CSE-342

B.Eng. (Electrical Engineering)

Communication System II
Lecture 10
SS7(Protocol)
Overview of a Protocol
Functions of a Protocol
A protocol is a set of rules governing the way data will be
transmitted and received over data communication links
Protocols must provide reliable, error-free transmission of user
data, as well as network management functions
Protocols pocketsize the user data into data envelopes, some
being of a fixed length while others can be of variable lengths,
depending on the protocol used
The protocols define the order in which the bits will be sent and
also append information for use by the network in routing and
management of the network

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Overview of a Protocol
Functions of a Protocol (contd. )
This appended information is used only by the protocol and is
transparent to the user
Some protocols , such as SS7 , actually send predefined
messages to the other nodes in the network. Messages can be
used at any layer above layer one. A typical example of SS7
message is Initial Address Message (IAM) to establish a
connection on a voice circuit between two end offices
Other functions of a protocol include the segmentation of blocks
of data for easier transmission over the network and reassembly
at the receiving node

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Overview of a Protocol
Functions of a Protocol (contd. )
Well known networks examples
Circuit-switched network ( PSTN)
Packet-switched network ( X.25 and SS7 )
Each packet in a packet switching network provides enough
information regarding the data to allow the packet to reach its
destination without establishing a connection between them
In any protocol stack , there may be several layers of
addressing used.

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Overview of a Protocol
Functions of a Protocol (contd. )
Sequencing
Flow control
Stop-and-wait flow control
Sliding window flow control
Error control
Stop-and-wait ARQ
Go-back-N ARQ
Selective-reject ARQ
Chapter 7 Data & Computer
Communications by William Stallings 6
Th

Ed.


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SS7 Protocol Stack
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SS7 Protocol Stack
The SS7 protocol stack consists of only four layers
The OSI model consists of seven layers
Since SS7 is older than the OSI therefore no immediate
mapping between SS7 levels and OSI layers is possible
SS7 protocol architecture defines packet-switched
network
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ITU-T SS7 Specifications
Q.700 - Q.709 Message Transfer Part (MTP)
Q.710 PBX Applications
Q.711 - Q.716 Signaling Connection Control Part (SCCP)
Q.721 - Q.725 Telephone User Part (TUP)
Q.730 ISDN Supplementary Services
Q.741 Data User Part (DUP)
Q.761 - Q.766 ISDN User Part (ISUP)
Q.771 - Q.775 Transaction Capabilities Application Part (TCAP)
Q.791 -Q.795 Monitoring Operations, and Maintenance
Q.780 - Q.783 Test Specifications
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SS7 Protocol Stack
Message Transfer Part ( MTP )
MTP is divided into three levels
MTP Level 1
MTP Level 2
MTP Level 3

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Message Transfer Part Level 1
MTP Level 1 is Physical layer of SS7 protocol
This Level defines the physical, electrical, and functional
characteristics of the digital signaling link
The signaling data link should mostly be Terrestrial , although
Satellite links are supported in the standards
Physical interfaces defined include :-
DS-0A (56 kb/s)
DS-0 (64 kb/s), and
V.35 (64 kb/s), for use with high speed modems
DS-1 1544 kb/s; 24, 64 kb/s channels
E-1 2048 kb/s; 32, 64 kb/s channels
SONET/SDH links with data rates 51.84Mbps, 155.52Mbps,
622.08Mbps, and 2.48832Gbps have also been defined for
SS7

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MTP Level 2
This layer corresponds to the data link layer in the OSI model
It provides error and link control on a point-to-point link between two
adjacent nodes within an SS7 NW
MTP2 has the following mechanisms:
Error Detection
The error detection mechanism is provided by CRC
Error Correction
The error correction mechanism is provided by Go back N ARQ
(Automatic Repeat Request) /PCR (Preventive Cyclic Re-
Transmission)
Flow Control
The receiver is capable of exercising flow control over the sender so
that the data is not lost in case of buffer overflow/Sliding Window
Sequencing
Used to identify lost messages during transmission. If lost
messages are detected, MTP2 must request a retransmission.
Retransmission requests can be accompanied with the user data
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MTP Level 2
Signal unit delimiting and alignment (flags)
The beginning and the end of a signal unit are indicated by a
unique 8-bit pattern, the flag. To ensure that the pattern cannot
be imitated elsewhere in the signal unit, bit stuffing is used
Bit-stuffing means to add an extra zero after five consecutive
ones in the message. These extra zeros are deleted in the
Signaling terminal at the receiving end.
Link Error Monitoring
Maintain and monitor signaling links
Two functions are provided :-
To monitor a link in service (Signal unit error rate monitor)
Link in initial alignment procedure (alignment error rate
monitor)

The blocks of data transmitted at the MTP level 2 ( signaling link
level ) are called Signal Units
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Signal Unit
Signaling information is transferred in form of messages
These messages are called signal units
There are three types of signal units :-
MSU (Message signal unit)
LSSU (Link status signal unit)
FISU (Fill in signal unit)
SUs are transmitted continuously on the link
A SP which does not have LSSU or MSU to send then
it will send FISU
All the transmission on signaling link is divided into 8 bit
bytes also called octets
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Signal Unit Structure
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Functions of Different SUs
MSU
It carries main signaling traffic like :-
Call setup and tear down
Database query/response
NW management
It is basic envelope within which all addressed information is
placed
There are several types of MSUs
All have certain common fields other fields differ according to
type of message
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Additional Fields of MSU
It has two additional fields :-
Service Information Octet (SIO) identifies service type
i.e. higher layer protocol
Service Indicator (4bits),
Sub-Service Indicator (4bits)
Signaling Information Field (SIF)
Routing Label
Data from Upper Layer
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Additional Fields of MSU
The service indicator specifies the MTP3 user on L4
thereby allowing the decoding of the information contained
in the SIF

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Additional Fields of MSU
The sub-service field contains
Network Indicator (e.g., national or international) Used by
Gateway STP where Protocol conversion between National
SS7 protocol and International SS7 protocol is performed
Message Priority
(0 to 3 with 3 being the highest priority). considered only
under congestion conditions
Low priority messages may be discarded during periods of
congestion
Signaling link test messages higher Vs call setup messages

00XX International Network
10XX National Network
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Functions of Different SUs
LSSUs
They are used to communicate information about signaling
links between nodes
They are primarily used for :-
Signal initiation of link alignment
Quality of link
Status of processor at either end
This information is contained inside status field of SU
All have certain common fields other fields differ according to
type of message
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Additional Fields of LSSU
Status Field
Identify specific status of the link; i.e.
the link is in alignment or
there is a processor outage at the originating node or
There is congestion at the originating node
It can be one or two byte value
Three bit link status indications are given below :-
First three bits are used and rest are reserve
000 Out of alignment
001 Normal alignment
010 Emergency alignment
011 Out of service
100 Processor Outage
101 Busy
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Functions of Different SUs
FISUs
They have no information payload
They are used to occupy link when no MSU or LSSU are being
sent on link
They facilitate constant monitoring of link status even if no
traffic is being sent
In the event that a link has degraded to a point where it is
causing too many errors, the link can be taken out of service
They can also be used to acknowledge the receipt of message
using backward sequence number and backward indicator bit
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Common Field of SUs
LI (Length Indicator)
Indicates the number of octets between itself and the checksum
The 6-bit LI can store values between zero and 63
If the number of octets that follow the LI and precede the CRC is
less than 63, the LI contains this number
Otherwise, the LI is set to 63. An LI of 63 indicates that the
message length is equal to or greater than 63 octets (up to a
maximum of 273 octets)
The maximum length of a signal unit could be ?
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LI value Signal Unit Type
0 FISU
1,2 LSSU
3 to 63 MSU ( MSUs are of variable
length )
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Common Field of SUs
Flag
The flag indicates the beginning of a new signal
unit and implies the end of the previous signal
unit (if any)
The binary value of the flag is 0111 1110
Before transmitting a signal unit, MTP Level 2
adds zero-bit after any sequence of five one-bits
which is stripped off at receiver side
CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check)
The CRC, 8-bit sum is used to detect and correct
data transmission errors
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Common Field of SUs
FIB (Forward Indicator Bit)
The FIB is used in error recovery like the BIB
When a signal unit is ready for transmission, signaling point
appends CRC and FSN (forward sequence number), set both
indicator bits with same value & then sends it
Upon receiving the message, the remote signaling point checks
the CRC and copies the value of the FSN into the BSN of the
next available message scheduled for transmission back to
initiating signaling point
If the CRC is incorrect, the remote signaling point indicates
negative acknowledgment by toggling the BIB prior to sending
the backward message
When the originating signaling point receives a negative
acknowledgment, it retransmits message with FIB toggled
Accumulative acknowledgment is used
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Common Field of SUs
BIB (Backward Indicator Bit)
The BIB indicates a negative acknowledgment by the remote
signaling point when toggled
FSN (Forward Sequence Number)
The FSN contains the sequence number of the signal unit being
sent
BSN (Backward Sequence Number)
The BSN is used to acknowledge the receipt of signal units by
the remote signaling point
The BSN contains the sequence number of the signal unit being
acknowledged
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MTP Level 3
MTP- 3 corresponds to the Network layer of
the OSI Model
MTP-3 provides Routing and Network
Management in the SS7 Network
There are two categories of functionality at
this level:
Signaling message handling Routes SS7
messages during normal conditions
Signaling network management Reroutes Link
traffic during network failure conditions


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Message
Discrimination
Message
Distribution
Message
Routing
Level 2 MTP Level 3 MTP Level 4 Users
of MTP
Signaling Message Handling
Signaling Network Management
Signaling
Traffic Management
Signaling
Route Management
Signaling Link
Management
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MTP Level 3
Message handling functions ensure that the Signaling messages
originated by a particular User part at a Signaling point
(originating point) are delivered to the same User Part at the
destination point as indicated by the sending User part
It uses Routing Label in the Signaling Information Field (SIF) of
MSU (Message Signal Units) who the originator is and who the
destination is
The routing label is comprised of the
destination point code (DPC),
originating point code (OPC),
signaling link selection (SLS) field


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Signaling Information Field ( SIF )
8n 4 14 14
User Part / Network
Management
SLS OPC DPC
Routing Label
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Message handling functions are divided into:-
Message Discrimination
Determines who the destination signaling
point is by reading the routing label of the
MSU
If the destination point code is address
of the receiving signaling point, the
received message is given to message
distribution function
If the message is not intended for the
receiving node, then it is given to the
message-routing function

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Message Distribution
If the destination point code is address of the
receiving signaling point, the received message
is given to message distribution function
Message distribution must determine who the
user ( TUP, ISUP etc.) is for any given
message by examining the SIO field


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Message Routing
The routing function determines:
what the destination address is by reading the
DPC in the routing label &
determines the signaling link to be used in
forwarding a message on the basis of
information in SLS field .
The message may have been received
From level 4
From the Discrimination Function
This is a common function of the STP. An
SP would not receive messages that need to
be transferred / routed

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MTP Level 3
Signaling Network Management function is to provide
reconfiguration of the Signaling network in the case of
failures, and to control the Signaling traffic in case of
congestion.
Network Management functions are divided into:-
Signaling Traffic Management Redirects signaling traffic to
alternative paths in response to link failure or congestion;
ensures there is no loss or duplication during this process
Signaling Link Management function is used to reinitializes
failed signaling links, activates new links, and removes
errored links from operation.
Signaling Route Management function is used to distribute
information about the Signaling network status, in order to
block or unblock Signaling routes.
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Layer 4
Level four in the SS7 network consists of several
different protocols , called User Parts and Application
Parts
Telephone User Part (TUP)
ISDN User Part (ISUP)
Signaling Connection Control Part (SCCP)
Transaction Capabilities Applications Part (TCAP)
Mobile Application Part (MAP)
Operations, Maintenance and Administration Application Part
(OMAP)
For basic telephone call connection and disconnect,
following protocols are used
TUP (Telephone User Part )
ISUP (ISDN User Part )
The TCAP and SCCP are used to access databases


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Telephone User Part (TUP)
Telephone User Part which was the first SS7 call control
protocol to be designed by the ITU-T
It establishes a framework protocol for call set-up and
teardown
These messages are used in the correct sequence
Data calls are provided by DUP
TUP has been replaced by ISUP


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ISDN User Part ( ISUP )
ISUP is used for both ISDN & non-ISDN calls
The ISUP provides the same voice-oriented
signaling services as the TUP but also provides
additional functions for the support of non voice
calls
ISUP protocol is used to set-up, manage, and
release trunk circuits between exchanges that
carry voice over the public switched telephone
network (PSTN)
Calls that originate and terminate at the same
switch do not use ISUP signaling
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ISUP Message Format
ISUP information is carried in the Signaling
Information Field (SIF) of an MSU
ISUP message consists of fields organized into the
following parts
Routing label
CIC ( Circuit Identification Code)
Message Type
Mandatory Fixed Part
Mandatory Variable Part
And/OR Optional Part



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Routing Label
14 14 4
DPC OPC SLS
Routing Label
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Circuit Identification Code
(CIC)
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ISUP Message Types
Message Type
This is a 1-octet ( 8 bit ) field that identifies
which ISUP message is being sent.
Contents of the remainder of the message
depend on the message type

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Message Type
Message Type Binary
Contents
Hex
Content
s
IAM (Initial Address Message ) 0000 0001 01 H
SAM(Subsequent Address
Message)
0000 0010 02 H
ACM (Address Complete Message) 0000 0110 06 H
ANM ( Answer Message) 0000 1001 09 H
REL ( Release Message) 0000 1100 0C H
RLC ( Release Complete ) 0001 0000 10 H
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ISDN User Part ( ISUP )
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IAM

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IAM
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Release Message
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Signaling Connection Control Part
It is similar to transport layer of OSI model
SCCP sits between the upper layers, which may consist
of a wide variety of applications and user parts, such as
ISUP, MAP, etc., and the lower layer, MTP3
SCCP is made up of four entities: -
SCCP routing control (SCRC)
Responsible for two major operations, internal routing and address
translation
SCCP connection-oriented control (SCOC)
responsible for setting up a connection between two users of SCCP
SCCP connectionless control (SCLC)
responsible for transferring traffic between two users of SCCP but it does
not create a connection
SCCP management (SCMG)
Responsible for management and status operations related to SCCP
transmission

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SCCP
(Signaling Connection Control Part)
A
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TCAP ( Transaction Capabilities
Application Part)
TCAP operates on top of SCCP and supports database
access for SS7 switches
TCAP is a connectionless remote procedure call (RPC)
in a similar fashion to those used in the Internet application
layer
There are a few other Application Parts which use TCAP to
process their operations and procedures, these include:-
Mobile Application Part (MAP)
Intelligent Networking Application Part (INAP)
Operations, Maintenance and Administration Part


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TCAP
(Transaction Capabilities Application
Part)
A
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Addressing in SS7
Point Code Address
Each node in SS7 is identified using Point Code address
It is functional equivalent of IP address
It is used by layer MTP Layer 3 to identify destination of MSU
Address are assigned using three level hierarchy
Length of point code address could be :-
ITU (14 bits)
USA/China (24 bits)
Japan (16 bits)
Different formats (decimal/Hexadecimal/binary) followed for
writing point codes are :-
ITU (3-8-3)/(zone(country/gp of countries)-network (NW
with in zone)-member (individual SP in NW))
USA (8-8-8)/(zone-network-member)
It consist of most significant bits, middle bits or least significant
bits
For USA each of this number is 8 bit long and can take values
between 0-255
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Addressing in SS7
Sub System Number
It is used to identify the destination database, application interfaces, or
user parts
It identifies service with in node, just like TCP or UDP port number
identifies a service within an IP host
Currently, subsystem numbers are 8 bits long
Subsystem numbers are currently reserved for ISUP, management
functions, and cellular internetworking e.g. Home and visitor location
registers
Signaling Link Codes
They are used within a SP
These are logical address which identify physical interfaces
All the links within linkset are identified with a signaling link code
Circuit Identification Code
It is used to identify specific voice channel associated with a call
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MSU
SIF (Routing Label) The routing label is comprised of the
destination point code (DPC), originating point code (OPC), and
signaling link selection (SLS) field.

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Layer Wise Utility

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ISUP Message Format
The User Data portion of the MTP3 Signaling Information Field contains
the ISUP message
Each ISUP message includes the following information:-
Circuit Identification Code- Circuit to which the message is related
Message Type (for example, an IAM, ACM, and so on).
Mandatory Fixed Part Req message parameters that are of fixed
length
Mandatory Variable Part Req message parameters of variable length
Each variable parameter has the following form:
Length of Parameter (As parameter is not a fixed length, a field is included
to specify the actual length)
Parameter Contents
Optional Part Optional fields that can be included in the message, but
are not mandatory. Each optional parameter has the following form:
Parameter Name
Length of Parameter
Parameter Contents
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ISUP Message Format
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ISUP Message Format
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