15 Network Feature Nodes

Overview

Introduction

This chapter describes the Oracle Communications Convergent Charging Controller Network feature nodes. Use Network feature nodes for decisions and actions relating to INAP protocol.

Note: To use network feature nodes, you should have a good working knowledge of networks, switches and the INAP protocol.

Available Feature Nodes

Network Feature Nodes List

This table lists the feature nodes available from the Network palette group and the fast key for each feature node in the list. You can use fast keys to search for feature nodes in the palette or the canvas.

Node name	Node description
Branch on Bearer Type	Will route calls to different branches depending on the incoming calling party bearer type and the node configuration. Fast key: BoBT
Branch On Call Forwarding Pending	Branches, depending on the presence or not of a pending call forward, retrieved from the call context. Fast key: BCFW
Branch on Event Report Request BCSM Code	Branches depending on the result of the previous Request Report BCSM Event operation. Fast key: BoEC
Branch on Indicator	Takes an exit based on the: number incomplete, screening, or presentation restricted indicator of a specified number. Fast key: BoCP
Branch on Protocol	Branches on the protocol used by the current call. Fast key: BOP
Branch on Service Key	Compares an ACS IDP service key with a fixed value configured in the node. The node routes calls to different branches depending on the node configuration and whether or not a match is found. Fast key: BoSK
Call Forwarded Branching	Determines which Control Plan branch is taken based on the whether or not the callForwarded flag, is set. Fast key: CFB
Call Progression	Allows the user to change parameters controlling call progression. Fast key: CCPN
Set Cut and Paste	Instructs the switch to remove digits from the called party number, prepend the termination number and terminate to the resulting number. Fast key: CNPA
Set Indicator	Set the number incomplete, screening, or presentation restricted indicator of a specified number. Fast key: SCPT
TCAP Handover	Hand over control of the call to another network element. Fast key: THFN
Transmission Type Branching	Will route the call to different branches depending on the incoming calling party transmission type. Fast key: TTB

Branch on Bearer Type

Node description

The Branch on Bearer Type (Bearer Capability) node will route calls to different branches depending on the incoming calling party bearer capability or the high layer characteristic and the node configuration.

Node icon

If the CPE has been configured to use the static panel CPE palette style, the CPE displays the icon shown below to represent the feature node.

Restrictions

A control plan may contain as many Branch on Bearer Type nodes as required.

Node exits

This node has one entry and may have 4 through 10 exits. You can configure the number of exits within this range as required, using the Edit Node Exits option on the shortcut menu. See Editing node exits.

Node exits 1 through 3 are set by the system and may not be changed.

Exit	Cause	Description
1	No Match Found	No match was found for any rule in the Bearer Capacity structure extracted from the Initial Detection Point.
2	Bearer Not Available	The bearer specified in the node was not available in the Bearer Capacity structure extracted from the Initial Detection Point.
3	Error	A error occurred.
4 to 10	Exit 4	These exits are followed depending on the rules attached to them.

Configuration screen

Here is an example of the Configure Branch on Bearer screen.

Configuring the node

Follow these steps to edit the Branch on Bearer node.

Step	Action
1	Edit the node exits to add exits as required. See Editing node exits for details. Note: The new number of exits is represented on the node icon, but not on the configuration screen exit list.
2	Open the Configure Branch on Bearer screen. Result: The Bearer Type Branching tree lists all the exits that have been added, as in the example below, showing 7 exits. By default, Branch 1 and Branch 2 are pre-configured. Note: The number of branches to configure will always be the total number of exits configured, minus the three pre-configured branches. In this example node, there are 7 exits, therefore there are 4 configurable branches.
3	In the Bearer Component frame, select the option on which to branch. Layer 1 Protocol - Info Transfer Rate - Info Tran capability - Transfer Mode - Coding Standard - High Layer Character - matches on Octet 4 of the High Layer Characteristics bearer field.
4	Branches are made up of rules. A rule is either a range of bearer types or a single value. The maximum number you can enter in the rules is 256. Before you can add rules to any other branches, you must edit the rules for Branch 2 (that is, 1-256) and change 256 to the number appropriate to the branch. This will allow you to add rules to the branches. To edit a rule, right-click on a rule and click Edit. Result: The Edit Rules dialog will appear. To create a rule: Of a single value, you can enter the value in the left hand field only, or the same number in both fields. For a range of numbers, enter values in both fields. The 'from' value must be lower than the 'to' value. Note: The numbers must not overlap any other rule ranges. Make the change and click OK.
5	To add rules to a branch, right-click on the branch. From the pop-up menu displayed, select Add. You see the Add Rules screen.
6	Create the rule as required.
7	Click OK. Result: One of the following will occur: The new rule will be added to the rule list. If a rule conflicts with an existing rule, a warning dialog box will appear providing more detail about the conflict. Note: You may create as many rules per Branch as you require.
8	Edit or delete rules under each branch. To delete a rule, right-click on a rule and click Delete. Result: The rule is deleted from the branch.
9	When rules have been added to all branches as shown in the example below, the Save button will become available. Click Save. Result: The node data is saved.

Notes:

• After configuration, you may add or remove exits for the node using Edit Node Exits, then edit the node branches again.

• If you remove exits, when you open the Configure Branch on Bearer screen again you will see a warning, such as this example.

  

  Click OK to continue, then edit the node.

Branch On Call Forwarding Pending

Node description

The Branch On Call Forwarding Pending node branches depending on whether there is a call forward pending or not.

This node uses the callForwardingSS-Pending parameter flag to determine which branch to take. See standard 3GPP TS 29.078, version 5.0.0 for full details.

Node icon

If the CPE has been configured to use the static panel CPE palette style, the CPE displays the icon shown below to represent the feature node.

Restrictions

A control plan may contain as many Branch On Call Forwarding Pending nodes as required.

This node is applicable to the CAP protocol and all other protocol usage will result in the Not Pending branch 2 exit being taken.

Node exits

This node has one entry and two exits.The number of exits cannot be changed.

Exit	Cause	Description
1	Pending	There is a call forward pending.
2	Not Pending	There is not a call forward pending.

Configuration screen

Here is an example Configure Branch On Call Forwarding Pending screen.

Configuring the node

This node requires no configuration data. You may change the Node name, if required.

Branch on Event Report Request BCSM Code

Node description

The BoEC node branches depending on the result of the previous Request Report BCSM Event operation. The TDP codes that the node recognizes are from these events:

• oDisconnect
• tDisconnect
• oCalledPartyBusy
• tCalledPartyBusy
• RouteSelectFailure

Note: The "o" and "t" indicate Originating and Terminating respectively.

Node icon

If the CPE has been configured to use the static panel CPE palette style, the CPE displays the icon shown below to represent the feature node.

Restrictions

A control plan may contain as many Branch on Event Report Request BCSM Code (BoEC) nodes as required.

Node exits

This node has one entry and initially five exits. You can manually add up to another five exits, making a total of 10 exits.

Exit	Label	Cause
1	No match found	The cause code being passed to the node is not defined in any of the node's branch rules.
2	Code not available	ACS did not pass a cause code to the node.
3	Error	A software error occurred.
4	Call Forwarded	ACS has been advised that a terminating call has been forwarded.
5 through 10	Exit 5 through Exit 10	Determined by branch rules specified for the exit.

Note: The call-forwarded exit scenario for this node is identical to that of the Call Forwarded Branching node. Refer to the section on the Call Forwarded Branching node; in particular Node exits .

Configuration screen

Here is an example of the Configure Branch On ERRB Cause Code screen.

Configuring the node

Branches are made up of Cause code rules. A rule is either a range of Event Report Request BCSM Codes or a single value. Each branch can have as many rules as required, provided that the cause code has not been configured in another rule within this node.

Cause codes are defined in the following two documents.

• ETS 300 374-1

  Intelligent Network (IN):

  Intelligent Network Capability Set 1 (CS1);

  Core Intelligent Network Application Protocol (INAP);

  Part 1: Protocol specification

  European Telecommunications Standards Institute

In particular, see EventSpecificInformationBCSM

• ITU-T Recommendation Q.850

  Usage of Cause and Location

  in the Digital Subscriber Signalling

  System No. 1 and the Signalling

  System No. 7 ISDN User Part

  International Telecommunications Union

Follow these steps to edit the Branch on ERRB Cause Code node.

Step	Action
1	Edit the node exits to add up to another five exits as required. See Editing node exits for details. Note: The new number of exits is represented on the node icon, but NOT on the configuration screen exit list.
2	Open the Configure Branch on ERRB Cause Code screen. Result: The ERRB Cause Code Branching tree lists all the exits that have been added, as in the example below, showing 7 exits. Note: The number of branches to configure will always be the total number of exits configured, minus the 4 pre-configured branches. In this example node, there are 7 exits, therefore there are 3 configurable branches.
3	To add rules to a branch, right-click on the Branch. From the pop-up menu displayed, select Add. You see the Add Rules screen.
4	Create the rule as required. To create a rule: of a single value, you can enter the value in the left hand field only, or the same number in both fields. for a range of numbers, enter values in both fields. The 'from' value must be lower than the 'to' value. Note: The numbers must not overlap any other rule ranges. The maximum value of a rule is 256.
5	Click OK. Result: Either: the new rule will be added to the rule list, or if a rule conflicts with an existing rule, a warning dialog box will appear providing more detail about the conflict. Note: You may create as many rules per Branch as you require.
6	Edit or delete rules under each branch. To: edit a rule, right-click on a rule and click Edit. Result: The Edit Rules dialog will appear. Make the change and click OK
	delete a rule, right-click on a rule and click Delete. Result: The rule is deleted from the branch.
7	When rules have been added to all branches as shown in the example below, the Save button will become available. Click Save. Result: The node data is saved.

Note: After configuration, you may add or remove exits for the node using Edit Node Exits, then edit the node branches again.

If you remove exits, when you open the Configure Branch on Bearer screen again you will see a warning, such as this example.

Click OK to continue, then edit the node.

Example of the use of the node

For a terminating call, suppose you want to select the following outcomes, depending on the values of cause numbers.

• If ACS was notified of call-forwarding, you want to play an announcement about call-forwarding.
• For cause number 1, you want to play an announcement about the telephone number being unallocated.
• For cause numbers 17 through 20, you want to play an announcement about the telephone number being either busy, unresponsive, unanswered or unanswerable because the telephone is switched off.
• For all other cause numbers, you want to simply disconnect the call.

To implement this scenario, you could set up the control plan shown below.

You would set up the configurable exits of the branch on ERRB Cause Code node as shown below.

The non-configurable exit branches would remain as shown below.

Branch on Indicator

Node description

The Branch on Indicator node allows you to take an exit based on one of the indicators of a specified number:

• Number incomplete
• Screening
• Presentation restricted

Node icon

If the CPE has been configured to use the static panel CPE palette style, the CPE displays the icon shown below to represent the feature node.

Restrictions

A control plan may contain as many Branch on Indicator nodes as required.

Node exits

This node has one entry and five exits. The number of exits cannot be changed.

Exit	Cause	Description
1	Value 0	Bit value of 0
2	Value1	Bit value of 1
3	Value 2	Bit value of 2
4	Value 3	Bit value of 3
5	Error	Error

The interpretation of the value depends on the indicator selected.

Interpretation of values

This table describes the meaning of each value, depending on the indicator selected.

Value	Presentation Restricted	Screening	Number Incomplete
0	The presentation is allowed	User provided, but not verified	Complete
1	The presentation is restricted	User provided, verified and passed	Incomplete
2	The address is not available	User provided, verify failed	NA
3	Spare	Network provided	NA

Configuration screen

Here is an example Configure Branch On Indicator screen.

Configuring the node

Follow these steps to edit the node configuration.

Step	Action
1	Select the indicator option: Presentation Restricted Screening Number Incomplete
2	Select the number from the drop down list. CallingPartyNumber AdditionalCallingPartyNumber OriginalCalledPartyID RedirectingPartyID LocationNumber LocationInformationLocationNumber
3	Click Save.

Branch on Protocol

Node description

The Branch on Protocol node allows you to determine the protocol used by the current call and branch accordingly.

Node icon

If the CPE has been configured to use the static panel CPE palette style, the CPE displays the icon shown below to represent the feature node.

Node exits

This node has one entry and six exits. The number of exits cannot be changed.

Exit	Cause	Description
1	CS1	CS1 Protocol
2	Nokia	(for future use)
3	CAP 2	CAP 2 protocol
4	CAP 3 or higher	CAP 3, or higher, protocol
5	CAP 3 or higher SMS	(for future use)
6	Failed to determine	Unspecified error

Configuration screen

Here is an example Configure Branch on Protocol screen.

Configuring the node

This node requires no configuration data. You may change the Node name, if required.

Branch on Service Key

Node description

The Branch on Service Key (BoSK) feature node compares an ACS IDP service key with a fixed value configured in the feature node. The feature node routes calls to different branches depending on the feature node configuration and whether or not a match is found.

You configure the BoSK feature node by allocating a service key number or range of numbers to each exit. The service key number can have up to 10 digits and must be less than or equal to 2147483647.

To increase the number of available exits for which you can specify service key numbers and ranges, edit the feature node structure.

Node icon

If the CPE has been configured to use the static panel CPE palette style, the CPE displays the icon shown below to represent the feature node.

Restrictions

A control plan may contain as many Branch on Service Key nodes as required.

Node exits

This feature node can have between three and ten exits. You can configure the number of exits within this range as required, using the Edit Node Exits option on the shortcut menu. See Editing node exits.

Exits 1 and 2 are set by the system and may not be changed by the user.

Exit	Cause	Description
1	No match found	No match was found for the service key extracted from the Initial Detection Point.
2	Error	The service key rules are incorrectly configured or an internal error has occurred.
3 to 10	Exit 3	These exits are followed depending on the rules attached to them.

Configuration screen

Here is an example Configure Branch on Service Key screen.

Configuring the node

Follow these steps to edit the feature node configuration.

Step	Action
1	Edit the number of feature node exits to create one or more additional exits. See Editing node exits for details. Note: The new number of exits is represented on the feature node icon, but NOT in the exit list in the feature node configuration window.
2	Open the Configure Branch on Service Key window. The Service Key Branching tree displays, listing all the configurable exit branches. This will be the total number of feature node exits, minus the two pre-configured exits. You configure the feature node by specifying the branching rules for each exit, where a rule is either a range of service keys or a single value. For example, the following diagram shows the service key rules configured for two exit branches.
3	Add the rules to each branch by performing the following steps: Right-click on the branch, and select Add from the pop-up menu. The Add Rules dialog displays. Specify the service key values for the rule. To specify: A single value, enter the value in the left hand field only, or the same number in both fields. A service key number can have up to 10 digits and must be less than or equal to 2147483647. A range of numbers, enter values in both fields. The 'from' value must be lower than the 'to' value. Click OK. The rule is added to the list of rules for the selected branch. If a rule conflicts with an existing rule or the rule is invalid, an Invalid Rule dialog box appears informing you about the error: Note: You can add multiple rules to a branch, but you must specify at least one rule for each branch.
4	To edit a previously configured rule, perform the following steps: Right-click on the rule you want to change and select Edit from the pop-up menu. The Edit Rules dialog appears, displaying the previously configured rule values. In the text fields enter the new rule values. The numbers for the rule must not overlap any other rule range. Click OK.
5	To delete a previously configured rule, right-click on the rule and select Delete from the pop-up menu.
6	Click Save to save the feature node configuration. Note: You must configure at least one rule for each branch before you will be able to save the feature node configuration.

Note: You can configure additional exits for, or remove exits from the feature node, at any time. If you remove an exit then the next time you open the Configure Branch on Service Key window, a warning message displays:

Call Forwarded Branching

Node description

This node branches in either of two directions, depending on whether or not ACS has been advised that a terminating call has been forwarded.

ACS may receive advice about call-forwarding from a Service Switching Point (SSP) that complies with the CAMEL Application Part (CAP) specification. To use the Call Forwarded Branching node, you need to be familiar with the CAP specification. The specification is contained in the following document.

3GPP TS 29.078 v3.7.0

3rd Generation Partnership Project;

Technical Specification Group Core Network;

Customised Applications for Mobile network Enhanced Logic

(CAMEL) Phase 3

CAMEL Application Part (CAP) specification

(Release 1999)

Note: This node can only be used with terminating calls passed to ACS by an SSP that complies with the CAP specification.

Node icon

If the CPE has been configured to use the static panel CPE palette style, the CPE displays the icon shown below to represent the feature node.

Restrictions

A control plan may contain as many Call Forwarded Branching nodes as required.

Note: This node is only available in ACS 2.4.1 and later versions, for users of the CAMEL protocol.

Node exits

The Call Forwarded Branching node has one entry and two exits. The number of exits is fixed and cannot be changed.

Exit	Label	Cause
1	Call Forwarded	ACS has been advised that a terminating call has been forwarded.
2	Call Not Forwarded	ACS has not been advised that a terminating call has been forwarded.

Note: ACS is advised that a terminating call has been forwarded when an EventReportBCSM is received from the SSP. EventReportBCSM indicates to ACS's tBusy and tNoAnswer detection points that a "call forwarded" has been received.

Configuration screen

Here is an example Configure Call Forwarded Branching screen.

Configuring the node

This node requires no configuration data. You may change the Node name, if required.

Example of the use of the node

For a terminating call, you may want to play an announcement if the call has been call-forwarded and simply terminate the call if it has not been call-forwarded.

To implement this scenario, you could set up the control plan shown below.

Call Progression

Node description

The Call Progression node allows you to configure the following parameters in the outgoing connect message:

• Suppress Switch Announcements
• Set OCSI Applicable

Node icon

If the CPE has been configured to use the static panel CPE palette style, the CPE displays the icon shown below to represent the feature node.

Restrictions

A control plan may have as many Call Progression nodes as required. A later instance of the node parameters will override the previous ones.

Node exits

This node has one entry and two exits. The number of exits cannot be changed.

Exit	Cause	Description
1	Success	The node parameters have been set.
2	Failure	The node parameters have not been set.

Configuration screen

Here is an example Configure Call Progression screen.

Configuring the node

Follow these steps to edit the node configuration.

Step	Action
1	Select the Suppress Ann check box to suppress switch announcements in the outgoing Connect message.
2	Select the OCSIApplicable check box to set the OCSIApplicable parameter in the outgoing Connect message.
3	Click Save.

Set Cut and Paste

Node description

The number entered in the node configuration dialog is sent in all following INAP Connect operations as the value of the cutAndPaste parameter.

For details about the effect of cutAndPaste, see ETS 300 374-1.

Node icon

If the CPE has been configured to use the static panel CPE palette style, the CPE displays the icon shown below to represent the feature node.

Restrictions

A control plan may contain as many Set Cut and Paste nodes as required.

Node exits

This node has one entry and one exit. The number of exits cannot be changed.

Exit	Cause	Description
1	Cut and Paste Set	The cut and paste has been set.

Configuration screen

Here is an example Configure Set Cut and Paste screen.

Configuring the node

Follow these steps to configure the Set Cut and Paste node.

Step	Action
1	In the Cut Value field, enter the value to set the cutAndPaste parameter to in INAP Connect operations sent to the switch from here on. Note: If you set Cut Value to 23 or more, ACS will stop setting the cutAndPaste parameter in INAP Connect operations.
2	Click Save.

Set Indicator

Node description

The Set Indicator node allows you to set the value one of the indicators of a specified number sent in the CONNECT message:

• Number incomplete
• Screening
• Presentation restricted

Node icon

If the CPE has been configured to use the static panel CPE palette style, the CPE displays the icon shown below to represent the feature node.

Node exits

This node has one entry and two exits. The number of exits cannot be changed.

Exit	Cause	Description
1	Success	Value successfully set.
2	Error	Value not set due to error

Configuration screen

Here is an example Configure Set Indicator screen for the Presentation Restricted indicator.

Configuration screen

Here is an example Configure Set Indicator screen for the screening indicator.

Configuration screen

Here is an example Configure Set Indicator screen for the Number Incomplete indicator.

Configuring the node

Follow these steps to configure the node.

Step	Action
1	From the Select Indicator options, select the indicator to set: Presentation Restricted Screening Number Incomplete.
2	From Select Number drop down list, select the phone number to apply the indicator to. CallingPartyNumber AdditionalCallingPartyNumber OriginalCalledPartyID RedirectingPartyID LocationNumber LocationInformationLocationNumber Note: This list contains all the valid phone number options.
3	From the Set Indicator options, select the value to apply to the selected phone number indicator. Refer to the interpretation of values table below.
4	Click Save.

Interpretation of values

This table describes the meaning of each value, depending on the indicator selected.

Value	Presentation Restricted	Screening	Number Incomplete
0	The presentation is allowed	User provided, but not verified	Complete
1	The presentation is restricted	User provided, verified and passed	Incomplete
2	The address is not available	User provided, verify failed	NA
3	Spare	Network provided	NA

TCAP Handover

Node description

The TCAP Handover node calls a chassisAction to construct an IDP on the existing SLEE dialog. It then calls the TCAP interface to hand over the SLEE dialog to an external network entity.

The available network entities are defined in acs.conf and made available to this node (SCP Name list) through the acsGui.bat/acsGui.sh or smsGui.bat/smsGui.sh files (scfs parameter). These will typically be SLCs, see ACS Technical Guide, topic Customizing the screens for details.

The following IDP parameters can be configured in the node to use a specific ACS termination number or buffer:

• Calling Party Number
• Called Party Number
• Redirecting Party ID
• Location Number
• Additional Calling Party Number

The available buffers are listed in the Buffer list.

Note: All other fields in the constructed IDP are taken from the calling information for the original call.

Node icon

If the CPE has been configured to use the static panel CPE palette style, the CPE displays the icon shown below to represent the feature node.

Node exits

This node has one entry and three exits. The number of exits cannot be changed.

Exit	Cause	Description
1	Success	The node successfully passed the TCAP dialog to another entity.
2	Bad Destination	The hand over destination defined for the specified network entity could not be found.
3	Failure	The hand over was unsuccessful.

Configuration screen

Here is an example Configure Tcap Handover screen.

Specifying values in profile selection fields

For each combo box combination on this screen, there are two methods of entering a value:

1. Use the drop down lists in the Data Type, Location and Field boxes, as in this example, to select the relevant values:

1. Select Fixed Value in the Data Type box.

Result: The fields will change, as in this example, and you can type the required value in the Fixed Value field.

Configuring the node

Follow these steps to edit the TCAP Handover feature node.

Step	Action
1	Select the SCP Name of the network entity for the handover destination.
2	In the IDP Parameters area, for each IDP parameter, specify the value.
	You can specify the following optional IDP parameters: callingPartyNumber calledPartyNumber redirectingPartyID locationNumber additionalCallingPartyNumber
3	When a TCAP handover is performed it is often desirable to preserve fields from original incoming IDP into fields in outgoing IDP. By default, the original IDP parameter values are preserved - the Preserve Attributes check box is selected. To disable the original IDP parameter values preservation, deselect the check box .
4	Click Save.

For more information on profile blocks and tags, see ACS User's Guide.

Transmission Type Branching

Node description

The Transmission Type Branching node allows you to route the call to different branches depending on the incoming calling party transmission type.

Node icon

If the CPE has been configured to use the static panel CPE palette style, the CPE displays the icon shown below to represent the feature node.

Node exits

This node has one entry and seven exits. The number of exits cannot be changed.

Exit	Cause	Description
1	Speech	NA
2	Unrest. Digital	Unrestricted Digital
3	Restricted Digital	NA
4	3.1kHz audio	NA
5	Unret. Dg. Tones	Unrestricted Digital Tones
6	Video	NA
7	No Bearer Cap	NA

Restrictions

A control plan may contain as many Transmission Type Branching nodes as required.

Configuration screen

Here is an example Configure Transmission Type Branching screen.

Configuring the node

This node requires no configuration data. You may change the Node name, if required.