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2. Features list for HX50, HX100, and HX150 satellite routers . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
• Tables
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xii
• Tables
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Chapter 1
Overview
The chapter provides a general overview of the HX System. It
contains the following sections:
• Scope on page 1
• What’s new in this release on page 3
• The HX System on page 4
• Innovative features on page 6
• Broadband applications on page 7
• HX System architecture on page 8
• Information flow on page 11
Scope
Audience
This document provides a high-level overview of the HX
broadband satellite system, including discussions of system
concepts, features, and components.
The primary audience for this document is enterprise customers
who are responsible for operating and managing their own HX
System gateway. The secondary audience is customers at any
level who need to understand the operation of the HX System.
This manual assumes that the reader understands:
• Telecommunications and computer networking technology
• Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)
• Common computer networking services and protocols
• Satellite communications principles
• Satellite orbit characteristics
• Time and frequency division multiplexing
• Phase-shift keying
• Forward error correction
• Conditions that affect satellite communications
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Target Markets
The following is a list of potential markets for the current HX
system:
• Mobility
• SCPC/MCPC replacement links
• GSM backhaul
• MPLS extension services
• Embassy and government networks
• Private leased-line services
Related publications
The following documents provide more detailed information
about HX system and gateway components.
• Remote Terminal Installation Guide, Model HX150,
(1037125-0001)
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What’s new in this
release
Multiple Outroutes
Inroute Management by
NMSS
Inroute CIR with Min,
Guaranteed and Max
bandwidth
The Multiple Outroute (MORT) feature, in a mobile setting,
allows a very small aperture terminal (VSAT) to seamlessly
operate on multiple outroutes that are managed by a single
Network Management System. The VSAT can be commanded by
a third party component to switch outroutes when moving from
one satellite footprint to another.
The HX System Release 1.2.7 now provides for the full
management of DNCCs, Aurora CPs, and the Configurable
Demodulation System (CDS) (next generation CP) through
Vision. Inroutes and Inroute Groups are configured through the
NMSS GUI or using the NMSS spreadsheet load facility. The
NMSS provides capacity validation checks when adding inroutes.
The NMSS further provides the operator the ability to view status
and statistics for the DNCC, Aurora CP and CDS. Control
commands (reboot, force reload, etc.) are also provided by the
NMSS. Capacity validation checks are performed when the
logical inroute resources are modified (including changes to
Downconverters, Inroute Groups, IQoS Plans, and Inroutes). Hub
views are now organized by outroute number instead of outroute
group.
CIR is the rate that has been committed to a particular remote.
Satellite routers are allocated bandwidth based on the following
parameters:
1. Minimum CIR Rate
2. Guaranteed CIR Rate
3. Maximum CIR Rate
Configurable Demodulation
System (CDS)
At the very least, the network operating center (NOC) will try to
satisfy the minimum configured rate. In the event that additional
bandwidth over the minimum is available it is up to the NOC’s
discretion to provide bandwidth for a particular remote. This
excess bandwidth is not guaranteed and when available will be
capped at the maximum rate.
This release is the first release of the next generation return
channel (inroute) Configurable Demodulation System (CDS).
Advantages of the CDS over its predecessor (IFSS-TC) include:
• Improved configuration flexibility
• Expands the number of inroute channels per demodulator
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3
• Increased inroute capacity per rack space (up to 9 inroutes for
1U of rack)
• Supports higher symbol and user data rates
• Fully managed by NMSS
While the introduction of CDS is an upgrade, HX systems
continue to support IFSS-TC, as well.
CACTI Network Manager
Expansion rack option
The HX System
CACTI Network Manager (new installations only) provides for
network monitoring, event logging, and graphing SNMP
statistics. Templates for network devices are included with this
feature.
An expansion rack option has been added to the HX System fixed
rack model.
The HX System is an innovative IP broadband very small
aperture terminal (VSAT) system created by Hughes. The system
is designed and optimized for smaller networks that require
high-bandwidth, high-quality of service (QoS) links. The HX
System leverages the best features and capabilities of the proven
Hughes HN broadband VSAT system - with over one million
terminals deployed - while providing new features that support
high-bandwidth, real-time applications such as telephony
trunking, video conferencing, and much more.
The most significant upgrade with the HX 1.2.7 over previous
models is the inclusion of the mobility feature. While mobile
satellite services at lower satellite frequencies (L-band, in
particular) have been available for some time, these services tend
to provide lower rates of speed (up to 400 kbps) and tend to be
very expensive. With the HX 1.2.7, mobile satellite broadband
using higher frequency services, such as Ku-band, now provides
more bandwidth at a much lower cost.
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The HX System’s advanced bandwidth-management features
enable operators to customize fine-grained QoS and SLAs
(service level agreements) on a per-satellite router basis. For
example, HX System operators can guarantee both inbound and
outbound bandwidth per satellite router. In addition, the HX
System can provide dynamic bandwidth allocation for
time-division multiple access (TDMA) channels based on usage
and need, allowing development of a wide range of service plans
fine-tuned to meet individual needs. By leveraging the DVB-S2
transmission standard for the outbound channel, the HX System
achieves the best spectral efficiency of any TDM/TDMA network
available today.
Note:Although the term satellite router technically refers to
all of the equipment at the remote site, it is often used to refer
only to the VSAT.
The HX network architecture is based on the TDM/TDMA star
topology. As shown in
Figure 1, the system can provide
high-speed Internet protocol satellite connectivity between the
corporate headquarters and multiple remote sites. The HX System
operates in the Ku, Ka, and C frequency bands.
Figure 1: HX System
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5
Innovative features
The HX System provides many state-of-the-art features
including:
• Advanced bandwidth management capabilities – The HX
System allows operators to easily provision services like
constant bit rate (similar to single channel per carrier or
SCPC), minimum committed information rate (CIR) with
maximum limits, and best effort services. Plus, the HX
System can tailor these service offerings for each satellite
router.
• DVB-S2 – The HX System uses DVB-S2—the latest
generation satellite transmission standard. In its most basic
form, DVB-S2 incorporates 8PSK or QPSK modulation
together with low-density parity checking (LDPC). The
combination of 8PSK with LDPC produces approximately
30% more bandwidth than DVB-S for the same amount of
satellite power/bandwidth.
• Adaptive coding and modulation – The HX System
implementation of DVB-S2 supports adaptive coding and
modulation (ACM) in the outbound channel, allowing
operators to optimize the outbound channel for each satellite
router. For example, satellite routers in low EiRP regions can
be assigned robust coding and modulation combinations
(QPSK, Rate ½), while satellite routers in beam center can be
assigned bandwidth-efficient coding and modulation
combinations (8PSK, Rate 9/10). The application of ACM
produces up to 30% more bandwidth than DVB-S2, for a total
improvement of up to 60% over DVB-S.
• Most efficient TDMA return channel – Because HX
System TDMA return channels use Aloha for initial
assignment request, operators can optionally utilize the
bandwidth of satellite routers that are idle for some period of
time while maintaining the QoS commitment to a customer.
The HX System TDMA inbound channel also uses variable
length bursts, allowing up to 85% efficiency on the return
channel.
• Robust rain fade mitigation techniques – Recognizing that
high availability is a crucial element of enterprise SLAs, the
HX System provides the industry's most extensive set of
features for increasing overall system availability. These
features include dynamic ACM on the DVB-S2 outbound
carrier, dynamic coding of the TDMA return channel, and
dynamic uplink power control for the satellite router.
• Advanced IP features – HX satellite routers support a
number of built-in router functions, which are configured
remotely at the HX System gateway. These functions
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generally eliminate the need for an external router at remote
sites. Router functions include flexible addressing with
support for routing information protocol (RIP), network
address and port translation (NAPT), port forwarding, DHCP
service and DHCP relay, DNS caching, and firewall
capability.
• PEP Data acceleration – All HX satellite routers implement
the Hughes PEP (performance enhancement proxy for TCP)
feature, which includes bidirectional TCP spoofing, data and
header compression, IP priority levels, ACK reduction, and
message multiplexing.
• Built-in network security – The HX System offers built-in
network security as a standard feature. All data transmissions
to satellite routers are encrypted to ensure that only
authorized modems access the transmission. Bidirectional
encryption is available as an option.
• Adaptive inroute selection (AIS) - A satellite router can
select an optimal symbol and coding rate for its inroute
transmission as a function of a configured trajectory table and
through information it learns about its transmission from a
closed loop power control algorithm. See the bulleted
description above for Robust rain fade mitigation
techniques.
• Cost-effective gateway – The HX gateway is optimized to
support small networks. It occupies a small physical space
and provides a very cost-effective solution for small
networks.
Broadband applications
HX Systems support the following services:
• Mobility - HX systems support the use of mobile satellite
routers through the use of the following primary enabling
technologies:
– Closed Loop Timing
– Spreading
– Doppler
• Broadband IP connectivity – The HX System offers a
completely private high-speed network with
performance-enhancing features that maximize performance
and network efficiency. The performance of individual
applications (interactive and file transfer) can be
independently managed with Hughes performance-enhancing
proxy parameters.
• GSM backhaul – The HX system can be configured as an IP
pipe and used as a global system for mobile communication
Chapter 1 • Overview
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7
(GSM) backhaul to replace T1/E1 and other ground-based
base transceiver station-to-base station controller (BTS-toBSC) network elements.
• IP multicasts – The HX gateway supports IP multicasts to
send multimedia or other traffic to multiple remote sites
simultaneously, and HX satellite routers include IGMP
support to route IP multicast traffic to attached workstations.
• Border Gateway Protocol - BGP is a routing protocol
frequently used with MPLS networks. Utilizing BGP, the HX
now offers a more seamless interface to the networks.
HX System architecture
HX System star topology
HX gateway The HX gateway is the central processing center of the network.
The HX system provides star TDM/TDMA connectivity
consisting of a central gateway connecting to multiple HX remote
terminals. With a DVB-S/DVB-S2 outbound carrier supporting
rates up to 121 Mbps and multiple inbound carriers supporting
rates up to 3.2 Mbps, the HX system provides the high throughput
needed for high QoS networking.
The HX system star-topology network has the following major
elements, the HX gateway and the HX satellite routers.
The gateway provides connectivity between HX satellite routers
and customer data centers and/or the Internet.
The HX System supports two types of gateways:
• Fixed gateway
• Transportable gateway
Fixed gateway (GW)
The fixed gateway equipment is contained in one or more racks
that are in a fixed location.
The majority of this manual refers, by default, to the fixed
gateway system.
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8
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Transportable gateway (TGW)
The transportable gateway equipment is contained in a single rack
that can easily be packed, moved and reassembled.
The system is well suited for applications where network
transportability is critical - including homeland security,
continuity of operations, tactical military, and remote news
gathering. At only two feet in height, the system is a size and
cost-efficient solution to support the rapid deployment of smaller
satellite networks in difficult operating conditions.
A TGW overview with a description, list of features, services
supported, advantages and technical specifications is included in
Appendix B.
HX satellite routers HX satellite routers reside at the end user location and
communicate with the HX gateway via satellite link.
Network segments
The HX network is divided into segments, each of which
represents a portion of the communications link. These segments
include:
• Gateway segment
• Satellite router segment
• Space segment
• Wide area network segment
Gateway segment The gateway is the centralized earth station through which the
entire network is controlled. The gateway is normally located at
the customer's Network Operations Center (NOC). It contains
transmit and receive communications equipment, a radio
frequency terminal (RFT) consisting of RF equipment and a large
antenna, and network management subsystems and infrastructure.
The gateway segment manages the entire HX System and any
backend systems used for handling tasks such as billing, customer
care, and provisioning. See
Chapter 2 – Subsystems for more
information.
Satellite router segment Satellite routers provide broadband TCP/IP communications to
remote sites. The satellite router segment is the network segment
located at the end-user modems. Each satellite router has an
indoor unit (IDU), which contains the receive and transmit units;
and an outdoor unit (ODU), which consists of RF equipment and
an antenna.
Space segment The space segment is the satellite portion of the link, and
Wide area network segment The wide area network (WAN) segment includes the Internet and
A remote local area network (LAN) host is a device at the remote
site that communicates across the HX System via TCP/IP.
See Chapter 9 – Satellite routers, on page 69 for more
information.
connects all of the satellite routers in the network to the gateway.
various private independent IP networks with which HX satellite
Chapter 1 • Overview
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9
routers communicate using TCP/IP protocol, including their host
computers.
The WAN segment also includes the commercial, off-the-shelf
(COTS) switches, routers, and other networking equipment
within the gateway that connect the gateway to the independent
IP networks.
System management
The network management system server (NMSS), also known as
Vision UEM, contains the set of management tools for HX
gateway primary components and interface equipment, including:
• IP gateway(s)
• Satellite gateway(s)
• DVB-S2 modulator
• Timing subsystem
• Inroute components:
– DNCC
–CDS
–Aurora CP
Minor components and equipment are managed through their
own interfaces. These components within the NMSS are:
• Element-management server
• Graphical user interface
• Backend database
• CACTI
For more information, see Network Management Support
Services (NMSS) subsystem on page 22.
10
Chapter 1 • Overview
1037852-0001 Revision A
See Chapter 3 – Network management for more information
about managing the HX System network.
Information flow
Figure 2 illustrates how information flows through the HX
System gateway equipment. Note the difference between the
arrows used to represent inroutes and those used to represent
outroutes. The differing widths of these arrows signify the
different bandwidths for data traveling from the HX gateway to
(outroutes or uplinks) and from (inroutes or downlinks) the
satellite modems.
Figure 2: HX System equipment data flow
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12
Chapter 1 • Overview
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Chapter 2
Subsystems
This chapter describes the subsystems that comprise the HX
system. These subsystems are standard with all Hughes systems
and are required for network operation.
This chapter includes:
• Interface subsystem on page 15
• Radio frequency (RF) subsystem on page 16
• Uplink subsystem on page 16
• Timing subsystem on page 18
• Downlink subsystem on page 19
• Network Management Support Services (NMSS) subsystem
on page 22
• Local area networks on page 25
The subsystems and the network connection are illustrated in
Figure 3 on page 14.
See Chapter 3 – Network management, on page 27 for a more
detailed discussion on Network Management.
Chapter 2 • Subsystems
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13
Figure 3: HX Subsystems and LAN Connections
14
Chapter 2 • Subsystems
1037852-0001 Revision A
Interface subsystem
The interface subsystem includes the IP gateway (core
component) and special services gateway (optional component;
described in Special Services Gateway (SSGW) Installation, Operation, and Maintenance Manual (1032030-0001).
IP gateways
The IP gateways provides the interface between the HX gateway
and the enterprise intranet terrestrial data connections. The IP
gateway performs the IP address mapping, packet transmission,
compression, and other functions needed to support the HX
satellite routers. Traffic between the IP gateway and the intranet
host uses a standard IP packet format. However, the IP gateway
implements an Hughes-proprietary protocol between itself and
the satellite routers that is optimized for efficient, yet reliable
communication over the satellite link.
To facilitate data transfer from the IP gateway to the satellite
gateway, the IP gateway encapsulates unicast and multicast
frames containing traffic destined for satellite routers within User
Datagram Protocol (UDP) packets. The IP gateway obtains the
encryption information from the CAC, then encapsulates and
sends the appropriate unicast data and keys information to the
satellite gateway where the traffic stream is encrypted.
IP gateways forward the encapsulated unicast and multicast IP
traffic from the customer network to the satellite gateway over the
satellite LAN for further outroute processing. Unicast traffic is
addressed to a specific satellite router; multicast traffic is sent to
satellite routers in a pre-defined group and can include
management traffic or user traffic.
The IP gateways record statistics files that contain the amount of
traffic that has been processed for each IP subnet. IP gateways are
designed as a warm redundant pair with online and standby
modes of operation. IP gateways are SNMP-enabled and are
configured, controlled, and monitored by Vision UEM running on
the NMSS.
For TCP traffic, the IP gateway implements
performance-enhancing proxy (PEP) features. See
Enhancing Proxy (PEP V3) on page 52 for a description of the
PEP feature.
The IP gateway functionality also includes support for
multicasting services. In this mode of operation, the IP gateway
forwards multicast data (such as multimedia and advertising
content) through the satellite gateway to the remote sites that are
enabled (using the conditional access system) to receive the
multicast stream. Additionally, each IP gateway can also be
Chapter 2 • Subsystems
1037852-0001 Revision A
Performance
15
configured with a maximum total CIR to limit the IP traffic to the
customer's contracted grade of service.
Depending on the size of the network, there may be many IP
gateways within a single HX System gateway. Typically, the HX
gateway contains at least one IP gateway for each inroute
subsystem.
Radio frequency (RF)
subsystem
Radio frequency terminal
Uplink subsystem
The RF subsystem performs the actual transmission and reception
of satellite signals. The RF subsystem delivers received satellite
signals to the inroute subsystems at RF. It takes outroute signals
in the DVB asynchronous serial interface (ASI) format and
modulates and transmits those signals. The RF subsystem is
managed via SNMP using the management LAN and is internally
redundant. The RF subsystem consists of the radio frequency
terminal (RFT) and the system IF distribution module, which use
commercial, off-the-shelf equipment.
The RFT takes the uplink intermediate frequency (IF) output of
the system IF distribution module, upconverts it to radio
frequency (RF) and transmits it to the satellite. The RFT also
receives from the satellite the RF echo of the transmitted signal,
along with the RF input for the inroutes, downconverts the signals
to IF and forwards the downconverted signals to the system IF
distribution module and then to the downlink subsystem. The
RFT is made up of commercial off-the-shelf products.
The uplink (or outroute) subsystem performs the multiplexing
and transmission of all outbound IP traffic. All outbound traffic is
formatted to conform to the DVB-S or DVB-S2 standard.
16
Satellite gateway
Chapter 2 • Subsystems
1037852-0001 Revision A
The outroute subsystem is made up of satellite gateways, DVB
modulators, and outroute redundancy equipment.
The satellite gateway (SATGW) receives bundled satellite traffic
from the other NOC components over a LAN segment, formats
the information into individual packets, and forwards them to the
DVB modulator for transmission over the satellite.
The satellite gateway receives bundled satellite traffic over the
satellite LAN from the following components:
• IP gateways (including management gateways)
• DNCCs
• Special services gateways (SSGW)
• Timing unit (TU)
• Conditional access controller (CAC) server
Satellite gateways can receive encapsulated traffic using multicast
addressing.
The maximum length of the packets is configurable for each IP
gateway. A maximum expected frame length is also configured
into each satellite gateway and must be at least as large as the
largest corresponding value configured in the IP gateways feeding
that satellite gateway. The UDP frames are all destined to a single
IP multicast address. The frames contain sequence numbers and
other header information and one or more user traffic frames.
Multicast traffic is received over the satellite gateway multicast
address. This multicast address is unique across transponders.
The conditional access (CA) key traffic is received over the CAC
multicast address. This address is common to all satellite
gateways configured in the NOC. The common CAC address and
the unique satellite gateway address allow a single LAN
configuration to support multiple transponders. All traffic to the
satellite gateway is sent via multicast. The satellite gateway can
receive traffic on multiple (a maximum of 8) multicast addresses.
DVB and DVB-S2
modulators
Each satellite gateway connects to a DVB or DVB-S2 modulator.
The modulators are paired to satellite gateways and are designed
to switch together as a chain in the event of a failure. The DVB
modulators provide a 70 MHz IF output that is fed into an
outroute redundancy module and then onto the uplink system of
the RF terminal.
Two standards are supported, DVB-S and DVB-S2. Modulators
can be configured to support DVB-S only or both standards.
• DVB-S supports Reed-Solomon coding and QPSK
modulation
• DVB-S2 supports LDPC coding in both QPSK and 8PSK
modulation.
The modulator supports the following symbol rates:
• In DVB-S mode, the DVB modulator supports the following
symbol rates: 1.25, 2.5, 5, and 10 - 45 Msps, using FEC rates
up to 7/8.
• In DVB-S2 mode, the DVB modulator supports symbol rates
of 1–45 Msps in 1 Msps increments. The supported FEC rates
depend upon the frame length (short codeblock or normal
codeblock) and type of modulation:
• In CCM mode, all satellite routers in the network operate at
the configured modulation rate, symbol rate, and FEC rate.
• With DVB-S2 operating in ACM mode, satellite routers can
adapt their FEC coding rate and modulation type (QPSK or
8PSK) to maximize the downlink speeds for the current
operating environment.
The DVB modulators are commercial off the shelf (COTS)
products.
Outroute redundancy
Timing subsystem
Timing generator
Timing unit
For the redundant configuration, outroute redundancy is
implemented to switch the SATGW/DVB modulator chain. The
functionality of monitoring the outroute and commanding a
switchover is implemented by the quality monitor PC (QMPC)
software component.
The timing subsystem provides the master timing for the entire
system. It also maintains the timing synchronization between the
NOC and the satellite routers. This subsystem consists of the
timing generator, the timing unit and the closed loop timing
(CLT) feature.
The timing generator provides the reference clock frequencies to
several NOC components, including both outroute modulators,
the timing unit, the optional automatic cross-polarization (ACP)
spectrum analyzers, and the DNCCs. It also generates a
superframe pulse for the DNCCs, the RCDs (older systems), the
timing unit, and the radio frequency terminal (RFT).
The timing unit provides return channel timing support for a
specific outroute. The timing unit consists of a pair of timing
satellite routers, one of which is configured as a superframe
numbering packet (SFNP) transmitter. The timing unit also
provides timing information for the optional ACP subsystem.
18
Chapter 2 • Subsystems
1037852-0001 Revision A
A timing unit measures the difference in time between the L-band
looped back signal and the signal looped back from the satellite
and provides TDMA timing information to the satellite return
channel terminals and the DNCCs within the downlink
subsystems accessible from terminals receiving this outroute.
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