JAIN^TM: APIs for the Integrated Network

JAIN TCAP White Paper

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Executive Summary

JAIN(TM) TCAP (Transaction Capabilities Application Protocol) defines a standard Java interface for the TCAP layer of the Signalling System 7 (SS7) Stack. It describes the Java standard API for transaction processing in the Telecommunications Industry.

Further information on the TCAP API as well as JAIN(TM) can be found from the Sun’s JAIN(TM) web site: http://java.sun.com/products/jain
 

What is JAIN?

The JAIN(TM) APIs for Integrated Networks brings service portability, convergence, and secure network access to telephony and data networks.

By providing a new level of abstraction and associated Java interfaces for service creation across PSTN, packet (e.g. IP or ATM) and wireless networks, JAIN(TM) enables the integration of Internet (IP) and Intelligent Network (IN) protocols. This is referred to as Integrated Networks. Furthermore, by allowing Java applications to have secure access to resources inside the network, the opportunity is created to deliver thousands of services rather than the dozens currently available.

Thus, JAIN(TM) technology is changing the telecommunications market from many proprietary closed systems to a single open network architecture where services can be rapidly created and deployed.

The JAIN(TM) initiative consists of two Expert Groups:

• The Protocols Expert Group (PEG) specifies interfaces to wireline, wireless and IP signalling protocols
• The Application Expert Group (AEG) addresses the APIs required for service creation within a Java framework spanning across all protocols covered by the PEG

What is TCAP?

Transaction Capabilities Application Protocol (TCAP) is a layer of the SS7 communications protocol that was developed to add transaction based functionality to the existing telephone network. The TCAP layer is designed for signalling related messages and provides a means for transfer of information from one application at a switch to another application within another network entity. The information passed through the TCAP layer must be transferred between applications, transparently through the network. The following diagram shows TCAP messages being passed from the switch to the database.
 
 
 
 

TCAP is used in the real world today by a variety of applications including:

• "800" Number Translation – One of the first usage’s of TCAP, where a "0800" phone number is converted into a different routable phone number.
• Call Forwarding – A subscriber can forward their phone calls, to another subscribers phone number.
• Automatic Callback – A subscriber dials a number, which is busy, enters a feature code and hangs up. When the dialled number becomes free the subscriber is called back.
• Calling Name Delivery – A subscriber can see the name of a caller instead of just a caller id.
• Do-Not-Disturb – A subscriber can temporarily block incoming calls and revert the calls to a voice mailbox.
• Higher protocol layers such as the Mobile Application Part (MAP) also use TCAP.

What is JAIN(TM) TCAP?

JAIN(TM) TCAP Specification defines a Java API for the TCAP layer of the Signalling System 7 (SS7) stack. JAIN(TM) TCAP provides a high level common interface which supports the functionality required by all the supported variants. A specific implementation of the API can be mapped to a specific protocol variant. Any application written to the JAIN(TM) TCAP API will be portable over different protocol variants and proprietary vendor.

The JAIN(TM) TCAP Specification comprises of the JAIN(TM) TCAP API Requirements Specification, the JAIN(TM) TCAP Reference Implementation (RI) Specification and the JAIN(TM) TCAP Technology Compatibility Kit (TCK) Specification.

The Java API Requirements Specification provides a high level overview of JAIN(TM) and the JAIN(TM) TCAP API Specification as well as explaining the JAIN(TM) Architecture, Transaction Capabilities and the functionality provided by each of the requirements.

The JAIN TCAP Reference Implementation (RI) is a an example Java program that emulates the functions of an SS7 stack in order to verify that JAIN TCAP applications are compatible with the JAIN TCAP specification.

The purpose of the JAIN TCAP TCK is to verify that a JAIN TCAP implementation is compatible with the JAIN TCAP API Specification.
 
 

JAIN(TM) TCAP architecture (High Level)

A JAIN(TM) TCAP Application or Listener would use a Provider to send JAIN(TM) Events. Events are used to send TCAP messages between JAIN(TM) TCAP objects, and can contain dialogue or component information. To send a JAIN(TM) TCAP message, a Listener would send component Events to a Provider, interspersed with dialogue Events. These component and dialogue events are the Primitives that are sent between the Provider and the Listener. The diagram below shows the JAIN(TM) TCAP Events being passed.
 

The companies involved in the JAIN(TM) TCAP Edit Group are:

• AePONA, Ltd.
• ADC Telecommunications
• Ericsson InfoTech
• Sun® Microsystems, Inc.
• Telcordia(TM) Technologies, Inc.
• Trillium
• Ulticom(TM), Inc.

 Benefits

Benefits to TCAP Application Developers

- A simple API makes applications easier to develop

• Can develop TCAP applications that are portable over different TCAP protocol variants and SS7 Stack vendors
• Can harness existing Java technologies – e.g. JINI(TM), JNDI, JMX

• Brings their value-added-services up front

Conclusion

By defining a simple, standardised interface to TCAP, portable TCAP applications can be rapidly developed, resulting in a faster overall time to market.