SolDevelo has been providing Verizon with cloud development services for 12 years now, including AWS instances, development environments, demo setups, and other scalable solutions. In this case study you will learn more about our work for Verizon and its purpose as well as its results.
The Client
Verizon is a major American telecommunications company, headquartered in New York City. It is one of the largest wireless communication service providers in the United States and also offers a variety of other services. SolDevelo has been working with Verizon since 2012, providing cloud development services designed to match the specific needs of the client.
The Project
Verizon uses an elaborate custom-developed set of tools called V-Suite, designed to help in network diagnostics. SolDevelo assists in developing and maintaining two of the V-Suite tools, vPIM and vCEM.
vPIM (Verizon – Platforms & Infrastructure Measurement)
vPIM is an advanced diagnostic and measurement tool for Verizon’s telecommunications network. It evolved from the earlier VMI (Verizon Measurement Infrastructure) which was used to measure various network metrics and conduct performance tests.
The main components of vPIM are:
- Data Collector (DC): Responsible for handling tests and processing the results.
- Endpoint: A device that regularly sends packets to the Data Collector.
- Network Analyst: A user interface component providing intuitive access to all the information collected by the system.
vPIM provides extensive functionalities including reports, alerts, SLA monitoring, and a map view. It supports a variety of tests conducted regularly to ensure the highest quality of service.
vCEM (Verizon Customer Equipment Manager)
vCEM is a component designed for remote management of customer end devices. This system primarily uses the TR-069 protocol, which the target devices, such as routers, must also support.
The main tasks of vCEM include:
- Saving and reading device parameters,
- Managing device configurations,
- Updating device firmware,
- Executing script policies for configuration tasks,
- Monitoring device performance parameters,
- Performing remote actions on the device, such as restarts or hard resets.
vCEM was designed with scalability in mind, to support a vast network of millions of customer devices while ensuring high levels of stability and availability.
The Challenge
Our work for the client encompasses several key areas, all of which are related to cloud development.
Migration to our cloud
The client requested the migration of their existing servers into our cloud environments to improve scalability, reliability, and overall efficiency.
Instances for network testing
The client needed us to create instances specifically designed for conducting comprehensive network and performance testing, with an overarching goal of ensuring that the client’s systems are robust and can handle the anticipated load.
Demo instances
The client has requested the setup of demo instances that are to be used to showcase and demonstrate the features that are currently under development. These demo instances are crucial for presentations. They help in gathering feedback and making iterative improvements.
The Solution
We provided a few distinct environments for various Verizon subprojects, each tailored to meet specific needs and enhance overall project efficiency and security.
Amazon EC2 instances
We created multiple EC2 instances, divided among different initiatives to support the diverse requirements of Verizon’s projects. These instances include development environments for vPIM and vCEM, demo setups, and servers utilized in Verizon labs, ensuring that each project has a dedicated and optimized environment for its specific tasks. This segregation helps maintain clarity and focus for each subproject, enabling more efficient management and development for us, and a dedicated testing space for Verizon.
Performance testing with JMeter Slaves
For vPIM performance testing, we employed dynamically created JMeter Slaves on AWS instances. This approach allows for thorough performance evaluations, ensuring that the systems can handle expected loads, and identifying potential bottlenecks.
Migration to our custom AMI
We also migrated the client’s system to our custom AMI based on Rocky Linux. This migration ensures that testing environments closely replicate the production environment, leading to more accurate and reliable test results.
Security and file sharing
Security and efficient file sharing were also prioritized. We set up SFTP servers for secure sharing of new vCEM project versions with the client, ensuring that sensitive data is transmitted safely. Additionally, we utilized Amazon ECR for Docker deployments, coupled with security audits of the Docker images created for the projects. This ensures that all deployed applications meet stringent security standards. Moreover, Amazon S3 was used to facilitate vPIM file sharing with the client, providing a reliable and scalable storage solution.
Automated deployments with Terraform and AWS
Finally, to streamline the deployment process, we implemented automated deployments using Terraform and AWS. This automation not only speeds up the process but also reduces the potential for human error, ensuring that deployments are consistent and reliable.
The Result
The implementation of our diverse solutions has yielded numerous benefits for the client across various dimensions.
More accurate network testing
By providing a robust cloud infrastructure for network testing, we have significantly enhanced Verizon’s ability to evaluate and optimize their systems. This cloud-based approach ensures that they can conduct thorough and accurate network tests without the limitations typically associated with an on-premise infrastructure.
Early issues identification
Additionally, the ability to simulate production environments using our servers has proven invaluable. By closely replicating the production environment, Verizon can conduct tests and develop solutions in settings that mirror real-world conditions. This ensures that any issues are identified and addressed before deployment, leading to smoother rollouts and more reliable performance in live scenarios.
Flexible resources management
Scalability and adaptability of the laboratory environments have also been key benefits. Our solutions allow for easy adjustment and scaling of these environments to meet the specific needs of each project. This flexibility ensures that Verizon can efficiently manage resources and quickly respond to changing project requirements, enhancing overall productivity and reducing time to market.
Solutions made to measure
Our comprehensive solutions are providing Verizon with a powerful, scalable, and flexible infrastructure that supports their development, testing, and deployment needs. The project is highly focused on specific requirements of the client, and has been built with scalability in mind from the very beginning. One of the biggest priorities is to provide the client with structures that are able to handle the high number of Verizon’s customers, and ensure adequate reliability and accessibility for all of them.
Working with Verizon allowed us to gain a lot of experience in dealing with big scale projects. We will continue to provide our services to the client, taking up new challenges and using all our skills to meet the expectations.
Technologies used
