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Appendix A
Glossary
- AG Natural MicroSystems' Alliance Generation product line of telephony and voice processing hardware.
- AG configuration file Text file that provides configuration information for all AG boards in a system. The AG configuration file also specifies runtime software such as DSP files and TCPs to download to the AG board(s) as part of board initialization. agmon uses the AG configuration file to initialize and load the AG boards in the system. See also agmon, DSP file, TCP.
- AG driver The device driver on the host computer that provides the interface to the AG board(s).
- agmon Utility program which reads a configuration file and uses it to load and monitor AG hardware.
- API Application Programming Interface; a library of function calls that allow an application developer to access functionality in a uniform and consistent way.
- asynchronous Refers to circuitry and operations without a common timing or clock signal.
- asynchronous programming
Enables concurrent processing between hardware boards and the host CPU. An application initiates telephony functions on a telephony board and continues its own processing as it waits for the results of those functions. See also synchronous.
- clock A periodic reference signal used for synchronization on a transmission facility, such as a telephony bus.
- clock master The board that drives the clock signal for a system of boards connected by a bus cable. See also clock slave.
- clock slave A board that derives its clock signal from a bus cable; the clock signal is driven by the bus clock master. See also clock master.
- connection A path between two entities that enables them to share and/or transfer voice and signaling data. For example, a continuous electrical circuit between two wires or units, or a data path between two channels (unique stream/timeslot assignments) on a time-division multiplexed data stream.
- coprocessor In AG hardware architecture, a microprocessor on the AG board. Runs manager code to enable high-level communication between the host and other AG board resources (such as DSPs and the MVIP bus).
- CT Access Natural MicroSystems' development environment for telephony applications.
- device driver Software which translates the application commands into the code required by the device.
- Digital Signal Processor
See DSP.
- DLL Dynamic Link Library; a library of software object modules that can be loaded and accessed on demand.
- DSP Digital Signal Processor; a microprocessor that is designed to perform the calculations required for voice processing.
- DSP files Low-level programs downloaded to an AG board at initialization that enable an AG board's DSPs to perform tasks such as DTMF signaling, voice recording, and playback.
- encoding Any of several compression techniques for digitizing and compressing data.
- FMIC A Flexible MVIP Interface Circuit, which provides a digital timeslot switch and an MVIP bus interface.
- global memory Memory (DRAM) on a board which is available to all DSPs and to the AG coprocessor. See also DRAM.
- ground An electrical connection to earth or to a common conductor which is connected to earth.
- group A logically associated set of ports or channels. A group can contain from 1 to 32 ports or channels.
- host The PC on which an application runs. Also used to designate a computer with full two-way access to a network such as local area network, or the Internet.
- hybrid A circuit that converts a single bidirectional communication channel to separate receive and transmit channels.
- MIPS Millions of Instructions Per Second; measure of computer speed according to the average number of machine language instructions performed by the CPU in one second.
- multiplex To transmit more than one signal or channel over a single physical circuit.
- muxhandle Operating system-specific object used to wait for a CT Access event to be ready.
- MVIP Multi-Vendor Integration Protocol; PCM digital bus standard for integrating various board vendors. Facilitates software-controlled digital switching within the PC chassis. MVIP interconnects switching and telephony processing boards in a PC. An interoperable subset of the H.100 bus standard.
- MVIP bus A high-speed, multiplexed digital telephony "highway" which allows boards to share data, signaling information, and switching information. See also bus.
- network In telephony, short for the telephone switching network. See also PSTN.
- NMS Natural MicroSystems Corporation.
- overlay Software that is not always memory resident; it is loaded on request.
- parameters Variables that dictate the behavior of functions.
- pending command A command that has been sent from the host to the hardware, but has not yet been acknowledged by the hardware returning its associated event.
- port The meaning of this term can vary. Usually, it refers to a logical entity on a DSP board which can run telephony protocols, play and record voice files, or execute other DSP functions. It is typical to connect such a DSP port to a line interface or a trunk by using MVIP switching. This type or port generally corresponds to a CTA context in the ADI service.
- Port can also refer to telephone connections supported by a board (for example, the AG 2000 board is an 8-port board).
- primitive A low-level function or operator which is built into a programming language or operating system.
- protocol (telephony) Defined procedure for call setup and call teardown.
- PSTN Public Switched Telephone Network; a public telephone network.
- ring The alerting signal to the subscriber or terminal equipment; also the name for one conductor of a wire pair, designated by R. The other is called tip, or T. See also tip.
- routing The process of finding an available path or sequence of paths that create a desired connection.
- runfile Mandatory low-level runtime software which is downloaded to an AG board as part of its initialization.
- signaling The transmission of information about a line's on-hook or
off-hook status and various related signals including those that deliver address information.
- slave Bus clock slave; derives the clock signal from the bus clock, which is driven by the bus clock master. See also clock, clock master.
- SRAM Static Random Access Memory; RAM that retains its data without the refreshing required by DRAM. SRAM offers faster memory access time and is more expensive than DRAM. See also DRAM.
- SUCCESS A return code that for asynchronous functions signifies the function was initiated. For synchronous functions, SUCCESS means that the function was completed. Note that for functions that require board resources, SUCCESS means that the commands necessary to execute the function on the board were delivered to the board. An error can still be returned in an event later.
- switch In telephony, a device that can connect one of several inputs to one of several outputs.
- switch block The switch on a telephony board that connects the telephone network to the telephony bus. The physical switch is normally referred to as the switch block because it may consist of one or more physical switches or chips.
- switching In computer telephony, making connections between telephony boards within a PC chassis both during and between phone calls. Enables an application to share resources and data across different telephony boards.
- switching driver Driver providing the interface between the application switching commands to the physical switch on the device.
- synchronous function A function that does not return until the operation it initiated has completed. See also asynchronous.
- T1 A standard for telephone transmission that multiplexes 24 digital voice channels on a single 1.544 Mbps carrier.
- task processor A single DSP chip on a hardware board. Each task processor is configured to run one or more overlays (downloadable DSP software modules).
- TCP Trunk Control Program; a downloadable module which contains the low-level code to interface with an analog or digital trunk running a certain protocol. TCPs are specific to a trunk protocol, for example, one-way inbound with wink start (which is used for DID and DNIS). See also DID, DNIS, loop start, NOCC, wink start.
- TDM Time Division Multiplexing; a technique for transmitting a number of separate data, voice, and/or video signals simultaneously over one communications medium by quickly interleaving a piece of each signal one after another.
- Telephony Services Architecture
See TSA.
- time division multiplexing
See TDM.
- timeslot Specifies a particular 64 kbit/s subdivision of a TDM bus stream. Timeslots number from zero (0) to n where n is stream-dependent.
- tip One conductor of a wire pair, designated by T; usually connected to the positive side of a battery. The other is called ring, or R. See also ring.
- trunk With regard to NMS products, a trunk is defined as the physical interface between the telephone network and the board. It may be used interchangeably with line, because it could be connected to either a trunk or a line.
- Trunk Control Programs
See TCP.
- TSA Telephony Services Architecture; the NMS model of managing telephony and media functionality in computer systems.
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