The Problem
Legacy SCADA networks
have become outdated and generally
do not support communications to
multiple host sites. Most common
SCADA networks involve radio or leased
line connectivity into substations
which requires a one-for-one hardware
solution. Remote Terminal Units (RTU’s)
need a modem/radio to modulate and
the host requires another device
to demodulate. This makes the need
for a dual host scenario for redundancy
hard to manage and very expensive.
Figure 1 depicts a
standard utility solution with two
remote RTU’s communicating to a single
host. The RTU has a serial connection
to the radio/modem which uses licensed
or unlicensed radio frequencies.
At the host end, a single front end
processor (FEP) port is connected
to a demodulation modem. This has
the user purchasing twice the hardware
needed for what is ultimately a poor
host end solution. |
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The
Encore Solution
Encore Networks provides
a complete, end-to-end SCADA solution
with their seamless IP network migration
strategy. Encore’s BANDIT™ family
of environmentally hardened (rugged)
routers support Legacy SCADA protocols
to IP conversion and supports both
connections simultaneously. This
allows the customer to migrate to
IP as budget and time allows. The
SCADA network becomes secure by using
VPN to connect the entire network.
Figure 2 illustrates
the Encore solution. The RTU is connected
to the BANDIT 2™ or BANDIT 3™
using a serial connection. When the
RTU is upgraded or replaced with
IP, the connection is changed from
serial to Ethernet. Since the VPN
network is already in place, only
the cable needs to change and will
terminate on any IPsec supporting
device. Encore’s VSR 1200™ will terminate
up to 480 remote connections and
can support up to 24 ports of serial
connections on the FEP. The VSR 1200™
can also be stacked to support an
unlimited amount of serial connections. |
