Prima Stratum

Prima Stratum A stand-alone, GPS Disciplined Oscillator based TDM/Ethernet timing source. The EngagePrimaStratum provides Stratum 1 level timing signals for the interfacing of TDM and IP based circuits. A stand-alone, GPS Disciplined Oscillator based TDM/Ethernet timing source. The EngagePrimaStratum provides Stratum 1 level timing signals for the interfacing of TDM and IP based circuits. 

Enable One to Four T1/E1 timing interfaces with Stratum 1 Timing Signals.

The PrimaStratum receives GPS satellite timing signals to control an onboard oscillator providing from one to four T1 or E1 Stratum 1 reference clocks. The PrimaStratum utilizes a mixed-signal phase lock loop GPS driven frequency module to generate extremely accurate 1.544MHz/T1 and/or 2.048MHz/ E1 references clocks that are frequency locked to the Global Stratum 1 source. The Stratum 1 clock is the basis for all telecom voice and data interfaces, required to assure proper synchronization of signals and call quality. The PrimaStratum incorporates this timing signal as a source for timing multiple telecom digital interfaces (T1/E1). These interfaces can be used to synchronize even remote telco equipment to a reliable, standard timing signal.

An Ethernet Switch Option provides transparent LAN bridging, user data bandwidth and access control through rate limiting and port-based VLAN filtering and tagging. This added functionality permits the PrimaStratum to be especially useful for installations requiring the multiplexing of legacy cellular services, such as 2G, with newer 3G and 4G circuits.

The PrimaStratum guarantees TDM timing signal availability as a basis for all voice and data circuits no matter how remote or isolated the location of the interface equipment. Applications include cellular backhaul, remote data/voice extension, Last Mile data services in rural and remote areas, upgrade of existing TDM carrier circuits to combined IP and TDM backhaul interfaces.

The Engage Prima Stratum provides superior timing synchronization for the most isolated and remote locations. The system is a cost-effective, small footprint unit, easily rack or shelf-mountable. The unit provides up to four T1/E1 interfaces and communication ports for remote management, alarm monitoring and configuration. The four interfaces can be used a Stratum 1 clock references or can support up to two interfaces for injection mode re-timing. Management of the unit can be via Ethernet (SNMP) or console interface. The Prima Stratum has a built-in antenna interface that permits extension of the appropriate GPS antenna.

The Prima Stratum Injection mode timing adds Stratum 1 clocking to individual circuits as they are passed through the unit. Two T1, two E1 or one T1 and one E1 circuit can be connected to the Prima Stratum. The unit than re-times these circuits to the GPS based Stratum 1 timing oscillator within the Prima Stratum. The out circuits can be used to provide timing for carrier service equipment at the remote location or Base Station.

Engage’s Secure Socket Shell, which is based upon industry proven Open SSH and FIPS 140 approved Open SSL version 2.0, provides secure encrypted communications between SSH clients such as OpenSSH, SecureCRT, and PuTTY and the IPTube’s Command Line Interface.

The Prima Stratum is able to be fully managed with SNMP via standard and private MIBs. Large scale deployments of Engage Communication products with centralized management have made SNMP support a priority. The Prima Stratum is easily controlled and monitored when installed within a larger network of SNMP managed products. SNMP Traps for error events enable proactive service fault isolation.

The Prima Stratum is available with a five port 10/100 Ethernet QoS switch integrating a high-performance switching fabric with four priority queues. The switching capability is useful when combining legacy mobile services with newer IP based services for backhaul and service consolidation. The GPS timing interface serves dual purposes, Stratum 1 clock and service multiplexer.

Advanced features include 802.1p/IPv4/IPv6 traffic classification, full IEEE 802.1Q VLAN, RMON, SNMP, Port Monitoring and Layer 2 firewall. QoS determined by destination MAC address, port ID, IEEE 802.1p and multimedia traffic tags, IPv4 Type of Service (TOS), and Differentiated Services (DiffServ).

The PrimaStratum GPS Timing Source is designed for Pay-As-You-Go growth from one through four T1/E1s per unit. Customers can elect to economize initial network installations, by purchasing their PrimaStratum with a single active port. As the network grows enable additional ports via a software-based license key. Additionally any port on the PrimaStratum can be configured as T1 or E1, so a unit supports a mixed combination of ports. This permits even T1 standard sites to utilize the extra bandwidth of E1 circuits as interfaces when needed for additional back-haul throughput.