MetroWAND is a PC-based network planning tool developed for metropolitan network:

	planners that want to evaluate the trade-off between traditional and emerging technologies with a mix of services
	equipment vendors who want to demonstrate the validity of a customer proposal
	equipment vendors who want to determine the trade-off between equipment capability and network cost.
	service providers that want to evaluate network configuration and demand provisioning.

MetroWAND's capabilities enable network planners, equipment vendors, and service providers to efficiently determine the impact of new technology on network economics. For example, MetroWAND can help you determine if implementing MSPP (Multi-Service Provisioning Platform) technology in place of your existing legacy equipment is cost-effective; or, MetroWAND can determine if it is cost-effective to implement WDM technology into an existing SONET network. If either scenario proves true, MetroWAND can optimally configure fiber usage, equipment usage and placement, demand routing, and ring and point-to-point system placement in the network to incorporate the MSPP or WDM technology with many vendor products.

MetroWAND is a vendor-neutral strategic network-planning tool that simulates and analyzes SONET/SDH and DWDM systems in metropolitan environments. MetroWAND's flexible equipment, cost, and demand models are designed to locate cost-effective DWDM and SONET/SDH rings in the network backbone using either legacy or MSPP equipment. The software is ideally suited for designing metropolitan environments because it places the fewest possible number of ADMs in the network, which is the greatest expense of any metropolitan network. MetroWAND also places amplifiers and regenerators only where needed and according to metropolitan network standards.

Using MetroWAND 2.1, you can design and analyze dozens of network scenarios in the same amount of time it now takes you to design and analyze a single scenario.

MetroWAND 3.0

We've all heard telecommunications experts list the advantages of mesh topologies: better capacity efficiency due to shared protection costs and more efficient signal restoration around failed nodes and links. Mesh topologies are proven in long-haul networks; but, does it make sense to implement mesh in your metropolitan network? Now you can find out using the soon-to-be-available MetroWAND 3.0.

MetroWAND can help determine if mesh is right for you by building a cost-optimized network factoring in protected, unprotected, and preemptible equipment and demands, as well as various restoration schemes. MetroWAND can even build a mesh network on top of your existing ring network. Using MetroWAND, you can quickly run through failure scenarios for each node or link in the network. You can also determine how restoration percentages and demand protection types affect network cost.

MetroWAND 3.0 will support the following features:

	Support of multiple service and equipment types: 1+1 protected, 1:1 protected, unprotected, and preemptible.
	Node- and link-disjoint routing
	Link, path, and expanding loop restoration (prevents backhaul)
	Single and multiple failure scenarios
	Variable levels of restoration guarantee
	Consideration of embedded ring network.

Brochure       MSPP and Mesh Brochure

Easy-to-Use Interface

MetroWAND's easy-to-use interface enables you to quickly create a network model, enter data, select options, run a study, and view results. After you run a study, the interface provides visual representation of rings, ADM nodes, demand routing, clusters, and homing, as well as access to a rich set of reports that enable you to slice the data and analyze options, especially for node equipment and link costs.

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Advanced Features

MetroWAND utilizes the following advanced features to determine a cost-effective network solution:

Flexible Demand and Equipment Rates - Considers ANY transport rate - SONET, SDH, Gigabit Ethernet - including uncommon rates. This is ideal for equipment vendors offering a multi-service provisioning platform (MSPP) in which network systems route SONET over DWDM, IP over SONET over DWDM, or IP over DWDM.
Consideration of Embedded, Planned, and Potential Rings - Embedded rings with spare capacity are loaded at no cost, and user-specified embedded, planned, and potential rings are considered before MetroWAND creates new systems.
Fast Optimization of Large Networks - Considers hundreds of nodes in a short period of time. The fast run-time enables you to quickly run multiple "what-if" scenarios.
Flexible Specification of Rings - Rings may be bidirectional or unidirectional.
Topology Optimization - Minimizes network cost by optimizing fiber, structure, cable, amplifier, and regenerator usage.
Consideration of Multi-Service Provisioning Platform (MSPP) - WAND considers MSPP equipment when constructing a network in addition to conventional legacy SONET/SDH and DWDM multiplexers. MSPP frames provide a common connection point for multiple ring systems converging on the same node to perform the following: add/drop demands, interconnect rings, transport pass-through demands, and enable entry/exit of local demands. MSPP frames support multiple ADMs (in the form of cards) inserted directly into a shelf and contain internal digital cross-connect capability. With such diverse functionality in one frame, one can expect savings in equipment powering, equipment space, and overall network cost when implementing MSPP technology. WAND's role is to determine the near-optimal configuration of MSPP frames at nodes regarding ADM selection and proper sizing of the digital cross-connect.
Advanced Options - Provides user-selectable options that control MSPP usage, DCS Hub location, clustering, ring interconnection (single port or dual interconnection with drop-and-continue), and split routing of signals in rings.

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Reporting

Detailed Output Reports - MetroWAND provides over a dozen detailed reports that break down network costs, equipment usage, demand routing, and ring and point-to-point systems. This information is organized by system, demand, link, and node. The reports are available in plain text or in .csv format. The .csv format enables reports to be imported into Microsoft® Excel or any other software for more suitable viewing, as well as to make use of spreadsheet and charting capabilities.

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MetroWAND™ is trade mark of RSoft Design Group, Inc.