ACTE Technical Training Student Guide Level 1 Document Version 4.1

2012

ACTE Training Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. Introducing In-Line Platforms

3. Introducing NetXplorer

4. Monitoring and Reporting

5. Condition Catalogs

6. Action Catalogs

7. Building the Enforcement Policy

8. Events and Alarms

9. Steering and Mirroring

10.Basic System Troubleshooting

Module 1

Introduction

ACTE Technical Training

Introduction 1-2

In this introductory module, we will begin with an overview of DART - the technology that lies at the core of Allot’s solutions. We will then discuss

the needs of different types of customers and will review the different use

cases Allot has to offer. We end this introductory module by introducing some key terms together with Allot’s NetXplorer solution architecture.

Allot Communications is a leading provider of intelligent IP service

optimization and revenue generation solutions for fixed and mobile service

providers and high-end enterprises.

Without Allot’s intelligent solutions, networks are typically uncontrolled and

effectively invisible. Allot provides visibility into these networks at an

application, subscriber, and device level, and then acts on this visibility to

deliver quality of experience (QoE), contain costs and maximize revenue

as well as enabling operators to personalize their service offering.

ACTE Technical Training

Introduction 1-3

ACTE Technical Training

Introduction 1-4

Allot’s rich portfolio of solutions transforms broadband pipes into smart

networks that can rapidly and efficiently deploy value added Internet

services for both the network and the subscriber.

Allot's scalable, carrier-grade solutions provide the visibility, network

topology awareness, security, application control and subscriber

management that are vital to managing Internet service delivery,

enhancing user experience, containing operating costs, and maximizing

revenue in broadband networks.

In this particular example, intelligent “application-aware” pipes enable a

service provider to offer different grades of services. Alternatively,

“subscriber-aware” pipes enable the service provider to personalize its

offering.

There are many other ways to use Allot’s smart pipes to optimize network

bandwidth, generate revenues and personalize services, as we will see in

next few slides.

ACTE Technical Training

Introduction 1-5

At the core of Allot’s expertise is a technology called Dynamic Actionable Recognition Technology (DART). DART integrates Allot’s vast expertise

in IP traffic identification and policy enforcement into a highly effective

technology toolkit for managing bandwidth consumption and service

performance in mobile and fixed broadband networks.

Dynamic refers to the ability of the system to constantly learn the network

behavior, based on both behavioral and statistical techniques.

Recognition refers to Allot’s Deep Packet Inspection capabilities which

provide enhanced network awareness at different levels: application,

subscriber, device and topology.

Actionable refers to the different types of action one can choose to apply

to a traffic flow once it has been recognized. These actions will most

typically be to assign Quality of Service (QoS) or to steer traffic to a

network or subscriber service.

ACTE Technical Training

Introduction 1-6

DART employs multiple inspection and analytical methods to identify

specific applications. From straightforward Layer-7 monitoring of individual

traffic flows, to complex analysis of application behavior, this synergy of

inspection methods greatly improves recognition capabilities and reduces

unidentified traffic even at maximum speeds and peak loads. Through

proactive learning, DART is able to adapt to changing tactics as

applications attempt to evade detection through encryption or by altering

their connection behavior or flow patterns. Frequent and ongoing updates

to Allot’s extensive signature library are designed to keep pace with

developments and advances in Internet applications.

Let’s consider the positioning of Allot devices among other categories of

devices in the industry. Switches and routers are essentially situated at L2

and L3. Typically, they look at the source and destination address of a

packet, plus other easily-accessible information such as the ToS field.

Such equipment answers the question “where do I send this packet?”.

However, if we sit at L4 and even higher at L7, as Allot’s DART driven

devices do, we first address the question “what is actually being sent

here?” And given the complexity of current P2P applications, and all the

tricky mechanisms they use to hide themselves, the real question that Allot

addresses is “am I really sure this traffic is what it appears to be? And if

not, what is it in reality?”. The purpose and the technical challenge of a

DART engine is to answer this question with the highest possible

accuracy.

ACTE Technical Training

Introduction 1-7

DART offers network providers the following solutions:

Reporting & Analytics: Accurate and meaningful network business

intelligence for key decision-makers. Allot distills the real-time monitoring

data into a full complement of performance and activity metrics that allow

you to understand network usage and subscriber behavior at very granular

levels and to correlate that information with data from other network

systems. E.g: Operators can now make informed decisions to roll out new

service plans based on concrete data about subscriber usage patterns

Traffic Management: Operators can regulate bandwidth consumption and

service delivery based on network conditions, subscriber profiles and

desired outcomes. Armed with the data retrieves from reports, operators

can pinpoint areas of capacity cost control and can implement dynamic

Quality of Service (QoS) policies.

Policy Control & Charging: Enable you to embrace more personalized

service plans and charging models as you anticipate and satisfy the

requirements of your increasingly sophisticated subscribers.

Service Enablement: Operators can leverage Allot’s solutions to deploy

value-added services that go above and beyond high-speed connections

to the Internet. For example, they may wish to direct relevant subscriber-

application traffic to media caching, video optimization and other services

(“subscriber services”) or to improve the overall efficiency of the network,

cut costs and reduce threats (“network services”). Services may be hosted

within the platform or deployed externally.

ACTE Technical Training

Introduction 1-8

Lets see now a selection of real network use cases that leverage the power and

innovation of Allot’s technology and products:

Cut Costs by deploying Network Services:

• Fair Use Management: ensures fair & consistent QoE for all subscribers.

• Video Caching & Optimization: steer video traffic to a caching / optimization

device to reduce bandwidth costs at the peering point

• DDoS Mitigation & Blacklist Avoidance: protection against attacks on network

elements and outgoing attacks launched from within the network which without

proper mitigation can lead to subscriber domains being blacklisted.

Generate Revenues by deploying Subscriber Services:

• Service Tiering: tailor different service plans for subscriber groups

• Bill Shock Prevention: notify subscribers of data session costs in real time

• Happy Hour: reduce network congestion and improve overall QoE by

encouraging usage and applying different QoS at different time of day

• Volume Charging (Quota): offer a choice of different priced quota packages,

and meter the bandwidth consumed by each subscriber

• Application-Based Charging: classification of traffic on the basis of application

type to allow personalized and tailored packages

• Turbo Boost: allow subscribers to temporarily boost service plans

Each use case can be implemented to cut cost as well as generate revenues. For

example: Happy hour can reduce traffic load during peak hours, as well as

generate revenues from customers subscribing to the happy hour package. The

operator can choose how exactly they want to implement each use case.