ASTi’s Telestra Disk-less server/client architecture is being introduced into the suite of ASTi products to meet current and future demands of the communications and audio simulation market.

The server is the standard 2U rackmount Telestra chassis, and contains all of the standard Telestra software functionality, such as RMS, MBV, etc. Additionally, this Telestra Server platform will have the ability to support virtually unlimited* disk-less (network bootable) Telestra clients. Each client platform can have its own unique audio communications model that meets the site’s specific requirements. As with all Telestra platforms, the administrator can remotely manage any Telestra system (HDD or network boot) via a standard web browser.

The client is also a standard 2U Telestra chassis, but WITHOUT a hard disk drive, as the name suggests. The client will instead download the required software and model over the network into local memory, and execute that model. For the end user, there will be no discernible difference between a disk-based and disk-less system.

The server contains two main components with regard to disk-less operation. The first is a list of all of the valid disk-less clients. Only clients that are on this list will be able to load software remotely over the network from the server. Secondly, the server has a unique model for each and every client. This model will contain the specific audio requirements, hardware mappings, radios, intercoms, playsounds, etc. to be loaded and executed on the client platform.

When powered up, the client will issue a bootp request onto the network. Via its DHCP daemon, the server Telestra receives this request and sends back a bootp reply to the client. The reply contains the IP address of the client platform and other network settings. The client Telestra will then download the software components necessary to run the model. This download is performed in 2 stages:

1. Kernel and RAMDISK information are downloaded via trivial FTP. The RAMDISK is loaded into memory and the client starts its boot process.
2. Model, components and options file are downloaded via secure copy (SSH + public/private key encryption) during the client’s boot process. Once these files are downloaded, they are automatically installed on the client platform. The client boot continues with its startup processes before finishing the secure software installation.

After the downloads and installations have completed, the model will then be automatically started on the client machine, providing audio and communications as defined therein.

When the machine is powered off, all of the software packages (kernel, RAMDISK, models, etc.) are erased from memory.

This Telestra server/client architecture offers several advantages over the traditional disk-based system:

• Security of a disk-less-based system
• Central model(s) management
• Central client startup management
• Time-saving solution (site visits, HDD swapping, etc.)
• Easier transition between security levels

For each disk-less client, a bootable CD-ROM containing the operating system, runtime environment, models, components and all configuration files can be created from the disk-less server. Thereafter, each client can operate as a self-contained—yet diskless—platform loading all software from the bootable CD-ROM and requiring no central network server interaction. In addition to not requiring a network connection at boot time, these deep-embedded clients offer the advantage of faster boot up times over their network-boot counterparts.

To facilitate central model and configuration management and speed Telestra startup times, a hybrid configuration may also be employed. A bootable CD-ROM containing the operating system and runtime environment can be loaded into the Telestra system. At startup, the system will boot directly from the CD-ROM, skipping the kernel/RAMDISK FTP download step described above. After booting, the Telestra will query the central network server and download its model and configuration information.