizon MPLS @ 2Mbps for point-to-point between Site A and Site B.
2. Verizon MPLS is biggest Telecom service provider in Thailand (state enterprise company).
3. Verizon MPLS has provided the good service performance from the past experience.

Justification

1. We select to upgrade this link with Verizon (current vendor) since Verizon is only one Telecom service provider in Thailand and have their own infrastructure in Singapore for MPLS connection.
2. Upgrade MPLS with current vendor will not impact much in technical change and testing. Also expect for less operation problems for ongoing support.

Process Impacted
Provide the country wide WAN network service to 12 remote offices around Thailand

Nature and description of Exception

1. Thailand network infrastructure is provided by a few number of major telecommunication vendors and they own different license depend on technology type of service and coverage area, for example True(Telecom service provider) is expertise on land-line service in Bangkok and nearby cities, True(Telecom service provider) also expand to other major cites too.
2. Since Our company use the main links from True both HQ office and brach and our company strong require for the highest network availability and True(Telecom service provider) can establish with their partner in the area that True(Telecom service provider) has no service.
3. True(Telecom service provider) is selected for a single point of contact for our company Wan network service   

Justification

1. True(Telecom service provider) is selected because True(Telecom service provider) is the strongest and critical service vendor in Bangkok and our company gateway is in Bangkok area
2. Even True(Telecom service provider) has no service in some cities but True(Telecom service provider) can make a good partner with other telecommunication vendors and there is no single vendor who can provide WAN service to all cities in Thailand
3. Thailand network is in the migration process, may be change to other technology and also change IT service group, changing to other vendor will create high impact to business unit operation level.

Process Impacted
Maintenance service contract to 40 CISCO network equipments and they are critical impact to our company (Thailand) business operation

Nature and description of Exception

1. Our company apply for a global contract with CISCO and only recommended CISCO device can be use in our company IT infrastructure, purchase price and conditions are agreed from the corporate level.
2. In Thailand, CISCO recommend for Datacraft (as CISCO’s gold partner distributor) and Datacraft is a big-regional firm in Asia-pacific.
3. Among of other CISCO’s partner & distributor, Datacraft is better in sale support relation and service performance from the past performance, and I see no critical point to select & compare for new vendor under same global price and service condition (cost is already fixed)

Justification

1. Since our company (Thailand) is applied for the regional price so only comparative point is vendor service performance and Datacraft did not show any critical poor service performance from the past

Use this template to create a list of vendors for your business.

EXAMPLE OF COMPARE VENDOR SPREADSHEET

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Network Diagram Templates

Here are a few simple tips to help you create quality, professional-looking network diagrams.

Use Multiple Pages
The number one mistake in many network diagrams is an attempt to convey too much information on one page. Visio allows use of multiple pages just like an Excel workbook with many worksheets, so consider using multiple drawing sheets for different purposes.

Make Use of Border Templates
A border template can make your life a little easier by providing a way to track changes to your diagrams. In your template include sections for author name, version number, date, page number, and any other fields that will be useful. Most of the fields can automatically update themselves - more information on that can be found on the Microsoft website here.

For example, if you want a background page that displays your company logo, or a title block that contains fields such as the creation date of a drawing, subject, Author, Drawing name, Filename, Manager, create these items and assign them to the foreground page. Let us see the example of what are on the visio after creating the Network Diagram Templates:

 

 

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In-depth Analys Of Network Cabling

     ‘Networking’, is a term that is commonly used for PCs and laptops, which have already become essential parts of our daily lives, nowadays. Because of this, it is not unusual to find a computer or laptop in each and every home and office. And in organizations, where numerous computers are already present, a good network topologies system becomes a must to have in place, because it lets the people work impeccably and accomplish the maximum output. Apart from this, the data cable which is used for networking is the only source for sharing data between various computers at a time.

     Moreover, networking is also termed as the mainstay for any business,

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Better network management

     Companies now are looking forward to better network management. Better network management means better and more effective productivity. All problems related to network management are taken care of with great care in all companies.

     Companies are looking forward to tools and software which shall you with your network configuration management. T FTP server for network is a new revolution which is being introduced by Spice-works for all its users in September 2010. The main benefit of this server is it’s built in T FTP server which is completely free.

      There are a number of functional benefits for those who use T FTP server for network.

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Why Move To IPv6?

       I did a post last week titled Are You Ready for IPv6? where I share some of my thoughts on IPv6 and the allocation of the last IPv4 /8 blocks. Since then, I've done some more reading and found a couple of very useful podcasts by Greg Ferro and Ethan Banks. It is where I first heard about v6RD.

There are real reasons to move to IPv6. I recall a few statistics and examples from years ago that illustrate the need for IPv6. Addressing every school in China would have exhausted the available IPv4 address space even a few years ago when many more IPv4 addresses were available. The other example is addressing all the power meters in the country. Think about all the power meters you see around and the effort that goes into reading them on a regular basis. Addressing each meter and building a way to network them back to the power provider allows them to be read with fully automated mechanisms. That volume of addresses that was required was also bigger than the then-available IPv4 address space (and perhaps even a big chunk of all the IPv4 address space, regardless of whether it is used or not). So we definitely need more address space. And some of the functions within IPv6 are useful, such as auto-configuration, which would be very beneficial for power meter addressing.

• Training the network staff to handle IPv6 configuration and troubleshooting.
• Any application that uses IP addresses internally or that sends IP addresses in messages to other systems will need to be modified.
• pplication developers will need to modify and validate applications to use DNS to translate system names into IPv6 addresses. Some applications are very expensive to modify. I know of several health care applications and products that use hard-coded IP addresses (no DNS) and that the vendor requires payment to modify embedded addresses. Because many of these products are certified by the Food and Drug Administration, they cannot be modified without going through another validation and acceptance process. I don't see this happening anytime soon.
• Dual-stack support (or a similar mechanism) will be required by the e-commerce sites because many customers will be on legacy IPv4 networks while other customers will have transitioned to IPv6.
• Firewalls and ACLs will need to be updated to perform equivalent functions for both IPv4 and IPv6. Keeping changes to firewall rules and ACLs in sync will be problematic at best.
• Network management systems will need to handle IPv6. Address fields will need to be much larger. The NMS databases will grow in size and NMS developers will need to spend time looking at how they display device and interface information. And how is the NMS supposed to display the information about an interface that is configured for both IPv4 and IPv6? Maybe IPv6 will force the industry to start using logical names instead of addresses.
• What does IPAM in IPv6 look like? Each subnet is a /64, on which there are 2^^64 host addresses. Displaying an IP address map of the entire address space doesn't make sense. Perhaps it should display the locally-assigned part of the address (exclude the site prefix and the host part of the address) and show the number of systems that exist in the subnet. IPAM will still be needed to help track which subnets have been allocated and where they are allocated. If you want to track end stations, the NMS will need to query the routers and switches to find the end station addresses or you'll need to use DHCP for IPv6.
• Firewall rules and ACL entries need to be replicated into IPv6, with certain exceptions for ICMP that IPv6 uses for neighbor discovery.

In summary, I see a lot of costs and not much economic benefit to offset those costs. However, I'm looking forward to exhaustion of IPv4 space. It is going to create a whole new line of consulting and network management work as companies start to figure out what to do about it. You can think of it as the Y2K event of this decade.

The points I make above are why organizations won't move to IPv6. It is quite possible that I've overlooked some reasons why organizations should aggressively move to IPv6.  The only incentive that I can identify is for organizations to be internationally competitive. Any information that you may have regarding economic incentives to implement IPv6 are greatly appreciated. Please post a comment if you know something that I have overlooked.

For some additional reading, check out the following links:

• Wikipedia IPv6 Address - look at how port numbers are to be added to IPv6 addresses
• World IPv6 Day
• Google World IPv6 Day blog

Thank you to

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Data Center Access/ Visitor

Procedure Background
       In order to reduce physical exposures to data center equipment, production operations and backed up application data files, access controls are required. This is a preventive measure to safeguard the continuous operation of Company Hubs. Data center access audits are performed quarterly and door checks are performed weekly.

· The Data Center Facilities Team Lead is responsible to ensure that all IT personnel adhere to the policy of applying for data center access.
· See contact list for appropriate contacts.
· Any member of the workforce may STOP any WORK in progress due to unsafe work methods, conditions causing the area to be unsafe, emergency, or for any other Data Center operational necessity. 

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Next Generation WAN FAQs

 

What is MPLS?

MPLS (Multi-Protocol Label Switching) is a packet-forwarding technology which uses labels to make data forwarding decisions. With MPLS, the Layer 3 header analysis is done just once (when the packet enters the MPLS domain). Label inspection drives subsequent packet forwarding. MPLS provides the following beneficial applications: Virtual Private Networking (VPN), Traffic Engineering (TE), Quality of Service (QoS) and ATM over MPLS (AToM). Additionally, it decreases the forwarding overhead on the core routers. MPLS technologies are applicable to

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Network Questionnaire

Example network questionnaire for Network Administrators:

General

1. Please provide an organization chart(s) for all personnel who will be involved with this audit.

2. Please provide a list of contacts.  This list should include the person's name, telephone number, e-mail address, room number, and job description (Ex. UNIX System administrator).

3. Please provide network drawings identifying all firewalls,

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Problem & Communication Process

Problem Management and Communication Process

       Outage Communication Timeline for example Sev 1
Communications activities begin after notification from Help Desk, from users or from Key Production Environment Manager. After initial consultation with responding infrastructure manager or appropriate support team assigned to

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CMM's Of Voice Telephone Network

      Cost Management Moments (CMM's) are intended to educate and encourage everyone to do their part in support of reducing expenses in IT's company. Please take a moment to review the latest CMM on the topic of General Company Telephone Network (CTN) usage and see what you can do to contribute its success. Voice Telephone Network Usage Billing

      Carriers charge the company on a per-minute basis. Rather than track millions of small transactions through our billing systems and pass that cost on to business units, ITC bundles the cost of all of these transactions and bills an average fixed fee for usage.

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