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SyncWatch FAQ

SyncWatch Features & Benefits

How to deploy SyncWatch Probes

Viewing SyncWatch Data

Interpreting & customising SyncWatch

Configuring SyncWatch to your requirements

SyncWatch Security

SyncWatch Probe Firmware

SyncWatch Guarantee

SyncWatch Purchase/Lease/Support Options

 

 

 

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SyncWatch Features & Benefits

What do I save by deploying SyncWatch?

  • Unnecessary deployment of staff to site
  • Time in tracking down a fault
  • Site visits may be avoided completely

What are the benefits of deploying SyncWatch?

  • Highly visible and tangible independent sync quality reporting
  • Complete 24 x 7 x 365 monitoring - never miss a sync event again
  • You can offer a Service Level Agreement (SLA) to clients, which could include a better sync quality than G.823
  • Incremental revenues by providing sync SLAs
  • More efficient deployment of your field engineering staff
  • Faster alerts to non-systematic sync behaviour
  • For the first time - consistent & comparable knowledge of the sync quality in your network, wherever you require it
  • You can police SLAs which are offered to you by your backhaul carriers
  • De-skilling of field engineering staff
  • Increased confidence regarding your network performance and behaviour

How will SyncWatch reduce my operational budget?

  • Avoiding repeated and unproductive engineer visits to site
  • Hugely reducing time and effort tracking down intermittent faults at the fringe of your networks

How to deploy SyncWatch Probes

What is the typical deployment profile?

There are many different applications for SyncWatch:

  • "Statistical Deployment" - Lets say that you have 1000 interconnect points with a wholesale client. Of these 1000, there may be 5 different technology methods. Deploy SyncWatch Probes, for example at 2% of client premises for each technology method - this would be 20 probes. Keep a further 5 probes to deploy spontaneously to trouble spots. Monitor and report systematic behaviour to the client every quarter in defence of your SLA. Declare and agree that you use statistical analysis to uphold your SLA
  • "Spontaneous Deployment" - Deploy to trouble spots as and when required
  • "Tactical Deployment" - Deploy in support of new technology or network roll-outs to monitor the behaviour and bedding in of the network equipment. Or deploy to provide confidence for new clients
  • "Strategic Deployment" - Deploy permanently within your network at critical nodes to ensure proactive reporting of sync quality

Where do I deploy SyncWatch?

  • At the fringe of your network where it meets another operator or client's network.
  • Backhaul carriers would deploy at the customer premises
  • An operator, wireless or wireline, would deploy at the point of connection to another carrier.
  • SLA defence or policing - If you have a sync SLA you will need to deploy SyncWatch.

How does SyncWatch work?

SyncWatch consists of a probe deployed in the network at the location sync quality measurement is required, and a central server that gathers information from all deployed probes. SyncWatch has two probe options:

  • SyncWatch Standard monitors two 2.048Mbps or 2.048MHz feeds - one from your network and one from the network that you are connecting to. An MRTIE (Maximum Relative Time Interval Error) computation is performed.
  • SyncWatch Reference monitors a single 2.048Mbit or 2.048MHz feed and measures MTIE relative to an internal GPS-disciplined oscillator.

Within each SyncWatch Probe a comparison is made with a custom quality threshold. If the threshold is exceeded the SyncWatch Server will send a notification in the form of an email, or SMS. The probes also send a "heartbeat" to the server at regular intervals - the server will alert you if a heartbeat is not received, thus highlighting possible DCN problems.

What do I connect to?

  • You arrange for a monitor point to be available e.g. DDF type 43 bridge with monitor point. There should be one on the E1 coming into your equipment and one on the E1 leaving your equipment.
  • You could either deploy on an E1 or a 2MHz sync output port e.g. line clock from an SDH mux.

Doesn't my E1 clock rate come from my backhaul carrier?

  • It may be derived from his clock, but your clock recovery circuitry introduces wander, so you may want to monitor changes to the systematic behaviour.
  • Your clock may be derived from a local PRS or PRC further back in your network. Again you will be looking for changes to the systematic wander behaviour.

What do you mean by "systematic wander"?

  • Systematic wander is the normal wander associated with that specific point in your or your client's or backhaul carrier's network. It will be unique to the particular manufacturer's equipment and transmission/switching technology deployed.

If the systematic wander is unique does that mean you have to send an engineer to site to fit the SyncWatch Probe?

  • No, this is one of the most exciting features of SyncWatch. You can have a local engineer fit it who has no knowledge of sync quality measurement. You then monitor the systematic wander behaviour from your office and set the threshold accordingly to "tune" the SyncWatch Probe to the location. The team at Chronos can help with this initial setup procedure.

What happens if I have no DCN via Ethernet connectivity?

  • We have various modem options via PSTN, and GSM/GPRS. These may cost extra, so check for details.

What if I don't want to connect via a modem?

  • Alarm relay contacts can be used to feedback exception conditions.

What skill level do I need to fit a SyncWatch Probe?

  • The SyncWatch Probe can be pre-configured so the technician who fits it only needs to know which E1/2MHz connections, 48v PSU and Ethernet or PSTN port to connect to. As soon as the SyncWatch Probe is powered up - it retrieves its personality from the server.

How do I fix the SyncWatch Probe into position?

  • SyncWatch can be mounted in a standard ETSI 600 x 300mm rack or a 19" rack.

Viewing SyncWatch Data

What Web Browser should I use?

  • The SyncWatch Server interface is tested with MS Internet Explorer 6 and Mozilla Firefox 2, but designed to work with all modern Web browsers.

Interpreting & customising SyncWatch

What happens when the MTIE quality threshold is exceeded?

  • You get an Exception alarm. The system will send an email to one or more addresses that you specify and an SMS to one or more mobiles that you specify. You can then log on and view the MTIE data and compare it with the Heartbeat data previously saved. You may also view the TIE data in a half hour window around the event that triggered the Exception. The SyncWatch Server can also be configured to integrate with other management systems by generating SMS messages when an Exception occurs.

What's a "Heartbeat"?

  • The "Heartbeat" is a periodic announcement that the probe is fully functional and the DCN is serviceable. It is also the mechanism used to update the probe's personality or firmware.

Can I change the MTIE quality threshold?

  • Yes. This is done through the Location Personality page - only specified people have access to this page. Next time the probe Heartbeats or Exceptions, it will retrieve its new personality.

Is there a help feature?

  • Yes. Blue information buttons information are located around the SyncWatch Server interface - just hover the mouse over the relevant button to read the comment.

Besides MTIE, what else can I change?

  • E-mail addresses - You can add as many email recipients as you wish
  • SMS mobile numbers - You can add as many SMS numbers as you wish
  • MTIE masks from the standards - Add the G.823 "ceiling" and ETSI PRC "floor" to your MTIE graph to put things in perspective
  • Heartbeat - You can change when the Heartbeat happens and its frequency

I've looked at the MTIE data - what else can I do?

  • You can view the raw TIE data that has been used to calculate the MTIE signature. You can also copy and paste graphs into reports and view the data in tabular form.

How much TIE data is saved each time there is an Exception?

  • 30 minutes of TIE data is saved each time there is an exception - the 15 minutes before and the 15 minutes after the exception occurred.

Configuring SyncWatch to your requirements

Can I deploy SyncWatch Probes anywhere in the world?

  • Yes, SyncWatch can be deployed anywhere. A suitable map can be imported to depict your network.

How do you add new SyncWatch Probes?

  • Just click on the map where you want to deploy the probe and the probe icon will automatically be added to the map at this location.

Can I add new SyncWatch Probes myself?

  • Yes, you can do this from the management pages. Alternatively Chronos can manage the service for you.

I want to move a SyncWatch Probe, can I do this?

  • No problem, the probes can be relocated - the data will still be there for you to retrieve from the old map location. All we will do is add a new dot on the map for the probe's new location.

SyncWatch Security

How secure is SyncWatch?

  • It is impossible to connect to a SyncWatch Probe from anywhere, even within your own LAN. It only communicates out to the server with a small amount of data at a "Heartbeat" or "Exception" event.

What access control is there?

  • Each user will have their own login with specific access rights or "privileges". The privileges are divided into the following levels:
    • Viewing - This is for field engineers, as well as the sync manager. You can view all data, set up reports and capture information for use in external (e.g. MS Word) reports. Exceptions can be viewed
    • Status management - Alarms can be acknowledged and cleared
    • Location & network management - You can add and remove SyncWatch Probes and maps, and configure the personality of each probe
    • User management - You can add, modify and remove users and customise their access privileges

Can I change my password?

  • Yes, you can change your password as often as you like or we can do this for you.

SyncWatch Probe Firmware

Why would you upgrade the firmware on a SyncWatch Probe?

  • A firmware upgrade is required when we add new features.

How do you upgrade the firmware on the SyncWatch Probe?

  • If a new firmware release is available a firmware download can be performed when the probe heartbeats.

SyncWatch Guarantee

How do I know if my SyncWatch Probe is functional?

  • There is a "check for missed heartbeats" feature which will raise an exception on a SyncWatch Probe that has not reported a heartbeat when expected.

Does Chronos monitor the SyncWatch Probes as well?

  • Yes, if you use the Chronos server our Customer Support Department will be alerted when a threshold is exceeded so that you have access to expert opinion when assessing the next action. This also means that we will know if a probe malfunctions. With our 24x7 support, we might know that your system is malfunctioning before you do.

Is the data reliable?

  • The front end of the TIE measurement engine is based on technology developed at BT Adastral Park and utilised successfully throughout the BT network for the last 5 years in bespoke dedicated test equipment. Chronos has adapted this technology and blended it with 10 years of sync audit experience to create a unique and reliable sync measurement system - a true 24x7 sync audit.

SyncWatch Purchase/Lease/Support Options

Who owns the SyncWatch Server?

  • The SyncWatch Server can either be owned and managed by Chronos with an annual service fee to cover the cost, or the server software can be purchased outright and run on your own platform.

How do I pay for the probes?

  • Probes can be purchased outright or leased from Chronos.

What support options are available?

  • A one year warranty is included with the purchase of SyncWatch Probes and Server. Additional years' support can be added on an annual basis. Rental will include an ongoing support contract.

What will the support and warranty contract offer?

  • Support will include a telephone hotline and a replacement service for faulty probes. Support of customer-owned servers will be provided remotely.

How much will it cost and are there economies of scale?

  • There are economies of scale. The cost will depend upon the number of probes deployed within your network.

How does this compare with a traditional sync audit?

  • Very favourably.  Typically you would pay between £5000 and £8000 for a 3 day sync audit. With SyncWatch you have permanent sync audit functionality.

What budget do I use?

  • This can be funded from your operational budget for the lease option or your capital budget if you choose to own the system outright.

 

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SyncWatch from Chronos Technology ltd


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SyncWatch from
Chronos Technology Ltd