FORE at the Core of Europe's Eurotunnel;Intelligent Infrastructure Keeps Eurotunnel Traffic Running at Peak Efficiency
September 15, 1998 09:18 AM
FOLKESTONE, United Kingdom, and CALAIS, France, Sept. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- If the words "mission-critical" ever applied to a network, they apply to the network supporting Eurotunnel, the company operating the high-speed shuttle train linking France and the United Kingdom via the Channel Tunnel. The company simply cannot afford network outages that would affect operations and inconvenience the millions of commuters who travel through the tunnel each year, so they turned to high-performance asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) products and technology from FORE Systems, Inc. FORE , a global supplier of networking solutions based on an Intelligent Infrastructure(TM).
Eurotunnel's ATM network supports a broad range of administrative and voice applications, including the company's call center, control tower and traffic-control systems. The company also conducts broadcast-quality videoconferencing over the network, reducing the need for staff to travel between company offices in Folkestone and Calais and preserving train space for paying customers during peak operating hours.
New Network Pleases Users, Handles Diverse Applications
"ATM's flexibility enables us to tailor the network to meet individual user departments' needs rather than force them to utilize a configuration dictated by the network's limitations," said Garry Metcalf, telecommunications network manager at Eurotunnel. "We can optimize the network from the user's point of view to cater to their requirements. Users ask if they can have something and I can say 'yes'."
The company also is examining a number of new applications, such as enhancing the system's PABX functionality to provide true ATM-switched voice capabilities, along with replacing the terminals' dot-matrix information panels with full-function video screens that can carry a broader range of customer information, advertising and other services.
Eurotunnel's ATM network serves approximately 3,000 desktop users at company facilities in France and the UK over a wide area network spanning approximately 30 miles. FORE's ForeRunner(R) ASX-1000 expandable backbone switches form the network core, which runs over single mode fiber installed through the tunnel to link both sides at speeds of up to 155 Mbps (OC-3). Multiple nodes at Eurotunnel campuses on each side of the tunnel connect to the backbone via fiber optic lines, with each node consisting of multiple hubs connecting desktop clients and workstations to the backbone through FORE's ES-3810 Ethernet LAN switches. Voice traffic is carried over the network through FORE's VoicePlus(TM) circuit emulation modules (CEMs), while video applications are supported by K-NET's Cellstack units.
Armed with its new, high-bandwidth capacity, the company now maintains dual, redundant networks, with both live and standby computer centers that ensure availability and help eliminate downtime that could cost millions of pounds.
Eurotunnel Selects FORE/K-NET Combo
Eurotunnel selected FORE's ATM-based Intelligent Infrastructure solution to replace an Ethernet network. The old network, which had replaced a terminal-based configuration, was "creaking by the end of 1996," according to Metcalf. Following a temporary fix that included removing the network's routing element and running it in bridge mode, Metcalf's department began searching for a solution that would allow them to avoid the complexities of Layer 3 and routing.
The company began its search by issuing specifications that included linking its independent networks in Folkestone, England and Calais, France with a fiber link through the tunnel, along with the addition of voice and video. What they found was that every respondent including K-NET, a Telinfo Company and United Kingdom-based integrator that markets FORE products, cited ATM as the best choice for the network's backbone technology.
"We didn't have ATM in the specification, but every integrator we spoke with recommended it," Metcalf said. "The FORE/K-NET solution impressed us most. The FORE products were superior, and K-NET had the most comprehensive knowledge of ATM -- whenever there was a query or a problem, they knew the solution, while the other integrators continually had to go back to the manufacturer for information."
With the first phase of Eurotunnel's ATM network in production, Metcalf notes that performance has been excellent to date. Eurotunnel's 3,000 users enjoy high bandwidth on demand to meet the networking requirements of a wide range of applications. Equally important, the elimination of complex routing schemes and ATM's inherent reliability and ability to scale have simplified network management to the point where support calls have dwindled to virtually zero. "After years of chasing the game, at last I'm ahead of it," Metcalf said.
"Eurotunnel's network is mission-critical in every sense of the phrase," said Ron McKenzie, vice president of strategic marketing at FORE Systems. "We are pleased that they selected FORE's Intelligent Infrastructure to create a network that will provide the performance and reliability essential for keeping Eurotunnel operating 365 days a year."
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