@INGate: a distributed intelligent network approach to bridge switching and packet networks

This paper presents the results of a joint project initiative, @INGate, in the area of computer/telephony network integration (CTNI) carried out by Siemens AG and the Technical University of Berlin. We propose a distributed intelligent network architecture (DINA) that implements a unified media communications service (UMCS) providing both messaging and telephony services along with network computing and service management throughout circuit switching and packet networks. The architecture comprises a series of interconnected and locally managed intelligent service nodes as interworking units (IWU) between heterogenous networks allowing the user access to a unified media store/bus (UMS/B) via traditional PSTN/ISDN/GSM equipment such as telephones, pagers and fax machines on the one hand and networked computers and PDAs equipped with mail readers and Web browsers on the other hand to enable both on-line and off-line communication. The core of this architecture is the network-bridge service node (NB-SN), a distributed intelligent network element (DINE) consisting of a channel matrix switch (CMS) and a data packet switch (DPS) to link to fixed/mobile telephony and data networks correspondingly, several resource platforms (RPs) connected to media conversion processors (MCPs) to perform media translation in required interchange formats, an Internet gateway (IG) for IP telephony and data access (including customer service control and agent-based network computing) holding the subscribers' mailboxes and providing the Internet connectivity, and a network-bridge service node controller (NB-SNC) to control the overall service logic and the above components. The NB-SN itself is managed along with other nodes in a distributed intelligent network (IN) by a TMN-compliant operation, administration and maintenance center (OAMC).