Lucent Technologies DEFINITY Enterprise Communications Server Release 8.2 Overview Manual

							DEFINITY Enterprise Communications Server Release 8.2
Overview  555-233-002  Issue 1
April 2000
System Overview 
1  
1 —System Overview
DEFINITY Enterprise Communications Server (ECS) organizes and routes voice, data, 
image and video transmissions. It can connect to private and public telephone networks, 
Ethernet LANs, ATM networks, and the Internet. 
Figure 1. DEFINITY Enterprise Communications Server
1Voice3Image
2Data4Multimedia
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							System Overview 
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DEFINITY Enterprise Communications Server Release 8.2
Overview  555-233-002  Issue 1
April 2000
Hardware
Though the primary components are the same, your DEFINITY ECS can vary widely in 
size and appearance, depending on your capacity requirements. It may be as small as a 
single wall-mounted cabinet, or it may be as large as several tall cabinets linked together 
in the same room or even hundreds of kilometers apart. Regardless of configuration, 
however, the system’s footprint is relatively small.
The DEFINITY system is essentially an arrangement of port networks and circuits that 
connect incoming to outgoing communications ports. Up to three port networks can be 
connected directly to each other. When there are more than three port networks, the 
connections are made through a Center Stage Switch.
Processor Port Network (PPN)
Every DEFINITY ECS has one Processor Port Network (PPN). It is often the only 
component in small systems. The PPN houses the Switch Processing Element.
The Switch Processing Element (SPE) contains the central processing unit, which 
supervises system operation. It also contains a mass storage system for loading system 
software and saving system translations.
Because your application requirements may vary widely, DEFINITY ECS has three types 
of SPEs available with proven capacities of 70,000 calls per hour, 140,000 calls per hour, 
and 250,000 calls per hour. The performance you realize will depend on the call 
processing, administrative, and maintenance activities in which your system is engaged.
Expansion Port Network (EPN)
Expansion Port Networks (EPNs) are used when the system grows beyond the capacity 
of a single port network or must serve geographically dispersed offices. EPNs provide 
additional ports as needed. A system can have up to 43 Expansion Port Networks.
Center Stage Switch (CSS)
The Center Stage Switch (CSS) is a connection hub that provides port network 
communication. It is an essential component of a DEFINITY ECS configuration if the 
system is composed of more than three port networks. Often it is incorporated into 
smaller configurations to allow for growth. The CSS consists of from one to three switch 
nodes. Switch nodes are composed of one or two switch node carriers, depending on 
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							DEFINITY Enterprise Communications Server Release 8.2
Overview  555-233-002  Issue 1
April 2000
System Overview 
3 Hardware 
whether the system is being duplicated for enhanced reliability. Each carrier can reside in 
the PPN cabinet or an EPN cabinet. One switch node can accommodate up to 15 
Expansion Port Networks.
Fiber Link Administration
Port cabinets are connected via direct fiber links or through fiber links to a Center Stage 
Switch to provide the connections required for voice and data information transfer. The 
CSS is composed of switch node carriers that are interconnected by fiber links. It 
provides both circuit-switched and packet-switched connections. Fiber Link 
Administration creates the translation data defining these links by identifying the endpoint 
pairs for each link. Endpoints can be an expansion interface or a switch-node-interface 
circuit pack.
Carriers and Cabinets
Carriers are enclosed shelves composed of vertical slots that hold circuit packs. Circuit 
packs make up the logic, memory, and switching circuitry for the system. Port circuit 
packs connect to telephones, computers, and communications lines. The carriers are 
designed to accept any type of port circuit pack in each circuit pack position.
Each cabinet contains at least one carrier. The circuit packs fit into connectors attached 
to the rear of the slots. Every connector is connected to signal buses and power supplies 
in the cabinet. 
The cabinets also house equipment that supplies power backup, ringing signal voltage, 
and mass storage for software translations.
There are three types of cabinets
nCompact Modular Cabinet. (CMC)
nSingle-Carrier Cabinet. (SCC)
nMulti-Carrier Cabinet (MCC))
Compact Modular Cabinets
The Compact Modular Cabinet (CMC) is a small, wall- or floor-mounted unit that supports 
a single port network. It is thus well-suited to small, growing organizations. For a modest 
initial investment, the CMC gives you the capacity that you need now. As your 
organization grows, you can connect up to two more modular cabinets to expand the 
existing port network. Each CMC can hold up to 10 circuit packs. Figure 2 shows a 
Compact Modular Cabinet.
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DEFINITY Enterprise Communications Server Release 8.2
Overview  555-233-002  Issue 1
April 2000
 
Figure 2. Compact Modular Cabinet
Single-Carrier Cabinets
The Single-Carrier Cabinet (SCC) is a compact, floor-mounted modular unit for 
businesses that will at some point require more capacity than Compact Modular Cabinets 
can supply. The SCC can support additional, expansion port networks, so you can add 
capacity as needed, up to the limit set by the overall DEFINITY system architecture. Each 
SCC contains a single circuit pack carrier with up to 20 circuit packs, depending on the 
carrier type. Up to four SCCs can be stacked to form a single port network, and additional 
port networks can be connected for still more capacity. Figure 3 shows a typical 
single-carrier cabinet.
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							DEFINITY Enterprise Communications Server Release 8.2
Overview  555-233-002  Issue 1
April 2000
System Overview 
5 Hardware 
 
Figure 3. Typical Single-Carrier Cabinet and cabinet stack
Multi-Carrier Cabinets
The Multi-Carrier Cabinet (MCC) is a large unit designed for high-capacity 
communications systems and large businesses. It can contain up to five carriers and can 
be connected to additional, expansion port networks. Figure 4 shows a typical 
multi-carrier cabinet.
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DEFINITY Enterprise Communications Server Release 8.2
Overview  555-233-002  Issue 1
April 2000
 
Figure 4. Typical Multi-Carrier Cabinet
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							DEFINITY Enterprise Communications Server Release 8.2
Overview  555-233-002  Issue 1
April 2000
System Overview 
7 Hardware 
Figure 5. Standard Configurations
1Basic SystemAProcessor Port Network
2Directly Connected SystemBExpansion Port Network
3Directly Connected System with Two EPNsCCenter Stage Switch
4CSS-Connected System with up to 15 EPNsDSwitch Node
5CSS-Connected System with up to 43 EPNs
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							System Overview 
8 Reliability and Recoverability 
DEFINITY Enterprise Communications Server Release 8.2
Overview  555-233-002  Issue 1
April 2000
Reliability and Recoverability
The system is designed to recover from a power outage or other failure instantly, 
regardless of the source of the failure. Each port network includes a set of segmented, 
parallel buses. If one of the paired segments fails, the other bus segment continues to 
handle communications. You can always further enhance the system’s reliability by 
duplicating critical components such as processors or fiber-optic links between port 
networks.
Configuring for Reliability/Recoverability
DEFINITY ECS can be configured to meet the disaster recovery needs of any business. 
For example:
nCalls can be routed through an alternate DEFINITY ECS if one site is destroyed or 
disabled by natural or man-made disaster.
nMultimedia (voice, video, data) connections to the network can all be made 
redundant, in case of network failures. The system can be routed through multiple 
public exchanges to protect against network failures (a cable or fiber being cut, for 
example).
nDEFINITYs universal hardware and flexible software allow systems to be re 
configured quickly in emergency situations. Port networks can be added and 
network routing can be changed in a matter of minutes.
nThe TN2211 Optical Drive will replace the present TN1656 Tape Drive.  The new 
Optical Drive will provide the same functionality as the Tape drive, such as, storage 
for software upgrades, translation backups, announcement file backups, core 
dumps, etc.  It is also faster than the Tape Drive.  A full backup to the Optical Drive 
will take approximately 20 minutes.  The present Tape Drive backup takes about 95 
minutes.
Survivable Remote EPN (SREPN)
The Survivable Remote Expansion Port Network (SREPN) allows a DEFINITY ECS (R6r 
or later) EPN to provide service to the customer when the link to the main processor fails 
or is severed or when the processor or CSS fails. When the links to the DEFINITY ECS 
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							DEFINITY Enterprise Communications Server Release 8.2
Overview  555-233-002  Issue 1
April 2000
System Overview 
9 DEFINITY ECS Network Connections 
are restored and stable, the logic switch is manually reset and the EPN is reconnected to 
the links from the switch. There are both command and manual resets. The resets can be 
done remotely at the SAT or manually at the equipment.
The SREPN must be administered separately (not as a duplicated PPN) to function in a 
disaster recovery scenario. It will not function as a survivable remote EPN without the 
administration (stations, trunks, features) to support its operation.
DEFINITY ECS Network Connections
The system can be connected to public and private networks in a variety of ways.
Public Telephone Network
DEFINITY ECS supports a full range of digital and analog connections to a Public 
Telephone-Network Central Office, including ISDN-PRI and ISDN-BRI. 
Private Telephone Networks
DEFINITY ECS supports the many kinds of private-network connections, including:
nDigital telephone handsets
nData-communications equipment, including data modules and data terminal 
equipment.
nAttendant and voice messaging systems
nMultimedia and video conferencing equipment
nCall Center systems
nHospitality systems
nAuxiliary loudspeaker-paging and music-on-hold equipment
nPeripherals, such as journal printers and call detail-recording equipment.
nAsynchronous Transfer Mode or ATM
nIP solutions, such as IP trunking and IP softphones
nOther private-network switches
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							System Overview 
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DEFINITY Enterprise Communications Server Release 8.2
Overview  555-233-002  Issue 1
April 2000
TCP/IP Networks
DEFINITY ECS can also connect to Ethernet Local Area Networks (LANs) and the 
Internet. 
nThe optional DEFINITY LAN Gateway feature lets the DEFINITY system exchange 
messages with LAN communications software. 
nDEFINITY ECS now supports Internet Protocol (IP) trunks using the TN802B 
circuit pack and C-LAN card (TN799B). However, to connect to the network and do 
signaling over IP, only the TN799B is required.
IP trunking is a good choice for basic, corporate voice and fax communications, 
where cost is a major concern. IP-trunk calls travel over a company’s intranet 
rather than the Public Telephone Network. So, for the most common types of 
internal, corporate communications, IP trunks offer considerable savings.
IP trunking is usually not a good choice for applications where calls have to be 
routed to multiple destinations (as in most conferencing applications) or to a voice 
messaging system. IP-trunk calls are compressed to save network bandwidth. 
Repeated compression and decompression results in a loss of data at each stage 
and degrades the final quality of the signal. This is not a problem in normal, 
corporate voice or fax calls. They go through two or three compression cycles at 
most. But multipoint conference calls and most voice messaging systems add too 
many compression cycles for acceptable quality.
nDEFINITY ECS now includes the IP Solutions feature, which supports audio and 
voice transmissions over a LAN or WAN. For more information about IP Solutions, 
see ‘‘IP Solutions’’ on page 56.
AT M  N e t w o r k s
Three kinds of Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) connectivity are available with 
DEFINITY ECS. Any standards-compliant ATM switch can serve as the switch node 
connecting DEFINITY ECS port networks. In this type of configuration, the ATM switch 
replaces the Center-Stage Switch. 
The three kinds of ATM connectivity DEFINITY ECS supports are as follows:
nATM Port Network Connectivity (ATM-PNC) provides an alternative to either the 
direct-connect or Center Stage Switch configurations for connecting the Processor 
Port Network (PPN) to one or more Expansion Port Networks (EPNs). ATM-PNC 
provides reduced infrastructure cost and improved network manageability. 
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