RAD TDM Pseudowire Gateways Deliver Mission-Critical Applications for U.S. Navy

Facilitate Migration to PSNs While Reducing Network Expenses

The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center in Charleston, South Carolina (SSC Charleston), which provides information management technology required by the U.S. Navy to complete its operational missions, has deployed a suite of pseudowire access solutions from RAD Data Communications to help deliver mission-critical defense applications.

RAD's IPmux TDM pseudowire gateways and Vmux voice compression gateways have been integrated into SSC Charleston's Wireless Pier Connection System (WPCS), which transmits wireless voice and data communications between ship and shore networks for the Commander of the Naval Installations Command and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). WPCS, which will be deployed by the Navy provides access to secure and non-secure Internet and legacy systems and data and voice communications with secure telephone units

Extensive Testing Assessed Compliance and Security

To assess compliance and security, SSC Charleston conducted extensive tests prior to the deployment by integrating the WPCS into a DoD network. During the evaluation, the WPCS was connected to a combatant command network as well as the DoD's Global Information Grid (GIG). The results showed that the WPCS successfully interoperates with the GIG and other wide area networks. The WPCS is also capable of supporting the exchange of encrypted and non-encrypted Internet Protocol data to and from the GIG.

A pseudowire is an emulation of a native service over a packet switched network (PSN). The native service may be voice, TDM, ATM, Frame Relay, or Ethernet while the PSN may be Ethernet, MPLS or IP. In this application, RAD's IPmux is used to transparently carry data over Ethernet fixed wireless links, while RAD's Vmux carries unsecured and secured voice over the same infrastructure. The Vmux uses compression and modem relay technologies to minimize bandwidth requirements while ensuring high quality voice.

Extends Legacy Circuits Simply, Transparently and Economically

In this way, pseudowire emulation technology, pioneered by RAD almost a decade ago, extends legacy voice or data circuits, as well as signaling, across cost-effective PSNs simply, transparently and economically. This not only facilitates migration to PSNs, but also dramatically reduces network expenses without compromising functionality or services, and, no less importantly, without any additional investment in expensive forklift upgrades and technical retraining.

"Pseudowire solutions are ideal for government agencies in general, and military installations in particular," notes Eitan Schwartz, Vice President of Pseudowire and Ethernet Access at RAD Data Communications, Inc. "Pseudowire transparently supports the essential security, cryptographic, and management protocols required in defense-related applications."