Dialogic DSI SPCI Network Interface Boards - Manual (Page 19)

Dialogic ® DSI SPCI Network Interface Boards Programmer's Manual Issue 5
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4 Configuration and Operation
4.1 Overview
Prior to performing software configuration, the user should gain an
appreciation of:
• the flexibility of the protocol stack,
• the run-time options that exist,
• the mechanisms used to select particular features.
This section gives an overview of these aspects.
The user should also consult the Software Environment Programmer’s
Manual, which describes the basic principles of modules and message
passing.
4.1.1 System Structure
The SS7 software running on the board communicates with an application
running on the main CPU of the host computer. The physical interface to the
board uses the PCI bus. All communication with the board is handled by a
device driver and the messages passing to and from the board are managed
by a process (ssds) that runs on the host computer.
In addition to running the application on the host computer, the user may,
depending on the size of the overall system and the network topology, elect
to also run some of the SS7 protocol modules on the host. In such cases, the
interface between the application and the SS7 protocol software remains
identical. This allows for easy migration from a small system contained on a
single board to a large system distributed over many boards with minimal
changes to the application. When a protocol is run on the host, it is necessary
to purchase and install a Software License on the host.
The table illustrates some possible system configurations for a telephony
system.
Table 7: Typical Telephony Systems Configurations
Small System Medium System Large System
Software running on
the board MTP2
MTP3
ISUP / TUP MTP2
MTP3 MTP2
Software running on
Host Computer User Application ISUP / TUP
User Application MTP3
ISUP / TUP
User Application
Number of boards Single Single signaling
board (additional
boards may
support voice only)
Multiple