Introducing SS7 Support for Blueworx Voice Response

This section introduces Signaling System 7 (SS7), and how SS7 works with Blueworx Voice Response for AIX. This section also includes four examples of how you might configure Blueworx Voice Response when using SS7, from the simplest to the maximum supported configuration.

What is SS7?
SS7 is the ubiquitous communications protocol that is used within and between telephony networks of the world for system management, call setup and tear-down, and other network functions. Although there are slight variations in the fine detail of SS7 implementations used around the world, all telephone companies use the same set of protocols known generically as SS7.
SS7 links and network components
SS7 uses discrete messages to exchange information, the messages being passed between switches and other end points using packet switched data links. There are two types of connections in a telephony network:
The SS7 protocol stack
SS7 is structured in a multi-layered stack which corresponds closely to the layers of the standard OSI model, although some SS7 components span a number of layers, as illustrated in here.
Using SS7 with Blueworx Voice Response
Blueworx Voice Response for AIX is a high performance interactive voice response (IVR) system which is capable of handling a wide range of voice response applications including voice messaging.
Example configurations
This section shows four diagrams giving examples of different configurations that you can set up with SS7 Support for Blueworx Voice Response. The first example represents the simplest single-machine non-redundant configuration, and the fourth example shows a fully-redundant eight machine (maximum) configuration. Two intermediate configurations are also shown.