6K switches network substations in Andes mountains
ANDESwireless’ challenge was to create a substation-hardened network that offered redundancy in the event of a fault. The overall networking area consisted of fourteen substations spread throughout EBSA. As shown in the diagram below, most of the substations were many kilometres apart--with the greatest networking distance between any two substations at 92.5 kilometres. Additionally, the fourteen substations were subject to harsh electrical, thermal, and environmental conditions.
ANDESwireless implemented a network with 14 substations linked together with fibre and wireless media. The switches chosen were GarrettCom 6K32TRC Managed Switches. The 6K32TRC Switches were networked in a ring topology that inter-connected the substations. Using industry standard RSTP (Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol) and IEEE 802.1d, the switches can quickly restore connectivity in the event of a network fault by changing one of the ring control ports from a blocking port to a forwarding port, and restoring full connectivity.
Download application note:Â 6K switches network substations in Andes mountains [PDF]
