Practical Session # 09

Objectives:
• To investigate the trunk signaling in terms of the International
Standards Organization (ISO), Open Systems Interconnection (OSI)
model
• To explore the structure and function of Message Signaling Units
(MSU) and Fill In Signaling Units (FISU) and how to differentiate
between them

Instructor: Dr. Sundus Ali, Assistant Professor, Telecommunications

EQUIPMENT:

 Feedback Telephony System

 Discovery Manager II Software
 Computer

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The ITU-T Signaling System No 7 (SS7) is the current ITU-T
standard for international telephony. It is widely used for
Common Channel Signaling
There are three types of Signal Units in SS7:
1. FISU (Fill-in Signal Units)
2. LSSU (Link Status Signal Units)
3. MSU (Message Signal Units)

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Message Signal Units:

 MSUs are the basic method of sending signals from one

Switching Centre to another
 MSU start with 2 Sequence Numbers, the Forward Sequence
Number FSN and the Backward Sequence Number BSN
 The Sequence Numbers cannot increase indefinitely. The
maximum value is 15 in these Assignments, after which the
next Number is zero
 Following the Sequence Numbers is the Length Indicator LI. It
simply states how many bytes of data follow in the Signaling
Information Field.
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 The Forward Sequence Number (FSN) is increased by 1 for each
new message. If the message is received correctly, the Backward
Sequence Number (BSN) for SUs in the reverse direction equals the
received FSN. Hence the BSNs refer to transmission in the reverse
direction.
 The Length Indicator LI shows how many bytes of data follow. If LI
is greater than zero, then the unit is an MSU.

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Fill In Signal Units:

 FISUs are used if there are no messages to be transmitted. A Signal Unit is

sent in each direction every 20 ms. If there is a message waiting, then an MSU
is sent. But if not, then an FISU is sent. They contain FSN, BSN.

 Since there is no message, there is no Signaling Information Field, and the

Length Indicator LI is zero.

 An FISU is defined by having the LI = 0. The FISUs also check that the trunk
connection is physically intact

 The Protocol Controller PC is connected directly to the trunk Cord. During

timeslot 16, the PC is enabled, and the Switch Outlet is disabled. However, the
operation of the Message system is to check that the speech path is secure. If
the Bus Select switches do not correspond with the settings encoded in the
Trunk Paths Assignment, then the speech path is not complete.

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 The message system requires that the Sequence Numbers are
returned promptly so that the sending Switch knows whether a
Message SU has been correctly received.
 Signal Units are sent regularly, every 20 ms, from each Switch. If
there is no message waiting, a Fill In Signal Unit FISU is sent.