Glossary

 ASCII American Standard Code for Information Interchange

 ANI Automatic Number Identification. A service that identifies the phone number of the calling party.

 ANI-on-Demand A feature of AT&T ISDN service whereby the user can automatically request caller ID from the network even when caller ID does not exist.

 ASCII American Standard Code for Information Interchange.

 asynchronous function A function that returns immediately to the application and returns a completion/termination event at some future time. An asynchronous function allows the current thread to continue processing while the function is running.

 asynchronous mode The classification for functions that operate without blocking other functions.

 Basic Rate Interface A standard digital telecommunication service, available in many countries and in most of the United States, with an ability to digitally transmit both voice and data over standard 64 kbps lines. A BRI line consists of two 64 kbps channels for a total of 128 kbps.

 BC Bearer Capability

 B channel Bearer channel used in ISDN interfaces. This circuit-switched, digital channel can carry voice or data at 64,000 bits/sec in either direction.

 Bearer Capability A field in an ISDN call setup message that specifies the speed at which data can be transmitted over an ISDN line.

 BRI Basic Rate Interface

 Call Reference Number (CRN) A number assigned by the application to identify a call on a specific line device.

 Call Waiting feature Call Waiting allows a network to make an outgoing call while no channel is available for this call, and allows a terminal to be notified of an incoming call (as per the basic call establishment process) with an indication that no information channel is available.

 CEPT Conference des Administrations Europeenes des Postes et Telecommunications. A collection of groups that set European telecommunication standards.

 CES Connection Endpoint Suffix

 CRN Call Reference Number

 CRV Call Reference Value

 D channel Signaling channel used for transmitting signaling information across ISDN networks. This information is used to control transmission of data on associated B channels.

 data structure Programming term for a data element consisting of fields, where each field may have a different definition and length. A group of data structure elements usually share a common purpose or functionality.

 DIALOG/HD Voice and/or telephone network interface resource boards that communicate via the SCbus. These boards include D/160SC-LS, D/240SC, D/240SC-T1, and D/300SC-E1. (Also referred to as SpanCards.)

 DNIS Dialed Number Identification Service. A feature of 800 lines that allows a system with multiple 800 lines in its queue to access the 800 number the caller dialed. Also provides caller party number information.

 DPNSS Digital Private Network Signaling System. An E-1 primary rate protocol used in Europe to pass calls transparently between PBXs.

 driver A software module that provides a defined interface between the program and the hardware.

 drop-and-insert configuration A configuration in which two network interface resources are connected via an internal bus, such as the SCbus, to connect calls from one network interface to another. A call from one network interface can be "dropped" to a resource, such as a voice resource, for processing. In return, the resource can "insert" signaling and audio and retransmit this new bit stream via the internal bus to connect the call to a different channel. Drop-and-insert configurations provide the ability to access an operator or another call.

 DSL Digital Subscriber Loop

 E-1 Another name given to the CEPT digital telephony format devised by the CCITT that carries data at the rate of 2.048 Mbps (DS-1 level).

 event An unsolicited communication from a hardware device to an operating system, application, or driver. Events are generally attention-getting messages, allowing a process to know when a task is complete or when an external event occurs.

 glare When an inbound call arrives while an outbound call is in the process of being setup, a "glare" condition occurs. Unless the protocol specifies otherwise, the incoming call takes precedence over the outbound call.

 IA5 International Alphabet No. 5 (defined by CCITT)

 IE Information Element

 Information Element (IE) Used by the ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) protocol to transfer information. Each IE transfers information in a standard format defined by CCITT standard Q.931.

 Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) A collection of standards for defining interfaces and operation of digital switching equipment for voice and data transmissions.

 ISDN Integrated Services Digital Network

 LAPB Link Access Protocol-Balanced

 LAPD Link Access Protocol on the D channel

 line device handle A numerical reference to a device, obtained when the device is opened. This handle is used for all operations on that device.

 Non-Call Associated Signaling (NCAS) allows users to communicate by user-to-user signaling without setting up a circuit-switched connection (this signal does not occupy B channel bandwidth). A temporary signaling connection is established and cleared in a manner similar to the control of a circuit-switch connection. Since NCAS calls are not associated with any B channel, applications receive and transmit NCAS calls on the D channel line device. Once the NCAS connection is established, the application can transmit user-to-user messages using the CRN associated with the NCAS call. An ISDN feature that supports the 5ESS protocol.

 Network Facility Associated Signal (NFAS) Allows multiple spans to be controlled by a single D channel subaddressing.

 NULL A call state in which no call is assigned to the device (line or time slot).

 PRI Primary Rate Interface

 Primary Rate Interface A standard digital telecommunication service, available in many countries and most of the United States, that allows the transfer of voice and data over T-1 or E-1 lines. The T-1 ISDN Primary Rate protocol consists of 23 voice/data channels (B-channels) and one signaling channel (D-channel). The E-1 ISDN Primary Rate protocol consists of 30 voice/data channels, one signaling channel (D-channel), and one framing channel to handle synchronization.

 PSTN Public Switched Telephone Network

 Public Switched Telephone Network An abbreviation used by the CCITT. Refers to the worldwide telephone network accessible to all those with either a telephone or access privileges.

 SAPI Service Access Point Identifier

 SCbus The TDM (Time Division Multiplexed) bus connecting SCSA (Signal Computing System Architecture) voice, telephone network interface, and other technology resource boards together.

 SIT Special Information Tone

 SpanCard See DIALOG/HD.

 Special Information Tone Detection of an SIT sequence indicates an operator intercept or other problem in completing the call.

 SPID Service Profile Interface ID

 SRL Standard Runtime Library

 Standard Runtime Library A Dialogic software resource containing Event Management and Standard Attribute functions and data structures used by all Dialogic devices, but which return data unique to the device.

 TEI Terminal Endpoint Identifier (see Recommendations Q.920 and Q.921)

 synchronous function Synchronous functions block an application or process until the required task is successfully completed or a failed/error message is returned.

 T-1 A digital line transmitting at 1.544 Mbps over 2 pairs of twisted wires. Designed to handle a minimum of 24 voice conversations or channels, each conversation digitized at 64 Kbps. T-1 is a digital transmission standard in North America.

 termination condition An event that causes a process to stop.

 termination event An event that is generated when an asynchronous function terminates.

 thread (Windows) The executable instructions stored in the address space of a process that the operating system actually executes. All processes have at least one thread, but no thread belongs to more than one process. A multithreaded process has more than one thread that are executed seemingly simultaneously. When the last thread finishes its task, then the process terminates. The main thread is also referred to as a primary thread; both main and primary thread refer to the first thread started in a process. A thread of execution is just a synonym for thread.

 time slot: In a digital telephony environment, a normally continuous and individual communication (for example, someone speaking on a telephone) is (1) digitized, (2) broken up into pieces consisting of a fixed number of bits, (3) combined with pieces of other individual communications in a regularly repeating, timed sequence (multiplexed), and (4) transmitted serially over a single telephone line. The process happens at such a fast rate that, once the pieces are sorted out and put back together again at the receiving end, the speech is normal and continuous. Each individual pieced-together communication is called a time slot.

 Two B Channel Transfer (TBCT) Connects two independent B Channel calls at an ISDN PRI user's interface to each other at the PBX or CO. The ISDN PRI user sends a Facility message to the PBX or CO requesting that the two B Channel calls be connected. If accepted, the user is released from the calls.

USID User Service Identifier

UUI User-to-User Information. Proprietary messages sent to remote system during call establishment.

Vari-A-Bill Service bureaus can vary the billing rate of a 900 call at any time during the call. Callers select services from a voice-automated menu and each service can be individually priced.

voice channel Designates a bi-directional transfer of data for a single call between a voice device processing that call and the SCbus. Digitized voice from the analog or T-1/E-1 interface device is transmitted over the SCbus to the voice receive (listen) channel for processing by the voice device. The voice device sends the response to the call over the voice transmit channel to an SCbus time slot that transmits this response to the analog or T-1/E-1 interface device.

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