BASICS OF ISDN ( Integrated Services Digital Network)

ISDN is a fully digital communications technology implemented throughout the existing

worldwide telephone network. ISDN uses a standard phone line (a copper wire pair) in a home or
office and converts it from a single analog circuit into multiple high speed digital circuits capable
of transmitting audio, still images, motion video, and text data simultaneously. ISDN services
make possible videoconferencing and other real time data-intensive applications, and it does so at a
price comparable to standard analog service.

Standard telephone service requires a separate phone line for each device to be used
simultaneously. Multiple lines are expensive and amount of information that can be transmitted is
limited with analog service; current technology allows 56 Kbps. ISDN, however, provides multiple
channels to operate concurrently on the same pair of wires, and each channel is capable of
transmitting at 64 Kbps. Additionally, digital transmissions allow for reduced noise and
interference on the carrier channels. [1]

ISDN provides services and capabilities not available through standard telephone service. ISDN
furnishes these services through a digital package when a call is initiated. The digital packet
includes information regarding:
1) who is calling, 2) the type of call (data/voice/etc...), and 3) the number dialed,
if more than one number is used for a single ISDN line. [1] With the information provided, ISDN
equipment can determine how to handle a call, based on user-defined
preferences. Calls can be accepted, rejected or even rerouted. Data calls can even be routed to an
Internet Protocol (IP) address.

ISDN CONFIGRATION

ISDN carries voice and data on bearer (B) channels which transmit at 64 Kbps each. (H channels,
which are the functional equivalent to B channels, are available and provide faster bit rates.)

A data (D) channel, sometimes referred to as a delta channel, operates at 16 or 64 Kbps and
provides signaling to construct and tear down a connection, request network services, and route
data over the B channels. The D channel can also be used to transmit user packet or frame data at
times when bandwidth on the D channel is not required for signaling and control. Utilizing the D
channel in this way provides the most efficient use of ISDN. [1 & 4]

ISDN SERVICES

1) Basic Rate Interface (BRI) BRI is the most common service and was intended to be the most
widely available for residential customers. BRI services provide two B channels and one D
channel (2B+D).
2) Primary Rate Interface (PRI) PRI services are implemented differently in North America and
Japan than in Europe where they are the most common services. European PRI services
deliver 30 B channels and one D channel (30B+D). North American and Japanese PRI
services consist of 23 B channels and one D channel (23B+D).
3) Broadband (B-ISDN) B-ISDN is still under development but will support up to 622 Mbps
transmission rates over a fiber optic network. [1]

One major advantage of the ISDN architecture is its dynamic bandwidth allocation feature. Also
known as bandwidth-on-demand, inverse multiplexing, and channel aggregation, dynamic
bandwidth allocation is the process of combining any or all of the B channels into a single
broadband conduit. 128 Kbps is possible with BRI service and 1.536 Mbps with PRI service in
North America and Japan. In Europe, PRI configurations can reach 1.92 Mbps due to the
deployment of additional B channels. [4]

Multilink Point-to-Point Protocol (ML-PPP) is an (IETF) standard that describes how to

manipulate datagrams over multiple B channels to create a single logical connection. Similar in
nature to dynamic bandwidth allocation, ML-PPP is specifically designed for (TCP/IP’s) Point-to-
Point Protocol (PPP). ML-PPP provides additional bandwidth-on-demand for remote LAN and
Internet access and ISDN use. Support is currently available through major ISDN service providers
and equipment vendors like 3Com. [4]

HOW ISDN WORKS

With existing analog service, a data connection is made modem-to-modem. At all times during the
connection a carrier signal is produced by the modems to indicate the presence of a connection; the
connection is lost if either modem cannot detect the carrier signal. The problem with maintaining a
constant analog signal is that the service provider’s equipment has to continually process the
information. If the percentage of data calls through a central switching
office approaches 50 percent, a large strain on the equipment is produced and becomes a problem.

With ISDN connections, no carrier signal is present. Only the actual user data is transmitted and it
transfers at a fraction of the time compared to analog service. Therefore, implementing ISDN
switches can actually reduce traffic overhead for service providers which reduces their service
costs. In addition, ISDN technology swaps one analog line with two digital connections without
physically replacing any wires.

Using bipolar with eight-zero substitution encoding technique, call data is transmitted over the data
(B) channels, with the signalling (D) channels used for call setup and management. Once a call is
set up, there is a simple 64 kbit/s synchronous bidirectional data channel between the end parties,
lasting until the call is terminated. There can be as many calls as there are data channels, to the
same or different end-points. Bearer channels may also be multiplexed into what may be
considered single, higher-bandwidth channels via a process called B channel bonding.

The D channel can also be used for sending and receiving X.25 data packets, and connection to
X.25 packet network, this is specified in X.31. In practice, X.31 was only commercially
implemented in France and Japan.
Types Of Equipment

ISDN requires different equipment than analog dial-up or even digital leased line service. To
connect to the Internet, your equipment should include:
1) Network Termination Device 1 (NT1) and Power Supply
2) ISDN Routers
3) Physical Interfaces

1) Network Termination Device 1 (NT1) and Power Supply

• Network Termination Device 1 (NT1)

The NT-1 is a relatively simple device that serves as an interface between the ISDN BRI
line and your other ISDN equipment and converts the 2-wire U interface into the 4-wire
S/T interface. The S/T interface supports multiple devices (up to 7 devices can be placed
on the S/T bus) because, while it is still a full-duplex interface, there is now a pair of wires
for receive data, and another for transmit data. Many ISDN terminal adapters and some
ISDN routers (see below) have the NT1 function built-in. devices.
• Network Termination 2 (NT-2) device,
which converts the T interface into the S interface (Note: the S and T interfaces are
electrically equivalent). Virtually all ISDN devices include an NT-2 in their design. The
NT-2 communicates with terminal equipment, and handles the Layer 2 and 3 ISDN
protocols.
• Power Supply
The power supply plugs into a standard wall outlet and provides power to the ISDN line..

2) ISDN Routers

These devices perform a function similar to that of a standard router. Using an ISDN router,
multiple computers on a LAN can share a single ISDN BRI connection. Because ISDN routers use
Ethernet connections (typically 10 Mbps), they can take full advantage of ISDN's speed. Many of
the most popular ISDN routers also support analog voice, modem, or fax applications, as well as
sophisticated network management capabilities. ISDN routers are typically more than twice as
expensive as TAs, but they are often worth the money since they allow multiple computers on a
small LAN to leverage your ISDN investment.
3) Physical Interfaces

• U-Interface
defines the point between the NT-1 and the telco switch2 .The U-interface is the 2-wire
interface your phone company delivers for connection to the NT1. Many of the newer
ISDN networking devices, such as the 3Com Impact, include a built-in internal NT-1 and
power supply, so they can connect directly to the U-interface. Manufacturers may describe
this feature as a "built-in NT-1" or simply as a U-Interface ISDN TA.
• S/T Interface
The S/T-interface is the 4-wire interface between the NT1 and the ISDN networking
equipment such as an ISDN TA or router. An S/T interface is used when the NT1 is a
separate device. T - defines the point between the NT-2 and NT-1 devices. S - defines the
point between the ISDN equipment (or TA) and a (NT-2) device
• Other interfaces
The interface between your ISDN networking equipment and your computer is usually one
of the standard industry interfaces. For example, an External TA will use the computer's
serial COM port such as RS232. ISDN routers will use a standard Ethernet connection,
either directly to a computer's NIC card or via an intermediary Ethernet hub.
• R - defines the point between a non-ISDN device and a terminal adapter (TA) which
provides translation to and from such a device
ISDN Physical Layer - Layer 1
Layer 1 provides the physical connection of ISDN devices and describes the interface attributes –
Electrical– Functional– Mechanical– Procedural
 Physical Layer Framing - BRI
• Frames are 48 bit in length and transmitted between TE and NT every 250µs
• This transmission provides 4000 frames/ sec, giveing a data rate of 192kb/s for the BRI
• 12 bits per frame are overhead so that 144kb/s is the user rate
• Of the 144kb/s, 2 x 64kb/s r used for 2 B channels & remaining 16k/s for the D Channel

 BRI Frame Structure

ISDN Data Link Layer

The ISDN Data Link Layer is specified by the ITU Q-series documents Q.920 through Q.923. All
of the signaling on the D channel is defined in the Q.921 spec.
Link Access Protocol - D channel (LAP-D) is the Layer 2 protocol used. This is almost identical
to the X.25 LAP-B protocol. Here is the structure of a LAP-D frame:

Flag Address Control Information CRC Flag

Flag (1 octet) - This is always 7E16 (0111 11102)

Address (2 octets)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
SAPI (6 bits) C/R EA0
TEI (7 bits) EA1

SAPI (Service access point identifier), 6-bits (see below)

C/R (Command/Response) bit indicates if the frame is a command or a response
EA0 (Address Extension) bit indicates whether this is the final octet of the address or not
TEI (Terminal Endpoint Identifier) 7-bit device identifier (see below)
EA1 (Address Extension) bit, same as EA0

Control (2 octets) - The frame level control field indicates the frame type (Information,
Supervisory, or Unnumbered) and sequence numbers (N(r) and N(s)) as required.
Information - Layer 3 protocol information and User data
CRC (2 octets) - is a low-level test for bit errors on the user data.
Flag (1 octet) - This is always 7E16 (0111 11102)

SAPIs
The Service Access Point Identifier (SAPI) is a 6-bit field that identifies the point where Layer 2
provides a service to Layer 3.
See the following table:

SAPI Description
0 Call control procedures
1 Packet Mode using Q.931 call procedures
16 Packet Mode communications procedures
32-47 Reserved for national use
63 Management Procedures
Others Reserved for Future Use
TEIs
Terminal Endpoint Identifiers (TEIs) are unique IDs given to each device (TE) on an ISDN S/T
bus. This identifier can be dynamic; the value may be assigned statically when the TE is installed,
or dynamically when activated.

TEI Description
0-63 Fixed TEI assignments
64-126 Dynamic TEI assignment (assigned by the switch)
127 Broadcast to all devices

Establishing the Link Layer

The Layer 2 establishment process is very similar to the X.25 LAP-B setup, if you are familiar
with it.

1. The TE (Terminal Endpoint) and the Network initially exchange Receive Ready (RR)
frames, listening for someone to initiate a connection
2. The TE sends an Unnumbered Information (UI) frame with a SAPI of 63 (management
procedure, query network) and TEI of 127 (broadcast)
3. The Network assigns an available TEI (in the range 64-126)
4. The TE sends a Set Asynchronous Balanced Mode (SABME) frame with a SAPI of 0 (call
control, used to initiate a SETUP) and a TEI of the value assigned by the network
5. The network responds with an Unnumbered Acknowledgement (UA), SAPI=0,
TEI=assigned.

At this point, the connection is ready for a Layer 3 setup

ISDN Layer 3

The ISDN Network Layer (Layer 3 signalling) is also specified by the ITU Q-series documents
Q.930 through Q.939 and is responsible for establishing, maintaining, and releasing connections in
an ISDN network. User data is mapped onto B channels, whereas Q.931 signalling is mapped onto
the D channel

Information Field Structure

The Information Field is a variable length field that contains the Q.931 protocol data.

Information Field
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Protocol Discriminator
0 0 0 0 Length of CRV
Call Reference Value (1 or 2 octets)
0 Message Type
Mandatory & Optional
Information Elements (variable)

These are the fields in a Q.931 header:

Protocol Discriminator (1 octet) - identifies the Layer 3 protocol. If this is a Q.931 header, this
value is always 0816.
Length (1 octet) - indicates the length of the next field, the CRV.
Call Reference Value (CRV) (1 or 2 octets) - used to uniquely identify each call on the user-
network interface. This value is assigned at the beginning of a call, and this value becomes
available for another call when the call is cleared.
Message Type (1 octet) - identifies the message type (i.e., SETUP, CONNECT, etc.). This
determines what additional information is required and allowed.
Mandatory and Optional Information Elements (variable length) - are options that are set
depending on the Message Type.

Layer 3 Call Setup

These are the steps that occurs when an ISDN call is established. In the following example, there
are three points where messages are sent and received; 1) the Caller, 2) the ISDN Switch, and 3)
the Receiver.

1. Caller sends a SETUP to the Switch.

2. If the SETUP is OK, the switch sends a CALL PROCeeding to the Caller, and then a
SETUP to the Receiver.
3. The Receiver gets the SETUP. If it is OK, then it rings the phone and sends an ALERTING
message to the Switch.
4. The Switch forwards the ALERTING message to the Caller.
5. When the receiver answers the call, is sends a CONNECT message to the Switch
6. The Switch forwards the CONNECT message to the Caller.
7. The Caller sends a CONNECT ACKnowledge message to the Switch
8. The Switch forwards the CONNECT ACK message to the Receiver.
9. Done. The connection is now up.

BENEFITS OF ISDN

The increasing popularity of ISDN allows pricing that continues to fall and compete with standard
analog service. Some of the many benefits are:
 • Simultaneous audio, video, and data services over a single pair of copper wires reduces
infrastructure and maintenance costs for service and subscribers.
• ISDN BRI service can use data compression which boosts the 128 Kbps transmission rate
to between 256 Kbps and 632 Kbps, depending upon the compression ratio used.
• Digital transmissions produce clearer and quieter voice telephone service and more reliable
and accurate connectivity than analog technology.
• Remote computer users benefit from high performance ISDN connections at home or on
the road.
• ISDN’s dynamic bandwidth allocation feature accommodates the bandwidth-intensive
applications.
• Up to eight different devices can be operated simultaneously over a single ISDN line.
• LAN protocols such as IP and IPX are better supported by ISDN connections across WANs
due to faster connect times (between 1 and 4 seconds) than analog service (between 10 and
40 seconds).

ISDN is compatible with other WAN services like X.25, Frame Relay, Switched Multi-megabit
Data Services (SMDS) and higher speed services like Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM).

APPLICATIONS OF ISDN

ISDN in Business

• For business users and even residential subscribers, videoconferencing is the biggest
communication advancement that ISDN has to offer. With the simultaneous high speed
transfer of voice and video, ISDN can provide real time video communication on a PC that
once was only capable on sophisticated systems costing upwards of $100,000. [1]
• A shared electronic chalk board is another tool available through ISDN. Ideas and
illustrations can be distributed in real time to remote locations so people in other cities or
other countries can participate in meetings. [1]
• Telecommuting is becoming a rule more than an exception; more and more people are
working from home. ISDN provides the facilities for users to tap into central network
resources from the privacy of their own homes and do so with the functionality of a
network node. Node connections are possible with Serial Line Interface Protocol (SLIP)
and Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP). [1]

ISDN in Education

• Students will also reap the benefits of videoconferencing by relating with other students
worldwide. Using the video capabilities of ISDN allows students to see the surroundings of
other countries or speak with pen-pals. The value of videoconferencing in educational
settings is unlimited.
• Computers have become important learning tools for students. Children are introduced to
computers and networking at an early age, and ISDN allows the high speed connections to
vast amounts of information and resources.