Appendix 09

AND SystemSolution for HFC Networks

This document contains 14 pages.

Last modified: Thursday, 28. November 2013 by Diarmuid Kelly

© 2012 AND Solution GmbH, Munich, Germany

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AND Solution GmbH

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Tel. +49 (89) 743533-0

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Contents

Contents 3
1 Introduction 4
2 Dynamic Network Documentation 5
3 Working with AND 6
3.1 Network modelling 6
3.2 Integrated engineering 6
3.3 End-to-end design & documentation 7
3.3.1 ISP 7
3.3.2 OSP 7
3.3.3 In-building 7

3.4 Network Component Data 8

3.5 Status displays 8
3.6 Dynamic Labelling 8
3.7 Bill of Quantity 9
3.8 Civil works 9
3.9 Signal tracing 9
3.10 Network logic representation 10

4 Additional information for coax network sections 11

4.1 Channel management 11
4.2 Power supply 11
4.3 Measurement & Verification Points 12

5 Additional information for fibre network sections 13

6 Documenting Wireless Networks 14

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1 Introduction
Planning, documentation & inventory management for the complete life-cycle of your
network

Supporting effective design, build, verification, upgrades and maintenance

Allowing you to provide a leaner, more efficient, future-orientated business.

AND SystemSolution is a highly intuitive GIS-based solution for the design, engineering,
and documentation of every type of access networks.
It covers all architectures - fibre, copper as well as coax – for the complete network, i.e.
seamlessly from the headend/CO to the outlet/apartment/desk etc.
With its intelligent drag & drop approach as well as integrated engineering, AND allows the
user to complete the design and documentation of HFC, FTTH, FTTx, DTH, etc. both rapidly
and efficiently.
AND SystemSolution also supports the design and documentation of backbone networks
such as SDH and SONET for Layer 1.
The software is multi-lingual - currently it is available in English, German, Spanish, and
Portuguese; further languages can be added if required.
Despite its complexity and powerful feature set AND SystemSolution is literally an
out-of-the-box solution. The size of the network - 2,000 or 20 million connections – is
irrelevant.

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2 Dynamic Network Documentation
The heart and soul of the AND SystemSolution is the actual network plans and document-
ation with which the user has available detailed information about all the components
deployed in the network, their settings, expected status and performance, geo-reference
and address. In other words, AND is living documentation providing the user with an
accurate network simulation for the complete access network.
Cable networks are rarely static and to achieve quality data a system is required that can
deal with the fluctuating nature of the network. The dynamic nature of the AND network
documentation system enables it to consider all modifications to the existing network,
regardless of whether it involves:
 General maintenance work to replace an amplifier
 Connection of additional buildings to the network
 Upgrading a network section for bi-directionality
Data can be instantaneously updated to reflect the current network calculations. Dialog
boxes, which may be customized to requirements, present the latest calculated data.
The entire process is fully interactive as AND allows the documentation, design and
calculation tasks to be carried out simultaneously; there is no need for separate tools and
modules. As well as ensuring data integrity this also contributes considerably to greater
efficiency throughout the work force.

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3 Working with AND
3.1 Network modelling
All components are pre-defined in the library editor (AND LibEdit) according to vendor
specifications; these can of course be amended/fine-tuned as required. As a result, the
integrated engineering combined with the intelligent geospatial representation of
telecommunications networks enable the user to model the performance of the network for
both planned and documented networks.
Modelling the network enables planners to verify the design before building commences.
It is also of enormous benefit to service technicians who can compare network calculations
with measurements taken.
AND DesignAlternative enables the user to create virtual copies of the network for model
analysis – cost, architecture, time-to-build, etc. The selected design can then be merged
back into the main design, with the superfluous alternatives discarded.

3.2 Integrated engineering

AND provides integrated engineering so there is no need to provide separate tools to
calculate RF levels, distortions, optical budgets, powering, etc.
AND considers RF levels for the complete spectrum, currently from 0.2 MHz to 3 GHz – so
this takes into consider the possible use of higher frequencies in the coax network
sections.
Note: should at some stage in the future frequencies above 3 GHz be required this can be
easily changed.
As AND can manage any type of channel raster, PAL, SECAM, NTSC etc. it provides a truly
global solution. Any future EPoC/EoC can also be supported.

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3.3 End-to-end design & documentation
The intuitive AND software covers all architectures - fibre, copper as well as coax.
Furthermore, as AND manages the entire network, i.e. seamlessly from the headend/CO to
the outlet, apartment, desk, etc., all three main sections of the access network are
considered:
 ISP – Inside plant
 OSP – Outside
 In-building

3.3.1 ISP
At the headend the complete infrastructure including racks and the CMTS can be
intelligently documented.
The RF channel rasters can be defined, various signal sources can be combined, etc. so
that at each and every outlet at the other end of the network, the analogue and digital
channels are known as well CMTS port information.
Note: AND routes information so for example any change made at the headend is
immediately available at the outlet.

3.3.2 OSP
AND considers all elements of the OSP including civils, cables, active and passive
equipment.
Normally the OSP is documented directly onto maps, however this can also be done
schematically as is standard practice still today in some countries.

3.3.3 In-building
As well as catering for the inside and
outside plants AND manages the in-building
networks very effectively.
Regardless of the building size or
architecture involved AND competently
deals with all issues.
AND can import floor plans
AND also considers the demand per
building.
AND has been intensively deployed for the
German NE4 networks (in-building) as well
as in densely populated areas of India and
the Middle East for tower blocks and DTH
installations. It also supports hotels, hospitals as well as B2B.

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3.4 Network Component Data
All components used in AND are organized in libraries
that can be comfortably maintained with the easy-to-
use component editor “LibEdit” that is provided with
the solution. See also AND LibEdit in the chapter
AND SystemSolution Overview.
Each component is defined with multi-layer details
pertaining to its characteristics according to vendor
specifications: physical, RF, electrical, optical etc.
Furthermore, sourcing and pricing data, installation
effort etc. can be added to each component. Further
information such as installation guidelines can also be added.
Authorized users may transfer the libraries to the server and automatically make them
available to all planners. The database administration tool DbAdmin manages the
privileges and access rights. Company rules for components can be defined by authorized
users in the libraries, e.g. target levels for amplifiers.
When designing a network the components are selected per drag & drop function. By
double clicking on the component the user is not only presented with the detailed static
information but also the reliable calculated status of the component – invaluable
information for all service staff.
New attributes can be defined via the metadata, i.e. thereby avoiding changes in the
source code.

3.5 Status displays

AND provides a simple means of switching colour coding on and off to provide particular
information. For example this could be the status of the project.
Other means of showing status included customer-definable line types, e.g. dotted, dashed
and solid lines. These could show virtual, planned and built states.
This allows the user to get a visual snapshot of the status of certain issues and to be able
to track the progress of network build projects, i.e. planned, approved, pending, etc.

3.6 Dynamic Labelling

AND provides dynamic labelling functions which are automatically filled out to reflect
changes in the network design and documentation.
These can for example show calculated RF levels at a test point, length of fibre or coax
cable. For fibre the labels are particularly useful to show source and destination of a fibre.
The dynamic labels are user definable.

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3.7 Bill of Quantity
AND is able to calculate overall materials and labour times for all or parts of a project and
provide a corresponding report. Pricing and labour costs can be defined per component
allowing for an accurate picture of a build, upgrade or maintenance task.
A Bill of Quantity can also be generated for a project, selected network section or
predefined task, e.g. upgrade of a network section.
AND can provide a list of equipment and materials required according to the network plan
to be forwarded to the Supply Chain Management application for procurement.
The history feature provided by the AND SmartServer makes it is possible to compare
sections of the network at two different points of time. The user can generate a report
showing the delta list of components.

3.8 Civil works

AND provides the user with powerful
civil works tools for planning, building
and for later maintenance. Vectorized
trench sections of documented
networks can be turned interactively
into living trench sections at a
keystroke. New trenches and others,
which have still to be vectorized, can
be easily documented. Cable can be
quickly laid between two points of a
trench.
Where necessary, AND
automatically routes through
manholes and buildings.
Cross-sections show the location of
cables within the ducts providing the user with information such as owner of cables as well
as cable deployment. It is also possible to determine available capacity.
Cable pipes and cabinets are entered directly from the library and automatically correctly
scaled according to their dimensions. A function is available which allows a cable of a
network plan to be associated to a trench on the map.

3.9 Signal tracing

AND allows the user to trace signals in both directions in the HFC network from the
headend to each and every outlet i.e. fibre and coax both supported.
This is of course of particular benefit to service technicians who can quickly find the
“common denominator” in faults reported by several customers by tracing back to a
common point in the network.

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3.10 Network logic representation
The Project NIS (Network Information System) feature enables the user to visualize the
geo-schematic network in a clear logical manner. It incorporates tracing functionality
allowing for signal tracing in
both directions.
Using the available geographical network information the NIS function generates a logical
diagram, which can display the current network connections (parent-child relationships in
both directions) such as amplifier cascades, powering units and dependencies etc.
This means that there is no redundant data for schematic documentation as the topo-
logical schematic structure can be generated at any time.
The user can generate the network logic on the fly and by clicking on an element jump to
the corresponding location in the AND documentation.

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4 Additional information for coax network sections
4.1 Channel management
The signal source can be administered at the headend allowing the
TV channels to be defined according to the frequency plan.
AND takes the relationship between the signal sources and outlets into consideration so it
is possible to determine TV channels received by each and every customer. For example,
the user can go to an address in the ANd documentation and check to see which channels
the customer receives.

4.2 Power supply

AND enables the user to manage power supplies to the network. The supplied area can be
automatically determined and if requested, can also be colour-coded.
Using the NIS function it’s possible to quickly see
exactly which components are fed by which power
supplies.
A power supply check calculates the power current
and available voltage for every network component
and provides a warning when:
An element (requiring powering) is not supplied
An element receives too little voltage
A powering unit is overloaded
There is a short circuit
A component which should not receive voltage
actually does so
The permissible power through a component
connector is exceeded
For a higher degree of accuracy the power supply calculation can reference the U/I
characteristics in the libraries and takes the individual consumption of each module in the
amplifiers and fibre node into consideration.

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4.3 Measurement & Verification Points
Service engineers can compare AND spectrum-wide calculations against results from
measurement devices.
These results can be printed out in reports as well as being stored in AND for later
reference.
AND also provides the user with a reporting tool to manage acceptance test protocols.
This means that work completed by a sub-contractor can be quickly and efficiently verified
with a corresponding report being automatically generated.

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5 Additional information for fibre network sections
AND provides extensive fibre management
features for HFC and RFoG networks working
seamlessly with the coax network sections.
The calculation of optical budgets is available as
well as the presentation of cables, glands, patch
fields and optical components.
AND considers the attenuation for the complete
route and determines whether the optical loss is
outside permissible thresholds. Here fibre
splices, splitters, fibre lengths, loops and slack,
etc. are considered. Optical calculations at
various wavelengths are fully supported.
Tracing allows the user to analyse through-
connected cables from end to end listing the
locations, splice boxes, and manholes passed.
Various reports can be generated, e.g. patch plans for a complete future connection or a
splicing plan for a splice box.
Network checks can be performed at transfer points between the optical network and RF
network sections, thereby ensuring correct signal levels are achieved for both upstream
and downstream.
AND can use measured reflectance values (OTDR) for optical paths to support
identification of cable cuts. The user can jump to the location of the breakage in the
documentation which is made clearly visible.
Dark fibre, leased lines can be considered so that information from the headend can be
transparently carried through to the coaxial section.
Microducts are also supported for both inside and outside plants as well as in-building
networks.
For further detailed information please refer to the document: AND FibreManagement.

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6 Documenting Wireless Networks
All physical objects for wireless networks can be documented in the component libraries
and placed on the map like any other object.
It would also be possible to display coverage area from automatically imported DXF/DWG
files generated by tools specialising in this. By deploying the option AND MapUpdate it
would be possible to co-habit with an AutoCAD-based wireless network documentation
system with AND automatically drawing in the new DXF/DWG files anytime there is an
update in the partner system.
In the case of mobile networks it is of course possible to accurately calculate the
attenuation for coax cable at the mast. It goes without saying that Fibre to the Mast is
also supported.

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