TA 3

DATA NETWORKS OF IR

इरिसेट IRISET
 TA 3

DATA NETWORKS OF IR

The Material Presented in this IRISET Notes is for

guidance only. It does not over rule or alter any of the
Provisions contained in Manuals or Railway Board’s
directives

INDIAN RAILWAY INSTITUTE OF

SIGNAL ENGINEERING & TELECOMMUNICATION,
SECUNDERABAD - 500007

July 2022
 TA 3

DATA NETWORKS OF IR
INDEX
S.No. Chapter Page no.
1 RAILNET
1.0. Introduction 1
1.1. Overview
1.2. Objectives
1.3. Implementation
1.4. Railnet General Arrangement
1.5. Railnet LAN Architecture
1.6 Railnet Security
1.7. IP Scheme
1.8. Email Addressing
1.9. Applications of Railnet
1.10. TPaaS
2 FOIS 11
2.0. Introduction
2.1. System Components
2.2. System Design
2.3. Performance
2.4. Advantages
2.5. FOIS milestones
2.6. FOIS Architecture
2.7. Network Topology
2.8. Additional Information on Application working on FOIS Network
3 PRS 18
3.0. Introduction
3.1. CONCERT
3.2. Terminal Arrangement
4 UTS 21
4.0. Objective
4.1. Advantages
4.2. UTS Infrastructure
4.3. UTS on Mobile
5 Unified Ticketing Network 24
5.0. Object
5.1. Network Architecture & guidelines
5.2. Design of network
5.3. Equipment used in UTS & PRS
6 Data loggers 32
6.0. Introduction
6.1. Data Logger Communication
6.2. Data Logger in Railway Network
6.3. COA
 7 Wi-Fi at Railway Stations 38
7.0. Introduction
7.1. Wi-Fi deployment using G-PON at class B, C, D and E stations
7.2. Schematic diagram of Class B and Class C stations
7.3. Schematic diagram of Class D and Class E stations
7.4. Network Architecture
7.5. General Equipment Requirements
7.6. Network Requirements of AAA
8 VSAT Applications 46
8.0. Introduction
8.1. VSAT Network Components
8.2. FOIS Connectivity through VSAT
8.3 Accident Site Communication System through VSAT
8.4 Accident Site Communication Equipments
9 Maintenance & Trouble shooting Procedures 55
9.1. Fault Diagnosis
9.2. Troubleshooting
9.3. Network Diagnostic Tools
10 Annexures (VOIP, Data warehouse) 64

11 Question Bank 66

12 Abbreviations/Acronyms 71

13 References 74

14 Glossary

Prepared by : K. Mohana Krishna, INW1

Reviewed by : D. Janardhana, Lecturer- IT
Final Reviewed by : R Dinesh, Professor-Tele
Approved by : Susheel Namdeo, Sr.Professor-Tele
DTP and Drawings : K.Srinivas, JE (D)
Version No. : 2.0 July 2022
No. of Pages :
No. of Sheets :

© IRISET
―This is the intellectual property for exclusive use of Indian Railways. No part of this publication
may be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted or reproduced in any way, including but not
limited to photo copy, photograph, magnetic, optical or other record without the prior agreement
and written permission of IRISET, Secunderabad, India‖

http://www.iriset.indianrailways.gov.in
 CHAPTER-1

RAILNET
1.0 INTRODUCTION:

Indian Railways is using an Enterprise Wide Area Network called Railnet as an MPLS based
VPN on RCIL‘s core MPLS network. This network provides network connectivity between
Railway Board and Zonal Railways, Production Units, Centralized Training Institutes, RDSO,
CORE, RAILNET network is a platform providing various services i.e. Internet, VoIP, Mail, Web
etc. to Indian Railway offices. Railnet is also being used for providing internet bandwidth to
Railways from Railnet gateways at Delhi, Mumbai & Secunderabad with backup gateway at
Kolkata. Railways entire trunk network is presently working on RCIL‘s NGN network.

1.1 RAILNET AN OVERVIEW

RAILNET is the name of the Corporate Wide Information System (CWIS) of Indian Railways. It
is aimed to provide computer connectivity between Railway Board, Zonal Railways, Production
units, RDSO, Centralized Training Institutes, CORE, and MTP / Kolkata etc.

1.2 OBJECTIVES

Railways intend to upgrade its entire Railnet infrastructure to high capacity network with
following objective:

 Eliminate the need to move paper documents between different units and Change from
―Periodic Reporting‖ to ―Information on Demand‖.
 RAILNET will expedite and facilitate quick and efficient automatic status update between
Railway Board and Zonal Railway, as well as between divisions and Zonal Railway.
 Internet gateways have been established at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata
 The network will be used for voice traffic of Indian Railways as well.
 Network shall be very reliable, robust and should provide very high up time.
 A lot of enterprise applications are being implemented on Indian Railways and this network
will be used to deliver these applications to the user.
 The network should be future ready.

1.3 IMPLEMENTATION

Routing Architecture and Railnet Core VPN setup New-Railnet will be extended to all stations of
Indian Railways in due course. Hence, the routing architecture for the same shall be scalable as
well as flexible enough to allow efficient routing and route control. It is hence suggested that
each of the zonal railways shall have its own routing Autonomous System (AS). Each AS should
use OSPF as its internal routing protocol and should use MGT as the main route exchange
protocol.

A layer-3 MPLS-VPN called Railnet-core shall be made on RCIL 's MPLS network that should
connect to all the different zonal AS. Each zonal AS should connect to Railnet -core at a
minimum of two locations using different label edge router (LER) of RCIL. This will enhance the
reliability of the network. EBGP should be used to exchange routes between the Railnet -core
and Zonal AS.
1.4 RAILNET GENERAL ARRANGEMENT:

Fig 1.1 Railnet setup at Zonal level and PUs

Fig 1.2 Railnet setup at Divisions

The typical layout of network arrangements is as shown in Fig. 1.1 & 1.2. It is designed such a
way that the path redundancy is inbuilt in the RAILNET connectivity viz., use of two sets of
L3/GBIC switches and two independent routers. Each zone and division is connected to an
MPLS router of RCIL with appropriate bandwidth ranging from 20Mbps to 300Mbps. Zonal
Railways can increase/decrease this bandwidth based on the demand themselves.

Railway Board, RDSO and NAIR/BRC should constitute independent AS and shall get
connected to the Railnet core directly. The other CTIs and PUs should be in t he AS of their
zonal railways and shall route data through the zonal EBGP speaking router. The Railnet-core
should use IPv6. IPv4 data should be tunneled through the IPv6 Railnet -core using standard
protocols. The zonal AS shall use IPv4 as of now but should support the full IPv6 stack so that
migration to IPv6 can be done easily in due course. The scheme is depicted above.

Fig. 1.3 RAILNET setup under Zonal HQ

To cater to likely heavy Internet and VPN (Data and Voice) traffic of Railnet, RCIL plans to
create Core VPN spread across pan India Locations by providing Carrier grade Routers in RCIL
POPs. Internet bandwidth for Railnet users on subject broadband network will be supplied by
RCIL and distributed to various Railnet on proposed Core VPN Network.

1.5 RAILNET LAN Architecture

Fig. 1.4 Railnet LAN Architecture

i. The Railnet LAN Architecture shall be as shown in the fig 1.4. This should be followed at
Railway Board, RDSO, zonal HQ, divisional HQ and other units.
ii. The core switch should be a Layer 3 switch and the distribution/access switches shall b e
Layer 2. The L2 switches should be with PoE support to power the IP phones & security
cameras.
iii. Layer 2 switches should be used in the LAN for the purpose of interconnecting user nodes.
These switches should support the following minimum features
a. VLANs
b. RSTP and MSTP
c. DHCP relay
d. DHCP snooping and trusted DHCP server support.
e. MAC address authentication through a radius server.
f. Non-blocking Gigabit PoE access ports
iv. The connectivity of Layer 2 switch and the Layer 3 switch shall be on OFC. This shall be 1G
or 10G multiple links with path protection.
v. The distribution switch should have Gigabit access Copper ports. For connectivity to the
Layer 3 switch, SFP based optical ports shall be supported.
vi. The connectivity between the user (clients) and the distribution/access switch shall be
through Cat-6 UTP cable/OFC.
vii. The connectivity to the user nodes shall be upgraded to 1Gbps.
viii. VLANs shall be used to limit the Ethernet broadcast domain in such a way that one VLAN
should normally not have more than 70-100 computers. For simplicity, one VLAN should
normally not cover more than one switch stack. One may configure multiple VLANs in one
switch stack.
ix. RSTP/MSTP may be configured in the switches with the Layer 3 core switch as the root
bridge.
x. Switches must be configured to recognize a trusted DHCP server and should not allow
access to rough DHCP servers that may get enabled in the network.
xi. Use of a DHCP server should be mandatory for a network node. Any node that does not
obtain its IP address from the DHCP server should not be allowed network access. One
way to achieve this may be to disable ARP based MAC learning and use DHCP snooping
for building MAC address tables in the switch.
xii. DHCP server shall be provided in redundancy. Two DHCP servers shall be provided in the
network. Both these DHCP servers shall provide IP addresses from disjoint sets so as to
avoid IP clash.
xiii. All the local servers providing network services like DNS etc. shall be connected to the
Layer 3 switch in a different VLAN either directly or through a distribution/access switch. In
this case, manual configuration of IP addresses can be done.
xiv. When there are more than one Layer 2 switch at one location, they must be stacked.
Stacking is better than connecting the switches using 1/10G port as it provides better speed
and better forwarding rates.
xv. Layer 3 switches shall be used as the gateway for the nodes in each of the VLAN. Load
balancing should be configured in such a way that one Layer 3 switch is the gateway for
half the total VLAN and the other Layer 3 switch is the gateway for the balance VLANs. This
will ensure that both the switches are in service and are handing half of the traffic of the
LAN.
xvi. VRRP (Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol) should be configured between the switches for
the gateway IP for each VLAN. Thus, when one switch goes down the other takes over the
role of traffic forwarding/routing. With this arrangement manual load balancing is achieved.
xvii. The L3 switches shall be connected to the routers/switches on the WAN side and route the
traffic out of the network towards MPLS network of RCIL.
1.6 RAILNET Security
Up gradation of Railnet and Security System at zonal headquarters and SIP gateway setup

At the zonal Railways and PUs the Railnet setup shall be as shown in fig 1.1 and 1.2.
Firewall: - All zonal railways should be provided with new routers supporting IPv6 and BGP so
that these can get connected to the Railnet core network as outlined above.

New-Railnet shall have two firewalls with Router in fully redundant mode (hot standby) in zonal
Railways. Three firewall zones shall be implemented namely — internal, external and DMZ.
Default policies on the firewall shall ensure no access to the machines in the internal zone
unless the session has been initiated by the machine in the internal zone. All the servers that
may require access from external zone (even for maintenance and support) should be placed in
the DMZ of the firewall.

The firewalls shall also do the traffic shaping and prioritization of the traffic. This will allow voice
and video traffic to be given higher priority as compared to other data for both incoming &
outgoing traffic. In addition to this firewall system should also support following capabilities
 State full Firewall
 Web Filtering.
 DHCP server & DHCP Relay Agent
 support RIP, OSPF and BGP
Railnet Gateway's DDoS Protection solution protects the fundamental elements of an
application (network, DNS, SSL, and HTTP) against distributed denial-of-service attacks.
Leveraging the intrinsic security capabilities of intelligent traffic management and application
delivery, Railnet Gateway protects and ensures availability of an organization's network and
application infrastructure under the most demanding conditions.

1.7 IP SCHEME
RAILNET uses the TCP/IP protocols because of the proven strength of these protocols;
RAILNET can be easily scaled for Internet as well. There will be no compatibility problem in
scaling and the technology will be able to scale well for a large network. RAILNET has used the
private IPv4 address of 10.x.0.0/16. The IP addressing scheme is uniform and consistent as
shown in table 1.1. As uniform measure all the web servers are given with an IP 10.x.2.19 and
Router with an IP 10.x.2.1

RB 10.1.0.0 SWR 10.205.0.0

CR 10.31.0.0 WR 10.3.0.0
ER 10.4.0.0 WCR 10.150.0.0
ECR 10.170.0.0 METRO 10.160.0.0
ECOR 10.180.0.0 WAP 10.52.0.0
NR 10.2.0.0 ICF 10.53.0.0
NCR 10.102.0.0 DCW 10.11.0.0
NER 10.24.0.0 RDSO 10.100.0.0
NFR 10.42.0.0 CORE 10.101.0.0
NWR 10.141.0.0 NAIR 10.140.0.0
SR 10.5.0.0 IRICEN 10.152.0.0
SCR 10.51.0.0 IRIEEN 10.151.0.0
SER 10.41.0.0 IRIMEE 10.161.0.0
SECR 10.206.0.0 IRISET 10.195.0.0
Table 1.1 IP scheme of Railnet
1.8 EMAIL ADDRESSING
The entire RAILNET is under a single domain railnet.gov.in.The generic email address of
RAILNET users will be user (official designation) @railway (code).railnet.gov.in

Example
● Chairman, Railway Board crb@rb.railnet
● Director General, IRISET directorgeneral@iriset.railnet.gov.in
● Director, IRISET director@iriset.railnet.gov.in
● CSTE, South Central Railway cste@scr.railnet.gov.in

1.9 APPLICATIONS of Railnet

● RAILNET users can exchange emails on the Internet. Commercial Dept. is extensively
using RAILNET for their ―Complaint Center.‖
● Railways have launched their web pages and they keep up to date information in these web
pages.
● A RAILNET authorized user can browse the Internet through RAILNET.
● A RAILNET user can share resources with a co-user on RAILNET.
● Somany applications are developed on windows, android & iOS platforms are using Railnet
in the background.

1.10. Video Conferencing in Indian Railway using Tele-presence as a Service (TPaaS):

RailTel has partnered with Cisco to provide this unique Enterprise class full High Definition (HD)
& secure multi-point managed video conferencing service. The new Tele presence Service
which is an enterprise class Full High Definition (HD) & secure multi-point managed video
conferencing service that enables organizations to communicate/ collaborate with different user
groups internally and externally and allows to enhance employee productivity and cut travel
expenditure more effectively without the need of a face to face meeting .
The high quality visual experience end-to-end service is made available on customer‘s premises
by RailTel with installation of required camera, codec and network connectivity. The central
infrastructure including multi-point bridge, streaming, recording facility and 24x7 help desk
facility is maintained at its secure Tier-III Data Centre at Hyderabad. High availability of central
infrastructure is ensured with DR site working in active load balancing mode at Gurgaon.

1.10.1 Features

 Extensively used for remote inauguration of Railway facilities.

 TPass is a High Definition Video conferencing facility.
 Extended through MPLS network with high capacity (min4Mb).
 Deployed for CBEC, CPSUs, Courts, Railways, etc.
 Tele-presence as a service enables video conferencing without any capex from the user &
it is the end to end responsibility by RailTel.
 Fig.1.5 TPaaS connectivity using MPLS Cloud

1.10.2 Basic components required for Video conferencing

 Camera  Microphone
 Codec  Speaker
 Display
Camera Video conferencing needs more than just the usual USB camera commonly used in
web conferencing systems; it need high-definition primary conferencing cameras with advanced
features such as (a) remote control pan and (b) zoom and tilt features. High-definition (HD)
cameras are preferred, as they offer the highest resolutions and the largest images.

Codec Codec provide the primary processing power for the videoconferencing and therefore
often called the ―heart and the brain‖ of the video conferencing system. The CODEC (also called
the coder-decoder) takes the audio and video from the microphone and the camera and then
compresses it, transmits it via an IP network, and decompresses (expands) the incoming audio
and video signal or viewing on the video display device as shown in fig 1.6.

Display Depending on the room size and viewing requirements, users may choose from a
variety of displays including monitors, plasma screens, and proje ctors. The most common
displays are (a) LCD or HD Plasma Display, and (b) LCD/DLP Projector / XGA PC Type
Display.

Microphone There are many microphone options available including tabletop, ceiling, and
wireless. Most codecs are provided with a single tabletop microphone, which typically picks up
4-6 people around a medium-sized table. Microphones are available in uni, or multidirectional
formats.

Speaker Most monitors or plasmas are equipped with speakers that are sufficient for
videoconferencing. For larger or more complex requirements, additional speakers should be
considered for adequate audio output.

Other than these, two software components are also required for Video conferencing:
 o A software program that bridges both parties together across a digital connection managing
the exchange of voice and video between participants. At either end of the connection, the
video and voice traffic is combined and delivered to each participant in the form of a real -
time video image and audio stream.
o An optional management tool for the scheduling of video conferencing sessions.

1.10.3 Types of Video conferencing

Video-enabled meetings happen in two distinct ways: either point-to-point or with multipoint.

Point-to-point video conferencing In point-to-point, the simplest scenario is where one person
or group is connected to another. The physical components (i.e. microphone and camera) that
enable the meeting to take place are often integrated in to desktop computing solutions like a
laptop or tablet, or can be combined into dedicated, room-based hardware solutions.

Multi-point video conferencing In multi-point video calls, three or more locations are
connected together, where all participants can see and hear each other, as well as see any
content being shared during the meeting.

1.10.4 Video conferencing components

 SX20 Codec
 Camera options
A: PrecisionHD 1080p 12X
B: Precision 40
 Table Microphone 20 (1 default and 1 optional)
 User interface:
- TRC6 remote control with two AAA batteries, or
- Touch 10 controller
 HDMI cable for monitor (1 default)
 Camera cable
 Ethernet cable for LAN
 Presentation cable:
- VGA to DVI-A cable, or
- HDMI to DVI-D cable
 Power supply and power cable
 Codec wall mounting kit (optional)
 Camera mounting bracket (optional)
 Microphone extension cable (optional)
 Monitor or projector
 Speaker system
 Fig 1.6 Rear View of SX20 codec

1. If connecting an external loudspeaker, please take care to use an active speaker (built -in
amplifier). Use an ungrounded (floating) speaker to avoid ground loop noise.
2. Connect one or two microphones to your codec. Recommend Cisco Table Microphone 20 or
Cisco TelePresence Ceiling Microphone to be used.
3. Connect the codec to LAN/Ethernet.
4. Connect your primary display to the blue colored HDMI socket.
With the dual display option, connect the second display to the other HDMI output.
5. Connect your camera (option A or B, or a third-party camera) to the codec.
6. Connect a PC (video and audio) to be able to share presentations (locally, or with remote
participants).
7. Always use the provided power supply.

Fig. 1.7. Cisco SX20 Codec Connectivity diagram with peripherals

1.10.5 Advantages of Tele Presence over normal video conferencing:

 Very low latency

 Crisp video and audio quality
 Directional sound
 People appear life size
 Allows for direct eye contact
 Supports multiple platforms ( PC, Mobile Phones and Tablets)
FOIS

CHAPTER-2

FREIGHT OPERATIONS INFORMATION SYSTEM (FOIS)

2.0 INTRODUCTION
The Indian Railways carries nearly 1079 million tonnes of freight in a year. This translates to
about 5000 freight trains daily. Freight trains bring two thirds of the Indian Railway revenues and
are referred to as the bread earners for the Railways. The major commodities carried by Indian
Railways are Coal, Iron Ore, Food grains, Iron & Steel, Cement, Petroleum products, Fertilizer
and Containerized Traffic. There are specialized wagons to handle the transportation needs of
the different types of commodities. Unlike passenger carrying trains, freight trains do not run to
a fixed schedule and thus making freight operations a highly information intensive activity.
Based on this information managers make allocation decisions continually to dyna mically
optimize utilization of resources like wagons, locomotives, crew and paths on the network. Real
time information allows good decision making and thus ensures high levels of mobility within the
system. The Freight Operations Information System (FOIS) was the first project which CRIS
embarked upon. In fact the creation of CRIS is a by product of this effort in the mid eighties.
FOIS began as an application to track and monitor the movement of wagons, locomotives and
unit trains. Now it is a complete management module for freight trains handling the billing and
revenue collections as well. It has played a major role in the improved wagon pr oductivity on
Indian Railways and the objective is to use the information to further improve productivity,
customer service and thus meet the needs of a rapidly growing economy.

Indian Railways have decided not only to perform the traditional tasks of car rying passengers
and goods efficiently, but also to change the mindset of working in a closed system. There has
been a longstanding demand of the industry for transparency in sharing of information to give
the customers an up to date businesslike environment.

Continuous cargo visibility has always been viewed as the most critical component of any
physical distribution system. FOIS enables freight customers to have instant access to
information regarding the current status of their consignments in transit, for just in time
inventory. It is a system for management and control of freight movement that also assists
managers to optimize asset utilization.

Section wise speed performance of freight trains across the network which is updated on real
time basis. This is done by making use of real time sectional running data captured through
Control Office Application and comparing it with the historical freight running data to work out
the level of performance in the section on real time basis.

2.1 SYSTEM COMPONENTS

FOIS comprises the Rake Management System (RMS) for handling the operating portion and
Terminal Management System (TMS) pertaining to the commercial transactions. TMS has been
installed at more than 300 locations and with the availability of infrastructure will cover all major
handling points. As of June 2005, about 1500 reporting devices have been commissioned at
more than 500 locations of Indian Railways. Railway owned digital microwave communication
facilities complemented by channels hired from the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd., (BSNL) have
been used to establish the network. The network is continuously being expanded to meet the
growing demand.
FOIS

2.2 SYSTEM DESIGN

FOIS has been designed to give strategic advantages to both Indian Railways and its
customers. The implementation of the system is envisaged to eventually achieve the following:

i. Extension of the current business practice of bulk movement in train, load formation to
piecemeal traffic to increase the market share by clubbing and moving together simi lar type
of stock of "Hub & Spoke" arrangement.
ii. Global tracking of consignments in real time, whether in rakes or in individual wagons. The
insight and pipeline of consignments would be seamlessly available for timely planning and
just in time inventory management.
iii. Facilitate acceptance of customer's orders, billing and cash accountal from identified nodal
customer centers which, may not necessarily be the handling terminals. These facilities
could even get extended to customer's premises and along with introduction of e -commerce
benefit both by reducing the burden of logistics management.

2.3 SYSTEM PERFORMANCE

The system as implemented up to now performs the following functions:

i. Monitoring of all freight trains indicating their position in computerized territory and their
expected time of arrival at destination.
ii. Commodity wise flow of freight trains for customers like Power Houses, Refineries,
Fertilizers and Cement Plants, Steel Depots and Public Freight Terminals enabling the
recipients of consignments to have an accurate forecast of cargo arrivals giving them
adequate time to complete preparatory arrangement to handle the cargo.
iii. Out bound loaded rakes from the computerized territory are also monitored in the same
manner
iv. Full particulars of detachments from block rakes are recorded and updated eliminating
chances of wagons getting unconnected or missing.
v. Details of rakes/Wagons in various yards, their phase-wise detention in different terminals,
eliminating the need for costly manual documentation and tedious retrieval systems and
inaccuracies.
vi. Managerial reports regarding availability of rolling stock, i.e. wagons a nd locomotives at any
instant of time to plan for their most efficient utilization.

2.4 ADVANTAGES OF FOIS

With the use of the system there has been a visible reduction in the anxiety levels mental stress
and confusion amongst railway customers and its operating staff. The voluminous and repetitive
exchange of data on telephones round the clock has now been reduced and is gradually being
replaced by minimum data input. The improved work environment has significantly simplified
planning and execution of assigned tasks. The system information is being used to club less
than train load consignments from different loading stations. The words of appreciation from
bulk customers who are being advised through e-mail the status of their consignments, is a
clear indication that the anticipated benefits from FOIS have already begun to accrue to the
customers. Interactive web based solutions to give customized reports to Railway Board, Zonal
Railways and Divisions.
FOIS provides tremendous opportunities to both the Railways and their customers, to improve
existing business practices and consequently reduce the operating costs while enhancing the
quality of service. A full-fledged Domestic Terminal Management System for CONCOR is
already in place.
FOIS

E-PAYMENT OF FREIGHT
A pilot project has been implemented for electronic payment of freight for coal booked for
Badarpur Power House from collieries on ECR. Originating point intimates electronically the
freight charges to the bank (SBI). After receipt of "Successful Transaction" message (electronic
confirmation from the bank, confirming the debit from BTPS account) RR is printed at the
originating point. It is a synchronous transaction and reply is received within 150 seconds.

2.5 FOIS MILESTONES:

Fig:2.1 FOIS Milestones

FOIS Map View- GIS Interface

FOIS Map View- Indian Railways is a complex rail network spread across the country with
phenomenal growth in volumes of traffic as well as continuous augmentation of infrastructure
and network. It becomes imperative to leverage the enhanced analytical tools availabl e with us
for improved operations, monitoring of freight trains and optimization of rolling stock. FOIS has
hither to been helping its stake holders monitor the freight business through MIS database
represented in forms of data tables.

FOIS Map View - A GIS based monitoring and management tool has been designed and
developed in CRIS which provides layered views of freight trains on Indian Railways network
which can help plan the traffic flows and optimize freight operations. The FOIS Map View has
been designed to cater to Divisional, Zonal and Board levels of management for improved
freight operations. It provides Geo-Spatial view of freight train performances, some of which are:
 Position of all freight trains on IR Network.
 Movement of freight trains from one zone/division to another zone/division across IR.
 Position of Rakes on the network detailing commodity wise loading.
 Position of all freight stock on IR - both loaded and empty on the network.
FOIS

 Monitor Inward/ Expected traffic flow at Interchange points along with real time
monitoring of forecast for day against actual interchange.
 Indicates Rakes detaining beyond permissible free time on the network .

2.6 FOIS SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE

Fig. 2.2 FOIS System architecture

Key components of the system architecture as shown in fig 2.2

i. Intelligent terminals will be placed at the field locations to capture the data from the place of
activity namely control offices, yards, goods sheds, C & W depo t, Loco sheds etc., and
connected to the identified Application Server through reliable communication links for
transaction processing.
ii. Application servers are centrally placed at CRIS office. These servers are connected to the
Zonal Hd. Qrs., Divisional Control Offices, yards, interchange points, and good sheds etc.,
with a reliable and integrated network. The servers are networked amongst themselves
and to the central server for global level transactions.
iii. The Central Server provides management Reports at board level and acts as repository of
all the global data and also provides global services to maintain referential integrity of the
databases including master files.

2.7 NETWORK TOPOLOGY

In view of the Centralized application architecture, a star-based network topology has been
designed as shown in Fig. 2.3. However, in order to provide alternate paths (to meet the up
time requirement of 99.9%) from reporting locations, a mesh has been created within each zone
so that every location has at least two paths to reach CRIS. Each zonal HQ has been connected
to central location (CRIS) on high bandwidth pipes. In addition to this, another zonal location
has been connected to CRIS using high capacity link. Hence these two high bandwidth links
shall cater to the entire transaction load generated by a zone.
Railway telecommunication network, leased lines, DOT, VSAT Technology as communication
media has been provided for reliable and fast means of data transfer.
V-SAT communication is provided to establish connectivity to the locations where other means
of communication like Railway‘s own communication links/BSNL channels are not feasible .
FOIS

Back bone connectivity

Back bone connectivity of FOIS in initial phase is as shown in the Fig. 2.4 subsequently after
formation of new zones; the proposed backbone connectivity network.

Fig. 2.3 FOIS network topology

Fig. 2.4 Backbone connectivity of FOIS network with 64Kbps links (Initial phase)
FOIS

2.8 Additional Information on applications working on FOIS Network

2.8.1 INTEGRATED COACH MANAGEMENT SYSTEM: Millions of passengers book their

journeys everyday with the confidence that when their train rolls up on the appointed day, it
would bring a coach which has place for them. To meet this expectation day in day out, Indian
Railways need to track over 50 thousand coaches. By efficiently deploying the fleet, railways are
able to run more services for the benefit of their passengers, while minimizing any chances of
disruption and disappointment. IR also must ensure that these assets receive timely servicing
and maintenance. Depending upon the need, the system can deliver historical records from past
years in printed reports, or up-to-the-minute information on an official‘s cell phone. The
Integrated Coach Management System does exactly all this and more. There are three modules
that give a comprehensive view to the managers and facilitate quick identification of available
resources and their allocation as per the requirements.

FEATURES: The COIS (Coaching Operations Information System) module of this application
provides detailed, real-time information for planning, executing and Monitoring the operations of
passenger services. Since the system is aware of the plans, it requires minimal data input. Even
this input is easy because the users can literally drag and drop coaches in a virtual
representation of their yards. Another module, called the CMM or Coach Maintenance
Management module, has been developed to facilitate and record maintenance of coaches and
the management of spare parts inventory. It is fully integrated with the operations modules for
generating alerts, interchange of information, 108 request for placement of rolling stock for
repairs, delivery and acknowledgement of certification of coaches for service, etc. The
Punctuality Analysis & Monitoring (PAM) module of ICMS automatically picks up the delays from
the Control Office Application (COA) and produces real-time insight into the state of the
operations. The system provides consistent and accurate reports for all level of management,
from the operative to the strategic. Since ICMS already has most of the related information, it is
the natural place to also monitor and analyse the punctual running of trains.

2.8.2 SOFTWARE AIDED TRAIN SCHEDULING

Many people find it extremely fascinating to pore over the Railway time table , especially while
undertaking a train journey. The route that the train traverses through, the stations en route both
significant and lesser known ones, the timings and the stoppages - all these are part of the
romance of train journeys. The time table is something like the compass was for the early
traveller or the star studded night sky for the seafarer. Creating a time table for trains on a busy
network like the Indian Railways is an extremely challenging task. Planners on the Zonal
Railways work independently and then collaboratively with other Zonal level planners to design
the All India time table. The two main objectives are that it should be convenient to the
passenger and feasible to run on the system. Introducing new train services and augmenting
older ones is an art and a select group of planners are highly skilled in this task. Indian Railways
decided to provide software tools to aid the planning process. The Software Aided Train
Scheduling and Network Governance (SATSaNG) project is entrusted with the task of building
such a tool. The entire resource allocation process will now be aided by the tool leading to more
efficient allocations and robust time tables.
FOIS

FEATURES: Fixed Infrastructure Resources Module (FIRM) The Infrastructure Module will have
information on the fixed infrastructure and definitions required for assignment of train services.
All information on tracks and signaling will be used to determine the appropriate definitions for
conflict free assignment of fixed infrastructure resources. The user interface will include a view
of the IR network map. Rolling Assets Module (RoAM) The rolling assets resources module will
handle all the mobile resources, the rakes, the locomotive and the running staff. The rules for
utilizing these resources will be handled within this module. Scheduling Module fo r Allocation of
Resources to Trains (SMART) The Scheduling M o d u l e is at the heart of the Time Tabling
software. This is the module where all the assignment of resources will be done. The resources
will be assigned to train services in a manner that there is no conflicting demand on the same
resource and the entire allocation is consistent across all the resources. Publish Report and
Exchange Supporting System (PRESS). The publishing module will contain all the output f rom
the scheduling module and publish it to the other applications like COA, ICMS, PRS, NTES, and
CMS. This module will also be used to publish hard copies of the time table in the format
specified by the user.

CHAPTER-3

PASSENGER RESERVATION SYSTEM (PRS)

Passenger Reserv ation System

3.0 Introduction

Indian Railways is the world‘s second-largest railway, with 6,853 stations, 63,028 kilometers of
track, 37,840 passenger coaches and 2, 22,147 freight cars. Annually it carries some 4.83
billion passengers and 492 million tons of freight.

Of the 11 million passengers who climb aboard one of 8,520 trains each day, about 5,50,000
have reserved accommodations. Their journeys can start in any part of India and e nd in any
other part, with travel times as long as 48 hours and distances up to several thousand
kilometers. The challenge is to provide a reservation system that can support such a huge scale
of operations regardless of whether it‘s measured by kilometers, passenger numbers, routing
complexity, or simply the sheer scale of India.

PRS started in 1985 as a pilot project in New Delhi. The avowed objective was to provide
reserved accommodation on any train from any counter, preparation of train charts and
accountable of the money collected. When initial pilot project was implemented at Delhi, the
software (referred to as version I) had a number of limitations. These were mainly removed in
next version i.e. version II implemented in 1987.With the addition of new locations and many
redefinitions needed the new version III evolved in 1990.Even the version III of the earlier
software called IMPRESS fell far short of the growing expectations of the travelling public and
the need was felt to have a software which has the capabilities of providing the Networking of
the five independent PRS nodes namely Secunderabad, Delhi, Calcutta, Mumbai and Chennai.
On 18th April 1999, with the networking of Chennai PRS, all the five PRS namely
Secunderabad, New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai were finally networked together.

3.1 CONCERT

COUNTRY-WIDE NETWORK FOR COMPUTERIZED ENHANCED RESERVATION AND

TICKETING (CONCERT) developed by CRIS, Chanakya Puri, New Delhi, is a total networking
solution to Indian Railways Passenger Reservation System It has complex business logic
catering to more than 15 type of trains, 10 journey class, 165 coach types, 40 types of quotas,
250 type of concession and other features such as circular journey ticket, multi-leg allocation of
a berth, up gradation to higher class, alternate train accommodation, Party booking for 99
passengers, and, more recently, dynamic pricing. It has more than 300 forms and 2.5 million
lines of code. It still continues to be an Open VMS-based system but with an upgraded n-tier 3
tier architecture with RTR (Reliable Transaction Router) as middleware, which runs on HP
Itanium servers now. It has distributed database architecture with data residing at 4 data centers
at New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai with recovery centre at Secunderabad. The
database is a customized implementation of hierarchical database with necessary functions of
locking, indexing, partitioning and logging; transactional integrity is handled by the application to
achieve millisecond response time at very low cost. The data centers are connected using full
mesh network with links from two different service providers for complete redundancy . The
terminal network, spread across the country, has an ―Inverted Tree‖ topology with partial mesh
distribution.

In the two decades since CRIS has been running the Railway ticketing system, the system has
expanded to more than 3,400 point of presence all over the country and is now able to
successfully deliver more than 8,000 enquiries and 550 bookings per second. The system is
created in such a way, not only for accountability, but also for the scalability , availability, ease of
maintenance and up gradation of IT in Railways over the years; today, with the new API-based
Passenger Reserv ation System

architecture, the new system is able to serve millions of customers every hour through the Web,
via mobile App and other multiple business and customers.

On evolutionary timeline, PRS was just an ‗inquiry website‘ in 2000. Subsequently, in 2002,
IRCTC (Commercial company of Indian Railways) through outsourcing, intro duced the facility of
booking I-tickets, and also made available E-ticketing for the very first time in 2005
(www.irctc.co.in). By year 2012, the e-ticketing system was not able to scale and meet the user
expectations.

In the year 2014, CRIS not only upgraded the entire e-ticketing system, but also made it
scalable so that the system can handle many more users and can facilitate instant transactions
than ever before; this allowed hundreds of thousands of people to depend on t he Indian
Railways in their daily lives. As a result, the upgraded system (Next Generation E-ticketing
System – NGeT) was highly scalable for the future and has catered to more than 16,000 tickets
per minute and 4,90,000 concurrent users.

NGeT is an open standards-based system and uses advance technologies such as In-Memory
Data Grid (IMDG) for high performance. The local area network is 10G (non-blocking). The
entire set of ICT equipment is deployed in ―High Availability‖ mode to preclude single point of
failure. It has multi-layered network security with Front-end & Back-end Firewalls, Intrusion
Prevention system (IPS) and Web Application Firewall (WAF).

Other features of NGeT are as below.

 Database deployed to achieve high availability & high performance.
 Optimized integration with the back-end PRS system.
 Introduced parallelism for communication between NGET and PRS system creating
multiple application channels.
 Multiplex related enquiries into single transaction to decrease roundtrip communications
between the two systems.
 NgeT today is an extremely user-friendly system and provides multiple payment options
to the users such as Net Banking, Rupay, Credit card, Debit card, and Cash cards,
Wallets, Scan-n-Pay, QR Code and UPI/BHIM.

3.2 Typical arrangement of Terminals

PRS Terminals are dumb terminals or thin clients. The connectivity to the server is on Ethernet
to Terminal servers. Terminal server is a network terminal switch for Ethernet Local Area
Networks, providing a convenient method to logically connect up to eight or sixteen DIGITAL
asynchronous terminals to one or more service nodes (hosts) on an Ethernet. The client
terminals connectivity to PRS Center is illustrated in Fig 3.1
Passenger Reserv ation System

Fig. 3.1 Typical arrangement of PRS terminals

Case 1: Client Terminals are derived from the output of Terminal servers and can operate up to
a distance of 50 feet.
Case 2: If the Distance is greater than 50 feet line drivers are used to extend the connectivity up
to 3 Kms.
Case 3: For extending multiple number of client terminals, the asynchronous output of Terminal
server are multiplexed through STATMUX. The composite output signal is driven through leased
lines for remote locations

Case 4: For Extending multiple number of Composite output of Stat Muxes to a major location
or a hub location, the composite output derived are compressed using Data compression
Multiplexer (DCM) (up to 8 composite inputs) and driven through leased lines. DCMs are
provided with a Primary compressed output to transfer over high speed data links (2Mbps) and
a redundant secondary port to drive over low speed network (64Kbps) during primary path
failure.
Unreserv ed Ticketing System (UTS)

CHAPTER-4

UNRESERVED TICKETING SYSTEM (UTS)

4.0 OBJECTIVE

More than 1.2 crore Rail passengers travel in unreserved coaches every day and thus form the
bulk of rail users. For this category of passengers Railways have introduced the facility of
Computerized Unreserved Ticketing System was initially provided at 10 stations of Delhi area in
the first stage as a pilot project on 15 August 2002. Another 13 stations of Delhi area were
provided with UTS counters in the second stage on 2nd Oct, 2002. It has since been extended
in an integrated manner to more than 180 stations all over the country. UTS system has been
planned to take over the Printed Card Tickets or tickets issued by self Printing Ticket Machines
gradually.

UTS will provide the facility to purchase Unreserved Ticket 3 days in advance of the date of
journey. A passenger can buy a ticket for any destination from the UTS counter for all such
destinations which are served by that station. The cancellation of tickets has also been
simplified. Passengers can cancel their tickets one day in advance of the journey from any
station provided with a UTS counter. On the day of journey, the ticket can be cancelled from
station from which the journey was to commence.

4.1 ADVANTAGES OF UNRESERVED TICKETING SYSTEM

● Reduced queue length

● Enable advance planning of unreserved journey also
● Reduced crowds at booking offices and stations, making ticket purchase more comfortable
● Allow Indian Railways to plan extra trains and coaches as per trend of sales registered in
the system.
● Unreserved itinerary planning possible, tickets available from any station to any station.
● Unreserved ticketing constitutes major component of the overall ticketing in Indian
Railways. It contributes a large amount of earning for Indian Railways.

4.2 UTS NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE

UTS is the complete solution to provide computerized unreserved tickets to railway passengers
from dedicated counter terminals, hand held terminals, smart card, automatic vending machines
etc. The backend architecture is 3 tiered. The 4th tier will consist of ticketing terminals (dumb,
Win terms), ATM m/c, Hand held terminals.

UTS Application is dividing into two parts front-end and back-end. Front-end is developed using
C++ on UNIX platform and the backend is Sybase, which is used to store information generated
at, front-end and supply input value. Application is dividing into modules like ticketing
subsystem, fare and UDM & TDM.

4.2.1 Communication Interfaces

Connectivity between Station servers and Zonal servers as well as between Zonal server and
Central server is over WAN. Terminal connectivity is over LAN. TCP/IP is used as network
protocol. Preferably, RAILTel is going to provide Bandwidth. The Station server is connected to
Zonal server by 64 kbps line. For Inter Zone connectivity existing PRS channels would be used.
Unreserv ed Ticketing System (UTS)

An enterprise class NMS solution has been implemented for monitoring/management of entire
ICT infrastructure of Indian Railways installed in Unified Ticketing Network (UTN), FOIS
Network, all regional PRS/UTS DCs, Railway Internet Datacenter (RIDC) and Next Generation
e-Ticketing System (NGeT) DC. This system is being utilized to monitor /manage about 25,000
nodes (Network equipment, perimeter security equipment, thin clients etc). In addition, about
500 servers/OS (CRIS DC, NGeT DC and all PRS/UTS DCs) instances have also been
configured to be monitored through this system. The entire central HW & SW infrastructure of
NMS has been deployed at CRIS DC. NMS consoles have been provided at zonal/divisional
headquarters for monitoring of respective UTN & FOIS network. Main features of this solution
are as follows:
1. Network fault management provides real-time status of the network through topology views
configured for all zonal / divisional railways.
2. Application/Service availability being dependent on multiple ICT components, capability to
monitor these components and co-relation enables monitoring at the end user service level.
Business Service Dashboards (BSDs) for all critical Railway applications/services are available
in this solution.
3. Historical availability/load report, Centralized network configuration management and Traffic
Analysis are also available through this solution.

Fig 4.1 NMS for UTS

4.3. UTS on Mobile App:

In order to promote paperless economy as a part of Digital India programme, Indian Railways
has launched its new UTS on mobile application. This official android & iOS mobile ticketing app
enables booking unreserved paperless journey ticket, issue/renew season ticket and platform
ticket. The app has introduced two modes of booking mobile tickets-Paper Ticket and Paperless
Ticket.

Website: https://www.utsonmobile.indianrail.gov.in/RDS/
Unreserv ed Ticketing System (UTS)

Fig 4.2 NMS of Unified Ticketing Network

The UTS (unreserved ticketing system) app of Indian Railways for mobile ticketing, which is
gradually becoming popular among frequent railway passengers for ticket booking contributes
1% to the total suburban tickets booked. The pace at which mobile applications are gaining
worldwide popularity, most of us are getting more and more dependent on our smart phones
and computers for most of our regular activities like shopping, ticket booking as well as
socializing. The passenger has to be within 2 km from the railway station. The nearest railway
station will be tracked by the GPS, mapping the passenger‘s position . However, the tickets can‘t
be booked inside the railway station as the app could be misused . For mobile ticketing, the user
has to first register him / her. Once the registration is complete, the user can book a railway
ticket from the UTS app provided they are in proximity to the railway station.
 Unified Ticketing Netw ork

CHAPTER-5

UNIFIED TICKETING NETWORK

5.0 Object

The object of Unified Ticketing Network is designed in such a way so that the PRS application &
UTS application can be benefited from each other in terms of reliability and recurring cost
optimization through efficient uses of network resources.

Single terminal runs PRS as well as UTS applications as TWO separate sessions. Hot keys for
switching sessions and Separate Ticket Printers for PRS & UTS connected to the parallel (LPT)
and serial (RS-232) port respectively or both the printers can be connected through APS
(Automatic Printer Switch).

5.1 Network architecture & Guidelines

i. It‘s a 4 tier architecture (refer Fig. 5.2a and 5.2b)
● Tier-1 is the zonal server
● Tier-2 is the divisional hub centers
● Tier-3 is Locations
● Tier-4 is the Terminals

5.1 Different areas in network.

ii. Each individual zone will form as a single autonomous system (AS) of O SPF ROUTING
DOMAIN
iii. OSPF AREA 0 shall be limited with in Central data center and the Routers in Area 0 act as
AREA BORDER ROUTER (ABR) for all the remaining AREAs. As shown in Fig 5.1
iv. The remaining network is divided into different AREAs i.e. Division wise.
v. The number of locations that can be configured in an AREA depends on many factors such
as media stability and processing capabilities of Router etc. On the basis of past experience
it shall not exceed 70 locations per AREA. Hence each division depending on number of
locations can be divided into more AREAs.
vi. Each OSPF area shall have at least two tier -2 locations, so that there are adequate
uplinks available to upper tier location. It is however desirable to have more than two tier-2
locations in one area provided the number of tier-2 locations in an Area is confined to 4-5%
of the total location within the Area.
 Unified Ticketing Netw ork

vii. No communication channel shall traverse two different OSPF Areas to ensure accept able
Route convergence time i.e. time required to utilize the alternate path in the event of
primary path failure and scalability in Network.
viii. The stations below tier-1 location shall be networked by using mix of ‗inverted tree‘ and
‗partial mesh‘ topology.
ix. Each location shall be provided with a minimum of one alternate path to reach central data
center location.
x. To the extent possible, the two links providing the primary and the secondary path for a
given location build using channels provided by different service providers (service provider
diversity).
xi. Maximum number of hops between booking location and central location for primary and
alternate (secondary) path shall be limited to 4 and 5 respectively such that, not to exceed
the comfortable level of ‗Round Trip Time‗ (RTT) between client terminal and Server (130-
150m.secs) for smooth operations.
xii. The network shall utilize SDH based communications channels only to take the
advantage of inherent feature of SDH networks ring protection of SDH links. While
configuring communication channel ring protection is available at the physical/media level in
the service providers network shall be kept in view.
xiii. In the network below the Tier-1 level, communication channels be built using 2Mbps
preferably on Railway owned OFC networks. However, channels hired from BSNL or other
service providers may be of 64Kbps.

Hierarchical Topology / Formation of Areas Leads to many advantages:

 Routing Updates are confined within the same Area

 Optimized Link State Database (LSDB)
 Lower Convergence Time
 Route Summarization
 Higher Scalability

5.2 Design of Network:

(Unified PRS and UTS networks connectivity diagram )

Fig. 5.2a Core Layer network architecture and OSPF routing domain
Unified Ticketing Netw ork

Fig. 5.2b Topology of Network below Tier-2 level

5.2.2 Typical example of PRS & UTS unification Implementation of phase-4 for tier 2 & tier 3
locations of PRS & UTS unification setup at Secunderabad Division SC Railway is shown in fig
5.3

Fig 5.3 PRS & UTS unification network (phase IV) at Secunderabad division of S C Railway
Unified Ticketing Netw ork

5.3 EQUIPMENT USED IN UTS & PRS NETWORKS

5.3.1 Dumb Terminals
A dumb terminal is a monitor based input/output device that does no independent processing,
but relies on the computational resources of a computer to which it is connected over a
dedicated circuit (or) through a network. Essentially an input/output (I/O) device with no internal
processing power, a dumb terminal is a simple input/output device comprising a keyboard,
monitor, network interface and buffer memory that has only enough intelligence to respond to
simple control codes from a computer. This device comes with no hard drive and low powered
processors but can run applications on a central server as shown in fig 5.4. Normally such
terminals are associated with Main frame computers.

Merits:
• Works with CRIS UTS & PRS applications and has UNIX and Linux server‘s support.
• It is connected to serial port of Terminal server.
• For UTS ticketing no need of configuration by CRIS.

Demerit:
 DT will not work when link is down.

Fig 5.4 Dumb Terminal Fig: 5.5 Thin client

5.3.2 Thin Clients

A thin client (sometimes also called a lean or slim client) as shown in fig 5.5, is a computer or a
computer program which depends on some other computer (its server) to fulfill its traditional
computational roles. This stands in contrast to the traditional fat client, a computer designed to
take on these roles by it.

The most common type of modern thin client is a low-end computer terminal which concentrates
solely on providing a graphical user interface to the end-user. The remaining functionality, in
particular the operating system, is provided by the server.

Merits:

• Works with CRIS UTS & PRS applications and has UNIX and Linux servers support.
• It is connected to LAN port of Switch.
Unified Ticketing Netw ork

• TC will work for 72 hours even when link is down.

Demerits:

 Thin Client will not work when data goes out of sync.
 Needs reconfiguration if database goes corrupt.
 Required configuration by CRIS.
 Report cannot be obtained if thin client is out of sync.

The notion of a thin client extends directly to any client-server architecture: in which case, a thin
client application is simply one which relies on its server to process most or all of its business
logic.

Thin clients are made from low-cost hardware with few moving parts; they can operate in more
hostile environments than conventional computers. However, they inevitably need a network
connection to their server, which must be isolated from such hostile environments. Since thin
clients are cheap, they offer a low risk of theft in general, and are easy to replace when they are
stolen or broken.

On the other hand, to achieve this simplicity, thin clients are generally highly integrated systems.
This means that they may lag behind thick clients in terms of extensibility and accessibility.

5.3.3 Terminal Server

Terminal server is a hardware device or small server that provides terminals (DTs, TS kiosks,
Line chart printers, Fare display Boards, Electronic chart displays & other RS-232 devices) with
a common connection point to a local area network. Terminals connect to the terminal server
from their RS-232C serial port over a TCP/IP network. It connects to the TCP/IP n etwork via a
10/100 BASE-T compatible Ethernet port.

Fig. 5.6: Terminal Server – a typical application

The CYGNUS 1021 incorporates several useful features that simplify operator interaction.

FEATURES:

● Terminal server is a versatile and High performance system that provides asynchronous
RS232 Ports, One Console Port and One Ethernet Port or 8 Port In -built Ethernet switch.
The Terminal server enables the users to login remotely the system using the rlogin and
Telnet and TCP/IP Network.

SPECIFICATIONS:
● Number of Ports:16
● Compliance :RS232 Asynchronous
● Connector Type: RJ45 with the TXD, RXD, GND signals
● Terminal Port Speed : Speed Up to 115.2Kbps.
● Supports Multiple Sessions and Each Terminal Port will supports 8 sessions
Unified Ticketing Netw ork

● Allows the switching between Multiple sessions

5.3.4 Network Terminal Server (NeTS)

Fig.5.7: Network Terminal Server – a typical application

Network Terminal Server (NeTS) as shown in fig 5.7, is an ideal solution for connecting terminal
equipment such as dumb terminals, PCs, thin clients and serial printers at remote stations in the
Indian Railways‘ PRS and UTS applications to the central servers. It is a standard compliant,
cost-effective alternative to solutions which require a terminal server, LAN switch and router at
the remote site to achieve this purpose, and also has features which facilitate PRS-UTS
integration. Dumb terminals and serial printers can be connected to the product‘s Terminal
Ports. PCs and Thin Clients can be connected to its LAN port.

5.3.5. NETWORK MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (NMS)

How does NMS work:

NMS monitors the network using SNMP (simple network management protocol)

1. NMS polls n/w devices using SNMP to collect information about parameters like CPU
utilization, B/W utilization, Errors etc.
2. SNMP traps are sent to NMS by devices for events like Link up/down status, device cold
start, authentication failures, OSPF errors etc.

FEATURES:

• Fault management (Real time monitoring) along with root cause analysis.
• Real time performance Monitoring.
• Performance management (Historical reporting)
• Network Asset Inventory Information.
Unified Ticketing Netw ork

Fig 5.8 Dashboard of NMS

5.3.6 STATMUX (Statistical Multiplexer)

Statistical time division multiplexer (Stat mux), allows traffic from up to sixteen (16)
asynchronous RS232 compatible devices, and a telephone voice conversation, to be carried on
a single leased circuit between two locations. The typical application of the product is to extend
a cluster of terminals from a central mainframe/minicomputer to a remote location.

Traffic from data devices connected to the ―terminal ports‖ of the CYGNUS 517 is combined
using ―statistical‖ multiplexing, and sent onto the leased line through the unit‘s ―composite port‖.
Statistical multiplexing allocates the capacity of the leased line based on the need of each user.
This is an efficient method to share leased line capacity, especially in transaction processing
applications where a human operator at a terminal carries out transactions on a central
computer

The composite port of the CYGNUS 517 is meant to be connected to leased lines

5.3.7 LINE DRIVER

A Line driver is an amplifier used to improve the transmission reliability of a usually digital intra
facility metallic transmission line, over extended distances, by driving the input to the
transmission line with a higher than normal signal level.
Data Loggers

CHAPTER-6

DATA LOGGERS
6.0 INTRODUCTION:
A data logger (data recorder) is an electronic device that records data over time and data
logging is the measuring and recording of physical or electrical parameters o ver a period of
time.

Data loggers are used in a variety of applications such as in-vehicle data logging, environmental
monitoring, structural health monitoring, and machine condition monitoring. Common
measurements include temperature, strain, voltage, current, pressure, force, and acceleration.

The advantage of data loggers is that they can operate independently of a computer, unlike
many other types of data acquisition devices. Data loggers are available in various shapes and
sizes. The range includes simple economical single channel fixed function loggers to more
powerful programmable devices capable of handling hundreds of inputs.

6.1 Data Logger Communication:

There are totally 9 communication ports available for connecting different equipment to the data
logger.
• Single Data logger to a computer for running NMDL software for through a 9- pin male
d-connector (serial communication).
• The communication port 2 & 3 are used to connect networking the data logger switch each
other through a 25-pin female d-connector.
• The communication port 6, 7, 8 & 9 are used for 20ma current loop communication through
9-pinmale d-connectors.
• A printer can be connected to data logger through a 25-pin female d - connector to have a
hard copy of all the events occurred.
• Two sets of controls are provided for connecting tele controls to the data loggers with the
help of 25-pin female d –connectors.
• The data loggers are interlined with the help of modems through two 9 -pin male d-
connectors.

6.1.1 NMDL software To get on line information sent by individual data loggers placed at
different stations of the network and to effectively manage the communication between the
networked data loggers.

Purpose:
1. To receive data from Data Logger network.
2. To process the Data Logger wise data in sequence for
a. Real Time Mimic of Station Layout
b. Real Time Signaling System failure alarms
c. To avail Remote monitor & control of assets like Data Loggers
d. Relay Huts
e. Modems
f. To Log Data Logger wise data in Data Base.
g. To analyze the unusual occurrences, for appropriate decision making.
Data Loggers

Network Monitoring Features

A. Status display of Sub Systems and Failure Details.

1. Modem Link Status
2. Healthiness of data flow in each direction
3. Data Logger / Relay Hut status
4. FEP Status
5. CMU and Server status
6. LAN Status
B. Restoration of Network Failures from Central Location.
1. Modem Reset
2. Data Logger / RTU Time Setting
3. Getting old data from data logger to central location
4. Blocking of redundant data after restoration of data path after failure

6.2 DATA LOGGERS IN RAILWAY NETWORK

Data logger system is helpful in monitoring Railway Signal Control and interlocking relays in
order to verify their operation, diagnose faults and in maintenance . Data logger logs the change
of status of relays & voltages of analog channels connected to it and transmit event information
to the central place to generate various exceptions, reports and other information by application
software.

Data logger‗s are mandatory for all new relay interlocking (PI/RRI), EI installations and it is also
recommended to provide in all existing PIs/RRIs. Due to complexity of above interlocking
systems and wiring sometimes it is very difficult to rectify the failures. So data logger can
monitor these systems with real time clock. Thus, it can be named as black box of S& T
equipments and hence it is a vital tool for accident investigation. Data logger is used at
Stations/yards. Whereas in case of Auto Section & IBH Mini data loggers called as Remote
Terminal Unit (RTU), are used.

Fig 6.1 Typical network diagram of data loggers

6.2.1 GENERAL SETUP OF DATALOGGER SYSTEM IN RAILWAYS

● Data logger is placed in the relay room of a station. The relays reflect the status of all
assets present in the station yard. Data logger monitors the relay status and records the
change of the asset status.
● Each data logger has multiple sets of data output ports for communicating the recorded
information to the Central/ Local Fault Analyzing System (FAS).
Data Loggers

● Data loggers in each Station present in a division will be connected to Front End Processor
located in the Head Quarters through OFC and communicate the recorded information of
each station to Head Quarters in Common Protocol (approved by RDSO as per
IRS:S:99/2006).
● FEP communicates this recorded information of the Network to Central Monitoring Software
called NMDL (Network Management Data Logger) through data output port of FEP. The
software analyzes the information related to the assets operation for reporting the
occurrence of faults in their operation, simulation of online train movement in the stations
etc. Data backup can be done in both CMU and Server present in the Head Quarters for
further analysis.

Fig 6.2 Datalogger network of Secunderabad Division

Data Loggers

Fig 6.3 Connectivity of data loggers at secunderabad control office

(Note: Please refer signaling notes (S28) for further details on Data Loggers)

6.2.2 CONTROL OFFICE APPLICATION:

Train operations on the Indian Railways are controlled and monitored by the Control Rooms in
each of the 77 divisional offices. The Control Room is the nerve center of the division. The
fluidity of train movements over the jurisdiction of the division is dependent on the efficiency of
the Control Room operations. The Control office, by its very nature never shuts down and works
all hours of the day and every day of the week. The Control Office Application has changed the
way the trains are monitored as train movements are captured in real time and movement of
scheduled and unscheduled trains planned and controlled through the computer aided interface.
The Control Office Application is the latest addition to train operations related IT applications.
Along with Freight Operations Information System (FOIS), COA has led to all 107 information on
train operations being computer generated. It is this application that feeds the National Train
Enquiry System (NTES) that provides passengers up to date information on train running. The
objective of the Indian Railways is to further improve the operations by using technological aids
that enable quicker data capture and intelligent applications that provide better planning and
forecasting tools.
Data Loggers

Fig 6.4 Screen shot of Charting using COA

6.3 Integration of COA:

Integration with NTES Integration with ICMS Integration with FOIS Integration with
DataLogger
Nov 2009 Nov 2009 Aug 2010 Nov 2012

FEATURES: The application requires the controllers to enter data related to the train operations
a s they receive information from the control points or stations. The application charts the
running of the train in a section (a portion of the divisional network ) and also generates the
advance forecast based on various operational parameters. The train is then virtually handed
over to the adjacent division as per its physical movement to maintain continuous flow of
information. The key features of the application include the ability of the controller to order
trains, view all possible routes, divert or re-route trains, if required. The application has the
facility for capturing and viewing details of consist or composition of th e train, details of the crew
and locomotive. Reporting of unusual events is enabled through the user friendly interface .
There is also a chart that shows details of line occupancy, caution orders, and abnormal
working. One of the key elements of the application is the ability to forecast or extrapolate the
running of trains which allows the controller to plan better. For managerial supervision the charts
can be printed apart from the fact that structured MIS reports are also generated. COA has
been designed such as it can be integrated with any other application. The National Train
Enquiry System (NTES), the Punctuality Analysis Module (PAM), and Freight Operations
Information System are all integrated through an Enterprise Application Integration Software.

6.3.1 COA Connectivity with Data loggers:

Fig 6.5 Typical connectivity of COA with Datalogger Network

Data Loggers

Train tracking PC at interchange station

COA CRIS Client PC at control office
One client PC caters for all interchange stations of a division

6.3.2 Requirement of the hardware & software

1. One PC in each controller room
2. Upgradation of data logger network as recommended by RDSO – for better data availability
3. Auto charting software for every station

6.3.3 Benefits:

1. 24*7 system for train running operation.

2. Automated Chart plotting in all divisional control offices of Indian Railways.
3. Forecasting tool for Advanced planning.
4. Reporting of unusual and abnormal events.
5. MIS for management to take informed decisions.
6. Online Real-time Train running information to public through NTES.
7. Train running information to ICMS for punctuality.
8. Integration with Data-logger for automated Train Movement Capture.

6.3.4 Features:

Distributed three-tiered architecture on latest platform.

1. Ease of working with reduced shift handover time.
2. Integration with NTES, ICMS,FOIS and adjoining COA.
3. 24*7 hardware and software support.
4. Implemented and well accepted across 69 divisions.
Maintenance & Troubleshooting Procedures

CHAPTER-7

Wi-Fi at Railway Stations

7.0 Introduction:
Envisaged in 2015 Rail Budget, the project of providing free Wi-Fi Internet facility at stations is
one of the largest and fastest public Wi-Fi networks of the world and aims to convert the
Railway platform into a platform for digital inclusion. The main objective of this to provide free
Wi-Fi for the passengers at station for leveraging entertainments on their personal devices as
well as for Students, especially competitive examination aspirants from remote locations with
limited access to internet, use the station Wi-Fi facilities for their examination preparations.

The initial phase, the project aims to cover 100 Class-A stations. This project was launched in
association with Railtel Corporation for providing the infrastructure and Google for providing the
internet bandwidth.

The first railway station to get free Wi-Fi is Mumbai Central. It became operational in January
2016. Later the Wi-Fi was extended to all A, B, C, and D, E class station under CSR Fund
(Corporate Social Responsibility) and USOF (Universal Service Obligation Fund). By March
2022, around 6100 railway station are provided with Free Wi-Fi on Indian railways. At present
Tata Trust is funding for providing the Free Wi-Fi at stations and Railtel in the brand name of
RailWire is extending the services and building the infrastructure, under the mutual consent
MoU with Indian Railways.

How to access the Wi-Fi at Railway Station.

RailWire Wi-Fi at Railway stations is available to any user who has a Smartphone with working
mobile connection. To know who are accessing the Wi-Fi, KYC (Known your Customer) need to
be known as per DoT guidelines to ensure secure use of free Wi-Fi Internet services. For this
mobile number authentication is included.
 Visit Wi-Fi settings on your smart phone.
 Select the RailWire network.
 Open Browser on mobile.
 Log on to Railwire.co.in
 Enter your Mobile Phone number on the Wi-Fi Login Screen, and then press ―receive
SMS‖.
 You will receive a 4-digit one-time password (OTP) code in your Phone through SMS
 Enter the code at the Wi-Fi login screen and click done.
 You will notice checkmark on your screen, which means that you are connected to the
Free Wi-Fi Network.
The Wi-Fi is ‗free‘ for the first 30 min of usage every day at 1 mbps speed. For using the Wi -Fi
facility further at ‗higher‘ speed beyond 30 minutes, the user needs to choose a plan with higher
speed by paying a nominal fee.
The plans vary from Rs. 10/day (for 5 GB @ 34 MBPS) to Rs. 75/30 day (for 60 GB @ 34
MBPS) excluding GST. A number of payment options like net banking, wallet, and credit card
can be used to purchase plan online. However, access to railway related sites for information
like PNR and train enquiry will be free for the entire duration.
Maintenance & Troubleshooting Procedures

7.1 Wi-Fi deployment using GPON at Class B, C, D, E Railway Stations

Fig.7.1 Wi-Fi Deployment at Railway Stations

7.1.1 Access Network Infrastructure:

The network was built by installing Optical Line Terminating Equipment (OLTE) at all the B, C, D
and E Stations and use Optical Network Terminal (ONT) to deliver internet to Access Points
(AP) at each platform and from the Access point it reaches to the customer through Wi-Fi. Tejas
make OLT with appropriate redundancy cards to maintain an uptime of 99.95% was used. This
includes Optical Switches, Optical Splitters, ONTs, APs, Management systems and accessories
for each station.

7.1.2 Access Points (AP):

One Access Point shall be installed in each of the Class D and E Stations, at a location where
the public generally assemble. At B and C Stations, Two APs will be installed. Appropriate
cabling, connectors, conduits and the appropriate passive infrastructure for each station should
be completed without disturbing existing installations.
Maintenance & Troubleshooting Procedures

7.2 Schematic diagram Class B, C stations

Fig.7.2b: Schematic diagram Class B, C stations

Fig.7.2b: Field setup at Class B, C stations

To extend the connectivity from OLT through Optical Fibre Cable (OFC),to the ONTs at the
Platforms in B and C Category Stations. The length of the OFC Cable shall be 250 Meters for
ONT-1 and 450 Meters for ONT-2 as per the diagram given in Fig-7.2a, 7.2b. Therefore the
distance between two ONTS will be 200 Meters distance. However, this is based on the
assumption that the Indian Railways Telecommunication Room/OFC hut will be at the end of the
platform. If the room is in the middle of the platform, cable lengths will change accordingly.
Maintenance & Troubleshooting Procedures

7.3 Schematic diagram Class D and E stations

Fig.7.3a Schematic diagram Class D and E stations

Fig.7.3b field set up at Class D and E stations

To extend the connectivity from OLT through Optical Fibre Cable (OFC), to the ONTs at the
Platforms in D and E Category Stations. The length of the OFC Cable shall be shall be ~10
Meters as per the diagram given in Fig 7.3a, 7.3b. The distance between ONT to the Access
Point should limit to 100 meters and connectivity should be through CAT6 cable. The Access
Points are to be placed where Passengers are crowded.
Maintenance & Troubleshooting Procedures

7.4 Network Architecture

Fig.7.4 Connectivity at POP Station

Backbone Bandwidth:
RailTel MPLS are used for providing bandwidth at the proposed PoP (Point of Presence)

Protection Architecture:
Protection paths to provide redundancy in case of failures of fibre, equipment or port failures
were incorporated. The traffic shall be routed through a redundant path to the nearest PoP on
the other side of the network.

Number of PoPs:
RailTel provided two nos. of 1 Gbps Internet Uplink at selected PoPs. Depending on the
network architecture. As show in given fig 7.4

NON PoPs:
At places where Railtel OFC is not Available, as per railway board no.2020/tele Dev/Wi -Fi
facility at stns dated 03/04.09.2020. VPN Solution for internet connect ivity to extend Wi-Fi
services to be deployed. Based upon this SIMs should be procured in the name of Indian
railways and Tata Trusts should procure 4G/LTE Standard Dongle/System with Unlimited data
plan as Provided by the Communication Service provider for a duration of 12 months or till the
time OFC connectivity is rolled out.

7.5 General Equipment Requirements

1. Standards Compliance – The equipment shall comply with ITU-T G.984.x standards with an
upgrade path to ITU-T G.987.x XG-PON standards.
2. Reliability - The equipment and network architecture shall ensure network uptime of 99.95%.
Maintenance & Troubleshooting Procedures

3. Redundancy – The equipment shall support power module redundancy. It shall support
standard, inter-operable and open protection schemes.
4. Scalability – The network and the equipment shall be capable of scaling to utilize all the
ports to full capacity.
5. Security – The equipment shall have protection against security breaches and shall not
cause vulnerabilities in the connected network.
6. Physical protection – As appropriate, caps/ blanks shall be provided to cover spare ports
and slots in the equipment (OLT, ONT & AP)

7.5.1 Specifications of Access Points:

SL. No. Description Specifications

1 Standard IEEE 802.11a/b/n/ac
2 Frequency Bands Supported 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz
3 LAN Ports No. of Gigabit Ethernet
4 Max Transmit Power 20 dBm
5 Power Power Over Ethernet, 12V DC/802.3at (PoE+)
6 Operating Temperature 0 Deg C – 50 Deg C
7 Storage Temperature -25 Deg C to 75 Deg C
8 Humidity 0-95% Condensing
9 Power Consumption 50W

Table 7.1 specification of Access Point

7.5.2 Specifications of Optical Line Terminal (OLT):

SL. No. Description Specifications

1 Network Uplink Ports Should support Gigabit Ethernet and 10 Gigabit
Ethernet
2 Carrier Ethernet Ports Should Support 10 Gigabit Ethernet with
Bidirectional SFPs
3 OLT Ports 4 Nos as per ITU-T G.984
4 Protocols to be supported IEEE 802.1Q, IEEE 802.1ad
Link Aggregation (802.3ad)
STP, RSTP (IEEE 802.1D-2004)
IGMP Snooping
IGMP v1/v2/v3
Broadcast/Multicast storm recovery
Traffic Policing
QoS (DSCP/802.1p)
ERPS (ITU G.8032)
MAC learning, MAC limiting
DHCP relay Agent with Option-82
Pluggable SFP/XFP for Ethernet ports
5 Node Management Interfaces Configurable management VLAN
WEB based (HTTPS)
Telnet
SNMP v1/v2c
10/100BaseT Management Interface
6 Power -48 V DC
7 Operating Temperature 0 Deg C – 65 Deg C
8 Storage Temperature -25 Deg C to 75 Deg C
9 Humidity 0-90% Condensing
10 Mounting Rack Mountable
11 Redundancy to be supported 1+1 Power redundancy
12 Backplane/Switching Fabric Both the backplane and the switching fabric of
Maintenance & Troubleshooting Procedures

the OLT shall be non-blocking.

Table 7.2 Specification of OLT

7.5.3 Specifications of Optical Network Terminal (ONT):

SL. No. Description Specifications

1 OLT Ports 1 No. as per ITU-T G.984 Specs
2 LAN ports POE+ based 4 Nos. of LAN Ports
3 Operating Temperature 0 Deg C – 65 Deg C
4 Storage Temperature -25 Deg C to 75 Deg C
5 Humidity 0-90% Condensing
6 Mounting Rack Mountable
7 Power supply -48V MCB/ 230V MCB
8 Backplane/Switching Fabric Both the backplane and the switching fabric of
the ONT shall be non-blocking

Table 7.3 Specifications of ONT

7.6 Network Requirements for AAA (Authentication, Authorisation and accounting):

The network shall support the following requirements of the Google (G -Station Service Platform
(GSP)) or other AAA Service providers, as applicable.

1. Network Specifications required:

i. Support for both IPv4 and IPv6 protocols (both are used by the APs).
ii. IPv4 addresses for use with the AP control plane connections to the AP controller. These
IPv4 addresses can be public or private (RFC 1918), and may be NAT‘ed at any location
between the AP and its respective controller.
iii. Assignment of IPv4 addresses to the APs via DHCPv4 (RFCs 2131 and 2132), along with
DNS server address and gateway address. DHCP Option 43 must also be sent by the DHCP
server and contain the address of the AP‘s primary AP controller (this value will be provided by
gStation).
The DHCP server can be located on the Station LAN, e.g., on a PoP router or a dedicated
DHCP server. The DHCP server can also be located remotely at a further point North in the
network, such as a POP or NOC. In the latter case, either
(a) L2 connectivity is required between the Station and server are required or
(b) DHCP forwarding must be enabled on intermediate routing devices between the Station and
the DHCP server location.
iv. IPv6 addresses for use with the AP dataplane. Public, routable IPv6 addresses are required.
No intermediate NAT, 6-to-4 or other IP header rewriting is permitted along the path betwe en
the APs and the GSP. RailTel must communicate these IPv6 addresses to gStation in advance.
Note that the AP data plane traffic does not traverse the AP controller.
v. Assignment of IPv6 addresses to the APs via SLAAC (RFC 4862). SLAAC relies upon router
advertisements from a router at either the Station or a router located remotely at a further point
North in the network. In the latter case, L2 connectivity is required between the Station and
advertising router (i.e., the router must be on the same subn et as the APs).
vi. DNS service must be provided for the APs. The DNS server can be situated at any point in
the network that is IP-reachable from the APs.
vii. DNS Service must be provided to the users, if there is a requirement for Blacklisting, GSP
will forward/proxy the URL to the RailTel pointing DNS following user exit from the gStation
captive portal.
Maintenance & Troubleshooting Procedures

2. Controller Requirements
i. A public routable address for the controller management interface must be exposed to the
GSP for telemetry and management purposes. This address must be communicated to
gStation.
ii. Controller credentials with full read & write access must be provided to gStation.
iii. In the case of physical (as opposed to cloud-based) controllers, it is strongly recommended
that at least two controllers be used and placed in geographically separate locations, each of
which should have reliable power, environmental controls, and Northbound and Southbound
connectivity (respectively, facing towards the Internet and the venues)

3. Aggregation/Core Network Requirements

i. The aggregation/Core network must provide link redundancy to all GStation Service Platform.
This includes redundancy at each GSP peering point.
ii. The aggregation network must provide an iPerf server situated at Po P/NoC testing
connectivity between the stations and the long-distance transport network.

4. Element/Network Management System:

1. An appropriate Element Management System (EMS)/Network Management System (NMS)
for FCAPS (fault-management, configuration, accounting, performance, and security)
management of the network comprising the OLTs, ONTs and preferably the APs.
2. The hardware, software and licenses required shall be supplied to cover all network
elements.
3. There shall be no limits on the number of devices that may be managed.
4. It shall be possible to manage the equipment from an element as well as network
perspective.
5. It shall provide the North bound interface and factor in the requisite services to integrate its
EMS/NMS with the existing integrated OSS/NMS of RailTel.

CHAPTER-8

VSAT Application in Indian Railways

8.0 Introduction
VSAT provides Point to Point or Point to Multi Point data connectivity using Geostationary
Satellite as repeater location. As satellite is being used as repeating stations, the data
originating and terminating point can be anywhere on the earth. VSAT network in Indian
Railways is typically used for UTS/PRS & FOIS connectivity and as Accident Site
Maintenance & Troubleshooting Procedures

Communication for voice, data and video transmission. Railway is using them to provide
connectivity between various Railway data networks and remote locations where the normal
data connectivity network is not available or provision of the same is not feasible.

8.1 VSAT Network Components

a) The Indian Railway VSAT network works in a Star architecture and consists of
1. Hub Earth Station
2. Remote Earth Station
3. Satellite Transponder & Space Link
4. Network Control Centre
5. Interface Equipment

b) The IR VSAT network provides transparent transmission links that can work with any network
using suitable Interface equipment.

c) IR Satellite network operates in Ku Band and operates on up link frequency of 13.75 to 14.5
GHz and down link Frequency of 10.70 to 12.75 GHz. Uplink frequency is the carrier frequency
on which Hub or remote earth station transmits the Signal to Satellite. Down Link Frequency is
the Carrier frequency on which Satellite transmits the Signal to Hub or remote earth station.

8.1.1 Hub Earth Station

IR‘s present HUB Earth station is situated at New Delhi station. It is the Heart of the entire
Network. The communication between remotes or remote to external networks is established
through Hub Earth Station only. It is responsible for collecting the data from enterprise LANs,
Address Translation, converting data into IF and RF Signals and transmitting them to Satellite
and further to remote earth stations/terminals, maintaining the integrity checks for all remote
earth stations, time synchronization for all remote earth stations, tr acking of Satellite, converting
the RF received from Remote to Data Signals in appropriate format to be delivered at Enterprise
level etc. The NDLS Satellite Hub has now been upgraded to the latest HX Satellite technology.

 The transmission of a signal up to the satellite and back down is called a hop.
Transmission delay for one hop is between 240msec. and 270msec.
 Railway has hired 12 Mhz frequency space on GSAT 18 for their VSAT Network.
 To adjudge the availability of Satellite communication, a link budg et calculation is done
taking the least available Satellite Power, Antenna Size, transponder sizing for receive
and transmit segments etc.
 All transponder space is allocated by the Department of Space.

8.1.2 SALIENT FEATURES OF HX NETWORK

A. Network Efficiency: The new configuration will be able to provide 12 Mbps of out-route and
7.4Mbps in-route from currently 6.5Mbps & 5.1Mbps respectively, hence Indian railways will get
65% more bandwidth in the existing transponder space.
B. Bandwidth: Large bandwidth pool availability for all the users after going on a single
network.
C. Troubleshooting: Single window troubleshooting.
D. Mobility solution: HX platform is having capability to support mobility applications. HX 200
modem used in A-route ART VSAT system is capable of collecting Lat Long parameters
automatically through GPS; this facility was not available in old HN network equipment.
E. Advanced Technology: HX network works over DVB-S2 technology with Adaptive Coding
Modulation (ACM), the world‘s most successful satellite industry standard.
F. AIS: Adaptive Inroute Selection (AIS) for maximum bandwidth efficiency.
G. QoS: Service level control providing the ability to have multi-level QoS offerings.
Maintenance & Troubleshooting Procedures

H. Flexibility in configuration: Flexible configurations with multiple networking topologies: star,

mesh, and multi-mesh.
I. CIR: Each remote link can be independently configured with unique Committed Information
Rates (CIRs).
J. Capability: Able to work over 02 different transponders on the same sat ellite for a single
network.

8.2 FOIS Connectivity through VSAT

Application servers are centrally placed at CRIS office. These servers are connected to the
Zonal Hd. Qrs., Divisional Control Offices, yards, interchange points, and good sheds etc., with
a reliable and integrated network. The servers are networked amongst themselves and to the
central server for global level transactions. V-SAT communication is provided to establish
connectivity to the locations where other means of communication like Railway‘s own
communication links/BSNL channels are not feasible as shown in the Fig: 8.1

Fig.8.1 FOIS Connectivity

8.3. ACCIDENT SITE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM through VSAT

Accident site communication system will cater for onsite wireless voice communication and also
to provide voice, data and video connectivity of the accident site to Divisional HQ, Zonal HQ and
Railway Board.
For video transmission a mesh Wi-Fi network will be created at the site and with video camera
the video shall be wirelessly transmitted to the Multi service gateway. The voice, data and video
connectivity with remote locations will be provided through VSAT network.

Indian Railways have established its own VSAT network including hub. Presently Indian
Railways have hired bandwidth from transponder of INSAT -4CR (Ku Band) satellite. Hub for this
VSAT network has been set at New Delhi by M/s Hughes. The network is in star topology.

The VSAT terminal to be used for Accident Site Communication shall be able to deliver
bidirectional composite data traffic (Voice, Video and Data) at a speed of 2Mbps.However the
actual working bandwidth may be limited in compliance of regulatory requirements.
Maintenance & Troubleshooting Procedures

The VSAT terminal will deliver the composite data traffic from site to the VSAT hub at New
Delhi. From here the composite data traffic will be transported to Divisional HQ, Zonal HQ and
Railway Board on existing MPLS network. A video server shall be provided at New Delhi VSAT
hub to enable web-based access to live and stored videos. The entire setup is as shown in
Fig.8.2

Fig.8.2 Complete Layout Diagram for Accident Site Communication System

8.3.1 Equipments for accident site:

1. Portable VSAT Terminal (Covered separately under RDSO specification No.
RDSO/ SPN/ TC/85/2010, Revision 2)
2. Multi service Gateway with Network video recorder
3. Wi-Fi equipment to create wireless network at site.
4. Portable camera with inbuilt view finder and zoom facility.
5. Video modem with both Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity, in portable form factor
6. Power supply unit
7. Rugged laptop
8.3.2 Equipment at VSAT Hub
1. Video server with storage
8.3.3 Equipments in Divisional HQ
1. Multi service Gateway:
 The unit shall be 19‖ rack mountable, The system programming shall be based on GUI
tool for easy configuration and also remote configuration with built in http server
Maintenance & Troubleshooting Procedures

 Auto sensing duplex 10/100Mbps base TX Ethernet ports with PoE support: Minimum 4
Numbers. Out of these ports, 2 ports shall be WAN ports if router is included as part of
Multi service gateway.
 FXO ports: 12 Numbers to connect 4 Railway telephones, 4 BSNL/ MTNL telephones
and 4 hot lines. It shall be possible to configure these for hot line and auto telephones.
 The numbering scheme for FXS/ FXO ports shall support working of Railway and BSNL/
MTNL phones with STD.
 It should be possible to deploy SIP Phones, Wireless IP Phones, Wi-Fi enabled smart
phones in future in this platform as an alternate to analog phone which is used today.
 Redundant power supply for critical component like L3 switch/ router. Working on DC
supply in the range: (-) 48 V DC nominal (range -10% to + 20%).

8.4 Accident Site Communication Equipments:

The Equipments needed for Establishing Communication at site of an accident as show in
Fig.8.3

Fig.8.3 Equipment for Communication at Accident Site

8.4.1 VSAT equipment: It shall be as per relevant RDSO specification. It consists of one meter
antenna works on INSAT 4CR (Ku Band) satellite. The Uplink & Downlink controlled by VSAT
HUB situated at Thompson road satellite earth station equipped with 9.0 meter antenna (which
we call as IRPMU VSAT HUB @Delhi)

Hard ware Components: It consists of two set of Boxes all hardware components are
accommodated in this boxes.
Base unit: The base unit is fully integrated with the Satellite modem and positioning tools
including the LNB controller, Power conditioning, motorized positioned, spectrum analyzer,
compass, GPS, inclinometer and others.
Legs: Elevated electronics keep equipment well above running water, snow &mud.
BUC (SSPA) Solid State Power Amplifier: The RF package can be field swapped to quickly
change the frequency bands and powers.
Boom, Feed + LNB: The boom arm is segmented to easily fit into compact packaging. The
Universal LNB is functional in multiple frequency bands for easy frequency switching the field.
Carbon Reflector: The 6-segment antenna, lightweight, portable and easy to assemble.
Maintenance & Troubleshooting Procedures

Display: The ruggedized sunlight readable display is easy to view in all weather conditions,
providing an interface through which to view and use Link Control software.

Fig: 8.4b Base Unit with Legs

Fig: 8.4a Base Unit

Fig: 8.4c BUC SSPA Fig: 8.4d Boom Feed+ LNB Fig: 8.4e Carbon Reflector

Fig: 8.4f Display

8.4.2 Multi Service gateway for accident site:

1. It should be interoperable with the Multi Service gateway provided at Divisional HQ.
2. It supports IP based and open protocols including SIP.
3. It consists of fast Ethernet port connectivity either integrated or as standalone unit integrated
within the enclosure and fully IPV4 and IPV6 support with unicast and multicast switching and
routing (for example, native support of IGMPv3). It supports quality of services (QOS) for critical
applications like video transmission.
4. It supports Minimum 8 nos x Auto sensing duplex 10/100Mbps base TX Ethernet ports
including minimum 4 nos x PoE port support. Out of these 8 ports, 2 ports to be WAN ports in
case router is included as part of Multiservice gateway
Maintenance & Troubleshooting Procedures

Fig: 8.5a Multi service Gate way

Fig: 8.5b Multi service Gate way ports

8.4.3 Video Modem: It Converts Analog signal from Camera into Digital signal compatible to the
Multi service gateway (Ethernet).
 It Consist of audio cable port and video cable port supporting Analog Composite PAL
and should be compatible with the Video camera.
 Ethernet cable port supporting 10/100 BaseT Fast Ethernet, Auto Sensing. full Duplex
RJ45, Connectivity between video modem and multiservice gateway shall be provided
through cable of length 90 meters with suitable rugged connectors shall be provided.
 In addition to Ethernet, Video modem with built-in Wi-Fi features is preferable.
 power cable port supporting for 12v DC

Fig.8.6 Video modem

8.4.4 Camera: It should be MPEG4-AVC/H.264 high definition and A/V compatible with video
modem. supporting features like CMOS sensor, 25x/300x, Rotatable, USB 2.0 High Speed data
transfer.
Maintenance & Troubleshooting Procedures

Fig. 8.7 Camera

8.4.5 Rugged Laptop: The laptop shall be of reputed band like Dell, Toshiba, HP, Panasonic,
Sony etc. It shall have following minimum configuration: Processor: Intel core i3, Operating
system: Windows 7 Professional 32 bit and above, Memory 4.0 GB DDR3 SDRAM, HDD: 250
GB, Optical device: 8xDVD RW, wireless LAN, with carrying handle, carrying case, AC adapter,
Interfaces: USB, Network 10/100 base T RJ 45, Li-Ion batteries.
 No Other Software should be downloaded.
 No Updates should be done unless recommended
 Do not Remove HDD while Laptop is running.
 Use Anti Virus if Internet is accessed.

Fig 8.8 Rugged Laptop

8.4.6 Wireless Repeaters/ Wireless Access Points (Outdoor):

 4 no of Access point is done for wireless connectivity to connect video modem and
laptop.
 Each AP is connected with 3no. Omni direction antenna in Rx /Tx connecter for better
connectivity
 These could be a mesh network or interconnected intelligent nodes which can route
traffic to the base station with guaranteed QoS. RF power can be increased to 36dBm
EIRP Ad-Hoc or infrastructure mode.
 Supports both Omni directional as well as directional antenna
 Management through http/ web user interface
 Each repeater/ wireless access point should be portable and self-sufficient having Li-Ion
battery for ease in deployment and recovery.
Maintenance & Troubleshooting Procedures

 Battery shall be of sufficient capacity to give backup of 5 Hrs.

Fig. 8.9 Connection of Wireless Point with Multi service Gateway

8.4.7 Base station/ Wireless controller/ Central node: It shall be integrated with multiservice
gateway.
 If supplied as a separate unit, it shall be housed in the enclosure with multiservice
gateway and wired so that it is ready for use.
 In case of base station/ central node implementation, the base station/ central node shall
have port to connect external antenna on a RF cable. The 3 meter long RF cable shal l
be supplied along with suitable connectors at both ends.
 In case of wireless controller implementation, one wireless access point shall be
connected on fast Ethernet on CAT6 cable. Suitable antenna to provide EIRP of 36 dBm
shall be provided.
 This arrangement shall provide Wi-Fi coverage near Multiservice gateway. This will
enable availability of Wi-Fi network when Multi Service Gateway is powered on.‖It shall
support audio/video streaming from the video modem and/ or IP camera on Wi -Fi or
cable.
 It shall also maintain a log of the, nodes, repeaters and MAC address of various devices
accessing the network. The IP addressing shall be based on DHCP with addresses
allocated by the base station.
8.4.8: Power supply: Power supply is complete power pack for entire equipment included
MSG, VSAT, Battery, UPS etc.
Maintenance & Troubleshooting Procedures

Fig 8.8a Power supply unit Fig 8.8b Power supply point description

Fig. 8.8c Power supply connection diagram

8.4.9 CAT 6 Cable : CAT 6 cable wherever required shall be supplied from reputed
manufacturer. The cables shall conform to ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-B.

CHAPTER-9

MAINTENANCE AND TROUBLE SHOOTING PROCEDURES

9.0 FAULT DIAGNOSIS OF DATA NETWORKS (As per telecom manual):

The fault diagnosis is categorized into three

● Hardware
● Software
● Media/Channel

The datacom equipment is provided with visual indications by which the status of the equipment
can be known. The next option is by login into the equipment and test the equipment with
standard commands given by the manufacturer.

The software part like IOS of Routers and other intelligent/managed equipment can be checked
or upgraded to higher versions depending on the type of the fault encountered.
Maintenance & Troubleshooting Procedures

The media which actually connects two locations through interface device can be checked with
testing facility given on the interface device or through measuring instruments. The BER of the
media/channel is generally measured to know the percentage of errors and other related
information.

9.1 GENERAL MAINTENANCE

● The datacom equipment shall be kept clean and tidy without dust and shall be cleaned
daily.
● The diversity channels shall be checked by switching of main channels and ensure that
automatic switch over/routing is taking place.
● In case ISDN link is provided as backup to the main link, the connectivity of ISDN shall be
checked by switching off main link. The voltage of ISDN channels to be measured at
datacom equipment input termination and to be maintained with the standards.
● Condition of underground cables to be checked by carrying out routine checks done for U/G
cables.
● OFC cables and connectors to be checked as per routine checks done on OFC.
● The Antivirus patches to be updated in NMS system time to time.
● The Datacom equipments shall be provided with an earth specified resistance value of less
than 1 Ohm for reliable working of Datacom equipments and for protection from lightening
and surges
● Ensure Un-interrupted Power supply, preferably with two UPS, to increase the life of the
equipment as well as to keep up the availability of the location/node.
● The datacom equipment shall be installed in n x U size racks of required size and less than
one ohm earth shall be provided
● In addition to the above, any other checks suggested by manufacturers

9.1.1 Do's
i. Do write the configurations changes if any done in a register so that proper documentation
is done for performance analysis and recodes purpose.
ii. Take the print outs of the configuration of the routers and document them.
iii. Store the configuration files of the routers in softcopy so that they will be useful at
emergency whereby with one command entire configuration can be copied thereby
reducing the down time.
iv. Do proper lacing of the internal wiring,
v. Protect the cables form rodents where cabling is done through false flooring.
vi. Train the staff and update the knowledge to maintain the network more efficiently.
vii. Use ESD wrist bands while handling datacom equipments
viii. Use a good quality earth and maintain the earth resistance below 1 Ohms
ix. Change the password of router/servers once in a month
x. Take backup of the router configuration every time the configuration is changed.
This will help in faster restoration in the event of software error/Flash failure.
xi. Follow the housekeeping procedure of clearing the event and performance logs of the
NMS at specified intervals.
xii. Plan replacement of UPS batteries as per the specified lifecycle .
xiii. Keep the operation and maintenance manual handy.
xiv. Check the backup links at least once a week.

9.1.2 Don’ts
Maintenance & Troubleshooting Procedures

i. Do not change the hardware of the routers like data cards when the router power supply is
ON unless it is clearly mentioned that it supports hot swapping.
ii. Do not change the V.35 Data cable when the router and modems are ON.
iii. Do not change the IP addressing scheme and IP address of the working network without
the written permission of the Network Administrator.
iv. Do not change the configuration of the router without the permission of the Network
administrator.
v. Do not run down the batteries of the UPS below specified level.
vi. Never switch off the datacom equipment without following the proper shut down procedure
vii Do not share the passwords of router‘s and servers with your colleagues.
viii. Never use water to clean the equipment room.
ix. Don‘t use water based fire extinguishers for datacom installations.

9.2. TROUBLE SHOOTING OF COMPUTER NETWORKS

The following step by step procedures can be performed for trouble shooting user‘s computer
network connection after noticing that user system is out of network or performance is poor.
❖ Check whether local area connection icon is available or disabled or cross marked through
network connection option in control panel.
❖ Check if yellow exclamatory mark appeared on network card in device manager
❖ Check for LED indications on RJ45 port of NIC card (back side of the PC)
❖ Check whether your system is assigned a valid IP addresses and subnet mask of your
network.
❖ Check for DHCP issues if your IP address appears as 169.254.x.x (APIPA)
❖ Ping 127.0.0.1 for checking software integrity (i.e. TCP/IP protocol suit in your PC)
C:\>ping 127.0.0.1
❖ Check whether appropriate services are running on that system. (DNS client , DHCP etc.)
❖ Check your windows firewall / antivirus software is properly configured
❖ Ping any IP address of your network preferably your gateway IP address.
e.g. C:\>ping 10.195.2.2
❖ Use tracert command with destination ip address or URL to check further where packets
are being dropped in a internetwork before reaching destination.
e.g. C:\ >tracert www.iriset.indianrailways.gov.in
❖ Ping destination address continuously or pre-defined number of times to observe
consistency between you and your destination. e.g.
C:\>ping 10.195.2.2 (default 4 times only)
C:\>ping 10.195.2.2 –t (continuously)
C:\>ping 10.195.2.2 -n 50 (pre-defined times-50)

❖ Check the delay time (RTT) and breaks if any by increasing the packet size to estimate
link reliability and bandwidth issues when pinging.
C:\>ping 10.195.2.19 -l 1000 (Max 65500 bytes and default 32 bytes)

❖ Ping the destination with increased packet size and pre-defined number of times in one go.
e.g. C:\>ping 10.195.2.19 -l 1000 -n 50 (pings 50 times with 1000 bytes packet)

9.3 Network Diagnostic Tools:

9.3.1. Ping
Maintenance & Troubleshooting Procedures

The most commonly used network tool is the ping utility. This utility is used to provide a basic
connectivity test between the requesting host and a destination host. This is done by using the
Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) which has the ability to send an echo packet to a
destination host and a mechanism to listen for a response from this host. Simply stated, if the
requesting host receives a response from the destination host, this host is reachable. This utility
is commonly used to provide a basic picture of where a specific networking problem may exist.
For example, if an Internet connection is down at an office, the ping utility can be used to figure
out whether the problem exists within the office or within the network of the Internet provider.
Fig 9.1 below shows an example of the ping utility being used to obtain the reachability status of
the locally connected router.

Fig 9.1: Ping utility

9.3.2.Tracert / traceroute

Typically, once the ping utility has been used to determine basic connectivity, the
tracert/traceroute utility can used to determine more specific information about the path to the
destination host including the route the packet takes and the response time of these
intermediate hosts. Fig 9.2 below shows an example of the tracert utility being used to find the
path from a host inside an office to www.google.com. The tracert utility and traceroute utilities
perform the same function but operate on different operating systems, Tracert for Windows
machines and traceroute for Linux/*nix based machines.

Fig 9.2: Tracert/traceroute utility

9.3.3 Ipconfig / ifconfig

One of the most important things that must be completed when troubleshooting a networking
issue is to find out the specific IP configuration of the variously affected hosts. Sometimes this
information is already known when addressing is configured statically, but when a dynamic
addressing method is used, the IP address of each host can potentially change often. The
utilities that can be used to find out this IP configuration information include the ipconfig utility on
Windows machines and the ifconfig utility on Linux/*nix based machines. Fig 9.3 below shows
an example of the ifconfig utility showing the IP configuration information of a queries host.
Maintenance & Troubleshooting Procedures

Fig 9.3: Ifconfig utility

9.3.4. Nslookup
Some of the most common networking issues revolve around issues with Dynamic Name
System (DNS) address resolution issues. DNS is used by everyone using the Internet to resolve
commonly known domain names (i.e. google.com) to commonly unknown IP addresses (i.e.
74.125.115.147). When this system does not work, most of the functionality that people are
used to goes away, as there is no way to resolve this information. The nslookup utility can be
used to lookup the specific IP address(es) associated with a domain name. If this utility is
unable to resolve this information, there is a DNS issue. Along with simple lookup, the nslookup
utility is able to query specific DNS servers to determine an issue with the default DNS servers
configured on a host. Fig 9.4 below shows an example of how the nslookup utility can be used
to query the associated IP address information.

Fig 9.4: Nslookup utility

9.3.5 Netstat
Often, one of the things that are required to be figured out is the current state of the active
network connections on a host. This is very important information to find for a variety of reasons.
For example, when verifying the status of a listening port on a host or to check and see what
remote hosts are connected to a local host on a specific port. It is also possible to use the
Maintenance & Troubleshooting Procedures

netstat utility to determine which services on a host that is associated with specific active ports.
Fig 9.5 below shows an example of the netstat utility being used to display the currently active
ports on a Linux machine.

Fig 9.5: Netstat utility

9.3.6. PuTTY / Tera Term

When connecting to a variety of different types of equipment, a telnet, SSH or serial client is
required, when this is required both the puTTY and Tera Term programs are able to provide
these functionalities.

The selection of one over the other is strictly a personal preference. Fig 9.6, 9.7 below show
both puTTY and Tera Term being used to connect to a host via SSH.
Maintenance & Troubleshooting Procedures

Fig 9.6: PuTTY

Fig 9.7: Tera Term

9.3.7. Subnet and IP Calculator

One of the most important tools in the belt of a junior network engineer is an IP network
calculator. These can be used to unsure a correct IP address selection and with this a correct IP
address configuration. While this type of tool is used by senior level network engineers, much of
the information obtained from the tool becomes simpler to calculate the longer and more
experience you have in the field. The given below is the on line sites for calculating the Subnet
and IP pool Length.
 https://subnetonline.com
 https://www.calculator.net/ip-subnet-calculator.html
Maintenance & Troubleshooting Procedures

 https://gestioip.net/cgi-bin/subnet_calculator.cgi

9.3.8. Speedtest.net/pingtest.net

A very easy test that can be used to both determine the Internet bandwidth available to a
specific host and to determine the quality of an Internet connection is the use of the tools
available at the speedtest.net and pingtest.net websites. The speedtest.net site provides the
ability to determine the amount of bandwidth that is available to a specific host at a specific point
in time; this is often a good tool to use when measuring how long it is going to take to upload or
download information from a local to remote host. This measurement can also be used to
determine whether the connection is offering the amount of bandwidth that was purchased from
the Internet provider; keep in mind however that some amount of bandwidth difference is
expected between the quoted bandwidth purchased and the measured bandwidth. The
pingtest.net website is used to determine the quality of the connection by measuring the ping
response times and jitter amounts over a short period of time. This information can be used to
determine a likelihood of how well the measured connection will deal with certain types of high
demand traffic like Voice over IP (VoIP) or gaming. Fig 9.8 and 9.9 below show example output
from both of these sites.

Fig 9.8: Speedtest

Maintenance & Troubleshooting Procedures

Fig 9.9: Pingtest

9.3.9. Pathping/mtr
In an effort to take advantage of the benefits of both the ping and tracert/traceroute commands,
the pathping and mtr utilities were developed. Both of these tools take the functionality and
information that can be obtained from these types of tools and provide a more detailed single
picture of the path characteristics from a specific host to a specific destination. Fig 9.10 and Fig
9.11 below show examples of these two tools and what information they provide.

Figure 9.10: Mtr

Maintenance & Troubleshooting Procedures

Figure 9.11: Pathping

9.3.10. Route
The last of the tools covered in this article is the route utility. This utility is used to display the
current status of the routing table on a host. While the use of the route utility is limited in
common situations where the host only has a single IP address with a single gateway, it is vital
in other situations where multiple IP address and multiple gateways are available. Fig 9.12
below shows an example of the route utility being used on a Windows machine.

Figure 9.12: Route Utility

Annexure

ANNEXURE

VoIP Communication for Indian Railways

VoIP is becoming common today as all communication systems are being migrated to IP. New-
Railnet shall also allow Indian Railways to shift its existing administrative voice communication
to IP. The VoIP protocol that is showing great promise and is being increasingly adopted is SIP.
New-Railnet shall thus make a start for the provision of this technology. It is thus recommended
that SIP servers should be provided at each of the zones and division. VoIP g ateways shall be
provided for communication with existing TDM exchanges.

With adoption of VoIP technology in the mainstream, both voice and video communication on IR
will become a reality. Further, It will be possible for Indian Railways to extend its voice network
over Internet as well. This will open up Railway voice/video communication to those who are on
tour to Foreign nations; those who do not reside in Railway colonies but are required to be
provided with Railway communication etc.

Indian Railways is already using SIP for the Video Phone network that has been provided to
Ministers, Board members and Zonal General Managers. Diagrammatically, the logical VoIP
network on New-Railnet is depicted below.

It is planned to deploy SIP servers at each of the zones and division. The proposed system shall
allow Indian Railways to shift its existing administrative voice communication to IP. With
adoption of VoIP technology in the mainstream, both voice and video communication on Indian
Railway will become a reality. The proposed system is also planned to extend Indian Railways
voice network over Internet. This will open up Railway voice/video communication to those who
are on tour to foreign nations and those who do not reside in Railway colonies but are required
to be provided with Railway communication etc. Indian Railways is already using SIP for the
Video phone network that has been provided to Ministers, Board membe rs and Zonal General
Managers.

Currently, most of the Railway exchanges are being connected to the NGN network of RailTel
using Media gateways through E1 (PRI) or E1 (CAS). With the provision of SIP infrastructure ,
TDM exchanges can be phased out slowly. This may take a long time, maybe over 5 -8 years.
But with this provision, IR should start providing SIP IP phones. The scheme shown above
takes care of SIP and TDM technology to coexist till such time the TDM exchanges work. The
SIP server and the VoIP gateways shall be deployed as part of Railnet up -gradation work. The
Annexure

VoIP Gateway shall be connected to the existing Railway exchange using E1 (PRIs) or
E1(CAS). The SIP server can then be connected to the NGN VoIP network. This will then
provide new IP telephones as well as existing analog phones to work seamlessly with the voice
network.

A centralized SIP server in class-4 configuration is recommended as well. This will work as the
main trunk/mother exchange for all the SIP servers in the Indian Railways network . Using a
single central exchange will allow quick provision of new STD codes for any exchange in the
network and will provide for central control on all the routing. The central SIP server should not
be used for user registration. Another SIP server shall also be provided at Secunderabad to be
used as backup of the main server.

DATA WAREHOUSE
A data warehouse is a central repository for all or significant parts of the data that an
enterprise's various business systems collect. The term was coined by Bill Inmon. IBM
sometimes uses the term "information warehouse."

Bill Inmon, known as the father of Data Warehousing, defines Data Warehouse as follows:

―A data warehouse is a subject oriented, integrated, time-variant, non-volatile collection of data

in support of management decisions.‖

The passenger reservation systems (PRS) is an OLTP system characterized by large

numbers of concurrent reservation users actively adding and modifying data. As the online
PRS generates increasing volume of data, the need to analyze data is becoming more and
more by higher management for (i) managing and utilizing the existing resources and (ii)
creating new resources for the convenience of passengers. However, when Railway
management wants to analyze the data, a myriad of problems often prohibit the data from being
used:

Railway managers (even the Railway Programmers) cannot generate ad hoc querie s.

Application Database is segmented across multiple servers throughout the country making it
difficult for the Railway users to find the data in the first place.

Database Administrators prohibit ad-hoc querying of PRS OLTP systems, to prevent analytical
users from running queries (e.g. how many passengers are booked for a given journey Day) as
these slow down the performance of mission-critical PRS databases.

QUESTION BANK
Annexure

OBJECTIVE QUESTIONS
Chapter 1: Railnet
1. The IP number allotted to Router on Railnet as a uniform measure is
a) 172.16. X.1 b) 10. X.X.1 c) 10. X.2.1 d) 192.X.2.1
2. The series of IP Address is used in Railnet
a) 172 series b) 192 series c) 10Series d) 1 series
3. IP Addressing scheme for Railnet is
a) reserved b) multicast c) private d) Public
4. The IP number allotted to Web server on Railnet as a uniform measure is
a) 10. x.x.19 b) 172.168. x.19 c) 10.x.2.19 d) 192.X.2.19
5. The registered domain of Railnet is______________
a) railnet.gov.in b) railnet.in c) railnet.com d) railnet.org
6. Railnet is a ___
a) Intranet b) Piconet c) Extranet d) Internet
7. At Present Connectivity of railnet backbone is on ____
a) ISDN lines b) Dialup lines c) MPLS d) Dedicated Leased line
8. Most Common ISP for Railnet Network is
a) VSNL b) BSNL c) RELIANCE d) RCIL
9. The subnetted mask used in railnet for zonal railways is
a) 255.255.255.0 b) 255.255.255.128 c) 255.255.0.0 d) 255.0.0.0
10. All the servers that may require access from external zone should be placed in the DMZ of
the firewall. (T/F)
11. TPaaS is a video conferencing solution. (T/F)
12. CODEC is the heart & brain of the Video conferencing. ( T/F)

Chapter 2: FOIS
1. FOIS stand for
a) Frieght Operations Information System
b) Frieght Operations Internet System
c) Flight Operations Information System
d) Frieght Opening Information System
2. FOIS network is for
a) RR generation b) Rack management system
c) Terminal management system d) All
3. Application/database servers of FOIS are located at
a) Zonal Hq b) CRIS/NDLS c) Divisional Hq. d) Rly Board
4. Architecture of FOIS network is
a) Main frame Architecture b) peer to peer Architecture
c) Client-Server Architecture d) slave-Slave Architecture
5. Back bone connectivity of FOIS network is _ _
a) 100 Mbps links b) 2 Mbps data linesc) VSAT links d) 64 Kbps data lines
6. COIS & CMS are also part of FOIS network. (T/F)
7. Online monitoring of rakes is enables by using GIS based FOIS. (T/F)
8. FOIS network is a star topology with mesh at zonal level. ( T/F)

Chapter 3 PRS
1. The PRS network is operated through_____________nos. regional centers.
Annexure

a) 3 b) 1 c) 5 d) 4
2. The main objective of PRS in Indian Railway is to provide
a) Freight booking b) Flight booking c) Unreserved d) Reserved tickets
3. CONCERT is developed by
a) Individual railways b) Rly board c) IRISET d) CRIS
4. The additional services provided through PRS network are
a) IVRS b) Rapid Display c) POET d) All
5. All the 5 PRS server locations are interconnected in a mesh. ( T/F)
6. PRS Dumb terminals can be operated OFF line. (T/F)

Chapter 4: UTS
1. The Passengers can cancel their UTS tickets from any station atleast
a) 1-day advance b) Any day c) 3 Months advance d) 3 days advance
2. On the day of journey, the UTS tickets can be cancelled
a) the journey starting stationb) the journey ending station
c) Station where ticket purchased d) from any station
3. The backend architecture of UTS is
a) 3-tiered b) 4-tiered c) 2-tiered d) 1 tiered
4. UTS can provide computerized unreserved tickets through
a) hand held terminals b) automatic vending machines c) Smart Card d) All
5. Applications in UTS are divided into____________________________ modules
a) UDM/TDM b) Fare c) Ticket Subsystem d) All
6. UTS will provide the facility to purchase Unreserved Ticket
a) 1-day advance b) 4 Months advance c) 3 days in advance d) 3 months advance
7. UTS stand for
a) Unreserved Ticketing system b) Unit Ticketing system
c) Unified Ticketing system d) Unique Ticketing system
8. The main objective of UTS in Indian Railway is to provide
a) reserved tickets b) Freight booking c) un reserved tickets d) Flight booking
9. UTS Application is developed by using
a) C++ b) UNIX c) Sybase d) All
10. UTS ticket can be issued 72 hours in advance. (T/F)

Chapter 5: Unified Ticketing Network

1. Topology used for PRS & UTS unification is
a) Mesh b) Inverted tree and partial meshc) Inverted Tree d) partial mesh
2. The Dynamic protocol used for unification of PRS & UTS is
a) IGRP b) OSPF c) BGP d) RIP
3. Number of locations per area shall not exceed.
a) 50 b) 60 c) 70 d) 30
4. The round trip time for smooth working between client terminal and server is
a) 60-80 m sec b) 20-40m sec c) 100-110 m sec d) 130-150 m sec
5. Tier 2 location in an area shall be limited to __________ % of total area.
a) 50% b) 100% c) 4-5% d) 90%
6.The terminal Server allows
a) RS 232 to RS 232 b) RS 232 to Parallel c) Ethernet to Ethernet
d) RS 232 to Ethernet
7. NeTS (Network Terminal Server) is a
a) Switch b) Router c) Terminal server d) 3-in-1(Router,switch,TS)
8. A dumb terminal is a output device that does no independent processing. ( T/F)
9. Thin Client will work for 72 hours even when link is down. (T/F)
10. Terminals connect to the terminal server from their RS-232C serial port over a TCP/IP
network. (T/F)
11. Terminal server allows the switching between Multiple sessions( T/F)
12. Both Dumb terminals & Thin clients can be connected to a Network Terminal Server. ( T/F)
13. NeTS eliminates the use of additional router & switch. (T/F)
Annexure

Chapter 6: Datalogge rs
1. 30 nos of Dataloggers can be connected in a single network. ( T/F)
2. Datalogger is connected to a PC through a serial port(RS232). ( T/F)
3. Modem is inbuilt in the datalogger in the form of a card. ( T/F)
4. Datalogger is a vital tool for accident investigation. (T/F)
5. Mini datalogger is called as RTU. (T/F)
6. Dataloggers of each station are connected to HQ through FEP. ( T/F)
7. NTES gets the feed from Control office application. (T/F)
8. COA is integrated with Dataloggers & FOIS. (T/F)
9. NTES gives the real time information. (T/F)

Chapter 7: Wi-Fi at Railway Stations

1. Wi-Fi at railway station is extended ___ Class stations
a) A b) B c) C d) D e) All
2. Wi-Fi at railway stations is free for the first ____ of usage every day at 1 Mbps
a) 1 hour b) 15 min c) 30 min d) 45 min
3. How many access points need to be installed at class D and E stations
a) 10 b) 2 c) 1 d) 5
4. How many access points need to be installed at class B and C stations
a) 10 b) 2 c) 1 d) 5
5. The distance between the two ONT equipment‘s should be
a) 500 m b) 100 m c) 200 m d) 400 m
6) As per RB guide lines at place Railway OFC is not available internet connectivity is to be
extended through
a) satellite b) ISP using SIM c) Leased line d) Telephone broadband

Chapter 8: VSAT Applications

1. IR satellite network operates at _____ Band
a) C b) Ku c) Extended C d) S
2. VSAT Antenna need to install at which place during the accident
a) Near to accident site on ground b) Control Office
c) ART special d) Zonal head quarters
3. VSAT central Hub is situated at which Place
a) Delhi b) Mumbai c) Pune d) Secunderabad
4. Multi service gateway consist of minimum ___ no. of FXO ports
a) 12 b) 8 c) 10 d) 4
5. The accident site equipment‘s to be placed at ____ for quick deployment
a) Control Office b) ART c) MAJOR stations d) Zonal HQ

Chapter 9: Maintenance & Trouble shooting Procedures

1. Datacom equipments shall be provided with an earth specified resistance value of less than 1
Ohm.(T/F)
2. We can change the V.35 Data cable when the router and modems are ON. (T/ F)
3. Datacom equipment can be cleaned with water. (T/F)
4. IP address appears as 169.254.x.x (APIPA) indicates DHCP failure. ( T/F)
5. Ping is a diagnostic tool. (T/F)

SUBJECTIVE QUESTIONS
Chapter 1
1. What are the Objectives of Railnet?
2. Draw the general setup of Railnet arrangement (a) At Zonal Level and (b) At Divisional Level.
Annexure

3. Write briefly about Internet Gateways of Railnet over Indian Railway.

4. Explain how the security of Railnet is achieved form external threats?
5. Write short notes on TPaaS.
6. List out the Hardware components required for Video Conferencing. Explain with suitable
connectivity diagram.

Chapter 2
1. Explain the FOIS architecture with a suitable diagram.
2. List out the various other applications which are working on the FOIS network.

Chapter 3
1. Explain the PRS network and draw the typical arrangement of connecting PRS terminals.

Chapter 4
1. What are the advantages of UTS?

Chapter 5
1. List the guidelines issued by Railway board for unified (PRS & UTS) Ticketing Network.
2. Write Short notes on
a. Thin Client
b. Dumb Terminal
c. Terminal Server
d. Network Terminal Server

Chapter 6
1. Explain how the Data loggers are networked with a suitable line diagram?
2. Write short notes on COA.

Chapter 7
1. Write the steps to access the Wi-Fi at station?
2. Explain the Wi-Fi deployment at stations with diagram?
3. Draw and explain the schematic diagram at Class B and C stations?
4. Draw and explain the schematic diagram at Class D and E stations?

Chapter 8
1. Explain the complete layout for accident site communication with neat diagram?
2. Explain the equipment need to arrange at accident spot for communication with diagram?
3. Explain the salient features of Hx Network?

Chapter 9
1. What are the Do‘s & Don‘ts to be observed in maintenance of Data networks?
2. List out various Diagnostic tools available for Network testing.

KEY FOR OBJECTIVE

Chapter 1
1. c 2. c 3. c 4. c 5. a 6. a 7. c 8. d 9. c 10. T 11. T
12. T
Chapter 2
1. a 2. d 3. b 4. c 5. b 6. T 7. T 8. T
Chapter 3
1. c 2. d 3. d 4. d 5. T 6. T
Annexure

Chapter 4
1. a 2. a 3. b 4. d 5. d 6. c 7. a 8. c 9. d 10.T
Chapter 5
1. b 2. b 3. c 4. d 5. c 6. d 7. d 8. T 9. T 10. T 11. T
12. T 13.T
Chapter 6
1. T 2. T 3. T 4. T 5. T 6. T 7. T 8. T 9. T
Chapter 7
1. e 2. c 3. c 4. b 5. c 6. b
Chapter 8
1. b 2. a 3. a 4. a 5. b
Chapter 9
1. T 2. F 3. F 4. T 5. T

ABBREVIATIONS/ACRONYMS
ABR: Area Border Router
ART: Accident Relief Train
AS: Autonomous system
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BGP: Broder gateway Protocol

CLI: Command Line Interface
CMOS: Complementary metal-oxide semiconductor
CMU: Central Monitoring Unit
COA: Control Office Application
CODEC: Coder -decoder
COIS: Coaching Operation Information System
CONCERT: Country-Wide Network for Computerized Enhanced Reservation And
Ticketing
CONCOR: Container Corporation
CORE: Central Organization for Railway Electrification
CRC: Cyclic Redundancy Check
CRIS: Centre for Railway Information Systems
CSMA/CD: Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Detection
CSR: Corporate Social responsibility
CWIS: Corporate wide information System
DCM: Data Compression Multiplexer
DHCP: Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
DNS: Domain Name system
DQDB: Double Queue Dual Bus
DVI: Digital visual interface
FDDI: Fiber Distributed Data Interface
FEP: Front End Processor
FIRM: Fixed Infrastructure Resources Module
FOIS: Freight operations information system
FTP: File Transfer Protocol
GBIC: Gigabit Interface Converter
GIS: Geographic Information System
HDMI: High-Definition Multimedia Interface
HMI: Human Machine Interface
ICMS: Integrated Coach Management System
IEEE: Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers
IGMP: internet Group Management Protocol
IMPRESS: Integrated Multi train Passenger Reservation System
IPAS: Integrated Payroll and Accounting System
IPS: Intrusion prevention System
IPX: Internetwork Packet Exchange
INSAT: Indian National Satellite System
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ISDN: Integrated Services Digital Network

IRPMU: Indian Railway Project Management Unit
IVRS: Interactive Voice Response System
LER: Label Edge Router
MAC: Media Access Control
MAN: Metropolitan Area Network
MDA: Message Delivery Agent
MIS: Management Information System
MMF: Multi Mode Fiber :
MPLS: Multi-Protocol Label Switching
MSA: Mail Submission Agent
MSTP: Multiple spanning tree protocol
MTA: Mail Transfer Agent
NETS: Network Terminal Server
NGET: Next Generation E-Ticketing
NIC: Network Interface Card
NMDL: Network Management of Data loggers
NMS: Network Management System
NTES: National Train Enquiry System
OLTE: Optical Line Terminating Equipment
ONT: Optical Network Terminal
OSI: Open system Interconnection
OSPF: Open Shortest Path First
OTP: One time Password
P2P: Point to Point
PAM: Punctuality Analysis and Monitoring
PCB: Printed Circuit Board
POET: Passenger Operated Enquiry Terminal
PRS: Passenger Reservation System
RDSO: Research Design & Standards Organization
RoAM: Rolling Assets module
RMS: Rake Management System
RSTP: Rapid spanning tree protocol
RTU: Remote Terminal Unit
SATSANG: Software Aided Train Scheduling and Network Governance
SDH: Synchronous Digital Hierarchy
SFOORTI: Smart Freight Operation Optimization & Real Time Information System
SFP: Small Form/factor Pluggable Module
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SMART: Scheduling Module for Allocation of Resources to Trains

SMTP: Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
SNMP: Simple Network management Protocol
STATMUX: Statistical Multiplexer
STP: Spanning Tree Protocol
TCP: Transmission Control Protocol
TMS: Terminal Management System
TPAAS: Tele Presence As A Service
TS: Terminal Server
UDP: User Datagram Protocol
UPI: Unified Payments Interface
UPS: Uninterrupted Power Supply
USOF: Universal Service Obligation fund
UTM: Unified Threat Management System
UTN: Unified Ticketing Network
UTP: Unshielded Twisted Pair
UTS: Unreserved Ticketing System
VGA: Video Graphic Adapter
VLAN: Virtual Local Area Network
VPN: Virtual Private Network
VRRP: Virtual Router redundancy Protocol
VSAT: Very small Aperture Terminal
WAF: Web Application Firewall
Wi-Fi: Wireless Fidelity
WWW: World Wide Web

References

1. FOIS related Information from

https://fois.indianrail.gov.in/FOISWebPortal/pages/FWP_AboutFOIS.jsp
2. Railway Board Circulars pertaining to PRS/UTS/FOIS/Railnet.
3. Related Information from Websites of CRIS & RCIL.
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4. Previous version of TA3 notes of IRISET/SC.

5. Hand book on maintenance of Data networks by CAMTECH/Gwalior.
6. Hand book on Video conferencing by CAMTECH/Gwalior.
7. RDSO Specification No. RDSO/SPN/TC/87/2021 for VSAT
इरिसेट IRISET
प्रशिक्षण द्वािा गुणवत्ता QUALITY THROUGH TRAINING

VISION: TO MAKE IRISET AN INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL

REPUTE, SETTING ITS OWN STANDARDS AND BENCHMARKS.

MISSION: TO ENHANCE QUALITY AND INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY OF

SIGNALLING & TELECOMMUNICATION PERSONNEL
THROUGH TRAINING

For any suggestions mail to

pt@iriset.railnet.gov.in/lecturerit@iriset.railnet.gov.in
www.iriset.indianrailways.gov.in

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