ISDN

2004 - iPMAC Informatics Technology J.S.C

Cisco Icons and Symbols

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What is ISDN?

Integrated Services Digital Network provides switched

(dialed) digital WAN services in increments of 64 kbps.
Voice, data, video, and special services.
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ISDN Advantages

Carries a variety of user traffic signals, including data,

voice, and video.
Offers much faster call setup than modem connections.
ISDN uses bearer channels, also called B channels, as
clear data paths.
Each B channel provides 64 kbps of bandwidth, more
bandwidth than a traditional 56 kbps dialup connection.
An ISDN connection with two B channels would provide a
total usable bandwidth of 128 kbps.
Each ISDN B channel can make a separate serial
connection to any other site in the ISDN network.
ISDN lines can be used in conjunction with PPP
encapsulation.
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ISDN Channels

B channels are used to transport data and operate at

speeds of up to 64 kbps.
The D channel carries signaling messages, such as
call setup and teardown, to control calls on B
channels.
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ISDN Interfaces

ISDN is widely available in two flavors:

BRI: Basic Rate Interface

2 64 Kbps Bearer Channels,16 Kbps Delta Channel (for control

information), 48 Kbps for framing and synchronization
2B + 1D (2B+D) = 128+16+48 = 192 Kbps

PRI: Primary Rate Interface

North America : 23B + 1D (T1) = 1.544 Mbps, the D channel is 64-kbps

European
: 30B + 1D (E1) = 2.048 Mbps
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ISDN Protocols

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D Channel and LAPD Protocol

LAPD is used as a data-link protocol across an

ISDN D channel.
A router with an ISDN interface needs to send and
receive signaling messages to and from the local
ISDN switch to which it is connected.
LAPD provides the data-link protocol that allows
delivery of messages across that D channel to the
local switch.
The call setup and teardown messages are
defined by the Q.931 protocol.
Because the signals are sent outside the channel
used for data, this is called out-of-band signaling.
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Call Setup

1.

2.

The D channel is used to send the called number to

the local ISDN switch.
The local switch uses the SS7 signaling protocol to
set up a path and pass the called number to the
remote ISDN switch.
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Call Setup (cont)

3.

4.

The remote ISDN switch signals the destination over

the D channel. The destination ISDN NT-1 device sends
the remote ISDN switch a call-connect message.
The remote ISDN switch uses SS7 to send a callconnect message to the local switch.
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Call Setup (cont)

As soon as the call is established, a 64-kbps circuit

exists between a B channel on each of the two
routers.
The D channel remains up all the time so that new
signaling messages can be sent and received.
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ISDN BRI Function Group and Reference

Point

Function group a set of functions inplement by a

device and software.
Reference point the interface between two function
groups, including cabling details.
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Cisco ISDN BRI Interfaces

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PRI Encoding

For any physical layer specification, the line

encoding defines which energy levels sent over the
cable mean a 1 and which energy levels mean a 0.
T1 circuits use two different encoding schemes
Alternate Mark Inversion (AMI) and Binary 8 with
Zero Substitution (B8ZS).
For PRI circuits that use E1s, the only choice for
line coding is High-Density Bipolar 3 (HDB3).

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PRI Framing

How does a PRI interface know which bits are part of the
D channel, or the first B channel, or the second
Framing, at ISDNs physical layer, defines how a device
can decide which bits are part of each channel.
T1 framing defines 24 different 64-kbps DS0 channels,
plus an 8-kbps management channel used by the telco,
which gives you a total speed of 1.544 Mbps.
With E1s, framing defines 32 64-kbps channels, for a total
of 2.048 Mbps, regardless of the type of framing used.
T1s use either Extended Super Frame (ESF) or the older
option Super Frame (SF).
E1s uses CRC-4 framing or the original line framing
defined for E1s.

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ISDN BRI Configuration

Step 1: Specify the ISDN switch type.
Router(config)#isdn switch-type switch-type
Router(config-if)#isdn switch-type switch-type

The command specifies the type of ISDN switch

with which the router communicates.
Other configuration requirements vary for specific
providers.

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ISDN BRI Configuration (cont)

Step 2: (Optional) Setting SPIDs
Router(config-if)#isdn spid1 spid-number

Sets a B channel SPID required by many service

providers

Router(config-if)#isdn spid2 spid-number

Sets a SPID for the second B channel

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Configuring ISDN PRI

Step 1: Specify the ISDN switch type.
Router(config)#isdn switch-type switch-type

Step 2: Select the controller.

Router(config)#controller controller slot/port

Step 3: Establish the interface port

to function as PRI .
Router(config-controller)#pri-group timeslots range
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ISDN PRI Examples

T1 Sample Configuration
Router(config)#controller T1 3/0
Router(config-controller)#framing esf
Router(config-controller)#linecode b8zs
Router(config-controller)#pri-group timeslots 1-24
Router(config-controller)#interface Serial3/0:23
Router(config-if)#isdn switch-type primary-5ess
Router(config-if)#no cdp enable

E1 Sample Configuration
Router(config)#controller E1 3/0
Router(config-controller)# framing crc4
Router(config-controller)# linecode hdb3
Router(config-controller)# pri-group timeslots 1-31
Router(config-controller)#interface Serial3/0:15
Router(config-if)# isdn switch-type primary-net5
Router(config-if)# no cdp enable

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Dial-on-Demand Routing

2004 - iPMAC Informatics Technology J.S.C

What is Dial-on-Demand Routing?

Connects when needed

Disconnects when finished
ISDN or PSTN
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When to use DDR?

Periodic connections
Small amounts of data
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Legacy DDR Operation

1.
2.

3.
4.

Route packets out the interface to be dialed.

Determine the subset of the packets that
trigger the dialing process.
Dial (signal).
Determine when the connection is terminated.

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Configuring DDR Step 1

Routing packets out the interface to be dialed.

DDR does not dial until some

traffic is directed (routed)
out the dial interface.
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Configuring DDR Step 2

Determining the Subset of the Packets
that Trigger the Dialing Process

Cisco call packets that are worthy of causing the device

to dial interesting packets.
dialer-list 1 protocol ip permit

Interesting is defined as all packets of one or more Layer

3 protocol
dialer-list 2 protocol ip list 101
access-list 101 deny tcp any any eq ftp
access-list 101 permit tcp any any eq telnet

The packets are defined as interesting if they are

permitted by an access-list. Using ACL give finer control.
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Configuring DDR Step 2 (cont)

Determining the Subset of the Packets
that Trigger the Dialing Process
isdn switch-type basic-5ess
!
username central password cisco
interface BRI0
ip address 10.1.0.1 255.255.255.0
dialer idle-timeout 180
dialer map ip 10.1.0.2 name Central 5552000
dialer-group 1
no fair-queue
!
ip route 10.10.0.0 255.255.0.0 10.1.0.2
ip route 10.20.0.0 255.255.0.0 10.1.0.2
!
dialer-list 1 protocol ip permit

The dialer-group interface

subcommand enables the
logic that determines what
is interesting
Both Values
Must Match

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Configuring DDR Step 3

Dialing (Signaling)

Befor the router can dial, it needs to know the phone

number of the other.
With only one site to dial, you can simply configure a
single dial string.
The command is dialer string string, where string is
the phone number.
dialer-list 2 protocol ip permit
!
interface bri 0
ip address 172.16.2.2 255.255.255.0
encapsulation ppp
dialer string 14045551234
dialer-group 2
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Configuring DDR Step 3 (cont)

Dialing (Signaling)

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Configuring DDR Step 4

Determining When the Connection is Terminated

Any type of packet can be routed across the link, only

interesting packets are considered worthy of keeping the
link up and spending more money.
With the dialer idle-timeout seconds command, the idle
time is set.
However, if the router wants to dial other sites based on
receiving interesting traffic for those sites, and all the B
channels are in use, another shorter idle timer can be used.
The dialer fast-idle seconds command lets you configure
a typically lower number than the idle timer so that when
other sites need to be dialed, the link that is currently up
can be brought down more quickly.
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Legacy DDR Configuration Summarized

hostname Home
!
isdn switch-type basic-5ess
!
username central password cisco

4
3

1
2

interface BRI0
ip address 10.1.0.1 255.255.255.0
encapsulation ppp
dialer idle-timeout 180
dialer map ip 10.1.0.2 broadcast name Central 5552000
dialer-group 1
no fair-queue
ppp authentication chap
!
router rip
network 10.0.0.0
!
no ip classless
ip route 10.10.0.0 255.255.0.0 10.1.0.2
ip route 10.20.0.0 255.255.0.0 10.1.0.2
dialer-list 1 protocol ip permit
!

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Dialer Profiles Overview

Legacy DDR cannot support multiple

remote sites in different configurations.
Each remote site has a separate profile
with Dialer Profiles.
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Dialer Profile Elements

This style of configuration move

most of the DDR interface
configuration to a virtual interface
called dialer interface.
Each physical BRI can be included
in a pool of available physical
ISDN interface.
DDR routes packets out the dialer
interface.

If a packet is interesting,
DDR pick an interface from
the pool over which to place
the actual call.
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Pooling Multiple BRIs

You can put the same physical interface into multiple

pools, enabling better usage of the interfaces and
connected lines.
You can use IP addresses in different IP subnets on
different dialer interfaces, giving you much greater control
over your network design and IP addressing choices.
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Dialer Profiles Configuration

You can move all the current
BRI interface subcommands
to the dialer interface, with the
exception of the definitions of
SPIDs and ISDN switch types.

SPIDs and switch types

are always specific to a
particular physical
interface.

The router uses an

available B channel on any
of the BRIs in the pool.
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Dialer Profiles example

Dialer Interface
interface dialer1
ip address 10.1.1.1 255.255.255.0
encapsulation ppp
dialer remote-name Smalluser
dialer string 5554540
dialer idle-timer 180
dialer pool 1
dialer-group 1
ppp authentication chap
!
interface dialer2
ip address 10.2.2.1 255.255.255.0
encapsulation ppp
dialer remote-name Mediumuser
dialer string 5551234
dialer idle-timer 180
dialer pool 1
dialer-group 2

Physical Interface
interface bri0
encapsulation ppp
ppp authentication chap
isdn spid1 555555111101
isdn spid2 555555222202
dialer pool-member 1
!
interface bri1
encapsulation ppp
ppp authentication chap
isdn spid1 555555333301
isdn spid2 555555444402
dialer pool-member 1

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Verifying the ISDN Configuration

Router#show isdn active

Displays current call information

Router#show interfaces bri0

Displays statistics for the BRI interface configured

on the router
Router#show isdn status

Displays the status of an ISDN connection

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Troubleshooting the ISDN Configuration

Router#debug isdn q921

Shows ISDN Layer 2 messages

Router#debug isdn q931

Shows ISDN call setup and teardown activity (Layer 3)

Router#debug ppp authentication

Displays the PPP authentication protocol messages

Router#debug ppp negotiation

Displays information on PPP link establishment

Router#debug ppp error

Displays protocol errors associated with PPP

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Summary

ISDN defines a digital architecture that provides

integrated voice and data capability using the public
switched network.
ISDN specifies two standard access methods, BRI
and PRI.
To establish an ISDN call, the D channel is used
between the routers and switches, and SS7 signaling is
used between the switches.
ISDN functions are hardware devices while reference
points are interfaces between devices.
Cisco devices can be physically configured with
different ISDN options, which dictate what additional
equipment, if any, is needed to run ISDN.
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Summary (Cont.)

You must configure your router to identify the type

of switch it will be communicating with, which
depends in part on the country the
switch is in.
To enable ISDN BRI, you use isdn switch-type and
isdn spid commands.
To enable ISDN PRI, use the pri-group command.
Use show commands to verify that your ISDN
configuration is functioning properly.
You can use debug commands to troubleshoot your
ISDN configuration.

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Stop here!

?
Its time for testing
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