SEL-2740S

Traffic-Engineer Each Communications Flow—Take control of how the network performs by configuring physical and logical circuits, or flows, for each application. Network administration focuses on the application requirements instead of network limitations. Traffic engineering enables the system owner to decide how packets are forwarded by the deny-by-default architecture, regardless of the Ethernet type. This enables the system owner to have control of every Ethernet frame allowed on the network and how it is transported.

Ensure Critical Applications Operate and Perform to Specification—Predetermine how the network will respond to failure states by proactively configuring primary and failover communications flows for each application. With network convergence times less than 100 μs, failover times are two orders of magnitude less than those achieved with traditional networking technology.

Maximize Utilization of Switch Resources and Bandwidth—With no blocking ports, all links are useable for communications flows. Balance flow transports by maximizing the use of every port and link on the system. Control traffic congestion by logically and physically isolating the high-priority communications flows from lower-priority flows. Use meters for rate-limiting applications.

Simplify Network Design With Topology-Independent Traffic Engineering—Design topologies and communications flows based on the application requirements instead of optimizing for dynamic control plane administrative protocols, such as the Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP). Simply configure the communications attributes of a specific protocol session and the forwarding path instead of requiring MAC addresses and virtual local-area networks (VLANs) within the constraints of RSTP. This eliminates the additional network-required tags or labels and simplifies operations. With the removal of RSTP, the network bandwidth is free for operational data and the removal of RSTP topology design restrictions. Traffic engineering identifies the key attributes that make a unique communications flow, configures the specific circuit that flow should be forwarded through, and assigns any change action set along the way.

Centrally Manage and Monitor Networks in Near Real Time—Enhance system awareness using centralized network monitoring, and extend network visibility to the substation. The SEL-5056 Flow Controller provides comprehensive monitoring of all path- and packet-level network statistics of each communications flow, giving increased awareness of network health and status.

Programmatically Test and Validate Your Network—Reduce deployment timelines and eliminate errors by using the SEL-5056 Flow Controller to programmatically test the network implementation and validate all configurations and contingencies prior to commissioning.

Manage Network Scalability and Change Management—Use the SEL-5056 Flow Controller to manage all network changes without affecting existing services and applications. All network additions and changes can be configured centrally and pushed out to configure the network of SEL-2740S Switches.

Easily Integrate Edge Facilities Into a Dynamic IT Network Infrastructure—Seamlessly integrate with corporate IT infrastructure systems via support of the OpenFlow 1.3 standard. Maintain existing SDN flow controller network management models, and deploy the SEL-2740S in field sites and substations. The SEL-2740S easily integrates with existing SDN infrastructure through its standards-based interoperability.

Create Stronger Network Security—Control exactly what is allowed on your network with the deny-by-default architecture of the SEL-2740S. The flow table configuration allows matching rules on fields in Layer 1 through Layer 4 of the packet. This gives the system owner control of what is allowed on the network at every layer of the network. Only configured flows are forwarded. These rules can be preconfigured or dynamically set from the SEL-5056 Flow Controller.