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SS7 Protocol - Signal Units

Hi, Different types of Signaling Units used in SS7 Protocols are: 1. 2. 3. FISU - Fill-In Signal Unit LSSU - Link Status Signal Unit. MSU - Message Signal Unit

FISU - Its a lowest Level Signal Unit, Its generated automatically in both directions on all links as traffic volume decreases. It Provides continuous Error Checking on signaling links when there are no MSUs. It allows SS7 network to maintain its reliability. It contains basic level 2 information only i.e. acknowledgment of signal unit receipt by a remote signaling point.

Check Sum - It is calculated from the transmitted message by the transmitting signaling point & inserted in the message. On receipt it is recalculated by receiving signaling point. If not the same, the message is corrupt & retransmission is requested. Spare - Used as a filler since the LI only uses 6 of the possible 8 bits. LI - Indicates length of Signaling Unit (SU). FISU LI=0, LSSU LI=1 or 2, MSU LI=3 to 63. If MSU is larger than 63 octets (bytes) it will not be indicted, max.273 octets. FIB - Used in error recovery like BIB, When messages are transmitted in error, & the BIB has changed from 1 to 0 or 0 to 1, the FIB will change to match the BIB, when corrupted messages have been successfully retransmitted. If there are no error message, BIB & FIB will have the same value 0 or 1. FSN - Contained the sequence number of a transmitted SU, can be between 0-127, or 128 possible SUs in transmit buffer. BIB - Indicates the negative acknowledgment, if the bit does not match the FIB bit value, either 0 or 1. BSN - Used to confirm the receipt of SUs & to ensure they are received in the order they were transmitted. The BSN value will match that of the last successfully received SUs FSN. Value can be 0-127 or 128 possible SUs in received buffer. Flag - It act as a delimiter for SUs. A flag marks the end of the SU & the start of the next SU, Always looks like 01111110.

LSSU - It is used to control Link Alignment. It contains one or two octets of link status information. It indicates the status of a signaling point (e.g. local processor outage) to the remote signaling point.

It has one unique field, the Status Field (SF). The SF can have any one of the six different status indications, those are. 1. Busy (SIB) - Level 2 is busy, or congested at transmitting signaling point(SP). A SP will suspend MSUs when it receives a busy LSSU. If the condition lasts 3-6 sec, Level 3 will be informed of a link failure & begin alignment process. 2. Processor Outage (SIPO) - Transmitting signaling point cannot communicate with Level 3 & 4, possible due to a CPU or total nodal failure. or being manually taken out of service with the canc-slk command. 3. Out of Service (SIOS) - SP cannot transmit or receives any MSUs for the reason other than processor outage. Upon receipt of an SIOS the receiving SP stops the transmission of MSUs & begin transmitting FISUs. It is also sent at the beginning of the alignment process. 4. Out of Alignment (SIO) - Sent when a link has failed, is restored & alignment procedure has been initiated, but proving period parameters have not been met. 5. Normal Alignment (SIN) - Procedure used when there is more than one SLK in the affected linkset. During the alignment process, the slk is looking for 4 successfull normal alignment LSSUs in a 2.3sec. proving period, if it fails it goes out of alignment again. 6. Emergency Alignment (SIE) - Procedure used when there is only 1 slk in a linkset. During the alignment process, the slk is looking for 1 successful emergency alignment LSSU in a 0.6sec. proving period. MSU - It is used for Call Control, Database query & response, Network Management, Network Maintenance, Routing Labels which consists of an Origination & a Destination point Code.

It provides the structure for transmitting all messages types such as ISUP, TUP, TCAP, MAP. It has 2 unique fields 1. Service Information Octet (SIO) - It tells level 4 the type of service requested & the type of network message, & the priority of the MSU. The Service Indicator field tells :Value 0 - indicates Value 1 - indicates message. Value 2 - indicates maintenance message. Value 3 - indicates Value 4 - indicates Value 5 - indicates

a signaling network management message. a signaling network test & maintenance a special signaling network test & a SCCP message. a TUP message. a ISUP message.

The Network type is 2 Bits :


Value 0 - indicates an International Network. Value 1 - indicates a National Network.

The Message Priority is 2 Bits : Message priority values are from 0-3

Value 0 - indicates Lowest Priority Message. Value 3 - indicates Highest Priority Message.

2.

Signaling Information Field (SIF) - It has The Routing Label of the message (OPC / DPC). A Signaling Link Selector (SLS), used to distribute traffic over multiple signaling links within a linkset if available.

More Information from Readers are Expected !!! Thanks Ashish Bhatia er.ashishbhatia@gmail.com http://homepageforu.webs.com/ Posted by Ashish Bhatia at 4:38 PM 0 comments Email This BlogThis! Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to Google Buzz Labels: Signaling Friday, September 25, 2009

What is H.248 / MEGACO


Media Gateway Control Protocol (Megaco/H.248) It is one of the signaling protocol like SS7, SIP, etc. Megaco(H.248) defines the protocol for Media Gateway Controllers to control Media Gateways for the support of multimedia streams across computer networks. It is typically used to provide Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services (voice and fax) between IP networks and the PSTN, or entirely within IP networks. Media Gateway :A media gateway is any device, such as a circuit switch, IP gateway, or channel bank that converts data from the format required for one type of network to the format required for another. Megaco/H.248 were introduced to inter-network IP and traditional telephony systems and to provide support for large-scale end-to-end deployments. Hence, It enables traditional telephone networks to transmit voice traffic over IP. While other multimedia over IP protocols, such as Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and H.323, are based on a peer-to-peer architecture, It specify a master/slave architecture for decomposed gateways. In the master/slave architecture, MGC is the master server and MGs are the slave clients that behave as simple switches. One MGC can serve multiple MGs.

MGC or softswitch is the foundation for next-generation networks offering the intelligence and reliability of the circuit-switched network with the speed and economy of the packet-switched network. MG is the gateway that allows communication between two different networks, e.g., IP and public switched telephone network. MGs can communicate via a real-time transport protocol (RTP) that provides end-to-end transport functions suitable for applications transmitting realtime data such as interactive audio and video. RTP service is further augmented by real-time control protocol (RTCP) to allow monitoring the data delivery. Thanks Ashish Bhatia er.ashishbhatia@gmail.com (http://homepage.somee.com/) Posted by Ashish Bhatia at 3:49 PM 0 comments Email This BlogThis! Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to Google Buzz Labels: Signaling Thursday, September 24, 2009

What is SIP
SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) :It is one of the signaling protocol as SS7 & H.248, It is an application layer protocol that can extablish, modify & terminate sessions or calls. These sessions include multimedia conference, internet telephony, & similiar applications. SIP is one of the key protocol that implements voice-over IP (VOIP). It is a signalling protocol used for establishing sessions in an IP network. A session could be a simple two-way telephone call or it could be a collaborative multi-media conference session. The ability to establish these sessions means that a host of innovative services become possible, such as voice-enriched e-commerce, web page click-to-dial, Instant Messaging with buddy lists, and IP Centrex services. SIP supported services

Name Mapping Redirection ISDN Services Intelligent Network (IN) services. User location

User capabilities User availability Call set-up Call handling Call forwarding Call-forwarding no answer Call-forwarding busy Call-forwarding unconditional Other address-translation services Callee and calling "number" delivery, where numbers can be any (preferably unique) naming scheme Personal mobility, i.e., the ability to reach a called party under a single, location-independent address even when the user changes terminals Terminal-type negotiation and selection: a caller can be given a choice how to reach the party, e.g. via Internet telephony, mobile phone, an answering service, etc. Terminal capability negotiation Caller and callee authentication Blind and supervised call transfer Invitations to multicast conference

It support 5 facets of extablishing & terminating multimedia communications :1. User Location - Detemining end system to be used for communication. 2. User Capabilities - Determining the media & media parameters tobe used. 3. User Availability - Determining the willingness of called party to engange in communication. 4. Call Setup - Sending ringback tone to the called party & estabilishing call parameters at both end called & calling party. 5. Call Holding & Control - Includes redirection, transfer & termination of calls. SIP can also initiate multi-party calls using multipoint control unit (MCU) or fully meshed interconnection. Internet Telephony gateway that connects PSTN parties can also use SIP to setup calls between them. SIP can use User Datagram Protocol (UDP) & Transmision Control Protocol (TCP) as transport protocol, UDP is preferred. Architecture There are two basic components within SIP:

SIP user agent. SIP network server.

The User Agent is the end system component for the call. The user agent itself has a client element, the User Agent Client (UAC) and a server element, the User Agent Server (UAS). The client element initiates the calls and the server element answers the calls. This allows peer-to-peer calls to be made using a client-server protocol. SIP user agents can be lightweight clients suitable for embedding in enduser devices such as mobile handsets or PDAs. Alternatively, they can be desktop applications that bind with other software applications such as contact managers. The SIP server is the network device that handles the signalling associated with multiple calls. The main function of the SIP servers is to provide name resolution and user location, since the caller is unlikely to know the IP address or host name of the called party, and to pass on messages to other servers using next hop routing protocols. SIP servers can operate in two different modes: stateful and stateless. The difference between these modes is that a server in a stateful mode remembers the incoming requests it receives, along with the responses it sends back and the outgoing requests it sends on. A server acting in a stateless mode forgets all information once it has sent a request. These stateless servers are likely to be the backbone of the SIP infrastructure while stateful-mode servers are likely to be the local devices close to the user agents, controlling domains of users. SIP Addressing :Uniform Resource Locator (URL) are used within SIP messages to indicate the originator (FROM), current destination (requested URL), final destination (TO) of a SIP request & to specify redirection address (Contact). SIP URL has a Syntax :-

SIP:User:password@host:port;transport-param| user-param|method-param|ttl-param|maddrparam|other-param
Their meaning SIP - indicates SIP is used for communication with a specified end system. User - Consists of any characters in the form of email address or telephone number. Password - can be included but not recommended because of security risk.

Host - can be host(other user) domain name or IP address. Port - indicates port number to which request is sent, default is 5060, a public SIP port number. Transport-Param - Indicates which transport protocol to be used, TCP or UDP, default is UDP. User-Param - can be a telephone number, 2 values are available for this field, IP & Phone number, when field is set to "phone" username is telephone number & corresponding end system is an IP Telephony Gateway. Method-Param - Specifies method or operation to be used. TTL-Param - Designates the Time-To-Live (TTL) of UDP multicast data packet. It is valid only when transport parameter is UDP & Maddr parameter is "Multicast Address". Maddr-Param - Provides the server address to be contacted for a user, overriding the address supplied in the host field. This address is typically a multicast address.

NOTE - The following parameters are optional Transport-Param, User-Param, Method-Param, TTL-Param, Maddr-Param, Other-Param. Thanks Ashish Bhatia er.ashishbhatia@gmail.com (http://homepage.somee.com/) Posted by Ashish Bhatia at 7:02 PM 0 comments Email This BlogThis! Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to Google Buzz Labels: Signaling Wednesday, September 23, 2009

What is SS7

SS7:- It is a Common Channel Signaling system designed by ITU T in response to a demand for more features & integrated data services. It defines the architecture, procedures & protocols for information exchange over digital network. It is designed to support call setup, routing, billing, database information, & special services of PSTNs. The gateway office uses application protocol of SS7 for more than one interface, such as MAP for C/D, BSAP for A interface.

It is classified into 2 parts User Part MTP (Message Transfer Part) MTP: - It is responsible for transmitting signaling messages for its users. It ensures reliable signaling message transfer over signaling network by avoiding or minimizing message loss, duplicate or out-of-sequence in case of any system fault or signaling network fault. It consists of 3 functional layers:1. Signaling data link function (MTP-1) 2. Signaling link function (MTP-2) 3. Signaling network function (MTP-3) MTP-1:- It defines the physical, electrical & functional characteristics of a signaling data link, as well as access method. It is same as physical layer of OSI model. It used to generate & receive signals on physical channels. MTP-2:- It corporate with MTP-1 to provide a signaling link for reliable signaling message transfer between 2 signaling points. Its function includes signal unit delimitation, signal unit alignment, error detection & correction, initial alignment, flow control & signaling link error monitoring. MTP-3:- It enables management message transmission between signaling point for the purpose of ensuring a reliable transfer of signaling message over the signaling network, in the case that signaling link or signaling transfer point fails. Signaling network functions are divided into signaling message handling & signaling network management. Signaling Message Handling - This function ensures that signaling message originated by a particular user part at a signaling point (originating) are

delivered the same user part at destination point indicated by sending user part. Signaling Network Management - It is used to provide re-configuration of signaling network in case of failure & to control traffic in case of congestion (heavy traffic). It includes signaling traffic management, signaling link & route management. SCCP (Signaling Connection Control Part):It provide additional function to MTP to cater both connection-less & connection oriented network services to transfer circuit related & noncircuit related signaling information & other type of information between switches & specialized centers in telecommunication network through SS7 network. It is also used for transfer of circuit related & non-circuit related signaling information of the ISDN user part with or without end to end signaling connection. SCCP Services falls into 4 classes 1. Class 0 - Basic connectionless services. 2. Class 1 - In sequence delivery connectionless services. 3. Class 2 - Basic connection-oriented services. 4. Class 3 - Flow control connection-oriented services. TCAP (Transaction Capabilities Application Part):It refers to the capabilities of providing information, request & responses. It provided functions & procedures, irrerevalent to a large variety of application between switches & databases in telecommunication network. It consists of TCAP - It corresponds to layer 7 of OSI model. ISP (Intermediate Service Part) - It corresponds to layer 4 to 6 of OSI model. It uses SCCP supported addressing mode & is based on connection-less & connection oriented services of the SCCP. Connection-less mode is applied in case of real-time transfer of a small amount of data. Connection oriented mode is applied in case of non-real-time transfer of a large amount of data. MAP (Mobile Application Part):This protocol defines how messages are exchanged between network entities for the purpose of realizing the MS roaming function. The network entities involve here includes MSC, HLR, AUC (Authentication Center), MC, SCP. In CDMA, C, D, E, T & Q interfaces all can transfer MAP messages therefore they all are referred as MAP interfaces. MAP Functions:-

1. Location & data management - They are the basis of other services of mobile network. It function includes Realizing MS automatic roaming & roaming restriction. Providing subscriber data for other services. Maintaining data consistency between HLR & VLR. Protecting network resources from being accessed by invalid subscribers. 2. Handoff Management - It ensures interconnection & interworking between mobile equipment of different suppliers, so that subscriber can roam freely in different MSC's. It function includes Basic handoff function namely forward handoff, backward handoff & handoff to third party. Transparent signaling transmission after handoff. Circuit Management. 3. Call Function - It includes origination request used to obtain calling subscriber data from the HLR or SCP. Location request used to obtain location information of called subscriber from HLR. Forwarding request to obtain forward-to request. 4. Supplementary Services - It supports various call related & non-call related supplementary services, like conference calling. The MAP can identify & support SCP oriented features operations. 5. Intelligent Network (IN) Services - It supports following IN functions Intelligent controls. SCP based forwarding services. Service recovery. In prepaid charging (PPC) service, MAP is responsible for restoring the MSCe or SCP in the case of any exception. 6. SMS Services - MAP support following functions MS initiating a short message. MS termination a short message. Short message broadcast. Short message notice. BSAP (Base Station Application Part):It is the application protocol used for A interface. Interface between MSC & BSC is A interface. The A interface includes A1, A2 & A5 interface. A1 - It transfers call control related signaling. A2 - It transfer 64Kbps PCM voice service. A5 - It transfer circuit-switched data service. BSAP describes 2 types of messages BS Management Application Part (BSMAP) Direct Transfer Application Part (DTAP)

BSMAP supports the resources management & circuit equipment management procedures between MSC & BSC. DTAP transfers mobility management messages between BSC & MSC. BSAP protocols defines message format & procedures to support the wireless service function between MSC & BSC. Major A interface signaling procedure includes Mobile origination, Mobile Termination, Call Clearing. TUP (Telephone User Part):It defines the circuit signaling function necessary for call control, namely the content of signaling message transferred between switching offices. ISUP (Integrated Service Digital Network User Part):It defines signaling messages functions & procedure required to control voice & non-voice services. It not only implements the function of TUP & Data User Part (DUP) but also realize diversified ISDN services. The ISUP supports basic bearer services i.e. establishing, monitoring & releasing 64Kbps circuit between subscriber terminals & providing lower layer message transfer capabilities for subscriber. It also support following supplementary services, Calling Line Identification Presentation & Restriction (CLIP & CLIR). Connected Line Identification Presentation & Restriction (COLP & CLOR). Call Forwarding, Call Holding, Call Waiting, User to User Signaling, ThreeWay Calling, Conference Call. ISUP also supports MultiDestination signaling point function. Thanks Ashish Bhatia er.ashishbhatia@gmail.com http://homepage.somee.com/ Posted by Ashish Bhatia at 10:56 AM 0 comments Email This BlogThis! Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to Google Buzz Labels: Signaling Monday, September 21, 2009

What is Signaling
In Communication system, the messages that are required to co-ordinate different entities. Signaling messages are described in interface, protocols & specifications. INTERFACES :- It refers to the connecting point between 2 adjacent network entities.

PROTOCOLS :- Its a set of rules to be defined for exchanging information between connecting points. Types of Signaling :In telephone network, signaling is divided into 2 parts 1. Access Signaling - Signaling between subscriber terminal (telephone) & the local exchange 2. Trunk Signaling (Inter-exchange signaling) - It is used for signaling between exchanges. Inter-exchange signaling information is usually transported on one of the time slot in PCM link, either in association with the speech channel or independently. These are of 2 types :1. Channel Associated Signaling (CAS) - In CAS, speech channel (in-band) or a channel closely associated with speech channel (out-band), is used for signaling. 2. Common Channel Signaling (CCS) - In CCS, a dedicated channel completely seperate from speech channel is used for signaling. Due to high capacity, in CCS one signaling channel can serve a large no. of speech channel. Line Signals :- They are used during the 'duration of a call' to monitor the status of the connection & traffic circuit, e.g. seizure, answers signals, etc. Register Signals :- They are used during the setup phase of a call to transfer address & category information e.g. dailed B number, etc. Line signals & register signals are used in CAS system. In CCS, signaling messages (data packets) are transmitted over time slot in a PCM link reserved for the purpose of signaling. The System is designed to use a common data channel (signaling link) as the carrier of all signals required by a large no. of traffic channels. Signaling Interfaces :These are A, B, C, D, zz, 39/xx, Q, T1, SIGTRAN, ISUP interface, etc. A,B,C,D are already defined in previous Interfaces post, ZZ:- Its between MSCe's (Mobile Switching Center Emulation). It compiles with the SIP-T (Session Initiation Protocol for Telephone). It provide the inter-office call control function for narrowband circuit-switched domain services. 39/xx:- Its between MGW (Media Gateway) & MRFP (Media Resource

Function Processor). It compiles with Megaco/H.248. Its is used when MSCe controls dynamic & static resources of transmission nodes (IP/TDM) in the MGW during call processing, including terminal attributes, terminal connectivity & mobile streams. Q:- Its between MSCe & MC (Message Center). It Compiles with MAP (Mobile Application Part) of SS7 (Signaling System 7) to support SMS (Short Message Services). T1:- Its between MSCe & SCP (Service Control Point). It compiles with WIN of SS7 to support IN (Intelligent Network) services. SIGTRAN:- Its between MSCe & SG (Signaling Gateway). It is used to transmit circuit switching signaling messages over IP (Internet Protocol) network. ISUP interfaces :- The gateway office provides the interfaces between PSTN (Public Switch Telephone Network) & other mobile network devices & controls incoming & outgoing calls through ISUP or TUP of SS7. Signaling Protocols :These are

SS7 (Including ISUP, MAP & BSAP) SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) H.248

Thanks Ashish Bhatia er.ashishbhatia@gmail.com http://homepage.somee.com/ Posted by Ashish Bhatia at 6:05 PM 0 comments Email This BlogThis! Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to Google Buzz Labels: Signaling Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Intefaces among Mobile Network

What is Interface ? They are required to connect different nodes in the GSM network. Types of Interfaces :

Air interface or Um-interface -

The Air Interface is the interface between the BTS (Base Transceiver Station) and the MS (Mobile Station).

The air interface is required for supporting: - Universal use of any compatible mobile station in a GSM network. - A maximum spectral efficiency.

Abis-interface -

Its the interface between the BSC (Base Station Controller) and the BTS. The interface comprises traffic and control channels. Functions implemented at the Abis-interface are: - Voice-data traffic exchange. - Signaling exchange between the BSC and the BTS. - Transporting synchronization information from the BSC to the BTS.

A-interface -

Its the interface between the BSS and the MSC. It manages the allocation of suitable radio resources to the MSs and mobility management.

B-interface -

This interface is between between the MSC and the VLR. VLR uses the MAP/B protocol. Most MSCs are associated with a VLR, making the B interface "internal". Whenever the MSC needs access to data regarding a MS located in its area, it interrogates the VLR using the MAP/B protocol over the B interface.

C-interface -

It is between the HLR and a GMSC or a SMS-G. Each call originating outside of GSM (i.e., a MS terminating call from the PSTN) has to go through a Gateway to obtain the routing information required to complete the call, and the MAP/C protocol over the C interface is used for this purpose.

D-interface -

The D interface is between the VLR and HLR, It uses the MAP/D protocol to exchange the data related to the location of the MS and to the management of the subscriber.

E-interface -

It interconnects two MSCs. The E interface exchanges data related to handover between the anchor and relay MSCs using the MAP/E protocol.

F-interface -

It connects the MSC to the EIR (Equipment Identity Register), It uses the MAP/F protocol to verify the status of the IMEI that the MSC has retrieved from the MS.

G-interface -

The G interface interconnects two VLRs of different MSCs It uses the MAP/G protocol to transfer subscriber information, e.g. during a location update procedure.

H-interface -

The H interface is between the MSC and the SMS-G, It uses the MAP/H protocol to support the transfer of short messages.

I-interface -

It is the interface between the MSC and the MS. Messages exchanged over the I interface are relayed transparently through the BSS.

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