The TS400 has 4 ports per unit, the right port density to manage their remote routers, switches, RMON probes and firewalls installed in their campuses networks across the state. SSH access is used along with out-of-band access for remote recovery. High reliability was also of relevant concern because the network devices were too apart. Booting from flash assured no dependency on mechanical disk drives, which removed the most likely cause of hardware failure at those remote sites. The small Linux firmware also proved to be very robust.

The Network Monitoring Station accesses TS machines to reach the console port of networking devices to get essential data on network health. Monitoring of switches, routers and gateways provides detailed data on their working configuration, user session, spanning tree, port capability, connectivity, port status, system status and neighboring. Firewalls give relevant data to manage secure network operation. Skilled analysis of collected network activity and security logs can pinpoint threats and filter potentially suspicious activities.

The TS400 will also be used in an ambitious plan for future improvement of network management. The availability of the CDK (Cyclades Development Kit) contains the source code which makes it easy to embed new functionalities in the TS.

Being familiar with software development in Linux, the network staff in Minnesota will use the CDK to create a custom firmware with new functions for the TS. Embed it, and it will be ready to go with a new functionality tailored to their needs. One exclusive TS, one exclusive functionality.