University

ISAM Voice Operator

Managed with 5520 AMS

Section D: Architecture
Alcatel-Lucent University Antwerp
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Alcatel-Lucent University Antwerp

During class please switch off your mobile, pager or other that may interrupt.

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Course objectives
At the end of this section, you will be able to
Understand the concepts of the ISAM Voice Architecture

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Table of contents
MEGACO ISAM Voice Architecture
SIP ISAM Voice Architecture
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University
MEGACO ISAM Voice Architecture

Alcatel-Lucent University Antwerp

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ISAM Voice in NGN network

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Mapping functions and protocols (1)

Media Gateway Controller

MEGACO signalling

XLES signalling

MGC

ISAM

NVPS

IP

EMAN

Ethernet Switch
GW

NPOT

NT

PSTN

Media Gateway
=> Trunk Gateway

RTP Voice Stream

Media Gateway
=> Access Gateway
- signalling part (NVPS)
- packetisation part (NPOT)

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Mapping functions and protocols (2)

Voice protocol stack overview

TGW

ROUTER

NT

RTP

RTP

UDP

UDP
IP

IP
PHY

NPOT

IP
PHY

IP

EMAN

Ethernet
SHUB

802.3

IP
802.3

MEGACO ( = H.248) and XLES signalling protocol stacks

MGC

ROUTER

NVPS

H248

IP

IP
PHY

IP
PHY

IP

EMAN

802.3

NPOT

XLES

XLES

LAPV5

LAPV5

UDP

UDP

UDP

IP

IP

H248

UDP

NT

802.3 802.3

Ethernet
SHUB

IP
802.3

> The ISAM Voice Package encapsulates voice information in UDP/IP using the RTP (Real-Time
Protocol) which provides the information needed to restore the original digital voice stream (see
RFC 3550). The voice line card supports RTP, as well as the RTCP (Real-Time Control
protocol), the control protocol associated with RTP.
> Signalling and call control messages interchange between the NVPS and the MGC is achieved
using the standard H.248 protocol. The XLES proprietary protocol is used between the NVPS
and the voice line cards. Inside the NVPS, the H.248 transactions are associated to subscriber
ports based on H.248 termination names. The NVPS internally maps the physical terminations to
the ports L3 address and delivers the XLES messages to the corresponding voice line card by a
provisioned UDP port.
> LAPV5 = Link Access Procedures for the V5 protocol
> V5 Protocol = A protocol that defines the switching and signaling protocol between Access
Network (AN) and the Local Exchange (LE) to support analog telephone access, ISDN (BRI and
PRI) access, and other digital or analog access for semi-permanent connections.

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XLES protocol
BLES (Broadband Loop Emulation Service)
Adaptation of V5.1 PSTN protocol to notify events and request
resources

XLES (eXtended BLES)

Extension of BLES protocol for VoIP services
PSTN Messages (BLES)
Channel Allocation Messages (BLES)
VoIP Messages (XLES)

Information Elements
Type Of Message
Reference Number
Protocol Discriminator

0x048
0x049

BLES
XLES

> The eXtended BLES (XLES) protocol is used between the voice line cards and the NVPS. The
protoccol is based on the standard BLES protocol with a proprietary extension.The extension of
the standardised BLES protocol (ETSI EG 201 900-1 V1.1.1 (2001-04)) includes specific VoIP
features and controls to enable the command of signals (e.g. dial tone, CLIP transmission, etc..).
> The extensions include the following (not exhaustive list):
Set packetisation time
Set codec
Set jitter buffer configuration
Enable/disable VAD/CNG
Enable/disable echo cancellation
Enable/disable named telephone event with RTP packets (RFC 2833)
Call statistics
Metering pulses
Line testing
Alarms from the voice line card
Audits
Play signal
POTS OAM

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NPOT/NBAT versus NVPS

NPOT/NBAT: convert analogue / Basic Access lines to VoIP

VoIP (RTP)
ETH

EMAN

NVPS:

NPOT

Analogue lines

Signalling with the MGC

NPOT
NBAT

MGC
MEGACO +
SIGTRAN (if NBAT)

NVPS

Internal Signaling
XLES

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Network Element Architecture (for NPOT)

The gateway (NVPS) can serve multiple LT
cards from different nodes

GATEWAY FUNCTIONS
- Signalling interface with MGC
- Signalling with LT Cards

Voice path separated from signalling path

MGC

MEGACO / H248

signalling path

ISAM

MEGACO / H 248
NVPS

IP

EMAN

XLES
NPOT

Ethernet Switch
GW

NT

voice path
PSTN

LINE CARD FUNCTIONS

- Mapping of analogue voice to VoIP
- Signalling with NVPS
- Codecs (G711, G729, G723)
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The ISAM-V architecture is that of the ISAM with the addition of voice services, which
translates into the addition of three new boards: two LIMs, NPOT and NBAT providing POTS
and ISDN, and one Voice Packet Server card, NVPS, which is the VoIP gateway for ISAMV.
The NVPS communicates with the voice line cards by means of an extended BLES (xLES)
proprietary protocol. The NVPS terminates the proprietary signalling messages from the
voice cards, provides a Megaco interface with the call server and handles the specific OAM
needed to support VoIP service.
BLES = Broadband Loop Emulation Service (see VoDSL...)
The NPOT supports up to 48 POTS interfaces and integrates functions such as ringing, digit
detection and tone generation. This new LIM provides a classical POTS interface towards
the subscriber and performs the packetization of the voice over RTP, sending the voice
directly to the network as VoIP over Ethernet.

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Network Element Architecture (for NBAT)

Additional signalling path for NBAT
Q.931 over IP

signalling path
MEGACO / H248
MGC

signalling path

ISAM
NVPS

IP

EMAN

XLES
NBAT

Ethernet Switch
GW

NT

voice path
PSTN

Q.931 over XLES

signalling path

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Signalling between NVPS and MGC: Q.931 over IUA over SCTP
SIGTRAN (Signalling Transport) is a working group within the IETF standard
organization. Its primary purpose is to address the transport of packet-based public
switched telephone network (PSTN) signalling over IP networks.
Q.931 is ISDN's connection control protocol, roughly comparable to TCP in the Internet
protocol stack. Q.931 doesn't provide flow control or performs retransmission, since the
underlying layers are assumed to be reliable and the circuit-oriented nature of ISDN
allocates bandwidth in fixed increments of 64 kbps. Q.931 does manage connection
setup and breakdown.
IUA defines an adaptation module that is suitable for the transport of ISDN Q.921-User
Adaptation Layer (e.g., Q.931) messages.
The Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) is designed to transport PSTN
signalling messages over IP networks. SCTP is an application-level datagram transfer
protocol operating on top of an unreliable datagram service such as UDP.
Signalling between NBAT and NVPS: ISDN L3 + L2 info (SAPI, TEI, other) over XLES
(Q.931 over xLES)

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Subtending Architecture
One voice system = one NVPS + n x NPOTS
Signaling
Path

NVPS

EMAN
Voice
path

XLES

NPOT

Ethernet Switch

NT

ISAM Hub

GigE

NPOT
Ethernet Switch

NPOT
NT
Subtended ISAM

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> One voice system = one NVPS + n NPOTS

distributed among several shelves
> Non-blocking voice path:
Media traffic does NOT
go through NVPS
Local routing for local calls
Non-blocking line card
> Remark that we can have a voice path in the ISAM-V between two LT cards within the same
system. This would normally only be possible by using routed mode forwarding model and
enable user-to-user communication. We will later see however that the SHUB applies a specific
filtering mechanism based on VLAN/IP/UDP to forward those packets between two NPOT cards.
> Voice calls between two lines on the same LT will be switched internally on the NPOT card.

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Remote Architecture

Remote deployment via aggregation network (through EMAN)

High scalability: One NVPS per 5000 subscribers

Signaling
Path

NVPS

EMAN

XLES

NPOT

Ethernet Switch
Voice
path

NT

ISAM Hub

NPOT
Ethernet Switch

NPOT
NT
Remote ISAM
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Gateway Placement Flexibility

Flexible deployment scenarios

Multiple nodes served by one NVPS

SUBTENDING /REMOTE
Remote
7302 ISAM

One VoIP Gateway

for Several Nodes

Small
Remote / Subtended

MGC

PSTN
GW

IP

EMAN
ANT

STB
POTS
ISDN

Head Office
7302 ISAM
ANT

STB
POTS
ISDN

Subtended
7302 ISAM

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Management architecture

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Software and Database architecture

The NVPS is a server card like the NT which stores:
the NVPS software
the NVPS database
the CDE profile

From R3.6+ the NT is the master for these three

This means that when the NVPS boots, it checks with the NT:
the NVPS software version
the NVPS database CRC
the CDE profile version

Only the items whose check fail are downloaded

However, database updates (through SNMP) are done locally on the NVPS and only
periodically a database back-up is made to the NT
Be careful with NVPS resetting or reseating, too quickly after a change in configuration!!!
Back-up can be forced (advisable before resetting or reseating NVPS)

This means that the ISAM Voice configuration now belongs to the ISAM and no longer only to
the NVPS
Storage in the NVPS is now only for speedy restart of the card
Moving the NVPS to another ISAM system, makes it follow that systems voice configuration
Automatic back-up of the ISAM now also includes the NVPS database and active CDE profile

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University
SIP ISAM Voice Architecture

Alcatel-Lucent University Antwerp

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SIP ISAM Voice in a non-IMS-compliant network

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SIP ISAM Voice in a TISPAN compliant NGN-IMS network

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System overview

AMS

SNMP

HSS

SIP UA resident on NPOT

EMAN

IP

LANx ISAM-V

NPOT

GEs
NPOT

AS

P-CSCF

SIP

I-CSCF
S-CSCF

NT
SNMP interface resident on NT

MRF
OAM traffic
Logical connection
SIP message

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- The ISAM-V architecture is the same as ISAM with the addition of voice
application service, which means a new board, NPOT. NPOT card is able to be
populated in any available slot in the hub or cascading shelves. DSL LTs and
NPOTs may be mixed in any shelf.
- External voice service OAM is terminated at NT. Internal Voice OAM
communication between NT and NPOT uses the proprietary IDL/ITL protocol.
- NPOT supports up to 48 classical POTS interface.

- Each NPOT acts as SIP UA function and

interworks with SIP server (e.g. FS5K).
- Each physical POTS line is associated to its SIP UA.

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POTS signaling protocol stack

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Voice protocol stack

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NPOT

NPOT: convert analogue lines to VoIP

VoIP
(SIP + RTP)

EMAN

ETH

NPOT

Analogue lines

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Network Element Architecture

Voice path separated from signalling
path
CSC

SIP

signalling path
SIP

IP

ISAM

EMAN

Ethernet Switch
GW

NPOT

NT

voice path
PSTN

LINE CARD FUNCTIONS

- Signalling interface with CSC
- Mapping of analogue voice to VoIP
- Codecs (G711, G729)
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The ISAM-V architecture is that of the ISAM with the addition of voice services, which
translates into the addition of two extra boards: two LIMs, NPOT and NBAT providing POTS
and ISDN.
The NPOT supports up to 48 POTS interfaces and integrates functions such as ringing, digit
detection and tone generation. This new LIM provides a classical POTS interface towards
the subscriber and performs the packetization of the voice over RTP, sending the voice
directly to the network as VoIP over Ethernet.

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Integration of the ISAM Voice solutions in an IMS network

I-CSCF

AGCF

SIP
R

HSS

m
et
er

ll
Ca
SI
P

R
SIP

o
trati
egis

ll

GW

Ca

MEGACO

Diameter
P
SI

SIP Registration

S-CSCF

Di
a

SIP

MGCF

egis
trat
io

P-CSCF

MEGACO

SIP

ISAM

ISAM

NVPS

NPOT

MEGACO Solution

SIP Solution

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www.alcatel-lucent.com

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