Toolpack: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 11:12, 27 May 2010

Toolpack refers to a collection of software components that enable solution developers to author software applications that interact with the TelcoBridges family of hardware products. These kinds of applications include media gateway-based applications for transcoding voice calls, providing switching among different signaling protocols, and developing value-added services such as ringback tones, unified communications, or prepaid & postpaid calling.

Screenshot of Web Portal interface

The Web Portal is a web-based tool that enables the user to configure a TelcoBridges Tmedia or Tdev device and to monitor its performance. The Web Portal has been designed with an eye to the simplification of the configuration process with the use of intuitive web-based screens. The Web Portal is accessed from any computer using a standard web browser (Internet Explorer / Firefox / Google Chrome).

The Web Portal serves to capture and store the system configuration, which defines the available network interfaces, supported signaling protocols, supported audio codecs, and device-specific settings such as point codes and IP addresses. A separate software component, Toolpack Engine, uses the configuration data to provide the core product functionality, such as switching between TDM and VOIP, transcoding between different VOIP and mobile codecs, and signaling conversion across different protocols.

The actual business logic that determines how calls should be shuttled amongst different networks based on criteria such as calling number, called number, time of day, etc., are outside the scope of the Web Portal and the Toolpack engine. Such functionality has historically been provided by a SIP-, H.323- or H.248-compatible softswitch. However, should you not have access to a softswitch, TelcoBridges provides a Media Gateway Application that offers a sub-set of such call routing functionality.

TelcoBridges has also developed Toolpack API, an application programming interface (API) whose modules are intended to provide solution developers with a simpler, protocol-agnostic approach to developing telephony applications while providing complete control, including access to system-level functionality.

Schematic of the Toolpack API and a customer application

References

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-Toolpack refers to a collection of software components that enable solution developers to author software applications that interact with the TelcoBridges family of hardware products. These kinds of applications include media gateway based applications for [[voice codecs | transcoding]] voice calls, providing switching among different [[signaling protocols]], and developing [[value-added services]] such as [[ringback tones]], [[unified communications]], or [[prepaid & postpaid calling]].
+Toolpack refers to a collection of software components that enable solution developers to author software applications that interact with the TelcoBridges family of hardware products. These kinds of applications include media gateway-based applications for [[voice codecs | transcoding]] voice calls, providing switching among different [[signaling protocols]], and developing [[value-added services]] such as [[ringback tones]], [[unified communications]], or [[prepaid & postpaid calling]].
-== Web Portal (OAM&P)==
 [[Image:Toolpack-screenshot.jpg|thumb|225px|Screenshot of Web Portal interface]]
-The [[Web Portal]] is a web-based Operations, Administration, Maintenance, and Provisioning ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OAMP OAM&P]) tool that enables the user to easily configure a TelcoBridges system and to monitor its performance. The Web Portal has been designed with an eye to the simplification of the configuration process with the use of intuitive web-based screens. The Web Portal is accessed from any computer using a standard web browser (Internet Explorer / Firefox) and is hosted by the Toolpack application server enabling the complete configuration of Tmedia/Tdev units.
+The '''[[Web Portal]]''' is a web-based tool that enables the user to configure a TelcoBridges [[Tmedia]] or [[Tdev]] device and to monitor its performance. The Web Portal has been designed with an eye to the simplification of the configuration process with the use of intuitive web-based screens. The Web Portal is accessed from any computer using a standard web browser (Internet Explorer / Firefox / Google Chrome).
-Using the Web Portal, the developer defines the physical hardware and its interfaces, the signaling interfaces, and the classification of functions into logical Network Access Points ([[NAP]]) that are in turn configured with signaling types, such as [[SIP]], [[SS7]], and [[ISDN]]. In addition, global parameters such as [[Clocking Sources|clocking signals]] are easily defined, regardless from which Tmedia/Tdev unit the clocking signal originates. All configuration settings and changes are displayed in the Web Portal and safeguarded against data loss in a distributed database architecture on network machines.
+The Web Portal serves to capture and store the system configuration, which defines the available network interfaces, supported signaling protocols, supported audio codecs, and device-specific settings such as point codes and IP addresses. A separate software component, '''Toolpack Engine''', uses the configuration data to provide the core product functionality, such as switching between TDM and VOIP, transcoding between different VOIP and mobile codecs, and signaling conversion across different protocols.
+The actual business logic that determines how calls should be shuttled amongst different networks based on criteria such as calling number, called number, time of day, etc., are outside the scope of the Web Portal and the Toolpack engine. Such functionality has historically been provided by a SIP-, H.323- or H.248-compatible [[softswitch]]. However, should you not have access to a softswitch, TelcoBridges provides a '''Media Gateway Application''' that offers a sub-set of such call routing functionality.
-== Toolpack API ==
+TelcoBridges has also developed [[Toolpack API]], an application programming interface (API) whose modules are intended to provide solution developers with a simpler, protocol-agnostic approach to developing telephony applications while providing complete control, including access to system-level functionality.
-TelcoBridges has also developed [[Toolpack API]], an application programming interface (API) whose modules are intended to provide the solution developer with a simpler, protocol-agnostic approach to developing telephony applications while providing complete control, including access to system-level functionality.
 [[Image:Toolpack Architecture Overview.jpg|thumb|225px|Schematic of the Toolpack API and a customer application]]
-Typically, an application only needs to interact with the system through the use of C++ classes.
-== Application Components ==
-Finally, Toolpack is also comprised of a number of [[Application components|application components]]. They are divided into core components that feature in all application types, as well as components that are deployed depending on the nature of the application at hand. Finally, TelcoBridges has developed application components specifically for debugging purposes.