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White Papers
Leveraging the Communications Server Ecosystem
Traditionally, network equipment providers (NEPs) have provided completely integrated,purpose-built network elements as essential building blocks of growing telecommunications networks. They have rarely used their suppliers for any of the major areas of hardware design, software development, reliability engineering, platform validation or related services.
However, the rapidly evolving and fiercely competitive landscape of the global NEPs’ customers – the network service providers (NSPs) – looks nothing like it did a decade ago.
A number of market dynamics have been introduced over recent years that are driving down average revenue per user (ARPU): world-wide telecommunications deregulation; disruptive technologies (e.g., Voice over IP); increased demand for data applications; and diminishing loyalties from the end-user customer base. The very foundations of the industry are being shaken. As a result, many established NEPs are struggling with the challenge of how to survive, let alone thrive, in this turbulent environment. The embedded communications computing industry refines a concept from enterprise computing that may go a long way in addressing these challenges: Using the standardsbased communications server ecosystem to leverage external, independent investments in R&D and delivery capability.
AdvancedTCA Platforms - Building Blocks vs. Integrated Communications Servers
A growing trend among network equipment providers (NEPs) is to define a common infrastructure platform as the foundation for a broad category of applications. Increasingly, this platform is specified with open, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware and standards-based high availability middleware.
Proven advantages of this strategy include time-to-market (when compared with in-house platform development); R&D efficiency; technology choice from a broad set of vendors; and lifecycle maintenance savings. Once the decision has been made to outsource platform development using open standards based hardware and software, the next choice is whether to procure fully integrated systems or to integrate building blocks to create the final platform.
The AdvancedTCA standard was conceived to define a specification which would allow
products from different vendors to interoperate in a platform capable of meeting the rigid
requirements of the telecommunications central office environment. It is therefore, theoretically
possible to procure ATCA compliant building blocks from different vendors , plug
them together and create an application-ready platform. However, in practice, things are
never this easy.
Network Equipment Building System (NEBS) requirements are defined in Telcordia SR- 3580 and primarily consist of compliance to Telcordia GR-63-CORE and GR-1089-CORE. NEBS certification is required by North American Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOC), Competitive Local Exchange Carriers (CLEC), International Exchange Carriers (IXC), and other networks operators prior to deployment in their networks.
In addition to meeting NEBS requirements, some of the North American carriers require additional testing to be performed, most commonly known as “NEBS Supplementary Requirements”.
European carriers generally require proof of compliance to a similar set of standards generated and maintained by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). These standards are primarily EN 300 019, EN 300 386, ETS 300 753 and EN 300 132. While the requirements are very similar to NEBS, the limits and specific tests may vary based on the differences in climate and geography between the U.S.A. and Europe.
MicroTCA™: Compact, Flexible, Economical Shelf Architecture for Telecom Systems
MicroTCA (Micro Telecommunications Computing Architecture or MTCA.0) is an open system-level chassis specification developed by PICMG (PCI Manufacturers Group) for low-cost, small-form-factor utilizing AdvancedMC modules plugged directly into a backplane. MicroTCA is defined to be complementary to AdvancedTCA targeting edge and access applications, customer premises equipment (CPE) and other applications where cost and size are major constraints including: data centers, industrial control and medical. Emerson Network Power’s Embedded Computing business continues to take an active role in the PICMGMicroTCA subcommittee. It is an early MicroTCA technology provider, and is fully engaged in helping drive the specification inmaking it a reality for the telecomspace.
Product Testing: Creating Meaningful Test Data for Our Customers
As Emerson creates more complex products, and as the rules and regulations governing the operation of those products become more diverse, challenges will arise as to how to test our products to ensure that the needs of our customers are met. To be ready for these challenges, Emerson’s regulatory department must stay a step ahead and work with various groups to find innovative ways to effectively test our products and meet new and existing standards—maintaining a reliable end product of superior quality and performance. This article discusses one recent situation where Emerson’s regulatory group, together with a local engineering and testing firm, displayed ingenuity by developing and implementing a new testing strategy to provide dependable results for our customers. Accurate and reliable testing is a necessary part of product development and an integral component in the workflow at Emerson. This is another example of how we show our commitment to excellence while exceeding the expectations of our customers.
The competitive nature of the communications marketplace is forcing network equipment providers (NEPs) to reexamine how they architect and deploy new services and the equipment that enables those services on behalf of their customers, network service providers. The challenge is to deploy new services quickly and efficiently while maintaining the level of service which customers expect and which may be dictated by regulation.
To address this challenge, many NEPs have adopted the concept of a common platform. This involves building a single platform that can be used to deploy many applications. To meet the requirements of platform flexibility, convergence of communications and computing, and rapid application deployment, network service providers are increasingly demanding—and NEPs are responding with—commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) platforms. COMMUNICATIONS SERVERS AND ENTERPRISE SERVERS
There are two types of such platforms available today—communications servers and enterprise servers. Communications servers, based on open industry standards (such as AdvancedTCA®, MicroTCA™, Carrier Grade Linux and Service Availability Forum™ high availability specifications) operate as a carrier-grade common platform for a wide range of communications applications and allow for value-add at many levels of the system architecture.
Communications Servers - The Foundation for Seamless Mobility in the Age of Converged Communications
Today’s communications users—both in business and individually—are demanding. They want the ability to link with people, information, and entertainment anywhere, anytime, using any device. They want more services at “reasonable” price. They want everything to be simple to use—and they want it now!
The challenge of linking people, information and devices simply and reliably, known as converged communications or seamless mobility, places the communications industry at a crossroads.
Increased market share will result for those that can quickly and economically deliver “the converged future”—and continue to respond quickly to the ever-changing demands of the market.
For service providers, the objective is to deliver seamless mobility efficiently and profitably, integrating traditional and next-generation services. For equipment providers, taking advantage of potential new revenues and increased profits means delivering new applications faster and much more cost effectively.
Demonstrating Software Reliability
The terms “Reliability”, “High Availability” and “Carrier Grade” have become common in the context of communications equipment in particular, and the broader context of Embedded Systems as a whole. In many cases, the terms are used synonymously, which is confusing – as they are quite distinct.
In addition, systems engineers tend to be very comfortable in dealing with the reliability of Hardware (in terms of MTBF and MTTR). Software is not so mature in the field of measured reliability. This is a cause for concern, as Software is the cause of at least as many system failures as Hardware!
This paper attempts to define the terms associated with the overall reliability of a system (comprising multiple hardware and software components), and illustrates how Software Reliability is factored in. The methods used to determine Software Reliability for High Availability solutions and the techniques used to model System Reliability and Availability are explored
As a result, recommendations are made for software engineering practice for High Availability (or “Carrier Grade”) applications.
IMS 3 Part Series - 1 of 3 - Introduction of IMS
This paper is intended to provide a brief overview of the relevant standards and protocols to the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), the architecture of IMS and the functional elements that will create an IMS network.
IMS 3 Part Series - 2 of 3 - A Common Platform for IMS
Motorola and Intel® have collaborated to create a proofof- concept common platform for IP Multimedia Subsystem network functions based on an AdvancedTCA® communications server.
IMS 3 Part Series - 3 of 3 - IMS HSS Application Example
The Home Subscriber Server application is an ideal candidate for deployment using an open communications server. This white paper presents an example architecture for deploying a customer or third-party application on AdvancedTCA® based hardware and Motorola’s NetPlane® Software for high service availability.
Sigtran is a working group of the IETF, formed in 1999, and tasked with defining an architecture for the transport of real-time signalling data over IP networks. Its work culminated in not just the architecture, but also the definition of a suite of protocols to carry SS7 and ISDN messages over IP.
This protocol suite is made up of a new transport layer – the Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) and a set of User Adaptation (UA) layers which mimic the services of the lower layers of SS7 and ISDN.
This paper describes the Sigtran architecture and protocol suite. It starts by outlining the network architecture within which the Sigtran suite applies – effectively, defining the problem solved by SCTP and the UAs.
It continues to describe the protocol requirements for transporting signalling information over IP – presenting an argument why existing protocols (such as TCP) are not suitable for this purpose.
Finally, the UA layers themselves are discussed – covering both their functionality and their applicability.
Assessing Value - The Total is Greater than the Sum of the Parts
Whether perceived or actual, value is a crucial element in differentiation. Value makes leading products stand out from the crowd. Quantifying and recognizing value depends on perspective. As the industry continues to change, all organizations must evaluate what is valuable to them and how this translates into differentiated value for their customers.
Selecting a Data Fabric for AdvancedTCA Platforms
There is a single key requirement for the AdvancedTCA ecosystem to realize the potential benefits of a communications server based on AdvancedTCA technology, which is to identify and select a single set of interoperable products that can be applied cost effectively across the broadest possible market.
Reliability and Availability Strategy
The emergence of a new class of computer, communications servers, enables network equipment providers to be more competitive. One way is to transform the way they evaluate reliability and availability. This whitepaper outlines how they can achieve required results faster than ever.
High Service Availability Whitepaper
To gain a competitive advantage, the systems vendors are outsourcing their platform operations to technology vendors who can build reliable, state-of-the-art, Application-Enabling Platforms. The software running on these platforms plays an important role in enabling applications for high service availability.
The NetPlane® Software suite, designed to run on various platform technologies, is an integral part of Motorola’s Application-Enabling Platform offering. The NetPlane Software suite is primarily an open standards-based solution and is a proof point of Motorola’s leadership in driving open standards-based embedded communications computing.
This whitepaper firstly reviews the work done by the various industrial consortia of computer and communications companies – of which Motorola is a leading member – that are engaged in creating either standard software specifications or require-ments for building next generation high availability systems.
Maximizing the Benefits of AdvancedTCA
AdvancedTCA® technology has attracted a lot of attention within the telecom and computing industries and has now been selected by major telecom equipment maufacturers for their new product designs.
This paper looks at the benefits that the Advanced Telecom Computing Architecture (AdvancedTCA) and related standards can provide and explores some of the challenges that the telecom and computing industries must address for the AdvancedTCA standard to reach its full potential.
Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) are facing tough times ahead as they strive to improve their businesses. Core to this are the “Make versus Buy” decisions they face during every new product development. A significant trend is emerging towards the “Buy” decision, resulting in the outsourcing for new technology.
A faster and better approach is needed when introducing new, innovative ideas and products, which will provide significant value and cost savings. Currently there are two perspectives when developing and deploying new network technology–those of the OEMs and those of the network operators.
This article suggests a third possible perspective: that of the suppliers to the OEMs who should be viewed as partners who can deliver significant value and not just as suppliers of components.
Case Studies
Fact Sheets
