FatPipe Networks Network optimisation and link redundancy for satellite communications

Transcription

1 FatPipe Networks Network optimisation and link redundancy for satellite communications Next generation WAN acceleration Version 01 rev 05 Gregory Fedyk Regional Director UK/IRE, France and Benelux Isik Arik International Sales Manager 10 October,

2 FatPipe Networks Network optimisation and link redundancy for satellite communications Next generation WAN acceleration Version 01 final Gregory Fedyk Regional Director UK/IRE, France and Benelux Isik Arik International Sales Manager 2

3 Contents Contents General Overview Background Target audience Introduction Key features Description Benefits to Inmarsat users Configuration settings Typical deployment Setting up FatPipe with FleetBroadband Test overview Test Results Contacts Contact information

4 1. General 1.1 Overview FatPipe Networks is the only global provider of next-generation multi-line wide area network (WAN) optimisation, and network redundancy and security solutions. It helps to meet both capacity and cost challenges with solutions that dramatically increase the efficiency of satellite communications. FatPipe s solutions for providing optimisation and redundancy for satellite communications work holistically to give users and providers greater control over and utilisation of their networks. FatPipe s next-generation compression, caching and conditioning techniques enable satellite environments to attain maximum efficiency from their networks. The FatPipe appliance is a tightly integrated, multi-service platform that delivers both complete application acceleration and a fully redundant and high availability multi-line network.. FatPipe has developed the world s best satellite next-generation acceleration solution, optimised for Inmarsat s FleetBroadband (FB) service. 1.2 Background Satellite communications, while fulfilling unique business requirements, come with significant network challenges. As demand grows, the limited satellite service availability is progressively strained. Satellites are an increasingly popular option for routine communications by maritime users and businesses with offices in remote regions. But steadily rising demand from businesses, media companies and government entities has led to a shortage of satellite bandwidth as well as higher costs for the current capacity available. 1.3 Target audience Fatpipe Networks solutions are suited to any FleetBroadband Inmarsat Satellite users who want to increase the efficiency of their satellite network and gain better control of how it is used as well as adding a high level of redundancy and availability. 3

5 2. Introduction 2.1 Key features FatPipe Networks WAN acceleration technology provides the highest performance level of WAN acceleration and optimisation available, using patented and patent pending technology. FatPipe Networks appliances offer the following features: Latency mitigation: Since transmission control procedure/internet protocol (TCP/IP) traffic performance is sensitive to latency, the distances involved in satellite communication affect performance. FatPipe s TCP acceleration is based on multiple algorithms optimised for satellite environments which mitigate the effects of latency and channel quality. In addition, FatPipe uses a number of other techniques including hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) caching, file transfer protocol (FTP) caching and domain name system (DNS) caching to overcome the high latency effects of satellite communications. Greater bandwidth: FatPipe s compression and multi-line technology, including byte-level caching as well as web acceleration reduces the burden of data that uses the network, thus providing more bandwidth. The multiple compression algorithms provide 400 per cent more WAN capacity on average, with peaks of over 1000 per cent. This both lowers the cost of bandwidth and increases the number of users able to access the network. Prioritising critical applications: FatPipe provides a quality of service (QoS) capability to manage bandwidth utilisation, protecting priority transactions and ensuring that the stability of the network is not disrupted. This guarantees sufficient network resources for critical applications, particularly interactive and real-time applications such as voice over internet protocol (VoIP), Citrix/ICA, remote desktop protocol (RDP) and video. FatPipe QoS supports nine levels of priorities for layers 4-7 from transport level to application level classification for applications such as FTP, databases etc. Flexible and transparent: FatPipe can work in any satellite environment but it has been optimised for Inmarsat. FatPipe appliances are memory-based optimisation devices and are ideal for most harsh satellite networks environments as they have no moving parts. By integrating dynamic TCP congestion control algorithms into its appliances, Fatpipe can adjust bandwidth and provide flexible congestion avoidance. FatPipe solutions are fully transparent to the network infrastructure.- They learn network traffic patterns automatically and auto-detect the environment. The appliances can be quickly deployed On-Path or On-local area network (On-LAN) with minimal configuration and no infrastructure changes. Extreme availability and WAN redundancy: Two or more network connections (Satellite, 3G/4G, Wireless and landlines) can be aggregated through a FatPipe unit to achieve % WAN/Internet reliability. SatBooster: The SatBooster features in FatPipe are designed specifically to meet the needs of satellite users. They include algorithms to reduce image traffic and optimise voice and video traffic. They can also block exe files, chat and other wasteful traffic. High WAN transmission security: Out patented Multi-Path Security (MPSec ) technology provides significantly greater security for data transmission over dedicated or virtual private network (VPN) connections, creating multiple, independent data pathways between two or more locations. MPSec splits traffic and directs it on to multiple lines. If a line fails, communication will continue uninterrupted. This prevents transmitted data from being compromised, and hence is suitable for very high security transmissions. In the unlikely event, a core router is compromised, the data transmission is still secure. 4

6 2.2 Description FatPipe Networks next generation solution for optimising satellite communications works holistically to give users much greater control over their network as well as the ability to squeeze maximum efficiency out of the available bandwidth. A single appliance fully integrates compression, acceleration, quality of service, redundancy/high availability, multi-line capability and security. 2.3 Benefits to Inmarsat users Utilises additional satellite connections, landlines, 3G/4G and wireless for redundancy, back up and % high availability Dynamic TCP congestion control algorithms Low overhead, allows for 95 per cent utilisation of bandwidth Header/teleport multi-customer QoS to manage variability in upload/download speeds due to cloud cover Optimses bandwidth usage by traffic filtering, QoS and policy routing Customised algorithms to support high latency links Compression algorithm for images Spillover to second link upon first line saturation Provides highest throughput for low speed, high latency lines Works with multiple satellite connections Delivers an average 400 per cent increase in bandwidth, with peaks of over 1000 per cent Improves return on investment (ROI) and reduces costs Adds capacity easily without requiring new investment Mitigates latency on satellite transmissions Ensures satellite links are used to maximum capacity Provides dynamic bandwidth adjustment Avoids flexible congestion and reduces effects of retransmissions caused by signal noise Protects critical applications 5

7 3. Configuration settings 3.1 Typical deployment The Fatpipe appliance handles traffic transparently..typically, it has to be deployed in a hub-andspoke manner to optimise traffic between the distribution hub and mobile vessels. All internet traffic is directed from the vessels via the distribution hub to the internet and uses the same return path. The vessel side device is installed on mobile platforms and the shore side unit at the distributors/resellers hub. The distribution centre and the vessel communicate by Inmarsat satellite links. p 6

8 3.2 Setting up FatPipe with FleetBroadband 7

9 3.3 Test overview The normal deployment mode is detailed above. In order to simulate the distributor's side, a pairing device was deployed at Fatpipe Live Experience Centre in Chennai, India. FleetBroadband has a public internet protocol (IP) and traffic is forwarded directly to the internet from the Inmarsat hub on the shore. In order to ensure all traffic was forwarded to the Chennai centre, a generic routing encapsulation (GRE) tunnel was deployed between both sites, using a Fatpipe internet protocol virtual private network (IPVPN) on each site. FatPipe helps to maximise traffic flow on the WAN infrastructure with its innovative WAN Optimisation technologies. It provides faster and better utilisation of the links with load balancing, link utilisation, failover and security. Tests were conducted in the Inmarsat Lab to establish the benefits from using FatPipe WAN Optimiser over Inmarsat s Satellite Links. The tests entailed loading various commonly visited sites on to the internet and recording the performance both with and without the FatPipe WAN Optimiser. Secure web pages were tested by logging in with a given username and password. Once the sites were fully loaded, the billing gateway showed its upload and download statistics. The results from the billing gateway were verified to ensure accurate reporting. The tests were repeated, both during a plain run without FatPipe functionality and then with WAN Optimisation enabled. They were then repeated with SatBooster features enabled. The results were compiled and tabulated to show the benefits of FatPipe appliances. The results are summarised below. A full test report is available. 8

10 3.4 Test results The test showed significant benefits including the following : Reduces bandwidth consumption and time taken to load pages: The freed up bandwidth allows a greater number of users. If the same page is loaded twice, it is distributed by the local FatPipe, which frees up the bandwidth for the next user. Blocks advertisements, messages, flash ads: Today websites contain considerable unrelated material such as advertisements, flash ads etc which take up costly bandwidth and leave little for the real user. Fatpipe ensures that only the designated material goes across the satellite link, saving bandwidth, time and money without compromising the actual content. Blocks streaming video and audio: Many sites have built-in streaming video and audio. These sites are designed with broadband and fibre links in mind and when accessed over a slow and costly satellite link, the link saturates and the sites fail to load fully. FatPipe stops the streaming features, thus saving bandwidth and aiding faster loading. Blocks attachments in instant message clients: Chat is now an intrinsic part of Internet life, both with family and friends and business. Although a normal chat transaction does not take up much bandwidth, attachments do and restrict other users. FatPipe allows chats but blocks attachments and ensures fair usage of resources. Reduces the size of images in web pages, with up to 90 per cent saving on bandwidth and time: Images are a large part of a web page but many are of little interest to the user. FatPipe performs a fine balancing act, in that it allows the image to be shown if needed but in a sufficiently compressed form to save bandwidth. This has the added advantage that it is a user configurable option. Plug and play configuration, real time visibility of individual user traffic on the billing gateway: FatPipe s WAN Traffic Optimisation works in a transparent manner, allowing all upstream devices to see the sender and receiver of traffic and enabling both to manage the traffic as they require. 9

11 4. Contacts 4.1 Contact information Isik Arik International Sales Manager Skype: Isik Arik (fatpipe.international) 10