MODUS X Team Built a MAN Network for DTEK Kyiv Grids

DTEK Kyiv Grids required a new solution to connect its 20 locations scattered across Kyiv into a unified network. The objective was to ensure reliable and secure data transmission, while also enabling the connection of new users and integration with the data center.

The MAN network, designed and implemented by the MODUS X team, successfully addressed this challenge.

The network construction consisted of two major phases:

1. Design and construction of over 200 km of primary network based on fiber-optic communication lines:

• 90 km were allocated for the corporate network, while the remaining network was used for a dedicated technological network connecting substations across the city.
• This phase lasted approximately three years.

2. Design and construction of a secondary network using Cisco switches, routers, and firewalls:

• The network architecture employed a ring topology to ensure high availability.
• The base network speed was 1 Gbps, with scalability up to 10 Gbps.
• This phase took approximately two months.

The secondary network was divided into three levels:

• Access Layer:
  • Utilized Cisco L2 switches (100 devices) for connecting user workstations and automated process devices.
  • Technologies used: 802.1Q, Spanning-tree, Cisco StackWise, port-security.
• Aggregation Layer:
  • Utilized Cisco L3 switches (35 devices) to aggregate traffic from the access layer and connect to the core layer.
  • Technologies used: 802.1Q, OSPF, Spanning-tree, bridge-domain.
• Core Layer:
  • Utilized Cisco routers (2 devices) that function as border routers for the Autonomous System and secure connections to the data center.
  • Technologies used: OSPF, BGP, PBR, IPSec.

Cost-Effective Solution

The implemented solution proved to be optimal for the company, resulting in significant cost savings:

• Renting 1 Gbps channels for all locations, ensuring redundancy (two channels per location from different providers), costs approximately UAH 3.5 million per year.
• At the same time, investing in an additional 40 routers (two per location for redundancy) to terminate rented channels at each site would cost around UAH 35 million, with a lifespan of approximately 10 years.

This comprehensive MAN network provided DTEK Kyiv Electric Networks with a reliable, scalable, and cost-effective solution for secure data transmission across its locations.