Troubleshooting guide

10-2
Cisco Broadband Local Integrated Services Solution Troubleshooting Guide
OL-5169-01
Chapter 10 Troubleshooting the Cisco BTS 10200 Softswitch
Architecture
Call Agent
Call processing is performed with MGCP 1.0/NCS call control signaling with the Cisco BTS10200 call
agent deployed in an active/stand mode. Feature servers, which provide the logic for enhanced services,
are part of this complex. An EMS system which manages the call agent and the feature servers and
provides subscriber/network provisioning functions is also part of the call agent infrastructure residing
in the SuperPOP. The call agent runs on a Continuous Computing platform or Sun hardware and
SS7/ISUP trunks terminate on this platform. The Cisco BTS 10200 Softswitch converts between SS7
signaling and Media Gateway Control Protocol for call setup and tear down. Release 3.5.3 of the Cisco
BTS 10200 call agent is used in the BLISS solution Release 1.5 architecture.
At a high level, the Cisco BTS10200 call agent provides the following capabilities:
• Call signaling capabilities including SS7 (ISUP), MTP-3, and TCAP. Support for MGCP call
control with the TGWs and NCS signaling on the MTA side.
• SS7/ISUP interactions with the PSTN SS7 network which includes support for SCP database dip
applications like 800 number and LNP services.
• Universal Signaling interworking functions between protocols associated with each leg of the call.
• Address resolution and Call Routing
• CDR generation. Support of Event Messaging.
• Resource management and connection control
• Service Access Function to access services executing on the external server platforms, such as
feature servers, SCPs, and so on.
• Management interfaces (using SNMP and/or CORBA and/or CLIs)
• Gate management function and DQOS support
The call agent supports deployment of feature servers on separate platforms. The call routing
intelligence resides on the call agent and feature logic resides on the feature server. The Feature Control
Protocol (FCP) is used to communicate with the feature servers. Either SIP or SIP-T can be used for
inter-call agent communication. SIP is also used to communicate with the messaging platform. Support
for the PacketCable CMS-CMS standard, PKT-SP-CMSS-I04-040730 Call Management Server
Signaling Specification, is also provided on the Cisco BTS 10200 Softswitch.
Terminations
A termination refers to the physical link between the Cisco BTS 10200 Softswitch and a media gateway
(MGW). The types of gateway terminations are listed in Table 10-1.
Table 10-1 Gateway Terminations
Gateway Type of Signaling Type of Termination Assignment
Trunk gateway
(CAS)
Channel associated signaling
(CAS) using MGCP
CAS trunk Each CAS trunk is assigned
to a CAS trunk group
Trunk gateway
(CCS)
Common channel signaling
(CCS) using SS7
SS7 trunk Each SS7 trunk is assigned to
an SS7 trunk group