INTRODUCTION 

• Data Voice Gateways (DVG)
• Authentication, Least Cost Routing, Mapping, Billing and Accounting System (SoftSwitch 2000" )
• Billing solutions (Tempest Billing, Web Billing).

SoftSwitch 2000, as detailed in this manual, is truly the cornerstone of the Tempest IP solution. Acting as the gatekeeper, SoftSwitch 2000 controls subscriber access, routes calls based on least cost routing (LCR), maintains customer accounting information, and manages the network of DVGs. The primary components of SoftSwitch 2000 are:

• Windows NT Services 
• MSSQL Databases 
• Billing client software

IP TELEPHONY AND THE TEMPEST DATA VOICE GATEWAY

The Tempest Data Voice Gateway (DVG), Franklin Telecom’s IP telephony solution, supports communication between conventional telephony devices using an Internet Protocol (IP) data network. The Tempest DVG enables the use of an IP path as the intermediate connection between distant telephone circuits. The telephone circuits may be a company’s private phone system, local PSTN lines or distant long distance lines. A traditional telephone connection consists of a constant connection between two phones for the duration of a telephone call. On a PSTN or trunk circuit, the call occupies 64,000 bits/second (64kbps) of bandwidth between the two ends, whether anyone is talking or not. IP Telephony technology compresses the voice-data stream by a factor determined by the algorithm (codec) used. Compression in some cases can exceed a 10:1 ratio. The Tempest DVG utilizes a G723.1 codec, occupying 5.3 kbps as it is compressed at the ratio of 12:1. This significantly reduces the bandwidth needed for a call; conversely it permits a conventional 64 kbps circuit to handle multiple telephone calls.

The prevalence and the existing infrastructure of IP connections make it a logical and economical medium for transporting voice data. IP is used worldwide for private and public networks. The global Internet consists of IP connections between millions of systems. IP is a ‘packet’ protocol, communicating through the use of “data packets” which can be interleaved with other packets on the same circuit. IP is independent of the underlying transmission technology – it works equally well on LANs, frame relay, and dedicated private lines. Its advantages include:

• Reliability. Connectionless per-packet routing so that intermediate failures of circuits or routers will efficiently and automatically be avoided without failure of the link between two endpoints (as long as an alternate path is available).
• Cost cutting. Multiple session support, so that more than one communication can be carried on the circuit at the same time.

Versatility. IP telephony has the additional advantage of permitting data and voice packets to be interleaved on the same circuits. The global Internet now carries voice as well as email and web pages, without any concern for the type of data in each packet.

AUTHENTICATION, MAPPING AND ACCOUNTING SYSTEM (SoftSwitch 2000)

The Authentication, Mapping and Accounting System (SoftSwitch 2000) is comprised of its databases, services and client components. The SoftSwitch 2000 databases maintain caller authentication and IP-route determination (mapping) information. The SoftSwitch 2000 databases also store Call Detail Records (CDRs), which the Tempest Billing application (an SoftSwitch 2000 client component) uses to generate customer bills. SoftSwitch 2000 services communicate directly with each DVG during port availability tracking, authentication, call-routing and CDR collection. 

Functions of the SoftSwitch 2000 System include the following:

• Directing the DVG as to where to request authentication from, and where to send Call Detail Records (CDRs) to.
• Tracking cost and rate information corresponding to calls placed out of DVGs at each IP location; rates for each destination may vary by time of day, day of week, and subscriber rate group.
• Determining IP-route by least-cost type of call, and least-cost route within a common call-type. These include:
  1. “internal” calls such as UPX (FXS phones connected directly to a DVG) and PBX (DID lines)
  2. LEC-required calls (local no-toll)
  3. intra-LATA toll calls (local toll)
  4. IEC-required calls
• Authenticating subscriber Identification Numbers (ID+PIN)
• Maintaining “current” status of subscriber account
• Maintaining “current” status of port availability at each DVG – for optimal determination of route to use when a request is received.
• Storing CDR information
• Generating bills for calls made through the Tempest DVGs

• Scalability – SoftSwitch 2000 services may be run on multiple servers as the DVG network grows;
• Authentication and CDR information may be kept on separate databases, and Authentication and CDR-Collection services may run at separate locations for each (of up to 100) subscriber group(s)
• Security – any DVG or SoftSwitch 2000 component requesting authentication and mapping information from the SoftSwitch 2000 system must be specifically predefined in the list of “sites” known to the SoftSwitch 2000 in order for that location to receive a response from the SoftSwitch 2000. If a request is received from an unknown “site”, a security violation will appear, and the IP address from which the violation occurred is displayed.
• The option of billing any individual subscriber(s) by the rate corresponding to time at the destination phone. This allows for the subscriber bill to better reflect the provider’s PSTN cost at the destination DVG.
• Subscriber payment types:

1. Fixed Monthly Rate,
2. Prepaid Balance,
3. Prepaid Seconds,
4. Debit Balance (billed by balance owed),
5. Debit Seconds (billed by seconds owed).

1. Types of calls which the subscriber is allowed to place out of destinationDVGs (example: disallow long-distance calls)
2. Specific phone numbers or calling areas which the subscriber is allowed or not allowed to place calls to.
3. The right to place multiple simultaneous calls on that account.
4. Minimum and maximum length for a call placed by that subscriber; also – length of increments by which to charge the subscriber for a call.
5. Time of day on specified days of week during which a subscriber is restricted from calling.
6. Option to require correct ANI/CNID in order to use the subscriber account.
7. Account may be marked to become inactive (deactivated) after a specified date/time.
8. Debit-type subscribers (Debit Balance and Debit Seconds) may be limited with credit limits on their accounts.

• Specific countries, areas and exchanges may be restricted from receiving calls.
• Customizable subscriber rate plan corresponding to each rate group.

1. Each rate group has its own period definitions for four time-of-day periods;
2. Rates applied to a call varies by route, time period of day, and type of day (i.e. weekday, Saturday, Sunday)

• A single area code/prefix can be mapped to multiple IP addresses. This option allows a single location to stack multiple DVGs. If a DVG’s ports are fully utilized, a connection to the next least-cost destination DVG will be attempted.
• The following information is specified (by SoftSwitch 2000 administrator) for each route:

1. Rate group: Each subscriber may use only the routes associated with his/her rate group.
2. Cost per second: used in least-cost determination; also included in the CDR (call detail record) generated at the end of each call.
3. Rates per time period for each type of day: Weekday, Saturday, Sunday (total of 12 rates). (Currently, in SoftSwitch 2000 v2.20, ‘Holiday’ type day is not used, however data must still be entered in those fields.)
4. Connection fee(known as ‘Bong’)
5. Flat rates(optional) and length of time after which flat rate should apply.
6. Active/Inactive flag: useful when adding new routes or doing maintenance on an SoftSwitch 2000 or DVG.