IFSEC Presentations Revisited: A practical guide to installing IP Systems and Understanding the Jargon, by Peter Mason

“You may have noticed I have taken off my jacket,” said speaker Peter Mason as he started his seminar in the Tavcom Theatre on installing IP systems.  “It’s because people don’t trust a suit when dealing with practical stuff.”

And so set the humorous tone of this lively session on how to install an IP system and bust the jargon in doing so. Mason, Tavcom’s lead IP tutor, explained there was nothing new about IP systems, which have been around almost 40 years.

The first one was “stumbled” across by an academic in Stanford in 1977 and the protocol has not changed much since. “If it ain’t broke, then why fix it?” mused the speaker, explaining it was an effective protocol which had stood the test of time.

Back to basics

Mason said it was important to go “back to basics” and start with the operation requirements needed for a system. For example, what did you want the Video Surveillance System (VSS) to do in terms of location and the number of cameras involved?

One of the most important decisions to take is calculatinf the required bandwidth to make an IP system work effectively. Bandwidth and speed were closely related to each other because the higher the speed, the better resolution and quality of image that the cameras could produce.

This could be vital, for example, if the images were to be used in a criminal court to secure the conviction of an offender.

“How much bandwidth you are going to need for the whole system will be dependent on how many cameras will be streaming at one time and whether there are motion detection cameras or security system products,” explained Mason.

In terms of cabling, he said you could use an Ethernet or Fast Ethernet Network but may need to use optical fibre for longer distances or if faster speed was required.

Brave new world of VLANs

Another common problem, explained Mason, was that cameras could hoover up all the bandwidth on a system when taking images. This often resulted in colleagues in other departments becoming disgruntled because they could not then log onto their computer or access email.

The speaker suggested the best way around the problem was too set up virtual local network areas (VLANs), which meant each department was self-contained and would not impinge on the operating systems of other departments.

“You need to buy a VLAN switch to do this,” he said, “but the magic of the software is that it can be plugged into any port.”

VLANs could also be set up to work with specific subnetworks in an organization to ensure maximum security within a CCTV or VSS system. Port forwarding meant you could check the images from a camera even if on holiday on a yacht in the Caribbean.

Testing one, two, three…

Mason highlighted that testing was a vital part of any IP system to ensure it was working effectively at all times. He said there were several simple tools and utilities which could be used to test a network.

However key questions to consider were:

• What do I want to test (e.g. one of the cameras)?
• Can I get a reply from it and how long does it take?
• Where are the greatest delays in the system coming from?

There are a number of programmes which could be downloaded for free (such as a basic ICMP), which could tell you how well the system was working and give a better idea of any latency in the system. It is also possible to go onto a tracing route to ascertain where the delay was occurring.

Another useful programme was Sniffer, which can monitor and analyse network traffic, detecting bottlenecks and other problems. Using this information, a network manager can keep traffic flowing efficiently.

Education, education, education

“You have designed, built it and tested it has worked. However if you think education is expensive, try ignorance,” said Mason in concluding his talk.

He said delegates needed to think carefully about what they did and did not know. This was partly so they did not appear gullible, in terms of a company suggesting equipment or software they did not need.

However mostly importantly, it was to work out where there were gaps in their knowledge and training needed to ensure that their IP system ran as effectively as possible.

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