1. What is
the SignalPath™ Signaling Gateway?
The
SignalPath™ Signaling Gateway is a line
of advanced signaling protocol converters
designed to resolve protocol incompatibilities
that exist between communications networks.
The combined product line, which includes
the SP230, SP201, and SP201-SA products,
can collectively handle conversions for
SS7, C7, C5, PRI ISDN, NI2 ISDN, R1,
R2, DTMF,and SGCP, as well as a large
number of custom protocol variants.
2. What is
the difference between in-band and out-of-band?
In-band signaling: A signaling method
in which network control and call setup
signals are sent over the same path as
the user's transmission. With inband
call setup signals occupying the communications
pathway, transmission of the user message
must wait until the call setup process
is completed.
Out-of-band signaling:
A signaling method in which network control
and call setup signals are sent over
a separate digital channel, called a
signaling link. This method allows for
the transport of more data at higher
speeds since setup signals and transmission
of user messages can be sent simultaneously.
3. What is the difference between the
Signaling Gateway products?
The SP230
has a modular design, with a capacity
of up to 52 E1 or T1 interfaces, allowing
users to scale the product to fit small
or large applications while incurring
a low upfront investment. Depending on
the software loaded on the card(s), it
can handle conversions for SS7, C7, PRI
ISDN, NI2 ISDN, CAS (R1, R2, DTMF), and
SGCP.
The SP201 features a compact
1U height designed for budgeted space,
with a capacity of up to 4 E1 or T1 interfaces
on one Aggregate Card for the customer
with low-end requirements. Depending
on the software loaded on the one card,
it can handle conversions for SS7, C7,
PRI ISDN, NI2 ISDN, or CAS (R1, R2, DTMF).
The SP-201-SA is a very small, economical
unit that provides one T1 or E1 trunk
connection for protocol conversions between
CAS (R1, R2, DTMF) and ETSI PRI ISDN
or NI2 ISDN networks. It was developed
specifically for PBX, IP-PBX, and video-conferencing
applications.
4. Can different types
of protocol conversions be mixed within
a SignalPath product chassis?
The SP230
features this capability.
5. What is
the difference between C7 and SS7 signaling?
- C7 refers to the Signaling System
No. 7 specified by ITU-T recommendations.
- For the Integrated Services User
Part (ISUP), these recommendations
are Q.767, Q.701- Q.704, Q.705, Q.708,
Q.709, Q.780- Q.782, Q.784, and Q.788.
- SS7
refers to the Signaling System No.
7 specified by BellCore TR-NWT-00264,
ANSI T1.111a, T1.112, T1.113a, T1.114,
T1.116, and T1.234-T1.236.
6. How many SS7 links
can the SignalPath products support?
- The SP230 supports up to 52 SS7
links per chassis.
- The SP201 supportsup
to 4 SS7 links per chassis.
7. How many
T1 or E1 trunks can the SignalPath support?
- The SP230 supports up to eight
E1 or T1 trunks per Aggregate card,
or up to 104 full duplex trunks, per
chassis.
- The SP201supports up to four E1
or T1 trunks, or eight full duplex
trunks, per chassis.
- The SP201-SA supports
one T1 or one E1 trunk, bi-directionally.
8. How many channels (or DS0s) do the
SignalPath products support?
- The SP230
supports up to 248 channels per Aggregate
Card (AGC), or up to 3,224 channels
per chassis. Each chassis can contain
up to 13 AGCs.
- The SP201 supports up
to 31 channels per trunk, or up to
248 channels per chassis.
- The SP201-SA
supports up to 30 channels per chassis.
9. Does the bearer traffic have to pass
through the SignalPath?
This depends
on the application. For an ANSI SS7 to
ITU-T SS7 conversion, the bearer traffic
needs to pass through the SignalPath
230 only if T1 to E1 rate conversion
is required. For an R2 and PRI ISDN to
SS7 conversion, the bearer traffic must
pass through the SignalPath for the conversion
to be properly handled.
10. What speed
is the SS7 channel?
You can configure
the SS7 channel for either 56 kbps (T1)
or 64 kbps (E1).
11. How is the SS7 channel
assigned?
Can it be mapped to a port?
You can configure the appearance
of the SS7 channel on any one of the timeslots
in the T1 link or in timeslots 1–31 in
the E1 link using either the command console
interface or the System Controller Module.
Timeslot 0 is reserved for framing per
G.703/704 ITU-T requirements.
12. Which
country protocols are supported?
A complete
list of country protocols and variants
we support is available under Country
List
13. Do I need to add additional modules
to perform a T1 to E1 conversion?
No.
T1 to E1 rate conversion is performed
within the same modules that handle protocol
conversion.
14. How do I provision the SignalPath?
You can perform system provisioning locally
or remotely through the System Controller
Module.
15. Does the SignalPath support
redundancy?
The SP230 supports redundancy.
You can order additional power supplies,
alarm cards, provisioning System Controller
cards, and signaling links to provide
redundancy.
16. What is the lead time for ordering
a SignalPath with a standard configuration?
The standard delivery is 30 days (typically
less) ARO for an off-the-shelf product.
If additional work is required to add
a new protocol variant, the delivery
timeframe increases proportionally to
the amount of time required to implement
the new variant. We can provide a firm
delivery commitment upon review of the
line and register signaling specifications
for your specific application. |
