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Edgecore 10G/1G Switches and Pica8 PICOS implemented in City of Hoover

 
 
 
Edgecore 10G/1G Switches and Pica8 PICOS implemented in City of Hoover
Edgecore WiFi Solution, User Authentication  
City of Hoover, Alabama, use Edgecore Open Network 10G/1G Switches and Pica8 PICOS network operating system implemented in nine city buildings, including two data centers.
 
Backgroud
Inspired by the success that hyper-scale data center operators and others have had with open networking solution, the City of Hoover, Alabama, decided to implement a new network based on Edgecore switches and PICA8 operating system to against the vendor lock-in, enhance the network services and flexibility, get greater control and reduce the operating expenses.

“We wanted to bring in the best equipment and software we could yet be cost-efficient as this is all being paid for by taxpayer dollars,” says Jason Cope, Director of Technology for Hoover. “Cost reduction was a big factor but so was getting all the functionality that we needed to grow and improve our network over time. The combination of the Pica8 PICOS® NOS and Edgecore hardware enabled us to achieve that goal. It gives us a real future-proofed network – something that legacy networking vendors seem to shy away from.”

The project began in 2015, Greg Boykin, City of Hoover Information Systems Manager, said: "We are looking to reduce the network maintenance costs while ensure the network structure can be ready for the next -generation technologies, such as software-defined networks (SDNs)." With the current vendor, the city was paying for licenses that had far more functionality than the city needed, which not only expensive but overly complex to administer.
 
Benefits
Edgecore WiFi Solution  Increased performance: submillisecond response times throughout network
Edgecore WiFi Solution  Simplified management and configuration: flatter leaf-spine architecture
Edgecore WiFi Solution  35% to 40% cost savings vs. proprietary solution
Edgecore WiFi Solution  Fully backward-compatible with remaining legacy networking infrastructure
 
Solution Topology
Edgecore WiFi Solution, User Authentication
 
Product Deployment
Edgecore WiFi Solution, User Authentication
 
Edgecore Solution Product Portfolio
AS5812-54X AS4610-54T
10G Spine Data Center Switch 1G Leaf Data Center Switch
 

Solution
With the cooperation of a local IT solution provider, Logista Solutions, the city deployed eight switches in its data center and one in the backup data center at City Hall, connected by an existing fiber optic cable. The switches would support all of the city’s operations information systems, including telephone, public safety systems and emergency operation centers.

“The goal was to provide base IP transport infrastructure with redundancy, high capacity and low latency,” Boykin says. “Those are the brains the city uses when fighting an emergency, whether it’s snow or a tornado,” Boykin says.

Now, the city is bringing the Open Networking benefits to more users in nine buildings and counting, including the rest of City Hall, police and fire stations, the senior and recreation centers, and a library. There are about 50 Edgecore switches with PICOS NOS installed at the various sites in the city, and support two 10G-to-20G connections to each wiring closet, bringing up to 40G total capacity to each closet. With the flatter two-tier leaf-spine architecture, the system manager is able to get greater control as well as lower the latency and improve performance.
 

Result
Now the City of Hoover has a modern, highly reliable network with dramatically increased bandwidth that’s easier to manage and costs about 35% to 40% less than before. "The City of Hoover network performance has more than exceeded expectations," Boykin said. “And the savings we’re getting on support and software and hardware maintenance are substantial.”
 
 
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