What is a NOC Engineer?

Being a network operations center engineer or a NOC engineer means that they are experts in managing and monitoring a network from any centralized location. A NOC technical team is made up of qualified IT and NOC engineers. They monitor the IT environment and ensure that the IT system uptime and connectivity are transparent 24/7.

Responsibilities of the engineer NOC

NOC engineers solve all server, network and telecommunication problems by solving and constant monitoring. The skills required for an NOC or network operations center include network support, network administration and management, switching and routing, and Linux. Their responsibilities are vast and require highly qualified people.

Essential responsibilities of the NOC engineer

The work of the NOC entails many responsibilities, as they are responsible for the rigorous surveillance of different networks and systems. They must maintain the availability of all computer systems. These NOC Analysts continuously monitor network errors, malware, and all security problems. Their decisions must be made quickly, requiring an informed NOC engineer in order to maintain organizational efficiency and an ideal network.

Troubleshooting and resolution: Being a NOC engineer means that they are responsible for solving all problems related to their IT services. The NOC engineer uses standard procedures to resolve and resolve any network problems. They always work with other IT teams, customers and suppliers to improve path performance.

Alarm management and escalation: the main role of the NOC engineer is to solve all technical and quality problems. In some cases, the problems are too complex to be solved quickly. It is at this point that the NOC engineer must turn to senior management for assistance. They must keep in touch with suppliers and the team at the same time to ensure they stay up to date on any issues.

Customer Interaction: Being a NOC engineer means that they must interact with customers on a regular basis. In addition, they must treat customers with diplomacy and courtesy. Although the role of the NOC engineer varies slightly depending on the situation, he must manage the client's non-technical and technical requirements.

Documentation and reports: the NOC engineer provides online assistance by working closely with suppliers and customers. The NOC engineer must ensure that his knowledge base is updated and accurate and that all technical problems must be followed and documented in a detailed format. Many NOC teams use a ticketing system to allow them to update the details of the issues resolved every minute.

The additional skills of the NOC engineer

• Email hosting services
• Voice and video data management
• Documentation and reports
• Management of data storage
• Power failure monitoring
• Manage system backups
• Management of supplier tickets
• Monitoring of common threats, DOS attacks and viruses
• Hardware requirements, including firewalls and routers
• Network analysis and routine troubleshooting
• Maintain the stability of the core network
• Join guard rotations 24 hours a day, 7 days a week if necessary
• Identification and prevention of any potential network problems
• Provide recommendations to improve organizational and network productivity

NOC engineer training

A standard requirement for NOC Jobs is a computer science degree. Indeed, this diploma covers a wide range of topics related to computers. These courses provide all the information necessary for network security, IT, design, programming, network administration, and IT algorithms.

The three-year degree in computer science allows students to start a career as a CNO engineer. The core subjects teach students how to understand and solve the problems of a wide range of network errors and the complications expected. Due to the fact that there are no prerequisites for being a NOC engineer, once students have graduated, they can immediately begin their career. Excellent written and oral communication skills are an added benefit for this career.

Recommended skills of NOC engineers

The general responsibilities of the NOC engineer include responding to alerts, handling calls and communicating with technicians to ensure that all incidents are resolved. Being a NOC technician means that they must keep records of all technology-related questions and solutions. They are responsible for the maintenance and management of the customer's infrastructure.

NOC engineering skill set

• Support, configuration, maintenance and updating of all networks and infrastructures for companies
• Knowledge of Sysadmin and Linux skills
• Desire to learn and develop all the necessary technical skills
• Strong analytical thinking
• Operational knowledge of VoIP technology
• Strong skills in working with customers and communication
• IT experience supporting and solving hardware and software problems
• Multitasking ability
• Solve problems creatively
• Knowledge of network cabling, network classification and network topology

Common requirements for the work of the NOC

• Degree in computer science or computer science
• Excellent knowledge of technologies, operating systems, networks, antivirus, backups, systems and firewalls
• Knowledge of at least one of the products of the following suppliers: - Juniper, VMWare, Microsoft, Cisco
• Motivated, enthusiastic and able to handle various support cases
• Strong writing skills to keep documentation organized
• Customer-oriented and able to provide a high level of customer satisfaction
• Collaborate and work well with others

Full-time NOC engineer salary vs. independent NOC engineer salary

According to the Ministry of Labor, the salary of a full-time NOC engineer for work in The United States is between $ 15 and $ 27 an hour. The average salary for a NOC Engineer Salary is $ 21 an hour. For an independent CNO engineer salary, he can reach $ 29 an hour for an independent CNO engineer. In fact, a freelancer does not have a specific time period and his working time depends on the specific requirements of the project. This offers more flexibility and therefore fluctuations than a full-time employee.

How TO Diagnose Enterprise Network Problem and Fix Them

The methodology for solving corporate network problems: an introduction to best diagnostic practices

Diagnosing and troubleshooting a network problem in a corporate network monitor can be a daunting activity. With the potential of multiple branches, hundreds or even thousands of hosts, dozens of routers, switches and servers, all with different vendors or firmware and good old-fashioned human error, knowing where to start is the key. implementing a quick fix. There is a well-established methodology for diagnosing a significant network problem and following its instructions will help administrators maintain an organized approach to troubleshooting.

Know where to start

Previous experience with the network in question can help administrators find and resolve the problem. If most of the network problems that occur during NOC as a Service come from specific errors with a known fix, this will quickly provide troubleshooting for a first choice for resolving a problem. Even without familiarity with the network, it is possible to follow a procedure that will help keep everyone involved.

The first and most obvious step is to define the problem in order to resolve network errors. If a user is unable to connect to a file server to access their work, this would define the problem. This first step is generally known simply by its nature. It is rare to be called for troubleshooting without a clear problem already occurring!

Then collect information from users or affected systems. In the example above of a user having problems connecting to a file server, some basic questions might be worth asking. When was the last time the user was able to access the server? Has anything changed since then? Do other users also have the same problem? If the problem is more prevalent, there is likely to be a problem upstream in the network. If isolated from a single host, there is probably no bigger network problem to solve. Gathering information can be one of the most important and often overlooked steps in troubleshooting a large network. The data and testimonials collected here can be used to guide administrators through the troubleshooting process.

Data collection with Ping and TraceRoute

It is quite important to collect your section. The ping and trace routing tools provide much more information than their simplistic functions imply. A large amount of data can be collected for further analysis using only these two commands.

Using another example, let's assume that some users in a part of an office are unable to connect to the network. The ping command can be used to gather information and isolate the problem. This diagnostic tool works at the network level and its first use can be attributed to the division and conquest approach for troubleshooting. Simply send a package from the host machine to the destination. Keep in mind that some interfaces may have access controls or that there may be a hardware/software firewall that prevents pings from reaching a host, so this command can have limited uses, especially on incoming WAN interfaces.

Cisco recommends a specific four-step procedure when using ping to diagnose network-level IP errors:

• Ping the loopback address. This is 127.0.0.1 and is used specifically for diagnostic purposes. This confirms that TCP / IP is working on the host.
• Ping the localhost. This is the internal IP address of the affected host. For example, 10.0.0.2. If this ping is successful, the network card works.
• Ping the default gateway. If successful, the problem is likely to be upstream of the host computer.
• Ping an external IP. If successful, but the host still cannot connect to the Internet or another network, there may be a DNS error, an incorrectly configured access control list, or a problem with a firewall.

Depending on the information gathered about the problem, some of these steps may have been skipped. In the example above, if it is already known that the host within this the network can still communicate with each other, it makes sense to skip steps one and two.

Another powerful command is traceroute (on Cisco IOS) or tracert (on the Windows command prompt). The tracking path will send a packet to the destination and report the necessary steps to get there. If the packet cannot communicate with a router on the way to its destination, it will be reported to the user executing the command. This can highlight where a potential problem is occurring and give administrators a good idea of ​​where to start looking for the problem.

Analyze the data and work on a solution

Once you have defined the problem and collected the information, you need to perform an analysis to resolve network problems. This can be simple or complex, depending on the data present. Analyzing available data is an important step in solving a network problem, as it provides advice on the methodology with which to start solving the problem.

Top-down approach

These methods are exactly as they are: troubleshooting from the top of the bottom OSI model or from the bottom of the top OSI model. Working with these methods can be effective because, in general, if a layer works, the underlying layers usually work properly. This will not always be true, but in most cases, it will be. The downside is that if insufficient information has been collected, starting on the wrong side of the model can create an unnecessary amount of extra work. That's why collecting detailed information and analyzing it is so important! If the problem is at the application level and troubleshooting starts from the physical level, it will take a long time and effort to confirm that the other six levels work before reaching the real problem. Depending on network access, it can sometimes be difficult, if not impossible, to verify the higher levels of the OSI model, which must be taken into consideration before selecting this approach.

Divide and conquer

Often the most effective methodology when information is limited, this approach starts in the middle of the OSI model, usually the network layer, and works outward. This is where the ping and traceroute commands come in. Depending on the positive (or negative) the outcome of the ping test, it will guide the troubleshooting up or down in the model. If the ping works correctly, there is probably a problem at a higher level. Likewise, if ping fails, there is a problem at level 3 or lower. This can help you quickly find a path to the problem to be solved and get administrators to work quickly on a solution.

Improvisation and other methods

A handful of methods fall into this category and should generally only be used when the information gathered indicates a very specific problem. Another reason to opt for this method first would be that the same network problem appears regularly and that a fix is ​​already known. If there is a high probability that the problem will be quickly identified and resolved using this method, this will save time and resources compared to other methods. Knowing a particular network will help administrators decide if this is the correct way to go about resolving a problem.

Be flexible

Every network is different, every problem is different, and administrators need to be able to adapt to an evolving network environment in order to diagnose and resolve network problems quickly and effectively. While a consistently followed and well-documented troubleshooting plan will help keep everyone on the same page to quickly resolve potential problems, flexibility is needed to speed up response and correction times. Understanding when not to follow procedures is essential to maintaining a large network.

Solve recurring problems

All networks will experience a significant number of errors and problems. However, if the same problem constantly raises its ugly head, the search for a permanent solution is important. If a router fails regularly, for example, it may be time to replace it. Redundancy can help solve, but not solve, recurring network problems. Likewise, stop-gap or quick-fix solutions should implement long-term solutions as early as possible to avoid future headaches. Moving forward to a problem is often the best way to solve it.

The human factor and harmful intrusions

People make mistakes. They forget to plug things in, turn them on, set them up correctly or just don't know how to make something work. The best way to combat human error is to have knowledge and practice. An experienced user will cause far fewer network nightmares than the uneducated user. Always consider the human factor when analyzing data and finding a solution to a problem.

Likewise, humans sometimes have unscrupulous goals when they access a network. Always follow best security practices and keep in mind that sometimes network errors can come from malicious sources designed to stop the service. These types of attacks come in many forms and the best way to prevent them is through education and proactive defense.

Network monitoring software

There is a multitude of networking software that will help monitor, diagnose and troubleshoot large networks. From open-source tools available for free on the Internet to full-service business-oriented options, there will be a software solution for anyone who can help administrators manage their networks. Using these tools can help speed up the resolution of network problems, taking up a lot of time and human resources and putting them in the hands of the software.

How Managed Network Services are Evolving to Simplify the Global WAN

Basically, it is away that operators (that is, telecommunications operators) manage managed network services have not changed in decades. The basic architecture of this network, known as hub and radio, is organized so that they communicate with the data center in a Managed Network with a separate firewall in the middle. However, this type of WAN legacy cannot support current business needs, including a critical step in the cloud, as well as mobile users who need to access the network from anywhere, not just from the branch.

Yishay Yovel, vice president of market strategy at Cato Networks, has been following the operator's dilemma for years. According to Yovel, there are many catalysts for this evolutionary change in the managed network services market.

"Traffic flows on the network has changed significantly in recent years," he said. "Sending all network traffic to the data center before it can be transferred to the cloud is actually an obstacle to performance, but when security is centralized, a traffic backhauling is required to use security settings. But now the companies are changing their traffic patterns to move directly to the cloud or over the Internet, breaking the old security model. Security must be placed everywhere through traffic that no longer strictly goes downtown. "

Another catalyst for change is worker mobility. Yovel hired the gesture only for the organization and physical locations, leaving mobile workers out of the network. Companies are forced to find another method of connectivity, such as a VPN. It only increases the overall complexity.

Globalization is another problem.

"Multinational companies generally have to combine multiple MPLS providers to create a global network," Yovel said. "It is a real challenge to find a coherent and convenient network wherever companies operate today, and there is pressure to manage all this with a very small staff."

"The first challenge for the managed network services market is what was once a well-defined and well-understood managed network, which had specific objectives, specific designs, specific best practices, is about to collapse. It must reach so many objectives and as many needs as the classic hub and the MPLS spoken network with centralized security simply don't work well anymore, "explains Yovel”

The first evolutionary step: NFV

The first step towards the evolution of the market for managed network services was the virtualization of network functions (NFV).

"When service providers were faced with the need to simplify operations, move faster, respond faster, they adopted an appliance virtualization approach," says Yovel. "Think of all the different network functions that were part of the old network: new generation firewalls, various orchestration solutions, VPN solutions, etc. They virtualized all these boxes, but this did not change the main dynamics of the network itself. Each function of different suppliers has always had its own management interface, as well as its own scaling and sizing environment. The fact that the appliance was virtualized did not change it. They still had the same problem with the centralized architecture of the past. "

Take the example of virtualizing a firewall. Mobile device users must always connect over a long-distance Internet to a firewall in a specific location to get the security they need. The fact that the firewall is virtualized does not change this dynamic.

"I always have a firewall in a specific location which is now virtual that I have to connect to, and all the challenges I have had before for my users. They have not benefited from virtualization at all," says Yovel.

The bottom line is that the NFV doesn't go far enough to transform the Network Operators in order to achieve real agility and flexibility and meet today's business needs.

Follow the AWS managed services model

"Customers want managed network services and I think they want AWS [Amazon Web Services] network management" says Yovel. "They want a managed network the same way they managed servers, managed storage and all the other good things that go to AWS. Unfortunately, telecom operators don't have this business model today. The following are still very expensive and very complex. "

A new approach to managed network services is needed and many large suppliers are facing this challenge. Yovel's company, Cato Networks, is one of these vendors, as are some other companies, such as Microsoft, Aryaka, Meta Networks, and Mode.

In general, the new type of managed network service provider is native to the cloud, where everything resides in the cloud and customers simply subscribe to a service, as they do today with AWS. The provider establishes a global private network consisting of several points of presence on a multi-operator level 1 backbone. The managed service provider then controls the routing and latency of packets globally on this predictable backbone and SLA. By using multiple links and load balancing between them, the service provider can offer reliability, high availability, guaranteed performance and consistency worldwide. In addition, all traffic on the backbone is encrypted for safe transport.

Customers can connect their data centers, branches and mobile users to this global network to the nearest PoP. The network also pairs with public clouds and SaaS applications, providing customers with direct and secure access to them. Security, such as firewalls, antivirus, and malware, as well as IDS / IPS, is typically integrated directly into the network and is readily available everywhere, even for mobile workers.

This new architecture solves the problems that legacy WAN architecture cannot. Network transport is consistent worldwide. Customers can directly access the cloud and the Internet without redirecting traffic or sacrificing security. Mobile workers can access it without the need for a VPN. And since the network is offered as a service, there is no need to install equipment or circuits at the customer to provide the service in a new location.

The Services a NOC Provides

If you want high system availability, you need infrastructure monitoring tools that can reliably monitor and alert on a flexible set of metrics. These measures measure the daily health of your infrastructure. A well-designed network infrastructure works normally without problems, i.e. until, for example, excessive bandwidth saturation creates excessive latency which leads to failure.

NOC Monitoring Services to detect and correct infrastructure accidents. These services include monitoring the integrity and availability of:

• Networks
• Router and switch
• The waiters
• Applications
• Internet sites
• Firewall
• VPN tunnel
• Wireless access points
• LAN / WAN / MAN
• Power systems and installations

Professional NOC Services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to monitor the network infrastructure. With additional level 1 repair services, they will work to prevent errors and degradation, resolve problems before they become expensive downtime and limit outages.

Services That NOC’s Augment - What They Do, and Don’t Do

Internet security

Strictly speaking, an NOC is not a resource dedicated to security oversight - that's what security operations centers (or SOCs) need. However, thanks to its 24/7 surveillance, it acts as a vanguard for operational security centers. NOCs can monitor and respond to security warnings from firewalls and security monitoring devices. For example, A NOC can be integrated into ATMs and their system validations can detect machine failures or possible forgeries associated with skimming ATMs. The NOC can inform those who must respond within minutes, rather than hours, of the accident, thus mitigating further losses.

A NOC can be an early warning for something that's not entirely fair. For example, network monitoring can detect excessive connection errors, scan open backdoor ports, or attempt to break a firewall. Bots and all types of malware can enter through the backdoor or through the firewall. Network monitoring can detect user access and behavior for comparison with current known threats through proactive network monitoring. Therefore, although the NOCs do not provide security services, their surveillance and reporting could trigger alarm signals that could be passed on to the appropriate security officers.

MSP and helpdesk

A NOC can act as a "silent" MSP partner as long as the end-user is not aware of the presence of the NOC. NOC technicians work with the MSP provider to provide first-class behind-the-scenes assistance for specialized services.

As for the helpdesk, an important distinction and the main difference is that a helpdesk interacts with end-users; the NOC interacts with IT staff. The NOC is the service partner that the IT team relies on for system stability.

So all this high-level support capability leads to an important question: should you hire, train and pay the best price for NOC technicians to fill your IT skills gap? If you are an MSP, this would increase operating costs. If you are running a business, you probably don't want the extra drain on wages and training costs, not to mention the acquisition and updating of the technology.

How to Set Up a Help Desk Knowledge Base the Right Way

An information base (KB) sorts out data with the goal that it is effectively accessible and accessible. It resembles an across the board library and card list, with the availability of an online asset and the opportunity of a facilitated arrangement rather than the inward server cerebral pain. In Zendesk and other cloud-based assist work an area with ticketing the board programming, information bases are frequently used to: 

• Show clients fast self-administration alternatives, for example, answers to habitually posed inquiries, manuals, item support directions, refreshes, and fixes 
• Train set up or teach end clients with reasonable articles, investigating guides, white papers, instructional recordings, and so forth. 
• Give a delegate database of known issues and fixes to help representatives
• Give code pieces, models, macros and different devices to designers and bolster laborers 
• It pulls in site traffic by offering novel and important substance in a particular region of ​​expertise that is hard to discover somewhere else 

Advertising divisions, outsider merchants, accomplices, and web-based life bolster specialists depend intensely on the assistance work area information bases to address their clients' issues, thus these partners ought to be engaged with the basic leadership process in regards to appearance, usefulness, ease of use, structure and substance. from any KB bolster focus. 

Despite the fact that making and keeping up them frequently requires a great deal of work, the online assistance work area information bases assist organizations with setting aside a ton of cash after some time, as clients can rapidly discover replies rather than '' open tickets for basic issues. Client assistance fulfillment is additionally on the ascent, particularly since help operators are never again compelled to respond to a similar inquiry on different occasions; rather, they can concentrate on novel issues that really need Help Desk Resources. 

In any case, the investment funds potential is decreased if an information base isn't made effectively from the earliest starting point. A confused KB can be hard for end clients to explore and locate the ideal query items, provoking them to utilize progressively costly call, email or texting administrations for help. Simultaneously, assisting the work area with staffing may think that it's hard to discover answers for issues that have just been reported. 

This article gives counsel on the best way to manufacture a well-assembled information base from the beginning.

How online information bases work 

The information bases are available utilizing a standard characterization conspire - a level of classifications and subclassifications - be that as it may, search apparatuses are commonly significantly more effective in discovering explicit data. In contrast to the Dewey decimal framework, information bases use watchwords and labels to characterize and sort data. They can be dissected via web index insects, for example, Google and Bing, just as by the hunt instrument that is a piece of the information base itself. In this way, they are powerful in arriving at end clients who don't have the foggiest idea about the accessibility of the asset, pulling in web traffic. 

This sort of information base can be substantially more productive than chronicling Office records on a mutual drive, dealing with an intranet or utilizing server-based information base programming that can be costly, expound and tedious. Zendesk specifically is especially valuable for helping workplaces as it consolidates information bases, gatherings, ticket the executives and interpersonal organization apparatuses in a solitary application. 

Utilization of labels in information bases 

Labels are watchwords, which can be related to a ticket or article, which helps distinguish one of a kind substance, characterize and find the area of explicit data. They can likewise be utilized to track and quantify business data. For instance, assisting work areas with staffing can utilize label perspectives to get a thought of ​​the number of individuals reaching the assistance work area for account issues and the number of individuals who have shut their records. So they could utilize two labels - "account_issues" and "close_account", channel by account issue and perceive what number of these tickets additionally have "close_account" 

Clients can scan for labels as catchphrases, while in the Zendesk head it is conceivable to make sees with the goal that specialists and the executives can see gatherings of things and tickets are dependent on their labels. Labels can likewise be utilized in robotizations, triggers, and macros.

What is an IT Service Desk?

Helpdesk IT services are intended as a primary point of engagement between users and an IT organization. According to ITIL, the service center is the only point of contact (SPOC) between the service provider (IT) and users for daily activities. A typical service center handles incidents (service outages) and service requests (ordinary service activities) and manages user communications for things like scheduled outages and service changes. A service center is generally wide-ranging and is designed to provide the user with a place to go for all their IT needs. Consequently, the service center plays a central role in facilitating the integration of business processes with the technological ecosystem and a wider service management infrastructure.

Where do IT services come from?

The IT support function was born in the late 1980s as an ability to help solve IT problems. It was a highly technical feature focused on technology rather than end-users. Early IThelp Desk didn't have the concept of SLA or time-based goals for solving problems. It was only when ITIL entered the scene in the 1990s, capturing best IT service management practices, that the concept of user-centered IT service center began to emerge. The service center was considered an essential part of "IT management as a service".

In the mid-1990s, research by Robert Gordon University's Iain Middleton revealed that the value came not only from a responsive response to user problems but also from the help desk's unique position to communicate daily. with many customers or employees. Information obtained on technical issues, user preferences and what satisfies users can be invaluable for planning and developing IT services.

With the release of ITIL v2 in 2001, the Service Desk function and its role in incident and request management has become one of the essential components of IT service operations in many organizations. Over the decade, globalization and increasing pressures to reduce IT operating costs have led many organizations to centralize the functions of IT support services with much attractive third-party support partners to assist them. The outsourcing of IT service center functions has led to further standardization of processes and growth in the help desk ticketing software market.

Modern technological trends, including cloud services, the widespread use of third-party components in the IT ecosystem and advances in discovery and monitoring capabilities have led to the integration of autonomous ticketing assistance systems into more complete ITSM platforms that act as an operating hub not only for IT support, but for the entire IT function. As companies seek to modernize and pursue their digital transformation initiatives, the IT Service Desk is evolving again to become more focused on business, with greater awareness of business processes and data - in many cases, becoming an integral part of operations Corporate Help Desk companies.

Are Wireless Site Surveys Worth The Cost?

At the time of wireless network design: there weren't many wireless network planning tools. So, to design wireless for a new building, we took a floor plan and literally plotted the locations of access points, power settings, channel settings, etc. A wireless engineer should always be on site. They were about to install a Wireless Site Survey Cost that included the access point model they had planned to use, antennas and some software running on a laptop. Then they physically walked around the building to test the coverage area in the real world. Needless to say, it was a very long but necessary process to ensure that the system had the coverage it needed and that the system did not actually interfere with itself (which can happen when two access points in the same area use the same channel).

The world of wireless design is different today: For example, most wireless networking solutions for a university or hospital campus wireless network will automatically adjust power and channel settings so you don't have to set everything up manually. This makes the planning process much easier. Another tool we have now that we didn't have in the old days is a fantastic wireless planning software that will fill a floor plan with access point locations, expected coverage and also tell you the angles of the signal transmitted by the antennas ... interesting things for wireless network fanatics like us.

Here are some reasons why I think you will need a wireless engineer to work with you in the design:

1) Devices and applications are complex: wireless planning is no longer just about covering an area. It is about being able to support the capacity of devices on the network, sometimes 3 to 5 devices per user. And it's about being able to deliver the performance levels required by applications. Even if you are using predictive wireless planning software, most are based on coverage only. You need to have a plan that also includes capacity and performance.

2) Wireless networks are essential: when started implementing the wireless infrastructure years ago, most of the systems we were installing were primarily for accessing wireless access points. Like wireless student networks in schools or guest access in retail stores. Of course, since then, wireless speeds have become faster and faster (wireless gigabit is coming) and everything becomes mobile. Today we have hospitals with wireless insulin pumps, nurse call systems and barcode scanners for prescription drugs, all over Wi-Fi. These same school systems that we started implementing years ago now stream video wirelessly and many test systems use Wi-Fi. Today's wireless networks are not pleasant, it is a critical system that can never fail.