U.S. Forestry Services Upgrades Flight Simulation Training Operations with Raritan KVM

Figure 1 - View of Flight Simulation Room from the Control Room

GOAL

The US Forestry Services needed a reliable delivery system for high resolution video and Out-of-Band (OOB) access to flight simulators and AV equipment throughout the Wildland Fire Training and Conference Center (WFTC) located in Sacramento, CA.

Multiple rooms across the WFTC including the Control room, Flight Sim Room, South Canyon Sand Table, Thirty Mile Presentation Room, and two IDFs to be upgraded as part of the process.

CHALLENGE

The US Forestry Service uses a variety of aircraft for firefighting. Frequent training on simulated aircraft operation and firefighting techniques is crucial to pilots’ success under pressure and cost-effectively defending people’s lives and property from the growing problem of wildfires.

In operation since 2009, the fourteen-year-old legacy infrastructure of the WFTC facility was due for an update. Upgrading the computers and KVMs that drive the ATC Flight Simulators was necessary to bring the facility up to current standards, maximum efficiency, and higher video resolutions. Newer computers did not have the legacy video ports supported by the prior KVM products, necessitating an update of the KVMs as well.

SOLUTION

ECS, a technology integration company specializing in data center infrastructure solutions, partnered with Raritan to help the Forestry Service implement a new video distribution architecture capable of delivering 4K resolution. ECS offered the Dominion KX4-101 KVM-over-IP Switch, Dominion KX4-UST User Station, and Command Center Secure Gateway (CC-SG), as the solution of choice to join displays in the Flight Simulator Room, the Control Room, Sand Table Room, Presentation Room and two IDFs inside the WFTC.

The selected hardware also lays the groundwork for the adoption of Raritan’s Dominion KX-III enterprise-class KVM-over-IP switch. With support for 1 to 8 users and up to 64 servers, the KX-III is a logical fit for the future growth of the WFTC should the need arise to expand.

RESULTS

The high performance Raritan solution set saved the US Forestry Service on both electrical power consumption and the number of hardware devices needed to connect everything together with the added benefit of supporting 4K video resolutions. It also helped to reduce fan noise throughout the facility, as the prior KVM devices relied on fans for cooling while the new DKX4-101 is a fan-less device that employs convection cooling. This enhanced the “in the cockpit experience” offered by the ATC Flight Simulators while also reducing the heat load in the Flight Sim Room.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Raritan offers the most advanced technology solutions to help you manage, maintain and operate your critical IT equipment to its maximum potential: From power management and remote server access products, to Legrand’s connectivity and physical infrastructure solutions.

Build on 30 years of engineering expertise and customer insight, we’re proven to offer reliable solutions to efficiently manage your unique date center rack and white space environment.

Figure 2 - Inside the cockpit of the ATC simulator for fixed wing training