4 External Requirements

4.1 Performance Requirements

REQ-PF-01-01: Assuming a quiet system and no extraneous processing, the message latency from the top of the protocol stack through the API implementation into the JAIN TCAP Application shall not exceed on average one second.

This latency does not include message throughput through the protocol stack, nor the processing of the message in the JAIN TCAP application. The latency only includes conversion of data from the Stack Space into the JAIN TCAP application.

4.2 External Interfaces

REQ-EI-01-01: The API specification shall be compatible with the Java Platform v1.2 Core API Specification or later.

The added features of the new Java Platform v1.2 can be viewed at [http://java.sun.com/products/jdk/1.2/docs/relnotes/features.html]

4.3 Resource Requirements

REQ-RR-01-01: In order to execute the JAIN TCAP Technology Compatibility Kit, or a JAIN TCAP application, the following shall be required:

• The JAIN TCAP API is implemented over a JAIN compliant protocol stack or over the Reference Implementation.

• A Java Virtual Machine

The acceptance test requirements are outlined in the Java Community Process. See [Reference 1] or view at http://developer.java.sun.com/developer/jcp/index.html. The main Acceptance Test Requirements specified within the document include:

• The API specification will be acceptable to the majority of participants of the JAIN TCAP expert group and the Process Management Office (Sun Microsystems).
• All public comments as a result of a public review shall be read, considered, documented and if necessary incorporated into a new review of the API specification.
• API deficiencies shall be documented and made available to Sun Microsystems.

REQ-DC-01-01: The documentation shall be presented in HTML format.

The documentation supporting the API needs to be supplied with and in the same format as the API (HTML).

4.6 Portability Requirements

REQ-PO-01-01: A JAIN TCAP implementation shall be considered compliant if a JAIN TCAP application can run unchanged on both the JAIN TCAP implementation and the JAIN TCAP Reference Implementation.

The main aim of the JAIN TCAP process is to provide portable JAIN TCAP applications that will run over any SS7 stack, which is JAIN compliant.

4.7 Quality Requirements

REQ-QR-02-01: The JAIN TCAP API development shall follow the Java Community Process.

The Java Community Process is Sun Microsystems’s process for developing API’s. See [Reference 1] or view at http://developer.java.sun.com/developer/jcp/index.html.

4.8 Maintainability Issues

The maintainability requirements are outlined in the Java Community Process. See [Reference 1] or view at [http://developer.java.sun.com/developer/jcp/index.html]. The main Maintainability Requirements within this document include:

• The Interpretation Guru shall be responsible for ongoing maintenance in response to requests such as clarification, interpretation, enhancements and change requests by participants and the public.

• A change log should be made available via a public web site that lists all revisions made to the specification by the Interpretation Guru during maintenance.

REQ-CR-01-01: A JAIN TCAP Implementation shall be compatible after passing the TCK.

This will ensure that all JAIN TCAP implementations can be tested to guarantee JAIN compliance. An implementation of the JAIN TCAP specification will only be JAIN compliant if it passes the TCK. An acceptable standard will be set by the JAIN TCAP Expert group, which will be used as a guideline with the TCK, of which JAIN TCAP implementations must pass in order to be compliant.

4.10 Specification Deliverables

The specification deliverables are outlined in the Java Community Process. See [Reference 1] or view at http://developer.java.sun.com/developer/jcp/index.html. The main Specification Deliverables Requirements within this document include:

• A Java API specification shall be specified for JAIN TCAP.

• A Reference Implementation shall be developed to uncover areas of the API that are under-defined, incomplete or ambiguous.

• A Technology Compatibility Kit shall be developed to ensure JAIN TCAP specification compatibility.

• A User Guide shall be developed for the JAIN TCAP specification. This will provide an overview of the JAIN TCAP specification, a detailed description of the API and how its implementation can produce portable TCAP applications.

• This API specification will not be dependent on any other JAIN API specification, however it will be compatible with the JAIN P&M API. The JAIN P&M API may handle the provisioning and management of the JAIN TCAP API depending on the vendor’s implementation of the API. The JAIN P&M specification is the interface for the service provider to provision the network. Transmissions rates, hardware characteristics, routing configurations, etc. are all covered by the JAIN P&M specification.

• The API specification shall not restrict the Listeners and Provider peers to reside on the same Virtual Machine. This enables the JAIN TCAP implementation to operate unrestricted in a distributed computing environment. There are many combinations of Listeners and Providers distributed over several Java Virtual Machines, however one possible configuration is shown in Figure 4.1.

• The API specification shall provide the ability to reuse previously instantiated objects. This offers the capability of keeping object instantiation to a minimum, therefore maximizing performance.