January 1999

• TAP-800 DSP Resource Boards On CompactPCI
• Multiservice In A Single Box
• Sing A Song Of Redundant Systems

TAP-800 DSP Resource Boards On CompactPCI

In order for the IP network to fulfill what many see as its destiny, i.e., overtaking and eventually replacing the current circuit-switched voice network, it must first go through a series of steps along the way. And it must do so in an evolutionary, as opposed to revolutionary, manner, in order to provide the smoothest transition between the circuit-switched and packet-switched networks for end users. It's hard to make a case for Internet telephony if all the end user can hear are crackles and pops; it's even harder if all investors and service providers can see is the huge upfront cost of replacing an infrastructure that for all intents and purposes works fine with one that may initially be less reliable.

Analogic has continually provided resources for developers of VoIP and FoIP applications, and with their new TAP-810, these resources gain an additional measure of flexibility and reliability. The central reason for this increase in reliability is that TAP-810 brings the TAP-800 series of resource boards to the CompactPCI form factor. This means that the TAP-810 board is fully hot-swap compliant - it can be installed in or removed from a running system without requiring a system power-down. All connections are made through a rear-panel I/O transition module, and through the CompactPCI bus, the operating system can recognize when the board has been removed and shunts traffic flow away from the socket until a new board is installed. Then the operating system recognizes the new board and flows traffic in that direction again.

The TAP-810 is a DSP board designed to connect the PSTN to VoIP applications, again smoothing the transition between the existing circuit-switched call paradigm and the IP-based network that many project will overtake the PSTN in the next 5-10 years. By providing voice signal processing separately from the central processor, the TAP-810 frees up the CPU to handle the details of setting up and breaking down calls and eliminates unnecessary data transfers over the bus.

The TAP-810 DSP resource board has other uses as well, including speech recognition applications, text to speech, and remote access for both data and voice. Regardless of the application, the board supports G.723.1 and G.729a, as well as other algorithms. The voice and/or data signals enter the board through a T1/E1 interface, are compressed, and then exit the board through the Ethernet interface, all without tying up the bus or exhausting the CPU's processing power.

Analogic's TAP-810 boards will be available to developers in Q1 1999 at a per-port price of $125 when ordered in OEM quantities. In Q2 1999, the optional G.723 codec and H.323 stack will also be available. For more information, contact Analogic at 978-977-6817, or visit their Web site at www.analogic.com/cti.

Chris Donner, CTI magazine

Multiservice In A Single Box

Service providers and CLECs looking to enter an established market in a competitive capacity are often faced with prohibitive start-up costs and high minimum revenues per line just to stay in business. Initial investments for telco providers can run into the millions, due to the exorbitant price of Class 5 switches. These costs combine to make it difficult to do business and bring competition into areas where providers are already firmly established.

With an eye toward easing these initial costs and making it easier for competition to develop in the tele/data-communications industry, VINA Technologies has introduced its MultiService Xchange unit, a voice/data switch that provides a seamless migration path from TDM- to ATM-based networks. The MultiService Xchange allows service providers to extend their infrastructures to deliver voice and data services to customers while also making use of end-to-end ATM to provide Quality of Service (QoS) guarantees to the customers who need it.

ATM's bandwidth management capabilities allow it to make much more efficient use of the existing last-mile infrastructure. By maximizing this existing last-mile architecture through the QoS agreements made possible with ATM, a service provider can offer more services to its potential customers while requiring a lower minimum revenue to stay operational, due to lower initial investments and reduced costs associated with maintaining one single network.

The MultiService Xchange unit includes a multiprotocol router, a multiplexer, a frame relay access device, a T1 DSU/CSU, an Internet firewall, DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) for Internet addressing, and remote management via HTTP and SNMP. It is designed for CLECs and service providers looking to offer small to medium-sized businesses integrated voice, data, video, VPNs, and Internet access over a common T1, E1, or DSL network in a cost-effective and competitive manner.

VINA projects that the MultiService Xchange can lower the cost for telco service providers by 40 percent, in addition to maximizing the number of revenue-generating services that can be offered using a single network and a single device. Once the MultiService Xchange is in place, many of these additional services can be added or modified through an Internet connection, again reducing costs, since the provider doesn't have to roll a truck for each change in service. Additionally, end users might be allowed to test services temporarily before committing to them without substantial financial risk to the service provider.

VINA's MultiService Xchange will be available in April of 1999 for a base price of $5,495. For more information, please contact VINA Technologies at 888-774-VINA, or visit their Web site at www.vina-tech.com.

Chris Donner, CTI magazine

Sing A Song Of Redundant Systems

As the face of telecommunications changes and adapts to the new packet-switched model, there are significant changes and developments in applications for businesses, service providers, and consumers. However, one aspect of these changes in the way we communicate that doesn't often get noticed is what happens behind the scenes, with the computers that allow these applications to run, day in and day out, without fail and without interrupting our valuable communications time.

Industrial computer manufacturers are in many ways like the unsung hero from the days when troubadours and scops carried the news from town to town. If someone didn't pick up on a particular warrior's conquests and record them in a song, that warrior might very well fade into oblivion, without so much as a thank you for all he had done. Much as with today, the daily life of individuals often kept them too busy to go out and seek news, and instead they had to rely on someone to bring it to them.

In many ways, the industrial computer manufacturer's job is like the past warrior's. Whereas the warrior defended the realm against invaders and dangers that might never be known by the common man (until/unless the warrior failed in his duty), the industrial computer manufacturer designs and builds the parts of our telecommunications system that everyone take for granted, at least until something fails. If and when there is a failure, the industrial computer and its manufacturer suddenly leap to the foreground and garner all kinds of attention - negative attention!

A system that is down for more than five minutes per year (the infamous "five-nines" test) is considered unacceptable in the telecommunications world. Some mission-critical applications even demand "six-nines" reliability, which amounts to about 30 seconds of downtime per year, and this is on systems that are running 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Perhaps these numbers explain why industrial computer manufacturers prefer to remain quietly in the background, building thermally controlled enclosures and redundant power supplies that always work and never fail.

However, when it comes time to buy an industrial-grade computer, it is important that the potential buyer know what is out there. With this in mind, I decided to look closely at Crystal Group's recent announcement of its new product line for 1999. Perhaps some positive attention here can help end users decide what they need, and help them avoid any unwanted surprises in the future.

Crystal Group has recently revised its entire line of computer chassis, and these revisions include important physical design changes (increased cooling capabilities, enhanced backplanes), greater flexibility in internal components (a variety of power supplies, high performance disk storage), and enhancements to the GUI-based QuickAlert alarm monitoring system to allow for out-of-band monitoring in the new QuickAlert Enterprise version. All of these changes are meant to provide the same or greater reliability and functionality in a smaller, more efficient space.

For example, Crystal Group has introduced its new LCD rack monitor with keyboard. This LCD monitor folds down to approximately two inches high to fit into a retractable drawer when not in use, but it opens to allow an 800x600 SVGA monitor with a 12.1-inch flat-panel viewing area.

Also, Crystal has introduced the GX embedded CPU card. Based on a 180 MHz Cyrix processor, the card takes up only a single slot space for its entire length while still providing up to 128 MB RAM, two compact flash shots for up to 256 MB on-board storage, integrated video, and 10/100 Ethernet. By using only a single slot space, the CPU card allows for higher density telephony solutions, avoiding the wasted slots that can result for larger CPU cards.

The above revisions are only a small sample of what has been happening as Crystal Group keeps pace with the rapidly changing CTI industry. There are many more developments, from QuickConnect cable management developments to the newly introduced CS600, a 2U by 19" rack mount computer chassis that holds up to five boards in a butterfly configuration. For more information, contact Crystal Group at 800-378-16236, or visit their Web site at http:\\crystalpc.com.

Chris Donner, CTI magazine