|
Q: What information do I need to provide to enable you to recommend a solution for monitoring my fiber network?
A: The necessary information is listed on the Client Network Configuration Questionnaire which collects all of the information required to determine the appropriate Interceptor configuration for your specific network. Click here to download a copy of the questionnaire.
Q: What is the difference between Dark and Active Fiber?
A: Active Fiber refers to a fiber that is actually in use ("lit"). The fiber is connected between two switches and routers, and the equipment is activated. For an example of how the INTERCEPTOR may be utilized in such a system, please refer to a typical "Active Fiber Monitoring" installation as shown in the figures below:
The RTU is a passive unit that allows the active pair to be monitored with an INTERCEPTOR at only one end.
Dark Fiber refers to "unlit" fiber in a cable, or fiber that is unused in a cable; perhaps there for future growth or spares. When unused fibers are present in a cable, it can be economically preferable and technically viable to monitor those fibers rather than the active fibers. If ingress into the cable is attempted, the protected dark fibers will sense the disturbance and issue an alarm. For an example of how the Interceptor may be utilized in such a system , please refer to a typical "Dark Fiber Monitoring" installation as shown in the figure below:
Q: What are the bandwidth capacities of the INTERCEPTOR?
A: The system is optically passive and does not have any impact on the speed of the data protected by the unit.
Q: What alarm outputs are available from the INTERCEPTOR?
A: Alarms are reported by email, SNMP, SMS (for communication with alphanumeric pagers), and dry alarm contacts. There is also an internal optical switch that can interrupt the data flow upon detection of an intrusion (Active fiber units only).
Q: Please explain "autoconfiguration" (duration of learning about the environment).
A: "Autoconfiguration" refers to the capability of INTERCEPTOR to analyze, learn, and desensitize itself to benign periodic physical disturbances to the fiber, such as the vibration caused by an air conditioning unit. Learning, or autoconfiguration, times are user selectable: from one minute to two weeks. To assure capturing possible periodic environmental conditions (such as day/night temperature changes, activity near network changing over several days, vehicle traffic patterns, etc). These environmental conditions must be learned by the INTERCEPTOR in order to eliminate false alarms.
Q: Is it necessary to perform an autoconfiguration cycle before the cable can be protected?
A: The INTERCEPTOR is shipped with default settings that will allow the cable to be protected immediately. This protection can then be optimized by performing an autoconfiguration while the unit is monitoring. After the autoconfiguration is complete, the INTERCEPTOR will automatically update its configuration with the optimized values and continue its protection.
Q: What type of management or software tools are required to manage the Interceptor?
A: The INTERCEPTOR can be locally managed by serial console, and remotely managed by telnet or Secure Shell (SSH). The INTERCEPTOR can be accessed via terminal programs such as HyperTerminal or TeraTerm.
Q: Can I use existing fibers, or will I have to install new special fibers?
A: INTERCEPTOR is designed for easy integration into your network using the existing fibers, provided that they are standard multimode or singlemode communication grade fibers. Unusual fiber types may be accommodated, please contact NIS for details.
Q: Can INTERCEPTOR detect attacks on the cable pathway?
A: Depending on the type of attack and the type of cable in the network. Call Network Integrity Systems for specifics.
Q: Can INTERCEPTOR protect a cable or just individual fibers?
A:
For most cable designs, an entire 144 fiber cable can be protected by monitoring as few as 2 fibers within the cable. If ingress into the cable is attempted, the protected fibers will sense the disturbance and issue an alarm. The effectiveness of this is dependent upon the design of the optical cable itself. Some cable designs require monitoring on more fibers than others.
Based on extinsive laboratory trials, Network Integrity Systems will
recommend protection profiles according to your specific cable design.
Q: What security features are available for administration access to the INTERCEPTOR?
A: Security features include:
- User name and password access
- Idle Sessions can be set to time out, timeout length is adjustable
- Security Pre-Login Banner Message is available, up to up to 20 lines with 66 characters per line
- INTERCEPTOR can be now be accessed via Telnet and SSH
- IP Address and MAC Filtering are available
You may view a comprehensive explanation of the security features in the Application Note Interceptor v2 3 software security features r1 1, available for download on this web site.
Q: What are the event logging capabilities of the INTERCEPTOR?
A: The INTERCEPTOR has internal logs for both Monitoring Events and Network Events. These logs may be downloaded by the user and can contain 100 entries. The logs are not clearable, but work in a FIFO fashion, overwriting the oldest events after the log is filled up. The INTERCEPTOR also has the capability to use Syslog to send Monitoring and Network logs to a target selected by the user.
Q: Can the INTERCEPTOR in an installation synchronize their clocks with each other?
A: Yes, the latest version 2 software revision introduces Network Time Service (NTS) capabilities to the INTERCEPTOR. Each INTERCEPTOR can be configured to synchronize its internal clock with an external time server. If the INTERCEPTOR is set to synch its clock to the same time server on the network, it will then be synchronized with the other INTERCEPTOR to within a few milliseconds.
Q: Can the INTERCEPTOR issue SNMP traps in reaction to alarms?
A: Yes, the INTERCEPTOR has SNMP trap capability. The unit may be configured to issue traps for not only alarms, but for unit configuration changes and unit resets. Please refer to the NIS Application Note - Use of SNMP Trap Receiver With INTERCEPTOR r1 for details.
Q: Can the INTERCEPTOR send alarms to a pager?
A: Yes, the INTERCEPTOR can send alarm notifications to an alphanumeric pager via the SMS Messaging alarm target. Please refer to NIS Application Note for Use of Pagers With INTERCEPTOR r0 for details.
Q: Is the INTERCEPTOR software upgradeable, and can this be done by the user?
A: The INTERCEPTOR software can be upgraded by the user via an FTP server. Please refer to NIS Application Note for Upgrading INTERCPETOR Software r0 for details.
|
