Intelligent SNMP-Legacy Integration by Bob Berry

Legacy SNMP Legacy RTUs RTUs Battery Plants PBXs Microwave Radios Routers Switches Intelligent SNMP-Legacy Integration by Bob Berry Make your existing equipment SNMP-compatible Fast guide to how you can integrate your older systems to SNMP without going overbudget or sacrificing functionality. You can have modern capabilities without replacing your existing equipment, greatly reducing the cost of upgrading. Version 5.0 Released December 4, 2017 www.dpstelecom.com 1-800-622-3314 We protect your network like your business depends on it TM

How This White Paper Will Help You Many network managers have updated their alarm monitoring to modern SNMP systems but many more managers are stuck with their older systems, because it s financially impossible to replace them. There is a way out. Your older equipment can be integrated with a new SNMP-based system. You can have modern capabilities without replacing your old equipment, greatly reducing the costs of upgrading. This white paper is a fast guide to the facts about SNMP-legacy integration. It will show you exactly how you can integrate your older systems to SNMP without sacrificing functionality or wasting money. Contents Chapter 1: Overcoming the Three Most Common Barriers to Integration.... 3 4 Must-Have Features for SNMP RTUs...................................................... 3 Learn SNMP the Easy Way: Attend DPS Telecom Factory Training... 3 3 SNMP RTUs to Fit Your Spec............................................................ 4 Chapter 2: Making SNMP-Legacy Integration Work Without Sacrificing Functionality.......... 5 Migrate to LAN Without Killing Your Budget................................................. 5 Chapter 3: Justifying the Costs of Integration It s Way Easier Than You Think... 6 T/Mon LNX Can Monitor All Your Network Equipment...6 T/Mon LNX Automatically Troubleshoots and Corrects Alarms................................... 7 Right-Now Solutions to SNMP-Legacy Integration............................................. 8 Chapter 4: Bottom-Line Results What SNMP-Legacy Integration Will Do for You.............. 9 5 Ways Integration Saves You Money...9 Alarm Master Choice: T/Mon LNX... 11 How DPS Telecom Can Help You...11 Copyright 2017 DPS Telecom All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this white paper or portions thereof in any form without written permission from DPS Telecom. For information, please write to DPS Telecom 4955 E. Yale Ave., Fresno, CA 93727-1523 1-800-622-3314 whitepaper_info@dpstelecom.com Printed in the U.S.A 2

Chapter 1: Overcoming the Three Most Common Barriers to Integration You ll probably always have legacy equipment, but that doesn t mean you can t take advantage of the latest technologies AND continue to get the full value of your legacy gear. The answer is SNMP-legacy integration. The most important thing you need to know about integration is that it works: You can integrate all your legacy equipment, no matter what its protocol or manufacturer, under an SNMP-based umbrella system. Your legacy equipment and your SNMP manager can work together seamlessly. SNMP legacy integration is the most practical, hassle-free way to implement SNMP-based monitoring in any network. Yes, there are some barriers to integrating your legacy equipment, but those barriers can be overcome, and I m going to show you how. To begin, let s show you how you can overcome three of the most common barriers to SNMP-legacy integration. Here are some actual problems and questions submitted by network managers. BARRIER #1: My legacy equipment doesn t support SNMP, so I can t integrate it. You don t need SNMP-native equipment to implement SNMP-based monitoring. What you need is a protocol mediation solution. Protocol mediation devices convert legacy alarms to SNMP traps, 4 Must-Have Features for SNMP RTUs 1. Adequate Capacity Don t think you re locked to a onesize-fits-all solution get what s right for your sites. 2. Dial-Up Backup LAN transport is highly reliable, but it s not infallible 3. Dual-Feed Power Supply Your monitoring gear has to be the most reliable part of your network, so redundant power feeds are a must. 4. Extra Features Additional RTU functions replace unnecessary equipment, giving you a simple, one-platform solution. Look for: Terminal server functions Ping alarms Protocol mediation Learn SNMP the Easy Way: Attend DPS Telecom Factory Training I had heard of SNMP, but I never knew what SNMP was until I learned it at DPS Factory Training. I m not at all scared about SNMP now. Derek Willis, Paul Bunyan Telephone Learn SNMP in-depth and hands-on, in a totally practical class that will teach you how to get the most from your network monitoring. At a DPS Factory Training Event, you ll learn how to turn SNMP theory into a practical plan for improving your network visibility. The 4-day training course covers SNMP alarm monitoring ASCII alarm parsing and processing, configuring and using derived alarms and controls, and automatic e-mail and pager notifications It s the easiest and most complete way to learn SNMP alarm monitoring from the technicians who have designed hundreds of successful SNMP monitoring implementations For Factory Training Events dates and registration information, call 1-800-693-3314 today or see us on the Web at www.dpstelecom.com/training. 3

enabling you to monitor all your equipment from your SNMP manager. There are two kinds of protocol mediation devices: Proxy Agents: These RTU-sized devices are installed at your remote sites, where they convert standard alarm inputs like contact closures and analogs to SNMP traps. You can use a proxy agent to monitor radios, cellular switches, generators, rectifiers, temperature, humidity and just about anything else. Protocol Mediators: These convert other telemetry protocols like TL1 and TBOS to SNMP. A protocol mediator can be an RTU-like device that also functions as a proxy agent. For an example, see the NetMediator T2S. Another kind of protocol mediator is a large device that collects alarms from many remote sites at a central location. For an example, see the T/Mon LNX Remote Alarm Monitoring System. T/Mon LNX can simultaneously mediate several different protocols to SNMP, so it s the right choice if you work with many different types of equipment. BARRIER #2: My legacy equipment doesn t have LAN connectivity A proxy agent or protocol mediator can also serve as a serial-to- LAN bridge. Your legacy equipment is connected to a serial port on the proxy agent, and the proxy agent has an Ethernet connection to your LAN. BARRIER #3: What if LAN connections are not available to remote sites (like a transmitter site on top of a mountain)? Your proxy agent can be equipped with an internal dial-up modem. A modem-equipped proxy agent can dial up a PPP server to connect to your LAN and SNMP manager. If dial-up lines aren t available, a PPP connection can be made over the available transport, such as an overhead channel or dedicated line. What does SNMP-legacy integration do for you? Devices like T/Mon LNX, the NetGuardian and the NetMediator allow the various parts of your monitoring network work together, no matter how many different kinds of equipment you have. You can implement SNMP monitoring without replacing your existing equipment, saving you huge amounts of money on new equipment and installation manpower. You can keep your legacy gear indefinitely, or you can upgrade at your own pace. If you just want to replace your failing equipment and keep your working legacy equipment in the field, you can do that too. SNMP-legacy integration isn t just possible it s the most practical, fastest and cheapest way of implementing SNMP monitoring on your network. 3 SNMP RTUs to Fit Your Spec The NetGuardian RTU family scales to fit your needs Full-featured NetGuardian 832A: 32 discretes, 32 pings, 8 analogs and 8 controls 8 terminal server serial ports NEBS Level 3 certified Dial-up backup Web browser interface Pager and email notification Dual -48 VDC, -24 VDC or 110 AC 1 RU for 19 or 23 rack Heavy-duty NetGuardian 480 80 discretes, 4 controls Dual -48 VDC 1 RU for 19 or 23 rack Economical NetGuardian 216 16 discretes, 2 analogs, 2 controls 1 terminal server serial port Single or dual -48VDC or 110 VAC 2 compact form factors for rack or wall mount http://www.dpstelecom.com/rtus 4

SNMP-Legacy Integration DPS Telecom 4955 East Yale Avenue, Fresno, CA 93727 (800) 622-3314 Fax (559) 454-1688 www.dpstelecom.com If only dial-up connections are available, the NetGuardian can report alarms via its internal 33.6K modem. Chapter 2: Making SNMP-Legacy Integration Work Without Sacrificing Functionality Let s tackle the top question most network managers have about SNMP-legacy integration can you really integrate to SNMP and still retain all the useful features and functions of your legacy equipment? A truly successful integration means mediating all your alarms to SNMP from every type of equipment and every protocol you use -without losing any essential information in the process. It sounds like a pretty tall order and in fact, it is. But you can do it, and I ll show you how. As I will throughout this white paper, I m going to talk about this subject by fielding some actual questions and problems submitted by network managers. QUESTION #1: If I integrate my systems, can I still keep all the advantages of both? The whole purpose of integration is to enable you to monitor with SNMP without being limited to just SNMP-native equipment. Being locked into one telemetry protocol is just as dangerous as being locked into one equipment vendor you re stuck with what s available, not what will really meet your needs. SNMP has a lot of advantages: it s open, extensible, and widely supported. But other common telemetry protocols such as TL1, TABS, TBOS and ASCII can often provide more detailed and more robust alarm visibility than SNMP. And aside from protocol considerations, your existing legacy equipment may have features that can t easily be duplicated by new SNMP equipment. You can retain those functions and features by choosing protocol mediation equipment that 1) fully supports all the protocols you 5 Migrate to LAN Without Killing Your Budget Installing LAN connections at remote sites is a significant cost but you can spread if over several budget cycles through LAN migration. Here s how: Step One: Install a LAN + Dial-Up/ Serial RTU First, install an RTU that supports both LAN and your existing dial-up or serial transport, like the NetGuardian 832A Step Two: Install a LAN Connection When it fits into your budget, install a LAN connection at the remote site. The same NetGuardian unit can be immediately switched to reporting over LAN with minimal configuration and you don t have to rewire any alarms. Gradually migrate different sections of your network to LAN, as your budget and installation manpower allows. Benefits of LAN Migration Installation costs are spread over several budget cycles Buy just one RTU for both LAN and legacy transport Deploy SNMP-based monitoring NOW at all your remote sites

T/Mon converts alarms from all equipment to a common format for both local visibility and SNMP mediation. use and 2) can fully convert data from legacy and proprietary protocols to SNMP. The T/Mon LNX Remote Alarm Monitoring System performs these functions by converting all incoming alarms no matter what their source protocol to a common T/Mon format. This format retains all the information contained in the alarm, and all alarms in this format can be forwarded as traps to your SNMP manager. If the protocol you work with is supported by T/Mon and T/ Mon supports over 25 different protocols you can monitor it with your SNMP manager. You can select the equipment you want, confident that it will work with your SNMP monitoring. QUESTION #2: Can I control building automation equipment like HVAC, lighting, and card access over the network? Proxy agents like the NetGuardian 832A support control relays as well as alarm points. You can operate the proxy agent s control relays by issuing a SNMP SET command from your SNMP manager, or you can issue a control command from T/Mon LNX. The command is received by the proxy agent, and the proxy agent activates the appropriate control relay to operate the equipment. You can use your proxy agent to control the equipment you listed, plus other remote site equipment like security locks, lights, backup generators or anything else. Chapter 3: Justifying the Costs of Integration It s Way Easier Than You Think Let s confront the single biggest obstacle to SNMP-legacy integration cost. Or more accurately, the perception of cost. The truth is, integrating your legacy devices is the most cost-effective way to introduce SNMP monitoring into your network. T/Mon LNX Can Monitor All Your Network Equipment Most alarm systems support only the vendor s own devices or just one protocol. But T/Mon LNX monitors all your equipment no matter who made it, or what protocol it uses and display all your alarms on one screen. T/Mon LNX can monitor nearly all your network equipment DPS remotes, other manufacturers remotes, switches, routers, PBXs, SONET equipment, multiplexers, battery plants, microwave radios, and more. Why is this so important? Integrating all your alarms on one system gives you capabilities you can t get from separate, isolated systems: Know absolutely, 100% for certain if you have an alarm Monitor every essential piece of equipment in your network Correlate alarms across your entire network Integrate older, incompatible monitoring equipment Simplify training, maintenance and databasing 6

But a surprising number of the network managers I polled said the biggest problem they face in SNMP-legacy integration is presenting a cost justification to upper management. The fact is, the best technical project in the world or even the cheapest won t happen unless you can successfully make an economic case to the guys who sign the checks. So I m going to show you exactly why SNMP-legacy integration is so cost-effective. This will give you some ammunition when you re presenting your case to the higher-ups. PROBLEM #1: My biggest problem is cost. I support a lot of sites, and justifying the install costs to management hasn t been successful. The beauty of an integration strategy based on protocol mediation is that you don t need to buy equipment for all your sites. All you need is one network-level protocol mediator like the T/ Mon LNX Remote Alarm Monitoring System to convert alarms from all your sites to SNMP traps. Your existing on-site equipment can stay exactly where it is, doing what it s already doing, for the rest of its working life. With T/Mon LNX, you ll have a one-unit solution that is installed at a central location. Now compare the cost of one T/Mon LNX to the cost of buying new equipment for all your remote sites AND sending technicians out to install it. With T/Mon LNX, all those costs are minimized. Not only is T/ Mon LNX a simple, one-unit installation installation at your site is taken care of by a DPS turnup expert, who also trains your T/Mon and the NetGuardian enable you to control remote site equipment over the network. T/Mon LNX Automatically Troubleshoots and Corrects Alarms The same alarm can instantly go from minor to critical if something else goes wrong. For example, a low battery might not be a big deal until AC power and the backup generator both fail, and then it s an emergency. T/Mon LNX s Derived Alarms feature gives you the power to instantly track these kinds of changing alarm conditions. Derived Alarms combine inputs from multiple alarm points into a single, software-configured alarm, using simple Boolean logic. Let s say your low battery is a minor alarm. Low battery AND an AC power failure OR generator failure is a major. Low battery AND AC power failure AND generator failure is a critical alarm. Derived Alarms can also include date/ time factors, so they re great for filtering nuisance alarms. You don t have to be pestered by an alarm every time a door is opened in a busy facility during business hours but you will be notified if the door is opened by an intruder at night. Correct Alarms Instantly With No Human Intervention T/Mon LNX s Derived Controls are even more useful, correcting problems before any human operator even knows something is wrong. If critical network equipment fails, T/ Mon LNX can automatically start backup equipment and notify a service tech. If a security door is breached afterhours, T/Mon LNX can automatically lock security gates, turn on lights, and page security staff. 7

T/Mon LNX mediates alarms from Larse, Badger, Pulsecom and others to the SNMP or TL1 manager of your choice. staff to use it, all in just one week. PROBLEM #2: My biggest problem is compatibility and scalability. We need to be able to transition to newer models without changing the whole system out. Once you have a protocol mediator like T/Mon LNX in place, you automatically have an easy, step-by-step migration path from your legacy equipment to modern SNMP-based monitoring. You can gradually replace all your equipment, at a pace you control, without killing your entire budget on a system-wide forklift swapout. Here s how controlled, step-by-step migration works: Step One: Install a T/Mon LNX to mediate alarms from your remote sites to SNMP. You just immediately improved your network monitoring in two ways: your alarms are mediated to SNMP, and you ve replaced your older, possibly failing legacy master with a solid modern system. So far, all you ve committed to is one new piece of equipment. Step Two: Replace as many or as few remote site devices as you want with new SNMP units like the NetGuardian 832A. Your old legacy equipment and your new devices can work together side by side. All your alarms, no matter what their original source, are mediated to SNMP by T/Mon LNX. Step Three, Four, Five, etc: Repeat Step Two as many times as you need or want. Or stop replacement whenever your want. If your legacy equipment is working fine, you don t have to touch it it can stay out in the field for the rest of its working life, and you ll get the full value of your investment in legacy equipment. If your legacy equipment is starting to fail, you can immediately relieve yourself of the creeping anxiety of trying to monitor with fewer and fewer remotes. As your legacy remotes fail, you can gradually swap them out for modern ones. You never have to replace more equipment than you can afford in one budget cycle. When migration is finished, you will have completed upgraded your network without ever taking an unnecessary financial risk. Right-Now Solutions to SNMP-Legacy Integration DPS Telecom has products you can use today to integrate your legacy equipment with SNMP: T/Mon LNX T/Mon LNX collects alarms from all your network equipment, regardless of manufacturer or protocol, and mediates the alarms you select to a single stream of SNMP data. www.dpstelecom.com/tmon NetGuardian 832A The NetGuardian 832A mediating 32 contact closures and 8 analog inputs to SNMP. www.dpstelecom.com/ng-832a NetMediator T2S Besides offering all the functions of the NetGuardian 832A, the NetMediator T2S mediates outputs from an additional 8 TBOS devices to SNMP. www.dpstelecom.com/nm-t2s 8

Chapter 4: Bottom-Line Results What SNMP-Legacy Integration Will Do for You At this point, you might be saying to yourself: You know, this SNMP-legacy integration stuff sounds great. I really need to look into integrating our network someday when I ve got the time. If that s what you re thinking, I don t blame you. I know you re busy, and you don t have the time or maybe the budget to think about making alterations to your network monitoring system until it s an urgent necessity. So I m going to conclude this white paper by telling you about the reasons why you should make it a priority to integrate your network monitoring now instead of later. The important thing is not how the technology works it s about what it can do for you. BENEFIT #1: SNMP-legacy integration will save you a lot of money by eliminating the need to replace legacy equipment all at once. Replacing a system that covers your entire network is darn expensive, as I m sure you know. And it s more than just the equipment. The installation manpower it takes change units at all your remote sites is a second colossal expense. With an integration solution, you just need one new piece of equipment, a telemetry master/protocol mediator unit like the T/Mon LNX Remote Alarm Monitoring System. Your legacy remotes can stay in place until they fail or until you want to replace them. Small expenditures over several budget cycles are much easier to sell to Upgrading is as easy as 1,2,3: Controlled migration with T/Mon LNX. 5 Ways Integration Saves You Money T/Mon LNX preserves your investment in legacy RTUs. 1. It s a single unit solution. Instead of replacing every RTU in your network, you can immediately deploy T/Mon LNX and start using SNMP monitoring NOW. 2. Minimal installation costs. A DPS installer will set up and configure your T/Mon LNX for you compare that to the manpower costs of installing new RTUs at all your remote sites. 3. Replace RTUs when YOU want. With integration, your legacy RTUs are just fine doing what they re currently doing until you decide to replace them. You can keep them until they die or replace them whenever replacement will have the smallest impact on your budget. 4. Keep your data transport. Whether your legacy RTUs report over a serial line, a dedicated circuit, an overhead channel or microwave, T/Mon LNX supports your existing data transport. 5. No vendor lock-in. When you upgrade to T/Mon, you re not trading in one closed system for another you re trading up to a true multiprotocol alarm system that supports all your legacy equipment and all your SNMP gear, plus ASCII, TL1, TABS, TBOS, E2A and more. 9

T/Mon provides best-quality visibility of a wide range of equipment. your higher-ups than a sudden forklift swap out. BENEFIT #2: SNMP-legacy integration is the safe way to migrate from a failing legacy system In a failing legacy monitoring system, the danger usually isn t the remotes it s the master. The master is a single point of failure, and it has a lot of parts that can go wrong: software that can crash, hard drives that can fail, a database you have to maintain (or perhaps restore from scratch after a hard drive failure). If your alarm master is really old, it s probably slow and frustrating to use practically a relic. You might be running an impaired system with no spares and no safety net. If your legacy master is going on the fritz, consider that you can immediately replace it with a T/Mon LNX without moving a single remote unit. With one simple, cost-effective installation, you ve immediately brought your network monitoring back from the brink of failure. This is a good reason why you should think about integration NOW. Even if your legacy master is functioning adequately, if it s more than 7 years old it s getting close to its retirement date. If its more than 12 years old, you are operating on borrowed time. It s better and cheaper to integrate BEFORE you have a catastrophic failure. After all, a monitoring system can t fulfill its fundamental purpose of preventing costly outages if it is failing or unreliable itself. BENEFIT #3: SNMP-legacy integration enhanc- es the valuable features of your legacy equipment You ve probably built your alarm-handling procedures around the capabilities of your existing monitoring equipment. To correct alarms quickly and properly, you need a standing alarm list, change of state alarms, and multi-user web access all things that basic SNMP managers can t provide. Naturally, you might be concerned about an upgrade that seems like it s going to reduce your capabilities. Nothing could be further from the truth. If anything, integration is better since you now have SNMP visibility of equipment that s already in your network, which your technicians are already trained on. Integrating your legacy systems to your SNMP manager with T/Mon LNX retains the full functionality of your legacy equipment, so you get all the advantages of both. Call me now and see what the T/Mon Remote Monitoring System can do for you In this white paper, I ve shown you how SNMP-legacy integration works and what it can do for you. Now let me explain why you should let me help you integrate your SNMP and legacy systems. First, you don t want to try to develop an integration solution by yourself. It s expensive, it takes a long time, and it s risky. If you haven t developed a protocol mediation solution before, it s complex and there are things you can miss. Second, when you re deciding on a vendor to develop 10

your integration solution, you want to choose the one with the most experience. DPS Telecom has a proven track record in custom development, protocol mediation and legacy support. DPS has products and solutions that you can look at today that will take care of your SNMP-legacy integration needs. You won t be taking any risks if I ever sell you something that doesn t solve your problems 100%, you can return it for a full refund. If this sounds interesting to you if SNMP-legacy integration will solve your network monitoring problems then act now by calling me at 1-800-622-3314 to talk to one of my application engineers. Alarm Master Choice: T/Mon LNX T/Mon LNX has many features to make your alarms more meaningful, including: 1. Detailed, plain English alarm descriptions include severity, location and date/time stamp. 2. Immediate notification of COS alarms, including new alarms and alarms that have cleared 3. Standing alarm list is continuously updated. 4. Text message windows displaying specific instructions for the appropriate action for an alarm. 5. Nuisance alarm filtering, allowing your staff to focus its attention on serious threats. 6. Pager and email notifications sent directly to maintenance personnel, even if they re away from the NOC. 7. Derived alarms and controls that combine and correlate data from multiple alarm inputs and automatically control remote site equipment to correct complex threats. Sign up for a Web demo of the T/Mon LNX at www.dpstelecom.com/webdemo How DPS Telecom Can Help You Building the right alarm system for your network isn t simple. It s easy to spend more than you need but there are also opportunities to save money and improve operational efficiency that you don t want to miss. It s hard to learn everything you need to know and still do your everyday job. DPS Telecom can help you plan your upgrade migration path, with expert consultation, training and information resources. DPS alarm equipment is built with the expansion and migration capabilities you need to make a graceful transition from your existing system. And DPS is committed to helping you get the best alarm system for your specific needs. DPS Telecom Guarantees Success or Your Money Back You re never taking any risk when you work with DPS Telecom. Your DPS alarm system is backed by a 30-day, no-risk, money-back guarantee. Test your new system at your site for 30 days. If you re dissatisfied for any reason, just send it back for a full refund. We don t want your money unless you re completely satisfied. It s that simple. What to Do Next Call or email DPSTelecom at 1-800- 622-3314 or sales@dpstele.com and ask for a free consultation on your alarm monitoring needs. We will be happy to help you define your specific requirements and answer any questions your have. There s no obligation to buy. You won t be bothered by high-pressure salesmen. You ll just get straightforward information to help you make the best decision about your alarm monitoring. 11

Alarm Monitoring Solutions from DPS Telecom Alarm Monitoring Masters Remote Telemetry Units NetGuardian 832A: RTU monitors 32 alarm points, 8 analog inputs, 8 control relays, 32 ping targets, 8 terminal server ports; reports to any SNMP manager, T/Mon LNX or T/Mon LT T/Mon LNX: Full-featured alarm master for up to 1 million alarm points. Features support for 25 protocols, protocol mediation, alarm forwarding, pager and email alarm notification, Web Browser access, multi-user access, standing alarm list, alarm history logging. NetGuardian 216: RTU monitors 16 alarm points, 2 analog inputs, 2 control relays, 1 terminal server port; reports to any SNMP manager, T/Mon LNX or T/Mon LT. T/Mon SLIM: Light capacity regional alarm master. Supports up to 64 devices and 7,500 alarm points. Features pager and email alarm notification, Web Browser access, standing alarm list and alarm history logging. NetMediator T2S: TBOS-to-SNMP mediation for up to 8 TBOS devices, plus terminal server functionality, 32 discrete alarms, 8 analog alarms, and 8 controls Remote Alarm Block 176N: Wire-wrap alarm block monitors 176 alarm points, 4 controls; reports to any SNMP manager, T/Mon LNX or T/Mon LT NetGuardian 16S: With 16 serial ports, integrated local audiovisual notification, two separate NICs, powerful alarm collection and versatile alarm reporting via SNMP Trap, email and pager, he NetGuardian-16S can handle any alarm monitoring need www.dpstelecom.com 1-800-622-3314 NetGuardian 480: RTU monitors 80 alarm points, 4 control relays; reports to any SNMP manager, TL1 master, T/Mon LNX or T/Mon LT We protect your network like your business depends on it