Proactive Monitoring for Signaling Control System
Highlights
IECC, an integrated signaling control system, was deployed in a service area of our client, a major rail technology company. Consisting of multiple dispatcher workstations, the IECC system allows for area monitoring and automatic route planning. After IECC web updates, the system stopped notification of critical events and errors, which was a considerable safety threat.
Challenge
Client Challenge
Recover continuous real-time network monitoring for IECC to reduce downtimes and increase safety.
Project Objective
Ensure prompt and trouble-free notification of IECC errors.
Solution
To establish a smooth alert notification, the PSA engineering team resolved issues related to SNMP traps – alert messages used to monitor the network. Having an IECC device with initial firmware on hand, we reviewed the source code and implemented the improvements to all troubled types of messages to allow seamless real-time notifications.
System “healing” took place according to the following scenario:
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Examination of a great amount of SMMP traps performance issues
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Defect reproduction on the IECC device to define reasons for issues
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Defect resolution & engineering testing
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Built and uploading of the trouble-free firmware to the device
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Tests covering the behavior of the firmware and IECC sensors
This ensures seamless timely error notification of network components to detect network link failures, device unavailability, performance issues, memory lacks, power supply failures, and so on.
As a result, the client got the updated and tested IECC device with the documentation to upload the firmware to all the network devices. In addition to this, we customized alert messages to adjust them to the client’s operational conditions.
Development Included
- Tickets review and analysis
- Firmware updates
- Regression testing
- Defects resolution
Results
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Continuous real-time network monitoring has been established
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Downtime caused by network failures has been reduced
Technology Breakdown
Further Cooperation
PSA enhances interlocking hardware and software for the client on an ongoing basis. To learn more, check out Interoperable Train Control and Vital Upgrades for Coded Track Circuit System stories.
