Resilio Platform
Ship to Shore Data Replication
and Application Management
Resilio Platform syncs data and controls apps over any network connection
Fast and Automatic Data Transfer from Ship to Shore and Back
Automatic, real-time transfers of data sets from ship to shore at the full available bandwidth regardless of the internet connection, round-trip delay and packet loss. No limit on the file size or the number of files. Resilio Platform's transfer protocol is optimized for high-speed transfer and will automatically ramp up to use the full bandwidth of WiFi when available.
Robust to Network Outages
Connect’s fault-tolerant transfer protocol automatically resumes every failed transfer until the job is 100% completed. The automatic retry resumes from the point of interruption and makes efficient use of the costly satellite data network.
Download Only The Files That You Need
Fast, ad hoc downloads of critical files and data sets from shore to ship through the native file system browser interface. This enables simple file sharing and data collection and synchronization over low bandwidth VSAT links.
Designed for Multi-homed Networks
Resilio Platform makes optimal use of the multiple networks available on the ship. It can be configured to minimize the usage of satellite links, make more use of cellular, and take full advantage of WiFi connection. On the ship, it is capable of syncing data P2P on the LAN without any use of the WAN connections.
100% Guaranteed Data Integrity
The Resilio protocol guarantees data is transferred with 100% integrity even with low-quality connectivity including high packet loss and disconnects. Data transmission integrity is verified using cryptographic hashing of each file chunk and each complete file.
Resilio WAN Optimization - Micro Transport Protocol
Resilio’s Micro Transport Protocol (µTP2) was designed to overcome the deficiencies of TCP/IP over latent and lossy WAN connections. The µTP2 protocol architecture is based on a bulk transfer strategy, where the sender sends packets periodically with a fixed packet delay to create a uniform packet distribution in time and uses a congestion control algorithm to calculate the ideal send rate.
There is no acknowledgment for every packet, instead, the protocol uses interval acknowledgment for a group of packets with additional information about lost packets. This acknowledgment combined with periodical RTT (Round Trip Time) probing informs the congestion control algorithm and keeps an optimal sending rate.
Workflow Integration and Automation
Resilio Platform enables the integration of scripts in transfer jobs. Each job has 3 scripting triggers: prior to starting a transfer job, after a machine completes a transfer, and after all machines complete a transfer. This is an easy and powerful mechanism that enables integrating Resilio Platform with your existing workflow.
RESTful API exposes all the GUI functionality pragmatically and gives the ability to create jobs, execute jobs, query status, and more.
Enterprise Management
Connect’s Management Console provides a comprehensive view of all transfer jobs. You can view real-time performance metrics, drill into the status of individual endpoints, and review the history of all executed jobs in your network. Resilio Platform maintains a complete audit trail and event logs that are stored in a standard JSON format that is compatible with event processing solutions like Splunk, LogRythm, and Loggly.
End-to-end Security
End-to-end encryption between mutually authenticated machines is used to guarantee the security and privacy of data on the wire. The 100% on-prem solution with no cloud or 3rd party devices involved gives you complete control over the security of the information.
Resilio Cross-Platform Capabilities
Resilio runs on any OS. Windows, Linux, OSX, Android, FreeBSD, and all major NAS solutions are supported. The application is resource-efficient and can deliver high-performance data transfer even on low-end, single-board devices like Raspberry Pi.
Bandwidth Scheduler
Set bandwidth usage limits based on time-of-day or day-of-week. Create different schedules profiles for different jobs and agent groups.
Use Case #1 - Application Patching over VSAT Links
One of the world’s largest marine construction companies has deployed a comprehensive solution of Resilio Platform software on approximately 30 of its vessels to enable high speed, reliable transfer of data and applications from shore to ship and back.
Challenge
Delivering software updates and patching 100s of endpoints on dozens of vessels at sea using SCCM was failing. High latencies, connection drops, and limited bandwidth of the satellite links prevented SCCM from doing its job.
Solution
Resilio Platform offered a way to use SCCM over VSAT. The reliable file transfer protocols made it possible to send application patches and OS images over the intermittent satellite connection. Once each vessel received an update, Resilio Platform distributed it to every endpoint on the vessel over the local network. Resilio Platform was a perfect replacement for the vessels SCCM Distribution Points. With Resilio Platform installed, updating vessels in the ocean became as reliable and as fast as updating office PCs.The company also took advantage of Resilio's scripting capabilities to remote control application deployment and operating systems upgrades.
Use Case #2 - National Geographic fleet operator uses Resilio Platform for nature photography and logistics
Key Challenges Faced by Lindblad IT Operations
Connecting the Ships to Headquarters Reliably
The fleet operates far out of range of mobile carriers. Internet connectivity on board each ship is a combination of a 256 kbps Inmarsat FleetBroadband (FBB) connection and a maritime VSAT with a 4 x 4 Mbps connection shared by 150 people. VSAT latencies on Ka and Ku band are between .8 seconds and 1.8 seconds. Average latency is one second, which is more than seven times the delay people are accustomed to hearing on VOIP or browsing the web. Connectivity is precious. Getting data on and off ships is a significant challenge.
Sending Batches of Invoices to Ships from Headquarters
Purchasing must send big batches of invoices to ships for resupply in advance of arrival at their next ports of call. These data are critical to ship logistics and continued on-time operations.
Publishing Daily Expedition Reports
Onboard each cruise is an expedition team that compiles daily expedition reports, and write-ups that include pictures and stories talking about the experience that guests had that day. These daily reports are often large files and published as a competitive differentiator in service to the National Geographic brand in eco-tourism.
Fleet Maintenance Software, Replicating Database
The fleet maintenance software is how each ship places orders for spare parts and maintenance items. Timely database replication is mission critical because any delay in the process can cause major problems if ships leave dock before spare parts arrive.
Transformative Benefits of Resilio Platform
In technical trials, Resilio Platform proved itself to be: easy to set up, easy to use, and extraordinarily resilient. It works over FBB satellite and is now fully deployed over VSAT.
Today with mapped folder pairs:
Staff onboard ships can drop content into folders, without worry, knowing that everything will appear at headquarters on time.
Headquarters can replicate software and databases, and push content to ships, with reliable convenience.
No more daily anxiety, onboard or at IT headquarters, about making deadline on database replication. Today files replicate reliably 24/7.
No more need for crew to watch servers and restart them every 4 hours, as was required prior to adopting Resilio Platform.
"Resilio Platform has been a game changer. It’s proven to be reliable in file transfer, It’s proven to be reliable in database replication. Overall, Resilio Platform jobs are very easy to set up and they just work!"– IT Developer at Lindblad Expeditions
Use Case #3 - Northern Marine Group potentially saved millions by reducing time to compliance by 92% with Resilio Platform
Key Challenges Faced by Stena IT Operations
Distributing Critical Software Updates
Ships aren't all that dissimilar to today's enterprise workplaces. They have a dedicated IT infrastructure and rely on WAN communications with the mainland for crew welfare as well as ship logistics and operations.
For its overall business management, Northern Marine developed and uses Aurora, a custom software system that requires periodic .NET, .NET Core and PowerShell updates. Multi-gigabyte updates to these frameworks have to be pushed out to each vessel over VSAT connections that max out at 3Mb/s down. If the vessel happens to be in a communications black spot, such as the middle of the Indian Ocean, peak download bandwidth slows to 512Kb/s. In the recent past, the only way these updates could be conducted reliably was through the mail.
"The solution was to burn the software to CD, put it in the post and wait until it got to a vessel. Someone there would then put that CD into the server and install the software," says DevSecOps Manager Scott Mungall.
Often ship staff required a remote walkthrough through TeamViewer—once again, over a limited-bandwidth connection—to install the update properly from the CD. Bringing the entire fleet uniformly up to date could take six months, severely impacting the software deployment cycle of Aurora.
Solution
Instead of having to send CDs through the mail and wait for the ship to reach the destination port, Northern Marine now pushes out software updates to the vessels through a combination of Resilio Platform and custom scripts. Using this method, the time needed to bring the fleet into compliance dropped 92%—from six months to just two weeks.
Yes, it's another form...
But if you make the effort, we'll show you how to move data faster over any network.
