Dialogic Single Span Series

24- and 30-Port Voice Processing Plus T-1/E-1 ISDN PRI Boards

Features and Benefits

• High channel-per-slot density: one T-1 ISDN span with 24 channels of voice processing or one E-1 ISDN PRI span with 30 channels of voice processing
• Lets system integrators and developers to lower costs by incorporating more ports per chassis, using less expensive desktop-style machines, and easing configuration/installation effort
• Create more cost-effective switching solutions via access to the SCbus and ECTF H.100 CT Bus; provides the capability to build higher density systems and larger systems
• Offered in both ISA and PCI form factors
• SCbus support lets compatibility with a wide base of existing hardware products, such as TTS and ASR functionality
• PCI models have H.100/SCbus; ISA models can interoperate with H.100 devices operating in SC mode using a simple cable adapter
• SpringWare, downloadable signal and call processing firmware, provides easy feature enhancement and field- proven performance based on over 4 million installed ports
• PerfectDigit DTMF (touchtone) provides reliable detection during voice playback lets callers "type-ahead" through menus
• Three (T-1) or four (E-1) independent Motorola DSP56002 DSPs, clocked at up to 66 MHz; each with private, high-speed SRAM, permit execution of SpringWare signal processing algorithms
• Two Intel 486 GX microprocessors off-load call processing tasks from host PC, giving more power to the application
• Configure multiple boards in a single PC for easy and cost-effective system expansion on the computing platform that best fits your needs
• Supported in CT Media telephony server software for Windows NT® which provides a standards-based application development software platform and run-time environment for building open telecommunication servers that can support multiple applications*
• Supports ISDN Primary Rate (see ISDN-PRI Support section)
• Supports BoardWatch, the SNMP-compatible software for remote CT board management

* CT Media version 1.1 supports all ISA-based SingleSpan boards

Applications

• Voice messaging
• Interactive voice response
• Debit card and international call back
• Audiotex
• Operator services
• Telemarketing/call center
• Dictation
• Auto dialers
• Notification systems
• Online data entry/query

The Intel® Dialogic® SingleSpan Series boards are ideal for developers seeking to provide cost- effective, highly scalable, high-density computer telephony (CT) solutions for voice processing applications that require ISDN Primary Rate service termination plus 24 (T-1) or 30 (E-1) voice ports in a single PC slot. A number of different models are available. A unique dual processor architecture comprising of digital signal processors (DSP) and general-purpose microprocessors handles all telephony signaling and performs all DTMF (touchtone) and audio/voice signal processing tasks.

SingleSpan boards are members of the Intel® Dialogic® High-Density Series of voice products. SingleSpan boards are available in both ISA and PCI form factors. PCI models incorporate a CT Bus connector that supports SCbus operation and H.100 operation.

Onboard DSPs provide variable voice encoding at bit rates of 24 and 32 Kb/s for adaptive differential pulse code modulation (ADPCM) and bit rates of 48 and 64 Kb/s µ-law or A-law for pulse code modulation (PCM). Sampling rates and coding methods are selectable on a channel-by-channel basis. Applications may dynamically switch sampling rate and coding method to optimize data storage or voice quality as the need arises. SpringWare firmware also provides reliable DTMF detection, DTMF cut-through, and talk off/play off suppression over a wide variety of telephone line conditions.

Intel voice products offer a rich set of advanced features, including DSP technology and signal processing algorithms, for building the core of any CT system. You can integrate voice products easily into exactly the type of system you require

In real time, on all channels, SingleSpan voice boards can

• Connect to 24 or 30 telephone channels
• Automatically answer calls
• Detect touchtones
• Play voice messages to a caller
• Digitize, compress, and record voice signals
• Place outbound calls and automatically report the results

Configurations

Use SingleSpan boards to develop sophisticated, multifunction CT systems incorporating capabilities such as voice processing, text-to-speech (TTS), and automatic speech recognition (ASR). SingleSpan boards share a common hardware and firmware architecture with other boards based on the SCbus for maximum flexibility and scalability. Features can be added or systems can grow while protecting investment in hardware and application code. With only minimum modifications, applications can be easily ported to lower or higher line-density platforms.

• SingleSpan PCI boards install in any PCI-based personal computer or server (PCI bus or mixed PCI/ISA bus) and compatible computers (Intel x86, Digital AlphaServer, or Sun UltraSparc). Each board occupies a single expansion slot and up to 16 boards can be configured in a system.
• SingleSpan ISA boards install in IBM PC AT® and compatible computers (Intel386, Intel486, and Pentium processor-based PC platforms). Each board occupies a single expansion slot and up to 16 boards can be configured in a system with each board sharing the same interrupt level.

In either case, PCI or ISA, the number of boards and channels supported depends on the operating system used. The maximum number of lines that can be supported depends on the application, the amount of disk I/O required, and the host computer's CPU(s) and power supply.

SingleSpan boards can operate in either terminate or drop and insert configurations. In a terminate configuration, the board handles the call processing of the digital audio and telephony signaling. If additional resources, such as facsimile, TTS, or ASR are required, the resources can be switched to the call via the SCbus. A SingleSpan board installed as a terminating device eliminates the need for a channel bank. No external channel bank is required and the system operates as a standalone call-processing node.

In a drop and insert configuration, a SingleSpan board and a DTI board are connected via the SCbus and continuously pass all T-1 or E-1 time slots through to each other. This configuration can join two separate T-1 or E-1 lines, or it can be placed in-line between a T-1 or E-1 line and a switch (a PBX, for example). Calls on individual channels can either terminate at a call processing resource on the SingleSpan board, or "flow through" transparently from the SingleSpan board to the DTI board.

ISDN-PRI Support

The ISDN Primary Rate Interface (PRI) firmware is a feature enhancement to the Voice and Switching Products Series. The Dialogic PRI firmware is approved for use with many popular protocols in major markets, based on both T-1 (1.544 Mb/s) and E-1 (2.048 Mb/s) physical interfaces.

Features and benefits of ISDN PRI include

• ISDN Primary Rate connectivity to CT systems
• Dialed Number Identification Service (DNIS) lets the application to route incoming calls by automatically identifying the number the caller dialed
• Automatic Number Identification (ANI) lets the application to identify the calling party
• ANI-on-Demand feature saves money by selectively requesting ANI information only when needed
• ISDN offers inherent benefits to call center applications with its fast call setup and fast retrieval of DNIS and ANI information on inbound calls
• Call-By-Call Service Selection lets an application select the most efficient bearer channel service on a call-by-call basis
• Subaddressing allows direct connection to individual extensions or devices sharing the same phone number, or as a proprietary messaging mechanism
• Powerful and universal software interface simplifies access for developers who are unfamiliar with ISDN, yet lets sophisticated control of features
• Multinational approvals with many popular protocols
• User-to-User Information lets an application send proprietary messages to remote systems during call establishment
• Facility, Notify, and optional Information Elements (IEs) let applications work with network-specific supplementary services

Software Support

SingleSpan PCI models are supported by System Software and Software Development Kits for UNIX®, and Windows NT®. SingleSpan ISA models are supported by System Software and Software Development Kits for MS-DOS®, OS/2®, UNIX, and Windows NT. These packages contain a set of tools for developing complex multichannel applications.

SingleSpan boards can use GlobalCall, a call control interface that simplifies the development and use of compelled R2 and other special signaling protocols.

For added flexibility, the Intel® Dialogic® D/240SC-T1 and D/300SC-E1 boards are also supported in CT Media™.telephony server software. This resource management software makes application development easier, and lets applications from different suppliers written to standard application programming interfaces APIs like ECTF S.100 and TAPI to work together on a single server. CT Media server software makes this possible by managing technology resources (boards and host-based technologies) within the server, and providing basic switching functions to multiple client applications.

CT Media software runs on Windows NT 4.0. A minimum of 24 MB should be used in any field-deployable system, with 64 MB or more recommended. A Pentium class processor is recommended, as is a fast (i.e., SCSI II) disk I/O system.

The SingleSpan Series supports BoardWatch, the SNMP compatible software for remote CT board management. BoardWatch simplifies the management and lowers the total cost of operation of CT devices. These centralized management capabilities provide a single point of configuration and inventory for all network devices. Fault management for high availability systems includes diagnostics, detection, and recovery capabilities.

Functional Descriptions

D/240SC-T1 and D/240PCI-T1

Both the Intel® Dialogic® D/240SC-T1 and D/240PCI-T1 boards connect directly to a channel service unit (CSU), digital service unit (DSU), or to other network terminating equipment. The CSU chosen must support the D4 or ESF (within ISDN) superframe format. Most functions traditionally performed by a DSU (such as unipolar to bipolar format conversion, framing, etc.) are performed by the D/240SC-T1 or D/240PCI-T1 board. The only exception is the ability to interpret certain bipolar violation patterns, such as loopback start and stop commands from the T-1 network.

Both boards process the digital on-hook/off-hook signaling information and digital voice signals from the telephone network. Digital T-1 signals enter the board via a T1XC line interface (see block diagrams). The line interface contains a software switchable clock which can be set to

• Loop (clocking is slaved to the external network)
• Independent (clocking is derived from an onboard oscillator)
• Expansion (clocking is slaved to another bus clock master board)

The incoming T-1 bit stream is applied to an SC2000 chip that acts as a traffic coordinator for each channel and as an interface to the SCbus. This serial bit stream contains the digitized voice data and the signaling information for the incoming call.

Each of three SC2000 chips on the D/240SC-T1 board (or two in the case of the D/240PCI-T1 board) transmit several lower speed data streams over a single high-speed channel. The bus configuration is set when the firmware is downloaded at system initialization. These chips incorporate matrix switching capabilities. Under control of an onboard control processor, an SC2000 chip can connect a call being processed or an available external resource to any of the 1024 SCbus time slots. (The D/240SC-T1 board can also connect to 24 PCM Expansion Bus PEB time slots.) This lets the application to route calls to any added resource, such as fax, TTS, or ASR.

A DSP resource receives digital voice data via an SC2000 module. The DSP processes the digitized voice data based on SpringWare firmware loaded in its high-speed RAM. Each DSP performs the following signal analysis and operations on this incoming data:

• Performs automatic gain control (AGC) to compensate for variations in the level of the incoming audio signal
• Applies an ADPCM or PCM algorithm to compress the digitized voice and save disk storage space
• Detects the presence of tones DTMF, MF, or an application-defined single or dual frequency tone
• Detects silence to determine whether the line is quiet and the caller is not responding

For outbound data, the DSP performs the following operations:

• Expands stored, compressed audio data for playback
• Adjusts the volume and rate of speed of playback upon application or user request
• Generates tones DTMF, MF, or any application-defined general-purpose tone

The dual processor combination also performs the following outbound dialing and call progress monitoring functions:

• Transmits an off-hook signal to the telephone network
• Dials out (makes an outbound call)
• Monitors and reports call progress results: line busy or congested; operator intercept; ring, no answer; or if the call is answered, whether answered by a person, an answering machine, a facsimile, or a modem

When recording speech, the DSP can use different digitizing rates from 24 to 64 Kb/s as selected by the application for the best speech quality and most efficient storage. The digitizing rate is selected on a channel-by-channel basis and can be changed each time a record or play function is initiated. The DSP processed speech is transmitted by the control processor to the host PC for disk storage. When playing back a stored file, the processor retrieves the voice information from the host PC and passes it to the DSP, which converts the file into digitized voice. The DSP uses the SCbus circuitry to send the digitized voice responses to the caller via the T1XC line interface.

For SCbus configurations, the internal local bus operate at 2.048 Mb/s. For D/240SC-T1 PEB configurations, the external PEB and the internal local bus operate at 1.544 Mb/s.

The High-Level Data Link Controller (HDLC) formats ISDN data. The HDLC receives ISDN signaling data from the T1XC interface and the Enhanced Network Interface ASIC (ENIA) and makes it available to the control processor. It also formats and sends outbound signaling data from the control processor to the network interface through the ENIA ASIC and T1XC transceiver chip.

The onboard control processor(s) controls all operations of the board via a local bus and interprets and executes commands from the host PC. These processors handle real-time events, manage data flow to the host PC to provide faster system response time, reduce PC host processing demands, process DTMF and telephony signaling before passing them to the application, and free the DSPs to perform signal processing.

Communications between a processor and the host PC is via the shared RAM that acts as an input/output buffer and thus increases the efficiency of disk file transfers. This RAM interfaces to the host PC via the ISA bus in the case of the D/240SC-T1 board or the PCI bus in the case of the D/240PCI-T1 board. All operations are interrupt-driven to meet the demands of real-time systems. When the system is initialized, SpringWare firmware is downloaded from the host PC to the onboard code/data RAM and DSP RAM to control all board operations. This downloadable firmware gives the board all of its intelligence and lets easy feature enhancement and upgrades.

The Traffic Controller ASIC is the Intel486 control processor interface that handles all peripheral devices (SC2000, HDLC, DSPs, T1XC) and host PC functions (Board Locator Technology, programmable interrupts, and shared RAM). The Board Locator Technology circuit inside the Traffic Controller ASIC operates in conjunction with a rotary switch, eliminating the need to set confusing jumpers or DIP switches. The Board Locator Technology is used to map all T-1 boards' shared RAM to the same PC memory space.

D/300SC-E1 and D/300PCI-E1

Both the D/300SC-E1 and Intel® Dialogic® D/300PCI-E1 boards process the digital on-hook/off-hook signaling information and digital voice signals from the telephone network. Signals enter the board via an E1XC line interface (see block diagrams). The line interface supports CRC4 error detection (Cyclic Redundancy Check) and contains a software switchable clock that can be set to

• Loop (clocking is slaved to the external network)
• Independent (clocking is derived from an onboard oscillator)
• Expansion (clocking is slaved to another bus clock master board)

Each of three SC2000 chips transmit several lower speed data streams over a single high-speed channel. The bus configuration is set when the firmware is downloaded at system initialization. These chips incorporate matrix switching capabilities. Under control of an onboard control processor, an SC2000 chip can connect a call being processed or an available external resource to any of the 1024 SCbus time slots. This lets the application to route calls to any added resource, such as fax, TTS, or ASR.

A DSP resource receives digital voice data via an SC2000 module. The DSP processes the digitized voice data based on SpringWare firmware loaded in its high-speed RAM. Each DSP performs the following signal analysis and operations on this incoming data:

• Performs AGC to compensate for variations in the level of the incoming audio signal
• Applies an ADPCM or PCM algorithm to compress the digitized voice and save disk storage space
• Detects the presence of tones DTMF, R2MF, or application-defined single- or dual- frequency tone
• Detects silence to determine whether the line is quiet and the caller is not responding

For outbound data, the DSP performs the following operations:

• Expands stored, compressed audio data for playback
• Adjusts the volume and rate of speed of playback upon application or user request
• Generates tones DTMF, R2MF, or any application-defined general-purpose tone

The dual processor combination also performs the following outbound dialing and call progress monitoring functions:

• Transmits an off-hook signal to the telephone network
• Dials out (makes an outbound call)
• Monitors and reports call progress results: line busy or congested; operator intercept; ring, no answer; or if the call is answered, whether answered by a person, an answering machine, a facsimile, or a modem

The board's line interface extracts or inserts telephony signaling information, which an onboard control processor processes. The DSPs only process the digitized voice data.

When recording speech, the DSP can use different digitizing rates from 24 to 64 Kb/s as selected by the application for the best speech quality and most efficient storage. The digitizing rate is selected on a channel-by-channel basis and can be changed each time a record or play function is initiated. The DSP processed speech is transmitted by the control processor to the host PC for disk storage. When playing back a stored file, the processor retrieves the voice information from the host PC and passes it to the DSP, which converts the file into digitized voice. The DSP sends the digitized voice responses to the caller via the SC2000 functional modules, the SCbus, and the E1XC line interface.

The High-Level Data Link Controller (HDLC) formats ISDN data. The HDLC receives ISDN signaling data from the E1XC interface and the Enhanced Network Interface ASIC (ENIA) and makes it available to the control processor. It also formats and sends outbound signaling data from the control processor to the network interface through the ENIA ASIC and E1XC transceiver chip.

The onboard control processor(s) controls all operations of the board via a local bus and interprets and executes commands from the host PC. These processors handle real-time events, manage data flow to the host PC to provide faster system response time, reduce PC host processing demands, process DTMF and telephony signaling before passing them to the application, and free the DSPs to perform signal processing.

Communications between a processor and the host PC is via the shared RAM that acts as an input/output buffer and thus increases the efficiency of disk file transfers. This RAM interfaces to the host PC via the ISA or PCI bus. All operations are interrupt-driven to meet the demands of real-time systems. When the system is initialized, SpringWare firmware is downloaded from the host PC to the onboard code/data RAM and DSP RAM to control all board operations. This downloadable firmware gives the board all of its intelligence and lets easy feature enhancement and upgrades.

The Traffic Controller ASIC is the Intel486 control processor interface that handles all peripheral devices (SC2000, HDLC, DSPs, E1XC) and host PC functions (Board Locator Technology, programmable interrupts [ISA only], and shared RAM). The Board Locator Technology circuit inside the Traffic Controller ASIC operates in conjunction with a rotary switch, eliminating the need to set confusing jumpers or DIP switches. The Board Locator Technology is used to map all E-1 boards' shared RAM to the same PC memory space.

*All specifications are subject to change without notice.
**Configurable to meet country specific PTT requirements. Actual specification may vary from country to country for approved products.

Hardware System Requirements

D/240SC-T1 and D/300SC-E1

• Intel386, Intel486, or Pentium processor IBM PC AT (ISA) bus or compatible computer
• Operating system hardware requirements vary according to the number of channels being used

D/240PCI-T1 and D/300PCI-E1

• Intel386, Intel486, or Pentium processor PCI bus or mixed PCI/ISA bus computer.
• Operating system hardware requirements vary according to the number of channels being used.
• System must comply with PCISIG Bus Specification Rev. 2.2 or later.

Additional Components

D/240SC-T1 and D/300SC-E1

• Multidrop PEB and SCbus cables(86-0055-001 [2-drop] to -008 [9-drop])

D/240PCI-T1 and D/300PCI-E1

• Multidrop SCbus or CT Bus cables
• CT Bus/SCbus Adapter