Chapter 2
SP201 Hardware
Description
he SignalPath™ 201 chassis is a self-contained, compact (1U height),
non-expandable unit adapted for mounting on a 19-inch equipment
rack. Interfaces for power, monitoring, external alarms, and external
clocking are located on the rear of the unit. The front of the unit provides
LEDs that indicate system and trunk status. The SP201 can be equipped for
either DC or AC input. Figure 2-1 shows the front of the SP201 unit.
T
Figure 2-1. SP201 Chassis
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Chapter 2: SP201 Hardware Description
2.1
Component Description
Figure 2-2 displays the SP201’s system architecture.
Figure 2-2. Functional View of SignalPath 201 System Architecture
2.1.1
Chassis Front
The front of the SP201 chassis has eleven LEDs—three that indicate system
status and eight that indicate trunk status. (See Figure 2-1.) The green power
LED lights immediately when the unit is powered on. The trunk status LEDs
light up only after the system is fully booted up and operational. Table 2-1
describes the LEDs.
Table 2-1. Front Panel LEDs (1 of 2)
LED
Description
Green Power LED
When lit, indicates that the SP201 is
receiving power.
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Component Description
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Table 2-1. Front Panel LEDs (2 of 2)
LED
Description
Red Major Alarm LED
When lit, indicates that the SP201 is
experiencing one of the following trunk
problems:
• Failed source of the defined reference
clock
• Loss of sync, multi-frame alignment, or
carrier signal on any trunk configured to
report an alarm
• Receipt of multi-frame all 1s signal (AIS
alarm)
Yellow Minor Alarm LED
When lit, indicates that the SP201 is
experiencing the following trunk problem:
• Receipt of remote alarm
Trunk LEDs
Each of the eight trunks has its own LED
that displays line status according to the
following color code:
• Green—indicates normal operation
• Red—indicates active major alarm
• Yellow—indicates active minor alarm
• Off—indicates that the trunk alarm
reporting is configured as “disabled”
2.1.2
Chassis Rear
All user interfaces are located on the rear of the SP201 chassis (Figure 2-3).
The chassis interfaces are discussed in the sections that follow.
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Chapter 2: SP201 Hardware Description
Figure 2-3. Rear of SP201 Chassis
2.1.2.1
Power Interface
The SP201 comes with either DC or AC power input connections. In the DC
version, a three-pin connector, located to the far left on the chassis, is the
input conduit for the unit’s physical power source. The DC power supply
converts -42 to -56 VDC input to +5 VDC for system use, provides reverse
voltage protection, places limitations on the incoming current, and filters
electrical noise.
The AC version has a standard IEC320 AC input connector. It accepts 100 to
240 VAC at 50 to 60 Hz. The user supplies the appropriate country-specific
cable for connection to the power source.
An on/off controller switch, located to the right of the connector, controls
the power to the unit.
2.1.2.2
Alarm Port
The SP201 reports major and minor alarms related to system performance. If
you want more than the visual alarm reporting provided by the front panel
LEDs, you can use the alarm port on the back of the unit to connect to an
external alarm system. See Table 2-1 for a list of alarm conditions reported.
Refer to the SP201 Customization and Maintenance Guide for detailed
explanations on connector pinouts.
SignalPath™ 201 Hardware Reference Guide
Software
2.1.2.3
2-5
External Clock Port
Not currently implemented.
2.1.2.4
Serial Port
The RS-232, DB9 serial supervisory port allows you to connect a control
console that supports terminal emulation. With this connection, you can
provision the system, assess its state, troubleshoot problems, and set alarms
via a text-based command line interface.
2.1.2.5
Trunk Ports
The trunk ports are the interfaces through which the external network user
equipment connects to the SP201 for E1 and T1 signal conversion processing.
The eight ports are RJ48 connectors for E1 120-ohm balanced or T1 100-ohm
balanced trunks. The following port combinations are available:
• T1, 100 ohm, 8 RJ48C balanced
• T1, 100 ohm, 4 RJ48C balanced (ports 1–4)
E1, 120 ohm, 4 RJ48C balanced (ports 5–8)
• E1, 120 ohm, 4 RJ48C balanced (ports 1–4)
T1, 100 ohm, 4 RJ48C balanced (ports 5–8)
• E1, 120 ohm, 8 RJ48C balanced
An E1 75-ohm unbalanced connection is also supported. Please contact your
sales representative to discuss this option.
2.2
Software
The SP201 software provides media and signaling conversion, and is
available in the following categories. (See the SP201 Customization and
Maintenance Guide for details of software packages.)
• CAS (DTMF, R1, or R2) to SS7 (ANSI SS7 or ITU C7)
• CAS (DTMF, R1, or R2) to ISDN (ETSI ISDN PRI or NI2 ISDN PRI)
• ANSI SS7 to ITU C7
• SS7 (ANSI SS7 or ITU C7) to ISDN (ETSI ISDN PRI or NI2 ISDN PRI)
• Rate Converter
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Chapter 2: SP201 Hardware Description
2.2.1
E1/T1 Rate Conversion
E1 trunks typically have 31 timeslots and T1 trunks have 24 timeslots,
creating a situation in which up to 7 E1 timeslots (25–31) remain unused. The
E1/T1 default timeslot mapping for the SP201 is one-to-one, in which E1
timeslots 1 through 24 are mapped to T1 timeslots 1 through 24. In this case,
there are 7 unused timeslots per E1 trunk.
If the user wishes to minimize the loss of E1 channels, the SP201 supports
93-channel consecutive mapping. For example, three E1 trunks with 31
timeslots each (for a total of 93 timeslots) are mapped to three T1 trunks with
24 slots each (for a total of 72 timeslots). The 21 leftover timeslots from the
three E1 trunks are consecutively placed on a fourth T1 trunk, with a loss of
only 3 T1 timeslots. Other mapping configurations are also possible.
E1/T1 timeslot conversions by default use dynamic, bidirectional A-Law to
µ-Law (mu-Law) companding.
Note: Rate conversion is an optional feature you can disable if desired.
SignalPath™ 201 Hardware Reference Guide