Avara Technologies

Avara Technologies supplies multiservice accessible communications technology for networks in the power industry, offering a reliable and secure progression from traditional time-division multiplexing (TDM) to IP networks.

Communication support for the power sector

Avara Technologies’ industrial-grade multiservice platform, DynaFlex, supports key network applications and is designed to operate in adverse sub-station environments. These solutions provide communication support for various applications, such as teleprotection, supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) communications, operational and non-operational data, CCTV and voice applications.

These require the co-existence of dedicated network critical services, based on TDM and synchronous digital hierarchy (SDH) / plesiochronous digital hierarchy (PDH) technologies, as well as Ethernet / IP based technologies.

DynaFlex is a modular and fully flexible multi-service platform that supports ethernet, TDM and SDH / PDH technologies natively in a single subrack.

The compact EM and DFX series of terminal multiplexer nodes with multi-service capabilities provides the ideal solution for remote sites with limited port count flexibility needs.

Erbium doped fibre amplifier (EDFA) and Raman based optical booster and pre-amplifiers together with dispersion compensation and forward error correction (FEC) units provide efficient, cost-effective and reliable ways to support long-haul PDH, SDH and Gigabit ethernet transmission networks.

The ASPeCT management system is a centralised, user-friendly solution that contains the features and functionality required to manage Avara devices.

Our products offer a wide range of voice and data interfaces with a particular focus on Ethernet/IP services with integrated SDH / PDH / Gigabit ethernet transport capabilities and protection for high-availability networks.

Avara Technologies delivers a unique product to the power communications market, offering a solution that has Node level compatibility with Siemens FMX networks and card-level compatibility with pre-existing Nokia Dynanet networks. This allows for the introduction of IP-based technology whilst extending the life of the existing network asset base.

Engineered to support secure electricity delivery

Power authorities in Europe, Asia and Australia, are using the Avara Technologies platform for teleprotection schemes, enabling protection relays to communicate with one another to selectively isolate faults on high-voltage (HV) lines, transformers and reactors, in order to deliver a secure and uninterrupted supply of electricity.

Avara’s nodes have been explicitly designed to support these applications by providing a full range of physical interface types, including complete support for the C37.94 standards, and by ensuring both low delay and symmetrical delay performance in transmission.

Substation security and protected operation

The world of energy is fundamentally changing, transitioning from isolated, centralised structures to fully interconnected, decentralised systems particularly with respect to smart grid implementations.

Avara nodes can be connected in high-bandwidth point-to-point, linear or loop topologies over EMC-resilient optical fibre communications links using SDH or Gigabit Ethernet technologies. When used in protected architectures, sub-50ms service restoration is supported for all interface types, including Ethernet / IP, ensuring deterministic operations with known network latencies.

To ensure optimal service availability, Avara Technologies’ products provide protection features to support link, interface and card failure cases. The Avara Technologies DynaFlex node in particular has been designed to support multiple power supply units, multiplexer units and transport units within the single 19in sub-rack.

Additional capabilities can also be realised over existing copper networks, with SHDSL transport also provided as an integration option.

Maintaining network performance

DynaFlex is a multi-service platform that provides a deterministic operational layer, with low-jitter, known latency and symmetric communications. This enables signal and control services to be isolated from IP bandwith.

Cyber security to compliance standards including ISO27001 and NERC CIP are now becoming mandatory and security has been enhanced with an increasing range of IP security services.

Nodes, cards and available interfaces

Modular nodes are available from Avara and can be installed in stand-alone units and 19in configurations, they are also hot pluggable.
To increase IP functionality and provide rack-real-estate, cards can be used in existing Nokia Dynanet systems.

To support interfacing to substation equipment a wide range of Ethernet / IP, operational sync / async and voice options are available. Full end-to-end path protection (down to a 64K timeslot level) is also supported, as well as ring protection.

Integrated Gigabit Ethernet / SDH / PDH interfaces can be used to connect to higher order SDH or multiprotocol label switching (MPLS)-based transport networks.

Upgrading from TDM

For customers looking to move from heritage TDM-only solutions to an Ethernet / IP supporting network, Dynaflex is the technology of choice. The DynaFlex platform still supports TDM applications ensuring alarms, access and monitoring controls can continue to run.

The DynaFlex portfolio has been field-tested for suitability and interoperability with Nokia Dynanet and Siemens FMX-2 Multiplexers, including E1, FXS, FXO, VF 2 / 4-Wire E&M, V.24, X.21 and G.703-64K.

Avara’s technology is fully compatible with existing applications. For example the DynaFlex node communicates seamlessly with a Siemens FMX node or Nokia Dynanet node. The DynaFlex FXS port can be used with Nokia Dynanet / Siemens FMX-2 FXO port, and the Avara Technologies DynaFlex V.24 port will interoperate with a Nokia Dynanet / FMX-2 V.24 port.

This compatibility allows for smooth node-by-node upgrades. When upgrading a network from Nokia Dynanet / Siemens FMX-2 systems the DynaFlex node will interoperate at all levels, reducing downtime and facilitating the deployment process.