IPS7 Signaling

John Yoakum
Nortel Networks

Signaling at the EDGE - IPS7 Open Architecture

Abstract:
The demand for products that bridge circuit switched, Signaling
System 7 (SS7), and packet based multi-media networks has
created the necessity for a next generation signaling architecture.
This presentation describes a packet telephony signaling model
designated IPS7 sponsored by Nortel Networks to enable the
next generation of unified networks: an open, scalable architecture
to accommodate multi-vendor standardized implementations
within a single signaling framework. This new architecture is
integral to Nortel Networks' product portfolio of signaling solutions,
and paves the way to its vision of the future: flexible, scalable,
unified networks.

IPS7 Defined
IPS7 is an open architecture defining signaling in
packet telephony
IPS7 implies IP based packet telephony signaling defined
loosely on SS7 concepts and designed to interwork with SS7.
open implies something that is not specific to one vendor, in
contrast to closed, proprietary, or de-facto.
architecture implies a defining framework to base designs on.

IPS7 is not

A protocol...
A standard...
An implementation
An application programming interface (API)...
Anything proprietary to Nortel Networks.

2000 Nortel Networks

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Architecture Concepts
HOUSE
Kitchen
Bathroom
Bedrooms
Living Room
Garage

IPS7
ITUN
TPAM
SSNM
IPNM
RTSP

2000 Nortel Networks

M3UA
SCTP
IP

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Relating IPS7 concepts to the analogy of a building...

The process being followed in the definition and evolution of IPS7 is very
similar to how an architect first defines the necessary functionalities of a
physical structure and than refines them into detailed plans specifying
how to construct the building.
The IPS7 open architecture is the basic definition of the functionalities
necessary to achieve robust telephony signaling in packet networks.
IPS7 has been founded on IP due to the wide acceptance IP is
receiving as the network enabler of the future.
Since IP can easily be carried over any packet transport, IP is a
reasonably unilateral choice for signaling in packet telephony.
The protocol specifications related to IPS7, that are emerging from
standards efforts like the IETF, are analogous to the detailed plans that
emerge from the architectural concepts for a building.

SS7-IP Signaling Initiatives

IPS7 open architecture
A comprehensive, global open architecture description offered freely
by Nortel Networks to the entire communications industry.
A framework defining the signaling functionality necessary to enable
robust packet telephony capable of transparently interworking with
circuit switched networks.

IETF sigtran Standards Drafts

A multi-vendor initiative within a neutral IP engineering task force to
standardize one implementation of the IPS7 open architecture initially
targeted at robust signaling transport and interworking enabling VoIP.

ISTP Cable Initiative

An early initiative by a cable industry consortium to address SS7 ISUP
and TCAP over IP. Based on TCP, the reliable IP protocol designed
for data file transfer, which lacks the real-time characteristics desirable
to meet all the demands of telephony signaling.

TALI Vendor Specific Implementation

An early product implementation API based on TCP. Being an API
approach, TALI lacks partitioning between classical protocol layers.
2000 Nortel Networks

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IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) sigtran Characteristics

Addresses ISDN and SS7 signaling transport and robust interworking
between circuit switched and packet telephony networks.
Protocol reference implementations are freely shared without license
terms or conditions.

ISTP (Internet Signaling Transport Protocol) Characteristics

Addresses primarily ANSI ISUP and TCAP over TCP, lacking signaling
management necessary for complete interworking.
Relies on TCP and suffers from the real-time shortcomings of this data
transfer oriented protocol.

TALI (Transport Adaptor Layer Interface) Characteristics

Based on an Application Programming Interface (API) paradigm, lacking
the partitioning desirable to enable testing and analysis.
Also relies on TCP and its shortcomings.
Source code is available under license from the vendor promoting TALI.
License conditions for utilizing TALI include assuming financial liability
for any intellectual property infringement the original vendor may have
generated creating TALI.

PSTN-IP Interworking
Media Gateway
Translates between
TDM digital streams
and IP data packets

IP Telephony
Distributed Element Network Model
Signaling
Gateway

Media Controller

IP Telephony
Server

Packet telephony call

processing logic

Signaling Gateway

SS7

SS7-IP interface
Coordinates SS7 view
of IP elements and IP
view of SS7 elements

IP Telephony Server
Vehicle to implement
advanced services
and data structures

IP

TDM

2000 Nortel Networks

Media
Controller

Media
Gateway

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The Packet Telephony Distributed Element Network Model

Defines the pieces necessary for a complete packet telephony system
transparently interworking with circuit switched networks of all types,
fixed and mobile.
Originally submitted as a multi-vendor effort by Nortel Networks and
several other major equipment manufacturers to the Internet
Engineering Task Force (IETF) in mid-1998.
This model includes the basic functional components that have
historically been inside a telephony switch, reborn in a distributed, multivendor capable, architecture interconnect via a packet network.

Four basic types of network elements

Media Gateway
Media Controller also known as a Media Gateway Controller,
SoftSwitch, Call Agent, Communications Server,
Signaling Gateway
IP Telephony Server opens up the network for service development,
much like IN intended to do, but potentially using modern IP based
protocols that easily span networks.

IPS7 Open Architecture

Fundamental Packet Telephony Enablers
IPS7-ITUN (ISUP Tunneling)
Protocol and nodal functionality supporting the
encapsulation and transfer of ISUP messages
between Signaling Gateways and Media Controllers.

ISP7-TPAM (Transport Path Availability Maintenance)

Protocol and nodal functionality supporting management
of the transport paths between IP elements.

IPS7-SSNM (SS7 Signaling Network Management)

Protocol supporting the extension of SS7 Signaling
Network Management information to IP elements.

IPS7-IPNM (IP Node Maintenance)

Protocol and nodal functionality allowing IP elements to
coordinate availability and failure / recovery with
Signaling Gateways.

2000 Nortel Networks

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IPS7 Review and Update

The IPS7 open architecture is freely available and documented in white
papers and multimedia presentations. The white papers are available
from the Nortel Networks, details on where to acquire them will be
displayed at the end of this presentation.
The next three slides are an overview of the IPS7 components and are
covered here only briefly as a base line to understand how IPS7 has
evolved into real multi-vendor standards in less than one year.
Since there slides were presented in several public forums in 1999, they
will not be discussed in detail here.

IPS7 Open Architecture

Signaling Robustness Enablers

IPS7-RTSP (Reliable Transport of Signaling Payloads)

IPS7-STLD (Signaling Traffic Load Distribution)
IPS7-IPQF (IP QoS Function)
IPS7-ISAF (IP Secure Association Function)
IPS7-SGSF (Signaling Gateway Screening Function)
IPS7-SGMF (Signaling Gateway Mediation Function)
IPS7-SPCF (Signaling Protocol Conversion Function)
IPS7-OVLC (Overload Control)

IPS7 attempts to define all the signaling functionality necessary

to enable robust packet telephony capable of transparently
interworking with the circuit switched networks.
2000 Nortel Networks

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IPS7 Open Architecture

Intelligent Service Enablers
IPS7-STUN (SCCP / TCAP Tunneling)
IPS7-SCGF (Service Control Gateway Function)
IPS7-TCIP (TCAP Transactions over IP)

IPS7 is a rapidly emerging open architecture.

The current specification includes 17 protocol
and / or functional components. Definitions are
dynamic and details are subject to change.

Network Architecture Enablers

IPS7-IHSL (IP High Speed SS7 Links)
IPS7-SGAS (Signaling Gateway Associated Signaling)
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IPS7 - Driving Standards

IETF working groups provide a
cooperative forum for defining
implementation details
Open
Architecture

Nortel Networks
Ericsson

Motorola

Siemens

Cisco

IETF
Telcordia

IETF Drafts
Nokia
M3UA

Lucent

Alcatel

SCTP
IP

Open to anyone
Ideas stand on their own merits
2000 Nortel Networks

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The IETF signaling transport working group sigtran, chaired by

Lyndon Ong from Nortel Networks, is creating a robust
implementation of IPS7 architecture concepts in the form of multivendor drafted standards.
The IPS7 open architecture is being freely submitted to all
signaling related standards bodies including various ITU study
groups and other appropriate IETF working groups in addition to
sigtran. Unlike TALI, which has been submitted to several
standards bodies and largely ignored, IPS7 concepts are driving
many standards implementations.
The IETF freely cooperative forum is proving to be one of the
most effective methods for rapidly achieving true multi-vendor
standards. Long gone are the days of network operators paying a
consulting company to dictate standards.

IETF Implementation Model

Standardized Building Blocks
Expandable with well partitioned
User Adaptation Layers
Tunneling high level protocols
TCAP
Q931/QSIG

MTP3

IUA

M2UA

SCCP

ISUP

TUP

M3UA

TCAP
SUA

SCTP
IP

Real-time Reliable Transport

2000 Nortel Networks

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The initial focus of the IETF sigtran working group was to define a
standard enabling Real-time Reliable Transport for signaling
related messages. Once this was well underway, the scope
expanded to include higher level requirements.
The sigtran approach carefully partitions various aspects of the
necessary tasks into well defined layers and associated protocols.
It is possible to implement only the user adaptation layers useful
for specific products, not the entire protocol suite.
The formal names of the current sigtran components are:
SCTP Signaling Common Transport Protocol
IUA ISDN Q921 User Adaptation Layer
M2UA MTP2 User Adaptation Layer
M3UA MTP3 User Adaptation Layer
SUA SCCP User Adaptation Layer

The flexibility for creating additional adaptation layers exists.

TALI and ISTP Models

TALI API

Registration
TCAP

MTP3

ISUP

ANSI ISUP / TCAP

& Registration

TCP

SCCP
IP
TCP
IP

ISTP deploys ISUP &

TCAP directly on TCP

TALI API combines many

useful signaling concepts
2000 Nortel Networks

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Unlike the IETF sigtran layered model, both the ISTP and TALI
implementations combine several signaling functions in a single
structure utilizing TCP as a transport.
This technique makes analysis and testing more challenging than
with a well partitioned model.
TALI is an API, or definition of how to write programs that interact
with each other, rather than a protocol suite defining exact
communications exchanges assuring multi-vendor interworking.
ISTP is missing several classical signaling functionalities and is
North American centric, based on ANSI SS7 standards.

IP transport of SS7
IETF sigtran
True Multi-vendor
Standards Drafts
MTP3
M2UA
SCTP
IP

M2UA a collaboration by:

Cisco, Nortel Networks, Alcatel,
Telcordia

SCTP a collaboration by:

Motorola, Nortel Networks, Cisco,
Ericsson, Siemens, Telcordia
2000 Nortel Networks

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First lets examine the relatively simple case of basic transport of

conventional SS7 over IP.
In this case, SS7 MTP3 and all the SS7 layers above are
transported via M2UA over SCTP over IP.
The primary drive behind this implementation is the opportunity for
cost reduction of SS7 transport and the desirability to utilize IP as
an interface to devices such as SCPs.

IETF - IPS7 Implementation

IP
Transport
Reliable
IPS7
The
IETF
Node
High
lETF
to
sigtran
IETF
Speed
Maintenance
Transport
sigtran
Path
mapping
drafts
Links
Availability
drafts
of(IPS7-IHSL)
fill
Signaling
(IPS7-IPNM)
forinimplement
IPthe
Maintenance
Transport
missing
Payloads
thebetween
transport
IPS7
(IPS7-TPAM)
(IPS7-RTSP)
open
STPs
related
architecture
pieces ofconcepts
the model

IPS7IHSL

IPS7IPNM

IPS7TPAM

STP

STP

MTP3

MTP2

2000 Nortel Networks

MTP3
M2UA
SCTP

M2UA
SCTP

IP

IP

IPS7RTSP

MTP2

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Illustrative Example Interconnecting STPs over IP

Four IPS7 functional elements are required for robust interconnection of
STPs via IP.
The SS7 concept of Fill in Signaling Units (FISUs), that consume the
network during idle periods is replaced by IP friendly techniques in
M2UA along with implementing the path and element availability
management necessary to interwork robustly with conventional SS7
networks.
Reliable transport is implemented via a new real-time compatible
transport layer either directly on IP or on top of UDP, if desired, for early
implementations.

IETF - IPS7 Implementation

IP
Transport
Reliable
IPS7
The
IETF
Node
High
lETF
to
sigtran
IETF
Speed
Maintenance
Transport
sigtran
Path
mapping
drafts
Links
Availability
drafts
of(IPS7-IHSL)
fill
Signaling
(IPS7-IPNM)
forinimplement
generic
the
Maintenance
missing
Payloads
IP Transport
thetransport
IPS7
(IPS7-TPAM)
(IPS7-RTSP)
open
ofrelated
SS7
architecture
pieces ofconcepts
the model

IPS7IPNM
IPS7IHSL

SSP or SCP

IPS7TPAM
Telephony
Application or DB

STP
TCAP
SCCP
MTP3

MTP2

MTP3
M2UA
SCTP

M2UA
SCTP

IP

IP

IPS7RTSP
2000 Nortel Networks

ISUP

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Illustrative Example Interconnecting STPs to SCPs or even

SSPs over IP
The same four IPS7 functional elements are required for robust
interconnection of SS7 in general via IP.
The higher level SS7 protocols ride on top of MTP3 as they do in
conventional SS7 protocol stacks.
M2UA and SCTP have simply replaced the lower levels of the stack to
implement a packet based high speed link, similar to how SSCF,
SSCOP, and AAL5 are utilized to implement a ATM based high speed
link.

PSTN-IP Interworking
M3UA
SCTP
IP

M3UA a collaboration by:

IETF sigtran
True Multi-vendor
Standards Drafts
2000 Nortel Networks

Nortel Networks, Ericsson, Siemens,

Cisco, Telcordia, Nokia

SCTP a collaboration by:

Motorola, Nortel Networks, Cisco,
Ericsson, Siemens, Telcordia
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Now lets examine a considerably more difficult implementation,

enabling robust, carrier grade interworking between large scale
circuit switched and packet telephony networks.
Notice the list of collaborating standards authors has grown, and
includes the vast majority of both wireless and wire line telephony
vendors, as well as IP network vendors.

IETF - IPS7 Implementation

SSCP
SS7
Transport
IP
ISUP
Signaling
Reliable
IPS7
The
IETF
Node
Signaling
lETF
to
Tunneling
sigtran
/ TCAP
IETF
Maintenance
Transport
sigtran
Traffic
Path
mapping
Tunneling
Network
drafts
Availability
(IPS7-ITUN)
Load
drafts
offill
(IPS7-IPNM)
Signaling
for
Distribution
Management
in
(IPS7-STUN)
implement
VoIP
the
Maintenance
missing
Call
Payloads
(IPS7-STLD)
Processing
the
(IPS7-SSNM)
VoIP
IPS7
(IPS7-TPAM)
(IPS7-RTSP)
call
open
related
architecture
pieces ofconcepts
the model
IPS7TPAM

IPS7STUN
IPS7SSNM

IPS7ITUN

IPS7STLD
IPS7IPNM

Circuit Switch

Media Controller
Signaling Gateway
Call
Processing

Call
Processing
Nodal Interworking
Functions
ISUP

ISUP

MTP3

MTP3

M3UA
SCTP

MTP2

MTP2

IP

2000 Nortel Networks

M3UA
SCTP
IPS7RTSP
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IP

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Illustrative Example Circuit Switch / Packet Telephony

interworking via Signaling Gateways and Media Controllers
Seven IPS7 architectural elements are required for robust interworking
between circuit switched and packet Voice networks.
The M3UA protocol implements call control and service control protocol
tunneling along with robust traffic load distribution and the path and
element availability management necessary for interworking seamlessly
with conventional SS7 networks.
The Signaling Gateway implements M3UA specified nodal interworking
functionalities necessary to properly bridge SS7 and IP networks for
telephony and act as an appropriate firewall to isolate both networks.
The M3UA concepts allow for many IP network elements to be
dynamically managed under a single SS7 point code, reducing point
code proliferation and allowing for many different sparing models to
achieve highly reliable networks.
Reliable transport is implemented via a new real-time compatible
transport layer either directly on IP or on top of UDP, if desired, for early
implementations. Ultimately, SCTP will find itself into operating systems
kernels.

Rapid Real Standards

IETF sigtran IPS7 Implementation Advantages
Cleanly partitions protocol layers to simplify implementations
and facilitate testing and diagnosis.
Includes protocol versioning to allow smooth evolution.
Driven by IPS7 based comprehensive thinking, derived from
multi-vendor corporative efforts.
Dynamic registration concepts have not been included in the
initial sigtran drafts due to security concerns. Once the overall
IP security picture evolves to be slightly more robust, a dynamic
registration function will easily be added as a properly
segmented reusable component.
Reference protocol implementations are freely shared without
license terms and conditions.

2000 Nortel Networks

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Unified Services
SIP
UDP
IP

SIP a recent IETF standard:

IETF sigtran
True Multi-vendor
Standards Drafts
2000 Nortel Networks

is emerging as an interesting choice for

implementing new services that easily
span multiple network architectures.
SIP has the potential to be the next
generation service platform, enabling
intelligence to be at the edges as well as
distributed throughout unified networks.
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The biggest promise of the Distributed Element Network Model is

the ability of virtually anyone to create multi-media services that
span unified networks. To make this promise a reality will require
implementing the remaining IPS7 concepts and probably some yet
undefined additions to the IPS7 open architecture.
One example of some exciting experimental work lies in the area
of IPS7-TCIP, the concept of TCAP like transactions in a native IP
environment to enable new services. Nortel Networks is engaged
with an innovative European operator investigating the feasibility
of utilizing SIP as an implementation technology in this area. This
work is being submitted to the IETF spirits working group.
Telia Mobile, the premier mobile operator in Sweden has recently
been demonstrating advanced WAP and WEB controlled dynamic
call routing services spanning unified networks implemented in an
IP-centric architecture via SIP. It appears that SIP may finally
deliver some of what IN has promised for many years.

www.ips7.net

Think Open
IPS7 the intelligence driving
multi-vendor packet signaling standards
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Nortel Network freely shares information related to IPS7 in the

form of white papers, multi-media CD-ROM based presentations,
and web site content. Visit www.ips7.net for details.
Nortel Networks invites customers and vendors to contribute ideas
on the evolution of the IPS7 open architecture as well as
encourages all interested parties to participate in standards efforts
including the IETF and other standards bodies discussing multivendor packet signaling initiatives.