In this section:

Overview

The DSC provides operators with a robust and easy to use system for routing of SS7 and Diameter messages. The platform management functions on these systems are built to be intuitive for the operations staff to provision and maintain and to provide information on the health and maintenance of the networks involved.

DSC Platforms can be controlled and maintained by using the onboard management interfaces such as DSC Web User Interface (referred to as Web UI in the documentation). This UI provides the central management application for provisioning and troubleshooting. This UI was previously referred to as the Configuration Management Unit (CMU).

Operators also have the choice of using Ribbon Insight EMS as a complement to onboard management. The DSC can be accessed through the DSC Manager in EMS (refer to EMS Access to the DSC Platforms).

For provisioning of larger amounts of data, TL1, XML, or comma separated files can be used.

Alarms, which are displayed on the Web UI Alarm Dashboard, are also available through the Simple Network Management (SNMP) interface for use with Network Operations Centers (NOC) alarming systems.

For detailed information about

The DSC can be configured and maintained using the following interfaces:


Element Management System

The DSC is integrated with the Element Management System (EMS) for a seamless and unified element management user experience.

For information about registering the DSC with EMS, refer to Registering the DSC Platforms with EMS. 

Web-based User Interface

The DSC SWe supports a customized Linux-based operating system, a Web-based user interface (referred to as Web UI) and a text-based user interface (referred to as Menu UI). The intuitive and easy-to-use Web UI allows access to applications using a Web browser.

The following screen capture shows a sample screen of the Web UI. Online help is displayed by hovering the mouse over the help symbols (question) on each attribute.

In the preceding figure, the Alarm Dashboard appears across the top of the screen. This dashboard appears on all Web UI screens and provides a real-time total of any active alarms. For detailed information about the Alarm Dashboard, refer to Alarm Dashboard Web User Interface. 

Java is not used on the main Web interface, thus avoiding issues of java version control. Java is used in the SDA application interface (Number Portability, VHLR services). 

For information about accessing the Web UI, refer to the following:

For a detailed description of the Web UI, refer to the appropriate chapters in the Web UI and Menu UI Guide.

Text-based User Interface

The DSC 8000 and DSC SWe support a text-based user interface (referred to in this library as Menu UI) which implements the following functions.

  • Executing the Initial Configuration
  • Software Upgrade and Rollback
  • Time Zone Configuration

For a detailed description of the Menu UI, refer to the appropriate chapters in the Web UI and Menu UI Guide.

For instructions about accessing the Menu UI, refer to Main Menu Access.

Simple Network Management Protocol   

The Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is an interoperable standards-based protocol for network management and is part of the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) protocol suite. The DSC Platforms are equipped with an SNMP agent that can connect with up to ten SNMP managers, or network management systems. These platforms support SNMPv1, SNMP v2, and SNMP v3. SNMPv3 is a security infrastructure that surrounds SNMPv1 and SNMPv2 messages by authenticating and encrypting packets over the network.

SNMP can be used for

  • Traps and Alarms
  • Provisioning SS7 Objects on the DSC
  • Connections to EMS and NMS systems.

For detailed information about SNMP and about accessing this protocol, refer to Configuring SNMP.

Transaction Language 1 

Automation of commands is typically done through the TL1 interface. TL1 is a Man-Machine Language (MML) widely used in the telecommunications industry for the management of network elements. TL1 is a Request/Response based protocol that contains ASCII commands sent over a Telnet session.

The DSC supports a customized Linux-based operating system and TL1 command capabilities. The TL1 command prompt is accessible through an SSH tunnel in combination with a Telnet session connected to these platforms using the appropriate IP interfaces (refer to Establishing and Terminating a TL1 Command Session).

For detailed information about TL1 and using this interface for configuring the DSC Platforms, refer to TL1 Reference Guide.   

DSC REST API

The REpresentational State Transfer (REST) Application Programming Interface (API) is a simple, stateless architecture style that uses the HTTP protocol to perform operations and provides access to the resources using Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) paths. Through the REST API, administrators and developers can provision and monitor the DSC Platform from other servers and/or third-party applications.

To use the REST API, a client application makes HTTP requests and parses the responses. The client requests are standard HTTP methods such as GET, PUT, POST, and DELETE.

Note

The REST API is based on open standards allowing users to use any modern programming language or HTTP Client Library to access the API.

The REST API can be used for   

  • Provisioning
  • Alarm Synchronization
  • Inventory Report

For detailed information about the REST API and using it to configure the DSC Platforms from another server, refer to DSC REST API User Guide.

Custom Application Mode

Using the Custom Application Mode, you can create a redirect button to access any Web-enabled application. For accessing the Web UI, refer to Web-based User Interface on this page. For the procedure to create a redirect button, refer to Accessing Custom Application Mode Configuration.

Batch Operations for GTT, PCE, and GWS

Loading large amounts of data into systems is made easier on the DSC through the use of Batch Operations. The user can create the data offline in a database or PC spreadsheet. That data is then exported to a Comma Separated ASCII file which can be uploaded to these platforms and used to provision the larger databases, such as those used for Global Title Translation (GTT), Point Code Emulation (PCE) and Gateway Screening (GWS). Batch operations or batch file loads facilitate the data entry and deletion process for large system deployments. Batch operations also provide the facility to view the binary data in a readable format. These operations are fully distributed over the n-peers. The batch operations use comma-separated files where each record is uniquely defined on a single line.

The DSC supports the following operations for powerful and effective provisioning with batch files: 

  • add
  • delete
  • replace
  • update
  • export

For detailed information about the batch operations for the various applications of the DSC, refer to the appropriate pages in the SS7 Application Guide 2.

XML-Based Batch Operations for MTP3, SG, DSC and Static Routes

Extensible Markup Language (XML)-based batch operations are supported for most objects in MTP3, Diameter, and SG applications and static route configuration. This enhancement to the manual provisioning of individual application objects allows for quick implementation of the required data manipulation.   

Batch provisioning of the objects undergoing configuration can be executed through the Web UI using an XML configuration file. These files for each application can be downloaded from the Web UI to your computer for editing using an XML or a text editor. The updated XML configuration file is then uploaded to the given DSC, which replaces the existing configuration for the application with the configuration provided in the XML file.

For detailed information about XML-based batch provisioning, refer to the following: