Specifications

Bankway Network Standards Guide - Distributed Terminal Server in Every Branch
This constitutes a trade secret of Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. 03/08 Research & Development
Page 31 of 63
Connecting a router to a WAN requires an interface device called a DSU/CSU. This may be
integrated into the router, supplied by the Common Carrier, or owned by the bank. Often a
common carrier integrates data and voice traffic over a single link. In which case the DSU/CSU
must have an interface to the phone system (PBX) and must be configurable.
WAN connections come in many varieties including wireless and satellite. For Bankway the
current best practice is either dedicated links, or Frame Relay. Dedicated links and Frame Relay
come in standard sizes: DS0 and T1. DS0 is 64Kbps, or 56 in some implementations. T1, also
termed DS1, is 1.54Mbps. There is a third option in between called Fractional T1 with bandwidth
anywhere between the two. Sometimes a carrier will provision a T1 circuit to a location and use
part of the bandwidth for voice and the remainder for data.
Dedicated links are just that: a fixed amount of bandwidth between two points. Frame relay is
data broken into fixed length groups, called packets, and transmitted through a common
network.
Note: Some users have been concerned that their data is mixing with the data of other
companies, posing a possible confidentiality issue. The reality is that all traffic, both voice
and data is mixed over the carrier’s backbone. Proven multiplexing technology keeps it
all separated. As in any case, encryption helps ensure confidentiality.
Generally Frame Relay is offered with two constraints: Committed Information Rate (CIR), which
is the bandwidth the carrier guarantees, and Burst Rate which is the maximum speed of the link.
Frame Relay offers lower costs, plus the ability to provision a connection to multiple endpoints.
This means that a Bank with multiple branches and a backup site can provision a single circuit to
each location and achieve the required connectivity.
The following information summarizes the minimum hardware requirements for the Local Area
Network.
● Cabling: Category-5, 5e or 6 to each workstation or server
Note: Wireless LANs (WiFi/802.11) may be an alternative if carefully designed
and implemented.
● Switches: 100baseTX
Note: If Network Applications such as Voice over IP or Streaming Video are to be
implemented, proper Quality of Service must be configured on the switches to
insure Bankway performance.
● Addressing: Subnet for each branch, and at least one for the data center.
Addresses should be organized in a hierarchy for summarization. Private IP
addresses in the private ranges (10.x.x.x, 172.16.x.x through 172.31.x.x, 192.168.x.x)
are recommended.