Bad, Better, BestHow to Build and Manage

Wide Area Networks for Voice

Agenda

1. Why do we design wide area networks differently for voice?

2. How should we design wide area voice networks?

3. How should we manage voice networks?

4. How can we make money designing and managing these networks?

Agenda

1. Why do we design wide area networks differently for voice?

2. How should we design wide area voice networks?

3. How should we manage voice networks?

4. How can we make money designing and managing these networks?

We design wide area networks differently for voice because networks get congested.

Upload

Download

Network congestion causes problems for voice networks.

Router

V Packet

When too many packets arrive, the router buffers the excess packets until there is sufficient bandwidth to route them through.

D Packet D Packet D Packet D PacketD PacketD PacketD PacketD Packet

Buffered Packets

D Packet

D Packet

V Packet

Dropped Packets

D Packet

V Packet

D Packet

V Packet

V Packet

D Packet

When the buffer gets full, the router begins to drop packets, causing packet loss.

Network Congestion occurs when more packets arrive than a circuit can process at a given time.

V Packet V Packet V Packet V Packet V PacketV PacketV PacketV PacketV Packet

V Packet

D Packet

100 Mbps LAN 10 Mbps WAN

V Packet

D Packet

This buffering causes latency or delay and jitter.

Router

V Packet

D Packet D Packet D Packet D PacketD PacketD PacketD PacketD Packet

Buffered Packets

D Packet

D Packet

V Packet

Dropped Packets

D Packet

V Packet

D Packet

V Packet

V Packet

D Packet

Latency, jitter, and packet loss cause voice quality issues.

Network Congestion occurs when more packets arrive than the router or circuit can process.

V Packet V Packet V Packet V Packet V PacketV PacketV PacketV PacketV Packet

V Packet

D Packet

100 Mbps LAN 10 Mbps WAN

V Packet

D PacketTherefore we need to design wide area voice networks in a way that avoids these points of congestion.

Where data packets can be delayed or retransmitted without causing a problem, real-time voice get choppy and garbled.

Agenda

1. Why do we design wide area networks differently for voice?

2. How should we design wide area voice networks?

3. How should we manage voice networks?

4. How can we make money designing and managing these networks?

Wide area voice networks should be designed to avoid the congestion points that cause latency, jitter, and packet loss.

How should we design wide area voice networks?

For this presentation, I will identify the congestion points found along three (3) commonly used network designs.

I have titled these designs: Bad, Better, and Best.

Bad Voice Networks have: • One (1) Internet connection for voice & data

• 3 or 4+ points of congestion.

DSL Provider

Bad Design #1: Single DSL Connection

End Users 100’s of other DSL customers

ROUTER

ROUTER

ROUTER

ROUTER

Public InternetROUTER

ROUTER ROUTERROUTERROUTER ROUTER ROUTER

ROUTERROUTERROUTER

DSLAM

Customer

4. The 4th congestion point is the 10-20 additional routers between the end user and the service provider on the Public Internet. These routers will not support do not support QoS.

ADSL also presents the problem of a slower upload speed which can present problems for bi-directional voice.

2. The 2nd point of congestion is the DSLAM, which aggregates hundreds of independent DSL customers onto the same Internet connection. With no voice awareness,

DSLAM’s are unable to prioritize voice over data traffic when bandwidth utilization gets heavy.

1. With a single Internet connection, the 1st congestion point is the

customer gateway.

4+ Points of Congestion Simple Signal

3. The 3rd point of congestion is the handoff to the Public Internet where again there is no CoS or QoS

to prioritize voice over data during peak congestion periods.

Cable Provider

Bad Design #2: Single Cable Connection

ROUTER

ROUTER

ROUTER

Public InternetROUTER

ROUTER ROUTERROUTERROUTER ROUTER ROUTER

ROUTERROUTERROUTER

4. The 4th congestion point is the 10-20 additional routers between the end user and the service provider on the Public Internet. These routers will not support do not support QoS.

2. The 2nd point of congestion happens along the shared cable connection where hundreds of other users are added onto the path. With no quality of service, cable connections can not prioritize voice over data during peak congestion periods.

100’s of Cable customers

Cable connections typically have fast download and slower upload speeds which can present problems for bi-directional voice. Speeds are also shared and not guaranteed.

4+ Points of Congestion Simple Signal

3. The 3rd point of congestion is the handoff to the Public Internet where again there is no CoS or QoS to prioritize

voice over data during peak congestion periods.

End Users

ROUTER

Customer

1. With a single Internet connection, the 1st congestion point is the

customer gateway.

DIA Provider

Bad Design #3 : Single DIA Connection

ROUTER

ROUTER

ROUTER

Public InternetROUTER

ROUTER ROUTERROUTERROUTER ROUTER ROUTER

ROUTERROUTERROUTER

3. The 3rd congestion point is the 10-20 additional routers between the end user and the service provider on the Public Internet. These routers will not support do not support QoS.

2. The 2nd point of congestion is the handoff to the Public Internet where again there is no CoS or QoS to prioritize

voice over data during peak congestion periods.

3+ Points of Congestion Simple Signal

T-1, EoC, Fiber

No congestion along the dedicated Internet path.

Not So

End Users

ROUTER

Customer

1. With a single Internet connection, the 1st congestion point is the

customer gateway.

If you have customers who are having problems with this type of voice network, BMG offers assessment tools to pinpoint where congestion, packet loss, latency and jitter are being introduced.

Need Help?

We also offer bandwidth management tools that will help you control the data and reduce the congestion for voice.

Better Voice Networks have: • One (1) Internet connection for voice

• One (1) Internet connection for data

• 2+ points of congestion.

Better: 2 Internet Connections

End Users

ROUTER

ROUTER

ROUTER

ROUTER

Public InternetROUTER

ROUTER ROUTERROUTERROUTER ROUTER ROUTER

ROUTERROUTERROUTER

Customer

2. The 2nd congestion point is the 10-20 additional routers between the end user and the service provider on the Public Internet. These routers will not support do not support QoS.

2+ Points of Congestion

Cable Provider Data Only

100’s of Cable customers

ROUTER ROUTER

DIA Provider

ROUTER

ROUTER

Simple Signal

No congestion at the customer gateway.

1. The 1st point of congestion is the handoff to the Public Internet where again there is no CoS or QoS to prioritize voice over data during peak congestion periods.

T-1, EoC, Fiber

No congestion along the dedicated Internet path.

The Best Voice Networks have:

• One (1) MPLS connection with QoS for voice & data

• An optional Internet connection for data

• 0 points of congestion.

End Users

ROUTER

Simple Signal MPLS NetworkROUTER

ROUTER

Simple Signal

ROUTER ROUTER

Customer

0 Points of Congestion

ROUTER Public Internet

Best: 1 MPLS Connection with QoS

Every router between the end user and the cloud service provider can be programmed to prioritize voice over data to avoid packet loss, latency and jitter. MPLS also reduces the number of hops or routers along the voice path.

MPLS provides for quality of service on every router, starting with the customer gateway. This means that even with only 1 WAN connection, voice will be prioritized over data.

There is no competition for bandwidth along the dedicated MPLS path.

End Users

ROUTER

Simple Signal MPLS NetworkROUTER

ROUTER

Simple Signal

ROUTER ROUTER

Customer

0 Points of CongestionBest: 1 MPLS Connection with QoS

Every router between the end user and the cloud service provider can be programmed to prioritize voice over data to avoid packet loss, latency and jitter. MPLS also reduces the number of hops or routers along the voice path.

There is no competition for bandwidth along the dedicated MPLS path.

ROUTER Public Internet

ROUTER

A 2nd Internet connection can add cheap bandwidth for Internet browsing and downloads, and further eliminate the competition for bandwidth at the customer gateway.

Router

V Packet

How does Quality of Service (QoS) work?

D Packet D Packet D Packet D PacketD PacketD PacketD PacketD Packet

Buffered Packets

D Packet

D Packet

D Packet

Dropped Packets

V Packet

D Packet

D Packet

D Packet

D Packet

D Packet

V Packet V Packet V Packet V Packet V PacketV PacketV PacketV PacketV Packet

D Packet

V Packet

100 Mbps LAN 10 Mbps WAN

V Packet

D Packet

When too many packets arrive at the same time, routers programmed with QoS will use the packet’s priority setting or tag to decide which packets to buffer, which packets to drop, and which packets to pass through.

Each application, switch, and router along the path must be programmed correctly in order for QoS to work.

If you have customers who want the very best for their business, BMG offers Quality of Service (QoS) design and implementation services.

Need Help?

BMG also offers ongoing QoS monitoring because when businesses add new users and change applications, they can cause major performance problems for MPLS networks.

Quality of Service monitoring keeps your customer MPLS networks running smoothly.

Agenda

1. Why do we design wide area networks differently for voice?

2. How should we design wide area voice networks?

3. How should we manage voice networks?

4. How can we make money designing and managing these networks?

BMG uses sophisticated monitoring tools to measure, design, and service wide area voice networks.

Simple Signal has installed a BMG monitoring appliance in their data center that allows us to measure every hop between their hosted UC platform and the users at your customer locations.

How should we manage voice networks?

This monitoring tool will answer 5 questions that will help you design and manage the WAN for your voice customers.

This monitoring tool will answer 5 questions that will help you design and manage the WAN for your voice customers.

A - How much bandwidth are they getting from the carrier?

This monitoring tool will answer 5 questions that will help you design and manage the WAN for your voice customers.

B - How much bandwidth are they using?

C - Who’s using the bandwidth? What are they using it for?

This monitoring tool will answer 5 questions that will help you design and manage the WAN for your voice customers.

D - Where are latency, jitter, and packet loss impacting the network?

This monitoring tool will answer 5 questions that will help you design and manage the WAN for your voice customers.

E - Is QoS set up properly across the network? Is there enough bandwidth for each priority queue?

This monitoring tool will answer 5 questions that will help you design and manage the WAN for your voice customers.

Agenda

1. Why do we design wide area networks differently for voice?

2. How should we design wide area voice networks?

3. How should we manage voice networks?

4. How can we make money designing and managing these networks?

B. Partners who offer design and management services will differentiate themselves in the marketplace and win more new business, especially the large hosted voice and MPLS opportunities.

C. BMG’s WAN monitoring fixes problems and reduces the cost of supporting customers with bad voice networks.

A. BMG pays partners 20% for all wide area network design and management services sold.

How can we make money designing and managing these networks?

Questions?Chris Fedor

cfedor@bmgtech.net

Bandwidth Management Group

BMGTech.net

330-655-8129