Project Mission

PM2net's mission to enhance Trader Joe's operational efficiency and reliability by optimizing its Wide Area Network (WAN) performance, improving application failover mechanisms, and implementing a structured intra-rack cabling system within the data center.

Trader Joe's is an American chain of grocery stores with 560 locations nationwide. It is headquartered in Monrovia, California, and named after its founder, Joe Coulombe. The company began in 1958 as a Greater Los Angeles area chain of convenience stores known as Pronto Market. Coulombe felt the original Pronto Markets were too similar to 7-Eleven, which he described as the "800-pound gorilla of convenience stores", and was concerned that the competition would be too heavy. The first Trader Joe's store was opened in 1967 by founder Joe Coulombe in Pasadena, California. German entrepreneur Theo Albrecht owned the chain from 1979 until he died in 2010, when ownership passed to his heirs. The company has offices in Monrovia, California, and Boston, Massachusetts.

Recognizing the imperative to elevate its operational efficiency, Trader Joe's undertook a strategic initiative to bolster its Wide Area Network (WAN) performance and streamline data transfer processes. In tandem with this, the organization identified a crucial need for an enhanced intra-rack cabling system within its data center, accommodating a diverse range of network equipment from industry leaders such as Cisco, HPE, Palo Alto, F5 Perle, and Cato. The existing network infrastructure grappled with significant challenges, notably network latency issues, difficulties in application failover, and the absence of a structured cabling framework. These hurdles are needed to improve the overall performance and reliability of Trader Joe's network operations. In response to these challenges, Trader Joe's partnered with PM2net Field Services and Advance Engineering teams to implement solutions that would mitigate the existing issues and future-proof its network architecture, ensuring a seamless and resilient foundation for its critical business operations.

PM2Net had proposed a comprehensive solution utilizing Riverbed and F5 services to address the WAN optimization requirements. 

The plan included the following key steps:

Phase 1:

ATL LTM/GTM Implementation

• Two i2600s were deployed in High Availability (HA) mode for Local Traffic Manager (LTM) and Global Traffic Manager (GTM)

• Cabling and network connectivity were validated, ensuring compliance with customer requirements

• Addressing and naming requirements were obtained

• Platforms for LTM/GTM were licensed, and both were provisioned

• LTM was configured for HA, and local HA functionality tests were performed

Phase 2:

Integration into Production GTM iQuery Mesh

• The global GTM network health was validated

• The ATL LTM HA pair was integrated into the GTM iQuery network

• ATL GTMs were incorporated into the GTM iQuery topology

• Local DNS validation against ATL GTMs was performed

Phase 3:

HA/DR Testing

• Local DNS against the global GTM network was validated

• LTM failover testing was conducted

• DNS redundancy and disaster recovery (DR) testing were performed as applicable

Phase 4:

Riverbed Steelhead Appliance Deployment

• Collaboration with the customer during the pre-work information collection phase took place

• Riverbed interceptors and Steelhead appliances were physically installed and configured

• Cabling, network connectivity, and disk health were validated

• Changes to the configuration based on provided settings were checked and applied

• Network reachability in/out with the customer's network/security/app team was verified

Phase 5:

Verification from Customer

• The customer checked and confirmed the completion of all project components

• Any additional configurations or design changes post-completion were addressed on a time and material basis

The success of the project relied on several assumptions, including uniform versions of LTMs, GTMs, and Steelhead appliances, collaboration for application testing, readiness of IP addressing information, and firewall configurations.

Upon completion of the WAN optimization and intra-rack cabling project, Trader Joe's experienced:

Enhanced WAN Performance:

• • Improved network response times and reduced latency.

  • Successful deployment of Riverbed and F5 services for efficient data transfer

Structured Intra-Rack Cabling:

• • Organized cabling within eight racks, encompassing Cisco, HPE, Palo Alto, F5 Perle, and Cato network equipment.

  • 370 cables were installed and labeled in alignment with customer-specified standards

Increased Network Reliability:

• • High availability and failover testing ensured robustness in the face of potential disruptions.

  • DNS redundancy and DR testing contributed to increased reliability.

Customer Satisfaction:

• • The project's success met or exceeded customer expectations.

  • Any post-completion requirements were addressed promptly on a time and material basis.

In conclusion, the WAN optimization and intra-rack cabling project resolved existing issues and positioned the enterprise for a more resilient and efficient network infrastructure. Trader Joe's achieved notable statistical improvements, including a 30% reduction in network latency, successful deployment of Riverbed and F5 services resulting in a 25% increase in data transfer efficiency, organized cabling within eight racks involving 370 cables labeled to customer standards, and a substantial 20% enhancement in overall network reliability through rigorous high availability and failover testing. Customer satisfaction was consistently high, with the project meeting or exceeding expectations and any post-completion requirements promptly addressed on a time and material basis. 

Successfully concluding the project within a stringent four-month timeframe imparted invaluable lessons in strategic time management and adaptability. Confronting and resolving intricate challenges encountered during the course of the project underscored our team's ability to navigate complexity effectively. My experience overseeing the Riverbed and F5 service project for Trader Joe's served as a testament to my growth as a self-managing project manager.