Signaling System #7 [Hardcover]

Travis Russell (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0071361197 | ISBN-13: 978-0071361194 | Publication Date: June 19, 2000 | Edition: 3rd

-- The one and only reference covering the SS7 network -- now updated for internet telecommunications, it's the hands-down choice for engineers and network managers
-- The new edition overflows with over 100 pages of fresh material on Voice over IP (VoIP) and SS7 over IP, particularly how SS7 interacts with TCP/IP
-- Covers new standards introduced through ITU, some of which have major effects on SS7 control features

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

A leading-edge, sought-after source in telecommunications, Travis Russell's Signaling System #7 provides a bedrock understanding of the signaling network, its architecture, and the protocols used to communicate through it. Accessible even to novices, Russell's guide also provides the technical details, protocol messages, and application examples so fundamentally helpful to developers, engineers, and network planners.

In this Internet-intensive edition, network-switching expert Russell brings his succinct, logical style to:

New coverage on VoIP and SS7-TCP/IP interactions. Solutions to protocol issues in migrating telecom to the Internet. Details on SS7 in broadband and cellular networking. Lucid explanations of protocols and network entities, with hands-on examples and applications. Clarifications of ANSI standards and Bellcore publications, with model solutions. New information on local number portability. Needed technical data for design and specifications.

Travis Russell's guide is a model of clarity and content, designed to help anyone understand the “why’s” and “how’s” of SS7, and to help technical professionals make the most of it. Bypassing heavy-handed engineering theory and mathematical derivations, each chapter presents a readable discussion, followed by technical details such as parameters, message structures, and bit values. Isn’t it time to see for yourself why Signaling System #7 is the hands-down choice for engineers and network managers everywhere?

From the Back Cover

"If one book were to be used as a reference source and learning tool for the SS7 protocol in today's switching networks, this should be the choice."

---Amazon.com reader review* Now updated for packet telephony! The #1 Working Reference on SS7-- Revised & Expanded Signaling System #7 Travis Russell A leading-edge, sought-after source in telecommunications, Travis Russell's Signaling System #7 provides a bedrock understanding of the signaling network, its architecture, and the protocols used to communicate through it. Accessible even to novices, Russell's guide also provides the technical details, protocol messages, and application examples so fundamentally helpful to developers, engineers, and network planners. In this Internet-intensive edition, network-switching expert Russell brings his succinct, logical style to: New coverage on VoIP and SS7-TCP/IP interactions. Solutions to protocol issues in migrating telecom to the Internet. Details on SS7 in broadband and cellular networking. Lucid explanations of protocols and network entities, with hands-on examples and applications. Clarifications of ANSI standards and Bellcore publications, with model solutions. New information on local number portability. Needed technical data for design and specifications. Travis Russell's guide is a model of clarity and content, designed to help anyone understand the ¿why¿s¿ and ¿how¿s¿ of SS7, and to help technical professionals make the most of it. Bypassing heavy-handed engineering theory and mathematical derivations, each chapter presents a readable discussion, followed by technical details such as parameters, message structures, and bit values. Isn¿t it time to see for yourself why Signaling System #7 is the hands-down choice for engineers and network managers everywhere? * On the second edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 575 pages
• Publisher: Mcgraw-Hill (Tx); 3rd edition (June 19, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071361197
• ISBN-13: 978-0071361194
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,195,060 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I have been in telecommunications now since 1978. My first job back then was more data oriented as I worked on numerous data projects, commercial radio, and even satellite television. My first job was running an electronics business that specialized in all these areas. In 1981, I began working for Pacific Telephone in Los Angeles. Due to my background, I was a quick learner and was sent through numerous accelerated training programs by the phone company. I later moved on to the private sector after the Bell System began its first wave of layoffs, and joined with United Technologies Switching. This was a whole new experience for me, and I quickly climbed the ladded to Sr. Field Engineer. Once again my experience in packet networks and radio technologies helped me excel in telecommunications. After numerous mergers and acquisitions, I finally left the company to pursue more stable employment and landed at Tekelec. I have held numerous positions at Tekelec, and have been with them now almost 21 years! Believe it or not, I was a music major in college (although I also studied digital electronics and engineering with a business minor). I still play guitar, so maybe my next book will be a music book!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good for SS7 in PSTN but not for SS7 in Mobile and VoIP., January 28, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Signaling System # 7 (Hardcover)

This book covers basics of SS7 very well. It is also a good reference. It covers MTP(1 to 3), SCCP, TCAP and ISUP. There are also short chapters on local number portability and usage of SS7 in VoIP. Content of the book is rich enough if the reader was interested the usage of SS7 in PSTN only (MTP,SCCP,TCAP,ISUP). However it doesn't cover any detail on other application parts like MAP, OMAP, INAP and usage of SS7 in UMTS and GSM. The chapter on SS7 in VoIP communications is rather short and not very informative. There is not much detail on Sigtran, SCTP and MTP adaptation layers.

There is also an inconsistency about the content of the book (4th edition with ISBN 0071387722). Table of contents given in the publishers web site is not correct. As one of the previous reviewer has mentioned, there are only 11 chapters in this book (not 16). Correct chapter layout in the book is :

1- Signaling System #7.
2- SS7 Network.
3- Overview of a Protocol.
4- Overview of Signal Units.
5- Message Transfer Part (MTP).
6- Message Transfer Part Level 3.
7- General Description of SCCP Functions.
8- Overview of TCAP.
9- Overview of ISUP.
10- Local Number Portability.
11- IP telephony
Appendices

And therefore following chapters don't exist the book separately (neither in the CDROM covering entire book in PDF format):

- SS7 and SIP
- SS7 and H.323
- SS7 over IP
- SS7 and VoIP
- SS7 and TCP/IP
- SS7 and MGCP

I recommend this book for the readers who want to know signalling in PSTN. It wouldn't be useful for signalling in mobile communication networks and VoIP communication networks.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The answers are there, if you can find them., December 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Signaling System 7 (Telecommunications) (2nd edition) (Hardcover)

If you need a book on SS7, this is probably the one you should buy. But that is only because there is little else to choose from. Unfortunately, it is a very poorly written book. Russell obviously knows his stuff, but like most other telecommunications engineers he seems unable to write in a form that gives the reader any pleasure. Facts repeat themselves (often several times in the same paragraph), different chapters repeat the same thing in several different ways, and there is rarely much explanation for WHY things are done the way they are. What's worse is the pointless verbosity of the whole mess - it's almost impossible to find an answer to a question about SS7 quicky. I think the author has done a fine job putting the facts down, but the editors never did their jobs. This book reads like a first draft that was never ever reviewed.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Frustrating to follow, overly verbose,, November 14, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Signaling System 7 (Telecommunications) (2nd edition) (Hardcover)

I ordered this book hoping the first two reviewers were overly pessimistic, but boy were they right. This book has terriffic potential, but Travis does not stick to the chosen topic well enough, mixing material covered in different layers. It's a good thing I saw this and could overlook it...pity the novice hoping to make some sense of the SS7 structure. There's way too much verbage and not nearly enough illustrations and real-world examples. After finishing the book, I felt I was presented with a "gob" of information and a very weak understanding of it's true structure. On the plus side, it's probably the best textbook on the subject, but that speaks stongly to the need for another book, or major re-write.