Tmedia 1+1

TelcoBridges Tmedia 1+1 answers service providers’ needs for five nines reliability, offering a redundant gateway that ensures high-availability. This 1+1 feature set is available for the Tmedia TMG800, TMG3200 and TMG7800, creating a redundant system from 1 to 64 T1/E1s, 1 to 3 DS3 or 1 OC3/STM1.

Our clients are looking to ensure that their VoIP systems are as infallible as their TDM networks, and TelcoBridges 1+1 provides that high level of redundancy and high availability they need to remain competitive.

What does TelcoBridges mean when they say their system is redundant?
TelcoBridges Tmedia 1+1 systems provide power redundancy, packet network redundancy and facility protection.

Goals of the Tmedia 1+1 system

• Protect the system (no loss of service) in case of failure of a Tmedia unit
• Reduce down-time when upgrading the software or hardware of a Tmedia 1+1 system

Available configurations

• TMG800 1+1 system (T1/E1)
• TMG3200 1+1 system (OC3/STM1, DS3, T1/E1)
• TMG7800 (speak with your TelcoBridges sales representative today!)

Components of the Tmedia 1+1 system

The Tmedia 1+1 system is made of:

• A standard Tmedia unit
• A +1 Tmedia unit
• One or two 1+1 patch panels

In case of failure of the active unit, the exact configuration will transfer onto the standby unit. The standby unit is then automatically activated, and continues to route the calls.

With TMG7800, the Tmedia 1+1 consists of

• A primary TMG7800-ctrl server
• A secondary TMG7800-ctrl server
• Multiple pairs of TMG7800 Telecom units (T1/E1, DS3, or OC3/STM1)
• Multiple 1+1 patch panels (one or two per pair of TMG7800 Telecommunication units)

Types of Tmedia units that can be purchased

• TMG800 Standard VoIP gateway
  • TMG800 Standard VoIP gateway part numbers: TMG800-1, TMG800-2, TMG800-3, TMG800-4, TMG800-5, TMG800-6, TMG800-7, TMG800-8
  • Can be used as a standalone unit, or part of a 1+1 system.
• TMG800 +1 (secondary) telecom unit.
  • TMG800+1 standby telecom unit part numbers: TMG800-1+1, TMG800-2+1, TMG800-3+1, TMG800-4+1, TMG800-5+1, TMG800-6+1, TMG800-7+1, TMG800-8+1
  • 1+1 patch panel and cables come included with the purchase of a +1 telecom unit
  • The +1 standby unit is available at a discounted price (in comparison to the standard Tmedia VoIP gateway).

• TMG3200 Standard VoIP gateway(primary unit)
  • TMG3200 Standard VoIP gateway part numbers: TMG3200-TE16, TMG3200-TE32, TMG3200-TE48, TMG3200-TE64, TMG3200-DS31, TMG3200-DS32, TMG3200-DS33, TMG3200-SM1
  • Can be used as a standalone unit, or part of a 1+1 system.
• TMG3200 +1 (secondary) telecom unit
  • TMG3200+1 standby telecom unit part numbers: TMG3200-TE16+1, TMG3200-TE32+1, TMG3200-TE48+1, TMG3200-TE64+1, TMG3200-DS31+1, TMG3200-DS32+1, TMG3200-DS33+1, TMG3200-SM1+1
  • 1+1 patch panel(s) and cables come included with the purchase of a +1 telecom unit
  • The +1 standby unit is available at a discounted price (in comparison to the standard Tmedia VoIP gateway).

• TMG3200 Spare unit.
  • Can be used to replace a failed primary or secondary unit.
  • Available at a discount price.
  • Can be used for 30 days upon activation. After this time, the license can be renewed for a maximum of 3 times. Failed unit that it replaces must be replaced/repaired during that period.

• TMG7800-ctrl unit
  • The same type of unit is used both as primary or secondary server
• TMG7800 Telecommunication unit (T1/E1, DS3 or STM1)
  • The same type of unit is used both as primary or secondary Telecommunication unit

To ensure complete protection, TelcoBridges recommends the purchase of a spare unit to go along with your 1+1 solution so the 1+1 system. This allows immediate replacement of a failed unit of the 1+1 system while it's being repaired by TelcoBridges.

Network connection between units of the Tmedia 1+1 system

All units of the Tmedia 1+1 system need to be connected together using two Ethernet networks. These two networks must be:

• Independent Ethernet networks
  • two for redundancy
  • independant to avoid interferences between them
• Private (No up-link to the LAN)
  • to avoid interferences with other equipments
  • to isolate multiple Tmedia 1+1 systems from each other)

Networking configuration for TMG800 1+1 system

Each unit of the TMG800 1+1 system has only two Ethernet interfaces (named voip0 and voip1). They must be shared for network communication with external world (SIP, RTP, Sigtran, H.248), and with private communication between the two TMG800 units of the system.

Two private VLans must be created to establish private and redundant network communication path between the two units:

• VLan IDs are provided to TMG800 units upon initial configuration through Web Portal
• VLans configuration in the Ethernet switches that the TMG800 units are connected to must be
  • Done before starting the TMG800 units for the first time by network operator
  • Must be private to ONLY the two ports the TMG800 units are connected to

For more information, please refer to TMG800 1+1 installation guide.

Networking configuration for TMG3200 1+1 system

Each unit of the TMG3200 1+1 system has four (4) physical Ethernet interfaces.

• voip0 and voip1 for network communication with external world (SIP, RTP, Sigtran, H.248)
• eth0 and eth1 for private communication between the units

The network configuration for TMG3200 1+1 system is quite simple: Simply connect the eth0 and eth1 ports of the two units back-to-back using standard Ethernet cable:

For more information, please refer to TMG3200 1+1 installation guide.

Networking configuration for TMG7800 1+1 system

The two servers (TMG7800-ctrl) units of the TMG7800 1+1 system have three (3) Ethernet ports:

• mgmt to access configuration Web Portal, or SSH connection with the unit. It can also be used for H.248.
• eth0 and eth1 for private communication between all other units of the system (TMG7800-control servers, and TMG7800 Telecommunication units)

Each TMG7800 Telecommunication units have four (4) Ethernet ports that can be used:

• voip0 and voip1 for network communication with external world (SIP, RTP, Sigtran, H.248)
• eth0 and eth1 for private communication with all other units of the system (TMG7800-control servers, and TMG7800 Telecommunication units)

It is mandatory that all eth0 ports of the system are connected together through a dedicated Ethernet switch.
It is mandatory that all eth1 ports of the system are connected together through another dedicated Ethernet switch.
These two Ethernet switches must not be connected to each other, and should ideally also not have any UpLink to the LAN (to minimize risks of interference with network traffic on the LAN).

For more information, please refer to TMG7800 1+1 installation guide.

How to configure units of the Tmedia 1+1 system

Initial configuration

The first time a TMedia unit is started, it's not yet ready to connect to other units of a TMedia 1+1 system.
It must be told what role it will occupy (standalone unit, primary/secondary unit of a 1+1 system):

• Make sure that the unit is properly connected to the network (as described above)
• Make sure that the VLans are properly configured in the Ethernet switches that the units are connected to (TMG800 only)
• Connect to the Web Portal of that Tmedia unit (http://[serial_number_of_your_unit]:12358)
• Answer the questions:
  • Role (standalone, new primary, replacement primary, or secondary unit)
  • VLan IDs (for TMG800 only)
• Wait for the TMedia unit to configure itself
  • Enable eth0/eth1 interfaces
  • Detect other TMedia unit of the 1+1 system
  • Synchronize with other unit of the 1+1 system, if required
• You should then be redirected to the "standard" TelcoBridges Web Portal where you can configure stacks and other functionalities of the Tmedia

Return unit to initial configuration

It may be required to return a TMedia unit to it's initial state, for example:

• A TMedia Standard unit was used as a standalone unit, now needs to be used as part of a 1+1 system
• A TMedia Spare unit was used as a replacement in a 1+1 system, and must now be removed in order to insert back the repaired unit

To return the unit to it's "initial" state (disconnected from other units, waiting to be told if it's standalone, primary or secondary):

• Connect to the unit's Web Portal (http://[serial_number_of_your_unit]:12358)
• Click on "Hosts" on the left menu of the Web Portal
• Click on "Status" tab
• Click on the status of the TMedia unit to return to "initial" state
• Select "Reset Host Role" action from the popup menu
• Click "Apply"
• Wait 15-30 seconds, and re-connect to the Web Portal. You should now be in the "Initial configuration" web portal of that TMedia unit

Web Portal configuration for the TMG800 or TMG3200 1+1 system

The configuration of the TMG800 or TMG3200 1+1 system is almost identical to the configuration of a standalone TMG800/TMG3200 unit.
Differences are:

• A 1+1 Group is defined to bind the two units into a redundant group
• Two "Hardware" are present
  • One for each TMedia unit of the 1+1 system
  • Only the primary unit has a "configuration" that can be modified (TDM Line Interfaces, protocol stacks)
  • Each has it's own status (status of Line Interfaces and protocol stacks only visible for the unit that's actually active)
• Two "Hosts" are present
  • One for each TMedia unit of the 1+1 system
  • Each has it's own status (disk usage, CPU usage, ...)
  • Each has it's list of applications running on them (identical list of applications on both units)
• The configuration of the ISUP stack is made redundant on the two units
  • The ISUP stack provides "no loss of active call" redundancy by already running as a standby on the secondary unit even when it's not activated. This is not (yet) possible for other protocol stacks.

Web Portal configuration for the TMG7800 1+1 system

The configuration of the TMG7800 1+1 system contains the following elements:

• Multiple "1+1 Groups", one for each pair of TMG7800 Telecommunication units connected to a 1+1 patch panel
  • Each "1+1 Group" has it's own status to indicate which units are functional among the two, which unit is active among the two.
• Multiple "Hardware" units
  • One for each TMG7800 Telecommunication unit of the TMG7800 1+1 system
  • The secondary "Hardware" of each 1+1 Group does not have it's own configuration for Line Interfaces and protocol stacks (it uses the primary's configuration automatically)
  • Each has it's own status (status of Line Interfaces and protocol stacks only visible for the unit that's actually active among the two units of each 1+1 Group)
• The configuration of the ISUP stack is made redundant on the two units
  • Any units, not necessarily part of the same 1+1 group (ISUP stack redundancy is decoupled from 1+1 redundancy)
  • The ISUP stack provides "no loss of active call" redundancy by already running as a standby on the secondary unit even when it's not activated. This is not (yet) possible for other protocol stacks.

Web Portal operations that are not available on both units

Some operations from the Web Portal are not available from both units of the TMedia 1+1 system:

• Upload a license
  • Must be done on the Web Portal of the primary unit of the system, and from the status page of the primary host
  • The uploaded license will automatically be uploaded to the secondary unit
• Upload a Toolpack package
  • Must be done on the Web Portal of the primary unit of the system, and from the status page of the primary host
  • The uploaded package will automatically be replicated to the secondary unit
  • When that new package is activated, both units will automatically be updated to that new package
• Make a configuration database backup
  • Must be done on the Web Portal of the primary unit of the system
  • Don't forget to "download" the backup file to an external host, in case the unit fails
• Manage audio prompts
  • Must be done on the Web Portal of the primary unit of the system
  • Prompts will be automatically replicated to the secondary unit
  • Prompts will be properly played regardless which unit is active, or if a unit has failed

How redundancy is achieved

The TMedia system contains

• Host server, running call control applications, web portal, and other OAM-related applications
• Telecommunication unit, running protocol stacks, and having hardware resources to process voice (TDM, or VOIP)

Notes:

• The TMG800 unit contains both the host server and the Telecommunication unit in the same box.
• The TMG3200 unit contains both the host server and the Telecommunication unit in the same box.
• The TMG7800 has separated server (TMG7800-ctrl) and Telecommunication units (TMG7800) for scalability.

Redundancy of the applications

• The applications running on the host server are redundant by having one copy of each application running on each unit.
  
• In case of failure of an application, the corresponding application on the other unit is activated to replace the failed application.
  
• In case the whole host server unit fails, all applications on the other unit are activated.

Redundancy of the Telecommunication units

• Telecommunications units used in pairs (1+1)
• Both are connected to the TDM network, and to the IP network
  • One is active (driving the signal on the TDM network, assigned an IP address on the VOIP network)
  • One is standby (not driving the TDM network, no IP assigned on the VOIP network)
• When one unit fails
  • the other unit is activated with the exact same configuration as the primary units
  • the other unit starts driving the TDM network
  • the other unit is assigned the IP address (moved from the primary) on the VOIP network)

References

• TMG800 +1 Data sheet
• TMG3200-RJ +1 Data Sheet
• TMG3200-TE +1 Data Sheet
• TMG3200-DS3 +1 Data Sheet
• TMG3200-STM1 +1 Data Sheet