Introduction, Overview – Comtech EF Data MIDAS 4 System and Design User Manual
Page 15
System and Design Manual, Revision 2
Introduction 1–1
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This document contains the System and Design information of the Comtech
EF Data’s Bandwidth-on-Demand (BOD) Multimedia Integrated Digital
Access System (MIDAS), Series 4 (Version 4.0, 4.2, and subsequent). The
version number in the margin will identify differences.
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A reliable and efficient communication network is of prime importance in
today’s highly competitive business world. The need for accurate (real-time)
information is crucial to the success of any business requiring on-demand
wide-area connectivity for:
• Enterprise
Networking
• Video
Conferencing
• Circuit Restoral (Disaster
Recovery)
• Tele-Medicine/Tele-
Health
• Overflow/Congestion
Reduction
• Distance Learning
• Content Distribution
Until now, these applications depended on leased lines from the telephone
company, which were mostly under-utilized and (typically) did not provide
adequate bandwidth when needed. In some places, they simply did not exist.
• Dial-up lines were slower, because of limited bandwidth availability
on Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) lines in most
geographic regions.
• The reliability and maintenance of these circuits continues to be a
problem, and lack of network control provisions continues to plague
users.
• Natural or man-made disasters.
Dedicated satellite circuits can solve the bandwidth and connectivity problem,
but such solutions are not cost effective for applications that do not require
permanent connectivity.
• Users with mission-critical applications adopted dedicated circuits
where local phone company service was unreliable or nonexistent.
• The dial-up equivalent of setting up a satellite circuit, though cost
effective, was highly inefficient.
• Most users were certainly not enthused by setup times ranging
anywhere from a few hours to a few days for such a circuit.
MULTIMEDIA INTEGRATED DIGITAL ACCESS SYSTEM