High Performance IP Net Links City of Frankfurt

“With only five employees, we run a high performance IP network here in Frankfurt, connecting 180 locations and over 5,000 users within a radius of 40 km,” says Roland Berlauer, not without pride. Roland Berlauer is the Director of the City of Frankfurt Office for Communications and Information Technology (IKT). Berlauer’s team is responsible for operating 30 UNIX servers and providing Internet and intranet services to all employees of the City of Frankfurt.

Linking facilities spread across the city and feeding bandwidth-hungry applications require central network design and high quality components. The backbone of the Frankfurt network is comprised of high speed LAN switches connected to the Ethernet ports of modems from RAD Data Communications, which provide a homogeneous LAN despite different kinds of media. RAD’s ASMi-450 transports data throughout the city at 1 Mbps over 2-wire copper lines (using xDSL technology); and the FOMi-40, at 2 Mbps over fiber optic lines.

“Our decision to select RAD is strategic and long-term,” explains Berlauer. “RAD’s intelligent modems transmit alarms in real-time and allow remote configuration and supervision from a central site through the manageable LRS-12 modem rack. This lets our small staff manage the entire network without leaving the building. In addition, integrated Ethernet chips allow direct connection of switches and LAN segments to telecommunications lines, extending the LAN without the need for external bridges.”

During comprehensive tests, RAD modems performed to specifications, even under the most severe conditions. In addition, the Frankfurt team was happy to see that all RAD modems use the same design and offer the same plug-and-play convenience, regardless of transmission media or technology. “They work right out of the box,” describes Berlauer, and moreover, “they fit into the same rack,” a feature not offered by most other vendors.

The IP network of the City of Frankfurt improves both internal and external communications, speeding up information exchange and providing users with Internet services. The intranet helps employees provide better response to citizens, leading to an overall improvement in service. In addition, the municipality uses the network to coordinate projects between different offices with very different requirements. These range from access to central databases and file servers, to Internet services and bandwidth-intensive video picture transmission.

“Frankfurt is an example of how municipalities can build a powerful intranet and optimize workflow with little manpower by using innovative technology and central network design,” says RAD GmbH General Manager Volker Bendzuweit. Many municipalities have similar tasks as those of Frankfurt. They need to network their facilities spread throughout the city and provide the bandwidth necessary for modern IT applications. City IP networks are part of RAD’s LAN-to-LAN solution, targeted at municipal governments, utility companies and campus applications such as airports, train stations and hospitals.