POP Manager
Inmarsat POP Manager allow full POP Management across radius capabilities, firewall capabilities as well as build the normal missing link to manage Value Added Services.
POP Management
Managing a satellite POP is normally done manually – having staff loggin into the POP interface and assigning IMSI numbers, IP addresses and building firewall rules. Unity POP offer a fully integrated management setup where a redundant set of POP managers handle all provisioning across radius, firewalls and value added services.
POP Manager connect Satellite Business to POP
Data services managed through own POP environment are gaining a lot from getting fully integrated into the actual satellite business environment. It offer automated provisioning workflow end to end, allow automated authentication, automated firewall provisioning as well as allow end customers to gain access to manage own firewall polities across their satellite terminals.
Architecture
Redundant POP managers will handle provisioning work flow between satellite business environment and operators POP environment.
It will act as an IPAM IP management node making sure that IP ranges and subnet are managed in the best possible way to prevent netgroups that waist IP addresses.
POP Manager Functionality
Functionality cover communication between remote satellite business envioronments like Unity – offering integrated provisioning, customer self care across firewalls and value added services.
POP Manager will communicate across a secure API implemented in a SSL connection – it will be equipped with a local encrypted database setup and internally handle replication between the two POP Manager nodes in the POP environment.
- Radius provisioning – IMSI / IP
- Firewall provisioning – IP / Profile
- Value Added Service provisioning
IPAM – IP management
Integrated IPAM server handle IP address management across Inmarsat IP terminals into radius or for Inmarsat GX terminals where a far more complex IP address management is needed as all IP terminal handling take place under provisioning process – where up to 32 terminal ports need to get IP addresses assigned with possibility to assign multiple IP addresses per terminal port. IPAM prevent IP conflicts in the satellite setup, offer better management with security, handle customer assigned IP ranges, and in general make IP based trouble shooting simpler.
POP Syslog Server
POP manager have integrated graylog server that allow easy and simple access to syslog messages across radius and firewalls – it does also handle firewall security logs.
Logging can be added to local syslog or can be transfered to a centralized syslog server – if the operator want to have a single environment monitoring all their logs.
Radius provisioning
Radium server get all their provisioning across POP managers – that make sure to assign IP ranges, across private ranges, public ranges, static IP addresses and private addresses. It also manage special customer based IP address assignments.
POP managers will perform replicated provisioning across the two radius servers as a part of the provisioning process – in case a single radius isn’t completed then will an error message be returned to satellite business environment.
Provisioning cover following:
- Terminal / Sim / IMSI details
- IP address profile
- Authentication username + password
- Activate / Edit / Delete
Firewall provisioning
Firewall provisioning linked to assigned IP addresses will be combined with a firewall profile that contain a set of predefined firewall settings – like all incoming closed, standard ports open incoming or similar. Operator can build as many predefined profiles as needed.
When a terminal is provisioned can it later edit the given firewall data for the terminal – allowing operator as well as end users to perform firewall changes.
POP Manager API – Made Simple
Unity provisioning engieen will send a POP manager request across to get it to perform the needed workflow – POP manager will start performing the needed task and report back the status.
Below is a sample of XML request send across to POP manager to perform a given activation:
Service Orders and POP manager
When a manual or automated provisioning action is performed then will an associated service order be created – this service order can contain multiple work flow.
It is possible to see the status of any given service order and associated work flows in service order menu.
Value Added Service Provisioning
Often will value added operator services be placed directly in the POP environment of a dedicated service zone – this ensure that their is direct and secure satellite access to these value added services.
Performing provisioning on these are normally a manual and time consuming action – with POP manager will this be fully automated.
POP Provisioning / Profile
Integrated VAS Services
Edit or build new firewall profiles – make profiles that is specific for certain customer groups. As well as manage IP types – private + public, static or dynamic assigned.
In IP inventory is it possible to get a fast overvue over used IP addressesm free IP addresses as well as the sub net that the different IP groups have attached.
Integrating provisioning of value added satellite services are normally made difficult – pop manager offer to integrate in a easy and simple way – so that services become a part of the global offering. POP manager manage communication with WAN acceleration like riverbed or steelhead, offer simple integration of VoIP services, tracking services as well as the integrated web acceleration platform.