Connecting to Family with Video Podcasting

Writen by Adam Peck

Video podcasting is a fantastic way to stay in touch with family members around the corner or around the world.

A podcast is an audio or video file distributed by RSS software that can be downloaded on the Internet. But rather than normal audio or video files, which can only be downloaded when the user decides, once a podcast has been created, subscribers automatically receive new episodes.

This is because of RSS software. RSS – which stands for Really Simple Syndication – is a technology that feeds a description of web content with a link to the original content, When content is updated, the RSS feeds a headline and description to subscribers automatically.

When combined with a podcast, it allows subscribers to see when a new episode of the podcast has been created, and it will automatically be downloaded to subscribers.

Podcast technology provides families with the opportunity to keep in touch through multimedia means, adding a dimension email and photos cannot provide. Video podcasting allows family members to feel as if they were there, even if they live across the country.

Video recordings of birthdays, holidays, celebrations, and family excursions are perfect for a video podcast. And rather than family recordings being kept for family get-togethers or anniversaries, podcasting allows families to share their moments almost as they happen.

Are you looking to add a video component to family communications? Podcasting is a perfect option because it is fun, easy to create, inexpensive, and secure.

Podcasts can be password protected so only your family and friends are able to see the videos. You can be assured your memories and precious moments are shared with only those you choose and provide the password to.

Creating a video podcast is quite simple. Once you have a video recording of footage you would like to podcast, export the file as a .mov or .mpeg4, and place the file in new a folder. You will then need to create an RSS file to publish the file.

In the RSS document you will put vital information like subject matter, keywords, website, contact info and other information about the podcast.

When this RSS file has been created, it is placed in the same folder as the audio file on the podcasting server. When you have posted a video file and published it using your RSS file, you have successfully created a podcast. All that is left is to upload it to the Internet.

Once you have uploaded the podcast folder to a server, you can attach a link of the podcast to your homepage, or simply email the link to your loved-ones. Because it is an RSS file, all they have to do is subscribe to the podcast, and they will receive updates automatically when other podcast episodes are created.

A video podcast of your family is a fun and innovative way to keep in touch with one another, no matter where you or your family is.

Adam Peck is a freelance journalist in Toronto, Ont., Canada. Visit http://www.northstreams.com for more information about podcasting. Northstreams Inc., is a Toronto-based company that specializes in producing professional video and audio podcasts.

How to Start Up an Online Streaming Radio Station

Writen by Claire Calkin

Quite often either due to a lack of FM frequencies available, cost constraints, or as a way of testing the waters before committing to a FM radio station installation, it is possible to start up an online streaming radio station rather than a traditional broadcasting station. An online streaming radio station can be as basic as a completely computer based system, where music is simply played back along with occasional station IDs. Alternatively you can opt for a more in-depth setup, which could include other equipment such as a mixing desk, microphones, music, audio equipment, compression gear, audio cables, cd player, phone in system, headphones, microphone stands, etc. As a minimum, the equipment you will require is computer with a high speed internet connection.

When it comes to how to start up a online streaming radio station you have available a wide range of options to choose from. You need to consider what format you want to broadcast, as well as the sound quality you want. The higher the audio quality, the more data you will use. Bear in mind that a stream radio station is in operation for 24 hours a day, every day of the month, so even on a rate of 24 kbps, this adds up to be quite a considerable amount of data being used. Note also, that if you are going to use your existing internet connection for downloading files whilst you are also streaming, to ensure that you have sufficient bandwidth available. If you run out of bandwidth, your streaming station may be affected.

When it comes to the equipment for your online streaming radio station, it is possible to get it set up with very basic equipment, which is not possible when setting up a station broadcasting on an FM frequency. For a somewhat more advanced, professional sounding streaming radio station, the equipment you may have in your studio could include: computer, automation software, mixing desk, microphones, device to take phone calls on air, CD player and compression equipment.

The monthly cost for keeping your online streaming radio station on the internet is also fairly low. Bear in mind that in most countries there are fees payable to the music licensing organisations to cover royalties for the music you play on air. Aside from this, your only other likely costs are going to be electricity, internet connection, stream hosting and website hosting costs.

The way streaming works is you run the station, play music, talk into the microphones, etc. This audio is then relayed into your computer and then sent from your computer to the stream hosting company server. When people listen to your station online, they are actually receiving the audio not directly from your computer, but rather from the streaming server. This approach substantially improves your performance and means your connection speed will not slow down when you have multiple listeners. When people want to listen to your station they simply go to your website and click on a link to activate the stream.

For further information on how to start up an online streaming radio station please visit http://www.themulcher.com or email radio@themulcher.com

OC3, OC12 & OC48 Bandwidth-Ideal Solution For High End Users

Writen by Michael Lemm

The ideal solution for high end bandwidth users where connectivity is essential for operations isn’t a simple T1 or DS3 dedicated line…you need an “OC” fiber optic network. So just what is OCx, what can it do for you, and what do you need to know?

What is an OCx Circuit?

‘OC’ stands for Optical Carrier and is used to specify the speed of fiber optic networks conforming to the SONET standard. SONET, (Synchronous Optical Networks), includes a set of signal rate multiples for transmitting digital signals on optical fiber. The base rate (OC-1) is 51.84 Mbps. Certain multiples of the base rate are provided below with bandwidth amounts. Asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) makes use of some of the Optical Carrier levels.

Optical Carrier lines provide content providers, ASP’s, ISP’s & large enterprises with dedicated Internet connectivity. These Optical Carrier Level circuits are an ideal solution for high end bandwidth users where connectivity is essential for operations. Some examples are large data centers, high tech research facilities, university infrastructure, airport complexes, and casino video security and data systems.

What is an OC3?

An OC3 can be three DS3s (T3s) or one 155M pipe. The benefit in using DS3s is that each can be separated back out as individual T1s (each with 24 channels). To put it into perspective, the speed of an OC3 connection is 155Mbps. This is equivalent to 3 T3 lines or 100 T1 lines. An OC12 connection is 622Mbps, equivalent to 14 T3 lines or approx. 414 T1 lines.

What is an OC12?

An OC12 is approximately equal to 4 OC3s and runs at 622 Mbps. which makes it an excellent point-to-point IP delivery connection. The greatest benefit to an OC-12 is that bandwidth can be added to a business as it grows without any major system overhauls. An OC12 can also allow a business to have unlimited IP addresses which insures that growth is never limited…

What is an OC48?

An OC48 works as a reliable fiber optic backbone for large networks which require volume extensive voice/data/video traffic. It is a long-haul backbone fibre connection capable of transmitting data at 2.45 Gbps. To put it into perspective the speed of an OC48 is the equivalent of having 48 T3’s OR 1,344 T1 lines.

The pricing for these type of connections can vary widely depending on the carrier, location of service and the exact application for which the connection is intended to be used. Due to this complexity it is suggested to use the services of a consultant such as “DS3-Bandwidth.com” to research available providers and find the best fit to meet a specific requirement.

Michael is the owner of FreedomFire Communications….including Business-VoIP-Solution.com. Michael also authors Broadband Nation where you’re always welcome to drop in and catch up on the latest BroadBand news, tips, insights, and ramblings for the masses.

Bleeding Edge or Expensive Enterprise Satellite Internet?

Writen by Randy Scott

The State of Satellite Internet in 2005

For those businesses unable can’t get T1, Cable or DSL internet service for less than half a year’s Gross Profit, vsat (very small aperture terminal) satellite internet is about the only way to obtain decent internet speed. Over the last two years or so many companies have advertised about upcoming solutions to this issue…after all, the business internet industry is huge and growing by giant leaps each year and there are potential profits out there.

Let’s take a look at what is currently available and what is on the way:

Available Ku Band Enterprise Systems

This is a “catch all” phrase covering the more expensive equipment and service offered by several large uplink comapnies. It is characterized by larger satellite dishes (typically 1.0 meter or larger), more powerful transmitters (at least 2 watts) and less populated transponders than the “residential” or “small business” setup’s available from Direcway, Starband and Wildblue. The result is more consistent, faster service…..what most businesses expect.

There are two general avenues you can take regarding speed and throughput: Shared or dedicated bandwidth – and the difference in price is staggering. For most business applications, shared bandwidth (the less expensive choice) will work fine – giving a company 1.5 kbps downloads and 256 kbps uploads over 90% of the time for prices in the $400-$1500 range. The crucial element of ANY offering is the “contention ratio” – how much they oversell the product or the number of concurrent users they allow on a transponder. Any company that does not put the ratio in writing is not worth doing business with – period…and any company with a contention ratio above 20-1 is not offering you true Enterprise service. With dedicated service (Guaranteed speeds) you will spend over $1,900 per month (up to several thousand per month), but will have service that is nearly bulletproof.

The most tested and dependable Enterprise setup available today in N. America is centered around a modem designed by iDirect Technologies http://www.idirect.net. This is a proven system that will give you what you pay for.

Other systems are coming into the marketplace like the ViaSat Surfbeam DOCSIS setup and another DOCSIS product from Telnor; however, this is very new technology and certainly qualifies as “Bleeding Edge”. Only three companies have the equipment to make it work right now and there are bumps in the road. Surfbeam and Telnor’s big promise is a better utilization of available ku bandwidth, but no field results have confirmed this yet to my knowledge.

If it provides similar speeds during field testing, it will force iDirect to rethink modem pricing as the DOCSIS setup can be installed for about $500-$1,000 less.

Wireless and Satellite Internet Technology On The Horizon

The Satellite Internet world could be turned on it’s head in the coming years as WIMAX emerges. It is a grand plan by Intel and others to cover very large areas of the world with a brand of microwave technology capable of sending data extremely fast to small antennas at homes and businesses. The big difference between WIFI and WIMAX is the distance covered by the main antenna…..the claim is 15-30 miles! Talk about bleeding edge….many of the “Big Boys” including Nokia and Cisco have abandoned plans to invest in it and speak of it as a bad business model to try to replace DSL. They point out that there are currently over 15 “standards” for the technology, not exactly a harmoneous start!

Ka band satellite internet for Enterprise has some real promise. The ability to “reuse” bandwidth, if the concept works, will enable companies to have T1 speeds or greater at any business location for much less than a T1 cost. A unit of SkyTerra Communications – the company managing Hughes Network Systems now, is working on advanced ka band spot beam technology to that end.

The greatest challange facing the satellite internet industry during the next 24 months is figuring out how to make profit…..in the absence of someone finding a business model that can show consistant profit, all of the transponder space allocated to internet will quickly be redeployed to HDTV or other types of profitable communication….bet on it!

About the Author:
Randy Scott has been involved in the bi-directional satellite internet industry from it’s beginning as a Sr. Sales Engineer, consultant and business owner. Randy is the founder of VSAT U.S., a consulting and sales organization, representing the most prestigious satellite internet providers in the America’s. For more information about current VSAT satellite internet offerings including Ka band, visit http://www.vsatus.com or email randy@vsatus.com

Broadband Suppliers Predict Internet TV Boom

Writen by Michael Sterios

Figures from European broadband suppliers reveal that the total number of broadband TV subscribers is estimated to reach almost 10 million by 2010. This will be a huge increase from the current number of about 650,000 and will give broadband suppliers almost 10% of the total pay-TV market.

Currently France and Italy lead the way in terms of numbers of subscribers to broadband TV services. The concept has taken longer to catch on in the UK, which is largely due to fierce competition from established satellite and cable TV firms. However, broadband itself is very popular in the UK with over 10 million subscribers in 2006, and growing by the minute, suggesting that there is a large untapped market for broadband TV services.

Broadband TV is more accurately known as IPTV (Internet Protocol TV). The acronym is used to describe services which broadcast on-demand television programming to consumers, delivered via a broadband connection on normal telephone line to TV screens. In recent years revenues from traditional fixed-line services have been declining in Europe so telecoms firms are looking to both IPTV and broadband to offset this. Increasingly they are offering customers such services in bundles rather than individually.

While broadband suppliers are using IPTV as a means to challenge established cable and satellite operators, the opposite scenario also exists. Cable and satellite TV operators are beginning to make headway into the broadband market in order to ensure they do not lose their coveted share of the lucrative television market to traditional ISP’s.

In the UK, Sky TV has acquired Easynet, a leading broadband supplier and heavy investor in Local Loop Unbundling (LLU), which signals its intention to broaden its range of services. The enormous company has also launched a film download service which currently provides 200 films for free to digital subscribers.

This is, of course, only the beginning as Sky intends to supply more than 1,000 films via broadband from their extensive back catalogue. Sky Sports subscribers will also be able to download sports clips through their broadband connections.

Peoples’ entertainment needs are changing fast in the 2000’s and audiences expect to be able to access content whenever and wherever they want.

Broadband-is-cheap contains up-to-date news, information, and deals from leading UK Broadband Suppliers market.

Business Satellite Internet Products Compared – 2005

Writen by Randy Scott

There are a number of options available for Business Class Satellite Internet connectivity in the U.S. today. New offerings seem to launch every week in 2005 and it is becoming a bit confusing for the business owner who can’t obtain traditional high speed internet or can’t afford the expense of running a T1 line to a location off the beaten path. I’ve outlined below several options for business with the positive aspects as well as negative where applicable. Each company and heavy individual user has different needs, so no one platform is a “one size fits all”. I will outline them and you decide:

1. iDirect Platform:

This is a proven Enterprise platform which provides a wide range of dependable speeds for most any business, government or heavy use individual. Download speeds from 64 kbps to over 2000 kbps and Upload speeds from 64 kbps to over 1000 kbps are available. The platform supports “shared bandwidth” or guaranteed “QOS” bandwidth at much higher pricing. In the U.S. a 1.2 meter dish is standard. Equipment Cost: Equipment – A 2 watt system will cost about $2,700 installed. A 4 watt system is about $4,300 installed. Monthly Service: A minimum circuit is about $250. A typical setup of 1000/256 kbps is $499 per month for a shared bandwidth-no FAP setup. For about $350 per month you can get 2000/500 kbps service with a 3 GB throughput allowance per month. There is a cost of $.09 per MB thereafter. The “shared bandwidth” package is far more predictable with the iDirect platform than with DirecWay or Starband setup’s. You can expect to see the advertised speeds 85 % of the time or better.

2. Surfbeam Platform:

This product is in the process of being introduced in America. Surfbeam uses the same platform basically that a cable or DSL provider would use, except it is satellite internet. It is much less expensive than “Enterprise” grade systems. There is only one provider ready to launch this platform in the U.S. and they should begin shipping equipment by April 1, 2005. In most cases a 1.2 meter dish will be utilized with a 2-3 watt transmitter. Download speeds of 1500 kbps and uploads in excess of 500 kbps are the advertised speeds; however, this hasn’t been verified in the field as of this article date. Equipment Cost: Ranging from $1,295 – $1,995 including installation. Monthly Service: Ranging from $95 – $400.

3. Starband 484 Platform U.S. :

This is the “beefed up” version of Starband service designed to attract small businesses and heavy individual users. This is DVB (digital video broadcast) technology which is converted to IP – the conversion process is the problem. It adds to overall latency and even with higher upload speeds than their consumer products (they advertise “up to” 256 kbps in Turbo Max mode- unclear what that really is), they don’t support VNP traffic or VOIP connections. Download speeds are listed as up to 20 times faster than dialupwhatever that means. Dish size is 24″x36″ and transmitter strength not given. Equipment Cost: $900 + shipping + installation (price not given) Monthly Service: $160

4. DirecWay Business Plus Service (U.S. only):

This is the DirecWay “beefed up” version of service. The only meaningful difference between this platform and the Starband setup above is DirecWay has more experience “massaging” the DVB conversion to IP and possibly more advanced acceleration techniques. They will support some types of VPN and VOIP, but it requires expensive equipment ($2,000+) to be placed at the satellite location and at Headquarters for a VPN circuit- often to the chagrin of the IT department at HQ. Inadequate upload speeds for heavy VPN “chatty” programs still plague this platform. You can expect download speeds ranging from 800 kbps to 1500 kbps or more. Upload speeds range from 29 kbps to 90 kbps. This system uses a .98 meter dish and 1 watt transmitter. Equipment Cost: $900 + $375 installation (shipping included) Monthly Service: $129+

5. Ka Band Satellite Internet:

When this technology becomes available the summer of 2005, it could literally shake the foundation of the satellite internet world – or not! It is a technology that has been many years and over 1.5 Billion dollars in the making. There will be 30 spot beams aimed at the U.S. and 5 used by uplink centers with the initial satellite (Telesat’s Anik F2) which will be operated by Wildblue Communications, a Denver, Co. based company. It is being targeted to small business operators and consumers in rural areas through a network of rural electric operators (NRTC) initially and through two national distributors as the year progresses. If it works as advertised it will permit telecommuters to successfully VPN into home office much like they would with a cable or DSL connection – except at somewhat slower speeds (due to about 500ms of latency). Still, it has a lot of promise for the small businessman. They will not offer an Enterprise solution for some time- if ever. With a satellite dish about the size of a trashcan lid (.67 meters) and a two watt transmitter, users will be able to download at speeds up to 1500 kbps and upload at speeds ranging from 128 kbps to 256 kbps. Equipment Cost: $300-$500 Installation: $ ?? Monthly Service: Three plans with varying download speeds

$49 – 500 kbps download speeds

$69 – 1000 kbps

$79 – 1500 kbps It is unclear whether the upload speeds shown above will apply to all service levels.

At this time, I am recommending that small and medium businesses needing connectivity right away, go with the more proven iDirect platform. You can learn more about it and other offerings at www.vsatus.com or email sales@vsatus.com .

About the Author:

Randy Scott is the founder of VSAT U.S., a Colorado based sales and consulting firm which provides VSAT satellite internet platforms to business and heavy individual users throughout the America’s and most of the world. Randy has over 10 years experience in the high technology field, both in bi-directional satellite internet and industrial computer hardware as a business owner and Sr. Sales Engineer. You can reach Randy by email: sales@vsatus.com or toll free@ 1-866-978-4613.

3 Tips to Fix Unreliable Wireless Connections

Writen by Sharron Senter

Generally speaking, wireless computer connections are reliable. However, nothing is perfect, and sometimes you may lose your connection or experience a weak signal. There are many factors that impact the reliability of your wireless connection.

For example, if your wireless adapter is too close to a 2.4 GHz wireless telephone, you may notice a decrease in your computer’s wireless single strength. Why? Because the phone and the computer reside on the same frequency and can interfere with each other’s performance.

Handy Repair Checklist for Wireless Interruptions

1. First check to see if your cable or DSL is actually working. Usually located in your basement, most modems have four lights. You have a live Internet connection if the “data” or “status” light is on. If it’s off, or flashing, your cable is out.

2. If your cable/DSL is working, then reboot your computer. Sometimes, if your cable/DSL goes out for even 10 seconds, your computer and the wireless router may no longer be able to talk to each other. By rebooting your computer, a new IP address is assigned, allowing them to once again communicate.

3. If your desktop is wireless and you’ve moved the wireless adapter [the box that sits next to the computer with antennas], then you may need to move the adapter until you find a stronger signal.

About The Author

Sharron Senter is co-founder of http://www.VisitingGeeks.com – an on site computer repair, security and networking company serving north of Boston, Southern NH and Maine. Visiting Geeks’ technicians are crackerjacks at squashing viruses, popups and securing and making computers perform faster. Learn more about Sharron at http://www.SharronSenter.com

Satellite Internet Access – What You Should Know Before You Buy

Writen by Steadman Issenburg

When it comes to choosing a broadband internet connection, you only have three major options to choose from, cable, DSL, and satellite internet. Of the three, cable and DSL are the fastest, but they are not portable, and they are not available in most rural areas. However, satellite internet service can be had almost anywhere in the northern hemisphere where you have an unobstructed view of the southern sky, and in some cases you can even take it with you as you travel.

So how does satellite internet service work anyway? Well, the internet data is transmitted to a network of satellites that orbit high in our earth’s atmosphere. From there it is beamed down to be received by those who have the necessary equipment to be able to decode it and display at on their computers. So in order to receive satellite internet service, you will need to have a satellite dish, and modems for both uploading and downloading data from the satellite, as well as a capable computer system.

Because high speed satellite internet service is not dependent on cables or wires it can be received almost anywhere, and therefore it makes an excellent choice for those who live in rural parts of the country, or those who live in areas where cable and DSL are not available, and who want to take advantage of a high speed broadband internet connection.

Although satellite internet service is much faster then dial-up, in fact almost ten times as fast, it does not approach the ultra-fast speeds of both cable and DSL service. So if cable and DSL are available to you, either one of them may be a better choice for broadband internet access. However, in the absence of either cable or DSL, satellite internet service is much more preferable then dial-up.

Another great advantage of satellite internet service is its portability for people who are always on the go and travel a lot. For instance, many RVers make good use of satellite internet in order to have a high speed web connection pretty much anywhere they go across the country.

There are generally two options for these kind of travelers, either tripod mounted satellite dishes, or vehicle mounted units. Actually, either one can work very well when correctly set up, but the tripod mounted dishes provide much more flexibility for location of the dish, and they also cost quite a bit less than the vehicle mounted units when initially purchased. There are several companies that now have this kind of equipment available for sale, and they can be found very easily by making a search on the internet.

As you can see, there are a lot of reasons why satellite internet access can be a good choice for many consumers, but there are also drawbacks that must be considered as well. Hopefully, the information that we presented in this article can help you make an informed decision before you buy satellite internet services.

Steadman Issenburg writes on many consumer related topics including communication. You can find broadband satellite internet services and info on satellite internet speed and more by visiting our communication website.

Consolidation of Satellite Internet Industry

Writen by Randy Scott

The winds of change are blowing in the vsat satellite internet industry…again! During the next six to twelve months I expect to see a good number of buyouts of companies who are not able to keep up with the rapid changes in technology and the costs associated with staying in the race for satellite internet customers. The area of greatest consolidation should come to the Small Business to Enterprise sector, where providers are repeatedly failing to meet customer expectations of value for cost.

At the present time, most of the traditional resellers to small business, government and commercial accounts are in deep financial trouble or at best breaking even ……which should come as no surprise considering nearly all satellite owners are losing money. Why? Space segment is very expensive… and I really mean it! Only a very small group of enterprise level companies and government entities are able to afford the true high speed offerings. The companies willing to pay $1,500 or more per month for a high end service package will be happy with their performance, but precious few can afford to pay that for broadband.

There isn’t enough demand relative to the competition for commercial vsat broadband outside this group, so all types of pricing games are being offered right now to entice companies to buy equipment and service either as a replacement for dial up (believe it or not, some companies still use dial up!) or as a emergency backup. Some of these offers are flat out “bait and switch” schemes and the companies offering them are destroying the reputation of the industry. Fortunately, they are the companies I predict will fall by the wayside later this year. Buyer beware!

Internet providers keep clinging to the notion that if they “water down” the platform with subscribers somehow they can sell satellite internet service for a price that is palatable. The “watering down” is referred to as contention ratio in the industry. The balancing act has historically been a roller coaster customer service ride, in which things start out fine for customers…….provider adds too many new customers so performance goes down hill……..customers start screaming about bad service…….provider adds a new transponder…..everyone is happy again and it starts all over. It’s a joke of a business model, but unfortunately, the only way people will buy in mass is if service plans are priced between $50-$200 and the only way a provider has a chance to make any money is to keep the contention ratios too high for good performance unless you are doing internet things at 3 AM!

Well, I’ve identified the problem…..so what is the solution? Good question. The only hope I see for better service at affordable prices for small to midsized commercial users of vsat internet in the next year or so is the introduction of DVB S2 packet handling (which promises to improve speeds/performance by 30%) and the more widespread deployment of Ka band vsat internet (which still has it’s share of hoops to jump through) coming at the end of 2006 into 2007. Beyond 2007, who knows….maybe someone will find a way to overcome the speed of light….

Randy Scott has been involved in the bi-directional satellite internet industry from it’s beginning as a Sr. Sales Engineer, consultant and business owner. Randy is the founder of VSAT a U.S., representing the most prestigious satellite internet providers in the America’s. You can reach Randy by email: randy@vsatus.com

More On Meeting Your Bandwidth Requirements For Supply Chain Management Applications

Writen by Michael Lemm

As I pointed out in a previous article, Supply Chain Management (SCM) is a complex animal. The key to a successful SCM implementation is a clear understanding of the business objectives and business requirements of the company the SCM primarily supports. This often includes a number of legacy systems which need to be integrated into the solution. From this will come the technical objectives to be met and the technical requirements that frame the solution. Only then will the commmunication requirements for bandwidth capacity, reliability, resiliancy, latency, security, and expandability be meaningful.

Here’s just 2 such technical aspects…..

Frame Relay

Frame relay initially had several advantages over the alternative solutions for SCM and other multi site and multi company communications networks.

The first advantage was with circuit costs. For a multi site network, the traditional approach was a large number of point to point circuits. Each circuit required a router port, a CSU, and often a circuit monitoring module. With milage based pricing, each circuit represented a significant recurring cost on top of the initial hardware costs. Router sizing was often a factor of ports supported rather than performance capability.

Frame relay exchanged the point to point circuit costs with an access circuit, typically at less than 1/10th of the cost. With port speeds from DS0 to DS3, multiple sites could be connected with a single port at each site. A partial or full mesh, even with full redundancy, could be accomplished with very few router ports and CSU at each site. This represented significant capital savings.

Using fractional T1 and T3 on the access circuits, frame relay made expanding capacity between sites relatively painless. Port changes within the frame relay provider’s network was often a configuration change. Expanding the actual circuits was typically a configuration change on the CSU and DACS.

Adding new sites was often accomplished with physical changes at the new site only. The new PVC across the frame relay network and at the existing site(s) was a configuration change. Depending on the routers used and the routing protocol implemented, this might be accomplished without a maintenance window.

The PVC approach allowed for additional security. A given location could be directed to a specific port within the DMZ, limiting the exposure of one’s own network to other vendors within the SCM network. Firewalls at each end allowed each company to control its own security. The frame relay network was vulnerable to external monitoring at very few points, and the relationship of PVC traffic to specific customer required specific network design information.

Frame relay offered the ability to have a disaster recovery site support multiple locations. PVC between the disaster location and other locations could be defined in the configuration, allowing dynamic implementation of the disaster recovery network.

As a circuit protocol, frame relay functions independent of other protocols. This segmentation allowed IPX, IP, SNA, and other system communications protocols to be implemented over the same paths. If desired, each of these could have its own PVC and bandwidth, or they could all operate over a common path. Finally, the bandwidth and performance could be established specifically to site pairs on a PVC basis.

For a vendor that participated in multiple SCM networks, frame relay represented real cost savings. Instead of a new circuit for each network, a PVC could be established. Instead of 6 week circuit installation delays, service could be established in hours.

—-

So why the past tense? The advantages of frame relay are now achieved via the Internet. The timeframes for implementation have been reduced from hours to minutes. Encryption has advanced beyond the security offered by isolated paths. Advances in application based routing can achieve availablity assurances. Legacy protocols have been largely replaced by IP.

There are still times when frame relay is the best choice based on business requirements or technical constraints. But a robust bandwidth network (e.g. OC3 or OC12 bandwidth….perhaps with GigE connectivity) applying IP protocols will enable a seemless flow of information without risking security concerns.

Emerging Technologies

The most notable is Radio Frequency Identification, or RFID. RFID tags are essentially barcodes on steroids. Whereas barcodes only identify the product, RFID tags can tell what the product is, where it has been, when it expires, whatever information someone wishes to program it with. RFID technology is going to generate mountains of data about the location of pallets, cases, cartons, totes and individual products in the supply chain. It’s going to produce oceans of information about when and where merchandise is manufactured, picked, packed and shipped. It’s going to create rivers of numbers telling retailers about the expiration dates of their perishable itemsnumbers that will have to be stored, transmitted in real-time and shared with warehouse management, inventory management, financial and other enterprise systems. In other words, it is going to have a really big impact.

Another benefit of RFIDs is that, unlike barcodes, RFID tags can be read automatically by electronic readers. Imagine a truck carrying a container full of widgets entering a shipping terminal in China. If the container is equipped with an RFID tag, and the terminal has an RFID sensor network, that container’s whereabouts can be automatically sent to Widget Co. without the truck ever slowing down. It has the potential to add a substantial amount of visibility into the extended supply chain.

Right now the two biggest hurdles to widespread RFID adoption are the cost of building the infrastructure and the lack of agreed-upon industry standards. But regardless…RFID implementation will be bandwidth intensive to retrieve and disseminate the mountain of information such a tool will provide.

Summary

The answer to how to meet bandwidth requirements for SCM applications is as complex as ever. The addition of emerging technologies like RFID into the mix of legacy point-to-point approaches, the frame relay darling, and the simplification afforded by OCx backed IP protocols….means your IT staff will be pegging their stress meter trying to make a decision. To navigate the aspect involving researching and acquiring the right bandwidth solution….do yourself a favor. Use the services of an independent unbiased consultant such as DS3-Bandwidth.com to navigate the minefield for you. Your IT staff will love you for it.

Michael is the owner of FreedomFire Communications….including Business-VoIP-Solution.com Michael also authors Broadband Nation where you’re always welcome to drop in and catch up on the latest BroadBand news, tips, insights, and ramblings for the masses.