Specifications

System Overview
Planning and Installation Guide 2 – 3
is optional on systems up to 60 switches, but must be enabled on systems with 60 or
more switches.
When Distributed Routing Service is disabled, ShoreGear switches build an internal
routing database from the peer-to-peer communication with other switches. Each
ShoreGear switch contains routing information for all endpoints in the system,
including information regarding trunk selection for outbound calls. When a user places
a call from any extension, each switch can route the call to the correct ShoreGear
switch based on its internal routing database.
When Distributed Routing Service is enabled, ShoreGear switches only exchange
routing information with other switches at the same site, rather than exchanging the
information with every switch in a multi-site system. Although each ShoreGear switch
only maintains routing information within its site, each ShoreWare server also includes
an instance of the Distributed Routing Service, which maintains system-wide routing
information. When calls are initiated, ShoreGear switches contact the Distributed
Routing Service in order to find the ShoreGear switch or switches necessary to
complete the call.
In a system with more than one ShoreWare server, the ShoreGear switches may contact
an alternate instance of the routing service if the primary instance is not reachable.
ShoreWare servers have a hierarchical relationship with the headquarters server at the
top of the hierarchy. As you add servers to the system through ShoreWare Director, you
define the order of the servers in relation to the headquarters server and the various
sites in your system. Initially, the switches try to contact the nearest instance of the
Distributed Routing Service in the hierarchy. If that instance of DRS is not reachable,
the switch contacts the instance of DRS at the parent server in the hierarchy as a
fallback. If both instances of DRS are not reachable, the switch makes a best effort to
route the call based on its internal routing tables built from communicating with peer
ShoreGear switches at the same site.
Distributed Applications Platform
The distributed applications platform of the ShoreTel 6.1 system enables application
servers to be distributed across the enterprise yet still behave as a single, cohesive
system. This allows you to optimize network performance by locating applications
such as voice mail close to users to reduce WAN bandwidth utilization. In addition, by
hosting applications, services, and APIs on multiple platforms, the distributed
applications platform enables the system to scale as necessary.
A software component called the ShoreWare Telephony Management Service (TMS)
runs on the ShoreWare server and observes all call setup and call teardown activity on
the entire voice network. The ShoreWare TMS software then exposes a Telephony
Application Programming Interface (TAPI), for call control, and a TAPI Wave interface
for media play and record. These open APIs allow value-added applications to be added
to the ShoreTel 6.1 system to provide voice services.
Even though there are multiple application servers, the ShoreTel 6.1 system is still
managed and behaves as a single image system with complete feature transparency
between sites.