--

number, arrangement of buttons, and aulO

matic dialing codes - are intrinsic to the
Figure 1. Time compression multiplexing _
way the set is wired to the system's central
control. As a result, transfering the att rib
utes of a telephone with its user to a new
location is usually a complicated and time
consuming procedure.
With Meridian Norstar, however, BNR
system designers have given each Norstar
telephone set a unique identifying code.
The code, programmed into each set,
enables the system's central control, called
the key service unit (KSU) , to recognize
immediately that a telephone has been
moved within the system The Norstar
system can automaticall y restore the set's
attributes and can route calls to its new
location.
This unique relocation capabi lity
which simplifies system administration for
today's small business, where office moves
and changes are inevitable - is just one of
the powerful features of Meridian Norstar.
Introduced into the market just over a
year ago, Norstar was developed by BNR
to meet such key design targets as abso
lute simplicity, reliability, functionality, com
petitive pricing, and flexibility to enable
small- to medium-size businesses to up
gr8de their ccmmu:!!ce.tions systems and
meet changing business requirements.
The first model in the Norstar family of
products is Norstar Compact, which can
connect up to six central office lines and up
to 16 Norstar telephones. The larger
Norstar system, the Modular, can connect
up to eight central office lines and 24 sets
in its basic configuration. In addition, the
Modular system can be provisioned with
up to six optional modules, each capable
of supporting up to 121ines or 16 sets. With
all six modules, Norstar Modular can
provide up to 128 ports. Although different
in capacity, both the Compact and
Modular systems operate in similar ways,
support the same sets, and are con
structed with Similar building blocks.
The two main elements of both the
Modular and Compact Norstar systems are
digital telephones and aKSU.
Norstar digital telephones, described in
more detail in the article on page 4 , are
designed to help the user and installer
exploit the system's capabilities, without
the accompanying confusion and com
plexity associated with many business
telephones
The KSU, the other key component, is a
wall-mounted unit about the size of a
medicine cabinet. The KSU contains the
Time compression multiplexing (TeM) is the technique used to provide bidirectional
communications over a twisted-pair wire between the Meridian Norstar sets and the key
service unit (KSU).
Using this technique, bursts of data are transmitted in "ping-pong" fashion every 125
microseconds between the KSU and the set. Each burst contains 23 bits - a start bit; a
balance bit; a stop bit; and 20 bits for voice, data, and signaling channels.
Delay and guard times prevent interference between the receive and transmit bursts
in the transceivers at the end of each loop. The delay time is limited by the maximum
loop length to be covered.
power supply, Motorola 68000-family
system processors, tone generator,
memory, and circuitry for connecting the
outside lines of the public network to
Norstar telephone sets. Programmable
read-only memory, which holds the
system software, is contained In a replace
able cartridge to allow for easy system up
grades.
The flexibility and funct ionality of these
physical elements of Norstar are driven by
an architectural approach that breaks from
the constraining conventions of traditional
analog key telephone system design. This
approach capitalizes on two recent
technological advances:
digital-to-the-desktop technology, which
provides bandwidth for high-quality voice
communication and high-speed data
transmission; and
distributed processing control, in which
core cali-processing software in the KSU
can accept additional call-processing
functionality via new Norstar station sets or
servers connected to station-set ports
Digital-to-the-desktop technology
Oigital-to-the-desktop technology offers the
small- to medium-size business many
advantages, including a simple, display
based user interface, high-bandwidth
transmission over ordinary telephone
wiring. and an assured growth path for
new, digital ly based services and features
as they become available.
Historically, key telephone systems with
fewer than 24 stations have been com
pletely analog. Those in the size range of
24-to-100 stations have supported a digital
core but have relied on analog transmis
sion between the sets and the central
control unit.
Meridian Norstar, however , is fully
digital. A microphone in the Norstar set
picks up the speaker's voice and sends it
to a custom large scale integrated circuit
(CLSI), also in the set. This CLSI, called the
digital station-set chip, converts the
speaker's voice into digital form for
transmission to the KSU. The digital station
set chip also converts digital signals from
the KSU into analog signals that are used
to drive the handset and loudspeaker.
Each Norstar terminal is connected to
the KSU by a single rvvisted pair of ordinary
telephone wire. To simplify installation, the
twisted-pair connections are not polarized
- the two wires can be connected either
way around. Bidirectional 2B+0 digital
communications between the Norstar sets
and KSU are carried out in "ping-pong"
fashion over the twisted pair, up to a
distance of about gOO m (2,953 tt), using a
technique known as time compression
The architecture of Meridian Norstar
breaks from the constraining conventions of
traditional analog key system design
22 Te lesis 1989 tw o
multiplexing, or TCM (Figure 1) Each TCM
path carries two 64-kilobit-per-second
(kbit/s) B-channels and one 16-kbit/s
D-channel. The B-channels carry digitally
encoded speech or data, The O-channel
carries system control and signaling
messages,
Telephone lines coming into the system
from the public network, or from private
networks or switches, are also connected
to the KSU, Although various types of lines
can be accommodated, at present only
analog lines - the most common type - are
provided. The KSU converts the analog
signals to match the Norstar digital formal.
To implement this fully digital design
while keeping the cost of Meridian Norstar
compet itive with analog key systems ,
Northern Telecom and BNR designers
made extensive use of CLSI circuits, In all,
nine CLSI circuits are employed in the
system, eight of which were developed
specifically for Norstar, (Box 1 details how
the CLSI building blocks fit into the Norstar
architecture.)
Two of the chips - the digital station-set
chip and the quad codec chip - stand out
as industry firsts , representing major
achievements in systems-level integration
and mixed analog/digital functionality, The
digital station-set chip, the heart of the
Norstar telephone sets, combines four
separate functions onto a single chip: a
filter codec, microcontroller interface,
telephony interface, and handsfree control.
Integrating these functions onto one chi p
improves the handsfree performance of the
sets, simplifi es the manufacturing process,
and reduces hardware costs,
Si milarly, the quad codec chip, used in
the KSU, combines four filter codecs on a
Single Chip, Filter codecs provide the
analog-to-digital and digital-Io-analog
conversion, (Box 2 describes the chal
lenges BNR faced in designing both the
digital station-set and quad codec chips,)
Distributed processing
The extensive use of custom silicon in
Meri dian Norstar, as well as its modular
architecture, has facilitated a unique
software design that is based on di strib
uted processing,
In traditional key systems, a single
program in the KSU dictates the call
processing operations for all telephone
sets, The KSU monitors all user prompts
and Signals on incoming lines, and then
determines what action must be taken,
such as activating audible and visual
Figure 2. CommQn integrated bus ,
Tlrrleslot 0
The common integrated voice/data (IVO) bus makes it possible to provide, in a 'highly regular
fashion , distributed switching, communications with the Motorola 68000-based processor,
and tone generation, The IVO bus also acts as a system access point, available for future
expansion of system capabilities and capacity,
Located in the key service unit (KSU), the 10-bit-wide, parallel bus allows for 640 timeslots
to appear in each sample time of 125 microseconds,
Each time switch chip attached to this bus handles 64 B-channels, Every sample time, the
time switch chip collects one sample from each of these channels and places the samples in
64 evenly spaced timeslots on the common bus, Samples from .the 64 channels of the first
time switch chip, for example, would occupy 64 different timeslots on the bus - in this
diagram, timeslots 1, 11, 21, and so on, Similarly, the 64 channels of the second time switch
chip would occupy timeslots 2, ,12, 22, etc,
Depending on the system size, up to nine time switch chips can be attached to the bus,
using interleaved timeslots, The remaining timeslots (0, 10,20, and so on) are reserved for
control information sent from the system communications interface chip to the time switch
chips, This arrangement allows a maximum of 576 (9 x 64) B-channels to be written to the
bus,
In the outgOing direction, each time switch chip can feed any of the 576 8-channel
timeslots to any of its 64 B-channels. Thus, any of 576 inputs can be connected to any of 576
outputs, Connections are usually set up in matched pairs, to provide non-blocking two-way
connectivity between any pair of channels or analog lines, up to as many as 576 B-channels,
Telesis 1989 two 23
iii Box 1. Meridian Norstar architecture and CLSI building blocks
During a telephone call among users on a
Meridian Norstar system, a microphone in
the Norstar telephone set picks up the
speaker's voice and sends it to the digital
station-set chip, which converts the voice
into digital form for transmission to the key
service unit (KSU) The digital station-set
chip also converts digital signals coming
from the KSU to analog signals that are
used to drive Ihe handset or loudspeaker.
These digital signals are carried over
standard twisted-pair wiring for a distance
of up to about 900 m (2,953 ft) between a
Norstar set and the KSU, using a tech
nique called time compression multiplex
ing, or TCM (Figure 1). Each TCM path
carries two B-channels in each direction
between the set and KSU. and one 0
channel. The B-channels carry digitally
encoded speech or data; the o-channel
carries control and signaling messages.
In the KSU, the digital line multiplexer
chip combines the incoming TCM paths,
from as many as eight Norstar sets. Two
digital line multiplexer devices combine to
fill a standard serial interface, which has a
capacity of 32 B-channels and 16 0
channels in each direction. (For more
information on this chip, see Telesis 1986,
no. 2, page 32)
Analog calls coming into the Norstar
system from the public network, or from a
private network, are handled by another
custom large scale integrated (CLSI)
device, called the quad codec chip. Two
quad codec chips in the KSU provide
analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog
conversions, and set up the two-way
connections between Norstar sets and
outside lines.
Other trunk types, as well as additional
trunks that cannot be accommodated by
the quad codec chips in the KSU, are
handled by the remote trunk modules. In
these modules, quad co dec chips provide
the B-channel data; another CLSI- the
trunk signaling chip - interfaces with the
D-channels to provide control capabilities.
Signals received from the trunk
signaling, quad codec, and digital line
multiplexer chips are passed to the time
switch chip . The time switch chip pro
vides the digital circuit switch and
conference-call functions. Each time
switch chip handles 64 B-channels, or
two full 32-channel digital links coming
from the quad codec, trunk signaling, or
digital line multiplexer chips. For Norstar
Modular, expansion cartridges can add
up to three time switch chips to provide
additional serial digital link ports for
connection to station or line modules.
The time switch chips provide
nonblocking connectivity; they are able to
connect the incoming sample stream of
any B-channel to the outgoing stream of
any other B-channel, no matter how many
other connections are already present.
Every voice and data telephone is
assured a fully available path through the
KSU.
The time switch chip also has the
capability to support three-way confer
encing. In this mode, the time switch chip
provides each of the three parties with a
combination of signals from the other two
The time switch chip shares a common
integrated voice/data bus with the system
communications interface chip, a CLSI
device that provides communication with
the Motorola 68000 processor (see Figure
2) The system communications interface
chip allows the processor to write control
data, such as channel numbers or con
nect/disconnect flags, through reserved
timeslots on the common bus, for the time
switch chip to read. In this way, the
processor can instruct the time switch
devices to set up or take down the connec-I
tions between B-channels. The system
communications interface chip also allows
the KSU's processor to read and write (in
point-to-point or broadcast mode) the 0
channel control and signaling messages
for the Norstar sets.
In aMeridian Norstar system, every set and
every line behaves as an independent device,
controlled by aprogram of its own
24 Telesi s 1989 two
indicators on the sets and making the
appropriate connection between the sets.
The KSU then dri ves the hardware to
perform these actions.
Such a monolithic design would not
easily have met the design goals of
flexi bil ity and functionality required for
Meridian Norstar. Consequently, BNR
designers chose to make every set and
every line behave as an independent
device, controlled by a program of its own,
wi th the separate programs communicat
ing with each other by means of high-level
functiona l messages .
For most Norstar sets and lines, the
control programs are similar and require
minimal computing power. Because it
would not have been cost effective to
provide each set with an individual com
puter, all of these control programs share
the processor in the KSU . For more
complex terminals, or those attached to a
personal computer, the terminal can
provide, and run, its own program.
Common programs in the KSU transmit
messages betvveen the separate device
programs. The message distribution works
in the same way, whether the program
resides in the KSU or in one of the termi
nals. The message is first sent to a Mes
sage Agent in the KSU; the Message
Agent then sends the message to all
control programs in the KSU and broad
casts it over the D-channellink to every
terminal (Figure 3) .
A major advantage of this distributed
design is that detai ls of a particular terminal
do not affect the operation of the KSU or
other terminals. Such factors as the
number of keys, the type of display, and
even the use of a computer screen and
keyboard in place of conventional controls
are handled by the control program for the
terminal concerned.
The Norstar system offers several ways
to place calls from one set to another, or
from a set to an outside line. The simplest
method is called Dialed Intercom, where
one Norstar user places a call to another
user simply by picking up the handset and
dialing the Norstar user number - a tvvo- ,
three-, or four-digit code that identifies the
parti cular set to be called.
In a si mple case, the user number is
associated with Just one set. A user
number, however , can also appear on
several sets; a call to that user number will
cause ringing or gi ve a visual indication on
all of those sets, and can be answered at
anyone of the sets. Similarly , a set can be
Figure 3. N!essage handling in functional and stimulus sets '
Emulator
program
. . ~
Meridian Norstar has the flexibility to accommodate both functional and stimulus
telephone sets,
Functional sets contain their own program - to make decisions, send messages, and
present lhe correct features to the user. Functional messages from these sets are sent
over the D-channel to the Functional Message Agent, a software program in the KSU,
The Functional Message Agent, in turn, broadcasts these messages to all sets on the
system, Functional messaging is based on a peer-to-peer exchange of information
betvveen an intelligent terminal and the netvvork.
Stimulus sets, by contrast , communicate with the KSU via stimulus messages. The
first few bytes of a stimulus message carry a distinctive pattern, which is recognized by
the Stimulus Message Agent. The Stimulus Message Agent takes the message out of
the normal stream and sends it directly to the appropriate KSU-resident emulator
program. The program then sends stimulus messages back to the set to acti vate
indicator lamps and tones, and sends functional messages to the Functional Message
Agent, which broadcasts them to all other sets on the system.
Stimulus Message
Agent
Emulator
program
gi ven more than one user number and can
respond to calls on behalf of any user
number allocated to it.
In the conventional design of a tele
phone system, the dialed user number
accesses a common data table, to specify
which sets have that user number. The
Norstar designers, however, wanted to
avoid using a common table because it
would have forced all calls to be mediated
by a central unit. Instead, every Norstar set
is responsible for recognizing its own user
number, or as many different user numbers
as it uses. When a call is originated, the
desired user number is broadcast by the
KSU in message format to all other sets on
the system, and those interested are able
to respond .
As soon as a user answers the call at
one of the respondi ng sets, the calling and
responding sets confirm the operation by
exchanging messages,
Calls going to an outside line are
handled in much the same way. Like the
sets, lines have individual programs, and
each line has a Norstar user number , To
make an outside call, the user presses a
"line" key. The calling set then broadcasts
the line user number , and the appropriate
line program responds. The user can then
dial the digits of the outside telephone
number. The digits are passed to the line
program, which in turn transmits them to
the public network for call setup
Conversely, when an incoming call
arrives, the line program acts as a caller
Within the Norstar system and broadcasts
Continued on p. 28
Te'eSIS 1989 ~ N O 25
Box 2. Meridian Norstar silicon ,',II
The custom large-scale integrated (CLSI)
circuits in Meridian Norstar were the
fundamental vehicle for setting a new
benchmark in digital key telephone
system functionality, while at the same
time keeping costs competitive with
analog systems, Indeed, the silicon
devices were the major way of achieving
the primary design objective - simplicity
for the user, distributor, and manufac
turer,
The silicon, in effect, absorbs the
complexity of the Norstar system's
sophisticated distributed processing
architecture, so that none of that com
plexity filters through to the final product.
In fact , this enabling architecture - the
key to Norstar's flexibility and functionality
- could not have been implemented cost
effectively with only discrete components,
The CLSls enabled Norstar designers
to pack several functions onto single
chips that normally would have resided
on a number of printed circuit boards in a
backplane-oriented package, Linked by
standard high-speed serial digital links
rather than by backplanes, the Norstar
silicon switching core provides a configu
rabie, manufacturable, and installable
design - one that has fewer components,
less physical bulk, and a simpler board
manufacturing process,
Nine proprietary silicon chips are used
in Norstar - six associated with the key
service unit (KSU), and three with the
digital telephone sets and associated
peripherals,
All but one chip - the digital line
multiplexer device - were designed by
BNR specifically for Norstar, using a
3-micron complementary metal oxide
semiconductor (CMOS) technology, The
digital line multiplexer chip - designed
previously by BNR, using a more mature
CMOS process - is also found in other
Northern Telecom products, such as the
Meridian SL -1 Integrated Services
Network,
Of all the Norstar silicon devices, the
digital station-set and quad codec chips
presented the greatest design challenge
because of their mixed analog/digital
functionality and the high level of func
tional integration in each device. The
quad codec chip combines four filter
codecs that previously resided on
separate chips. Similarly, the digital
station-set chip combines four generi c
functions that have traditionally been
provided by discrete components, These
functions are a filter codec, microproces
sor interface, time compression multi
plexing (TCM) interface, and handsfree
control ,
A fundamental challenge in develop
ing these chips, then, was to manage
deSign complexity - a challenge the
Norstar silicon team successfully met by
employing "block prebuild" and "divide
and conquer" strategies,
Designing the digital station-set chip
In the prebui ld strategy, designers first
built a test chip that included the primary
macro functions for the four separate
digital station-set integrated circuit
blocks. Each block was connected to a
common bus and a common standard
data transfer interface. These common
interfaces allowed the design task to be
diVided among four different deSign
primes so that work could proceed in
parallel on each block,
In addition to providing a test vehicle
for the primary functional blocks, the test
chip served as an emulator for debug
ging station-set firmware and hardware,
for defining and optimizing terminal
features, and for conducting early user
trials.
Availability of the test chip, in fact,
allowed the firmware, user interface, and
system definition to be completed by the
time the final hardware was ready, The
success of this design approach was
evident when the first-iteration Versions of
the digital station-set chip were plugged
into the terminal - the silicon, terminal,
and firmware were fully functional.
While the prebuilding strategy helped
designers manage complexity, they still
faced a formidable technical challenge:
to combine noisy digital blocks (the TCM
and microprocessor interface) and
sensitive analog blocks (the filter codec
and handsfree contrOl) on the same
digital station-set chip in a way that would
avoid such unacceptable effects as
crosstalk. Simply put, the task was not
unlike being asked to locate a library and
a stamping factory ,in the same small
building, In Norstar, more than 100-dB
digital -to-analog crosstalk isolation was
required.
The task was further complicated
because a high-density CMOS technology,
compared to the use of available, less
dense technologies, had to be used in
order to pack all of the functions onto a
single chip The use of high-density CMOS
technol ogy, however, reduced the allowed
power - called rail voltage - to 5 volts from
12, reducing analog signal levels by 6 dB.
Because these signals are more sensitive
to noise, methods had to be found to lower
noise levels by a corresponding 6 dJ3.
Meeting these stringent noise and
crosstalk isolation targets was a particu
larly challenging task in designing two of
the four digital station-set chip blocks - the
filter codec with its telephony interface,
and the handsfree control.
In the filter codec, designers had to
overcome the harmful effects of both
intrinsic and digital noise. Intrinsic noise
includes thermal' noise caused by resistive
elements in a circuit, and low-frequency
"flicker" noise caused by the trapping and
release of electrical charge in integrated
circuits. Flicker noise is higher in CMOS
devices, such as bipolar chips, because
the surface is rougher - that is, the surface
of the chip has more traps than bulk silicon
used in other silicon devices,
The Norstar silicon designers tackled
this challenge armed with two techniques.
First, they doubled filter sampling rates,
spreading the noise over a larger band
width . Second, they optimized operational
amplifier input gain stages and designed a
special low-noise amplifier,
The filter codec has to contend with the
high-noise TCM and microprocessor
interface blocks, in addition to intrinsic
noise. These digital blocks operate in the
5-volt range, while the codec works within
a 25-microvolt decision range when
encoding speech samples. Because
switching is very fast at 5 volts, these
digital blocks generate power surges and,
hence, noise.
Several design strategies were imple
mented to overcome the problem of digital
noise. For example, Norstar designers
minimized the use of low frequency
Combining noisy digital blocks with sensitive
analog blocks was similar to locating alibrary
and stamping factoryin the same building
26 Tel esis 1989 two
I.' .' ' .
voiceband signals, such as alerting tones
in the SOO-Hz range. When these signals
had to be used, they were located as far
away as possible from the sensitive analog
circuits in the chip layout.
In addition, sensitive analog compo
nents, such as the filter capacitors, were
shielded from possible substrate or power
supply noise by using special well and
poly resistors.
Finally, codec and filter voltage refer
ences were designed to eliminate possible
power supply rail feedthrough, particularly
at high frequencies where reference buffer
power supply rejection is traditionally poor
Also included in the filter codec block is
a telephony interface, designed to meet
tight feedthrough and crosstalk isolation
specifications between the various
telephony lPaths. The telephony interface
itself required control and gain adjustment
for the handset, headset, speaker, and'
handsfree microphone.
The telephony interface was designed
to provide the capability to change voice
levels to satisfy different types of handsets
or to conform to the various gain adjust
ment plans of different countries. To
achieve flexibility in transducer selection
and international gain plan adjustment, the
final gain stages used external resistors to
set nominal levels and sidetone (the direct
path between transmit and recei ve). With
external resistors, the gain plan can be
changed without having to change the
silicon.
In addition to analog voice signals, the
interface can generate five local tones and
mix them with an independent volume
control . The capability of mi xing pulse
code modulation (PCM) tones allows full
system flexibility, which can be used, for
example, to generate custom tones
required for different international markets.
The second digital station-set device
block - the handsfree control - determines
peak voice levels in both transmit and
receive directions, and sends these levels
in coded form to the handsfree algorithm in
the processor. Handling filtered peak
detection and code conversion in the
silicon frees the processor from the heavy
real-time demands of this task. The
decision to leave the switch mode control
algorithm in the processor provides the
flexibility to make changes to meet
the needs of different markets or different
sets.
The quad filter codec
In contrast to the diverse functions of the
digital station-set chip, the quad codec
line interface combined four identical
functions - filter codecs - on a Single
chip . Although working with just a single
functional block simplified design
management, the design technology
challenges were no less significant
Integration of several filter codecs on
one chip increases the potential for
interchannel crosstalk. While codecs on
separate chips are essentially free of
coupling mechanisms, having inches of
separation and no common supply
impedance, the integrated codecs on the
quad codec chip share substrate and
supply pins, and are only tens of microns
(thousandths of an inch) apart.
Private bmnch exchanges (PBXs), for
instance, require crosstalk isolation of
greater than 75 dB between lines - a
level normally difficult to meet even with
separate filter codecs for each line. The
quad filter codec chip achieves isolations
of more than 85 dB between channels .
Moreover, the high degree of isolation
was attained without having to use
expensive differential filters. The Norstar
designers achieved the same results
through a number of other innovative
methods.
First, as with the digital station-set
device, codec samples were taken
during digitally quiet times. Staggered
digital timing between line circuits,
together with careful selection of analog
sample waveforms, removed much of the
digital crosstalk between lines, as well as
between the receive and transmit paths
within a line circuit .
As with the digital station-set chip,
filter and operational amplifier techniques
were used to reduce codec noise,
sensitive analog parts were located as far
away from one other as possible on the
chip. and highly sensitive nodes were
shielded with well and poly resistors to
minimize the substrate-to-analog path
feedthrough.
In addition, separate power buses-
seven for each of the four codecs in the
quad codec chip - were provided to
eliminate noise that would have come
from a common power supply, To further
isolate the lines, substrate power supply
contacts on the chip were located to
provide maximum isolation between the
anal'og circuits.
High RFI immunity
The Norstar silicon designers' successful
battle against noise and crosstalk cleared
the way for the high-density CMOS
design that provides digital-to-the
desktop functionality at a cost competi
tive with all others on the market, includ
ing lower-performance analog key
telephone systems.
The high level of integration achieved
on the CLSI devices also led to other
benefits. Packing more of the high-speed
circuits and coupling mechanisms within
the silicon rather than on a larger printed
circuit board provided high radio fre
quency interference (RFI) immunity. The
result was a robust and reliable product.
In addition, integration of the handsfree
function with the codec on the digital
station-set chip allowed the hands free
control algorithm to take full advantage of
the codec's wide dynamic range and
noise reduction precautions in setting the
voice levels.
Most importantly, by dealing with the
complexity of the system architecture at
the silicon design level, the CLSI devel
opment enabled the Meridian Norstar
design team to achieve in its primary
goal: simplicity for manufacturers,
installers, and users of the system.
Telesis 1989 two 27
__ Box 3. Meridian Norstar data access
Data-processing applications can be
provided in Meridian Norstar for either
standard or advanced station sets. Two
BNR-developed chips - the data interface
chip and the applications terminal chip
provide access to 8-channels in the key
service unit (KSU).
The data interface device is used in
the Norstar Data Communications
Adapter, which is inserted in the time
compression multiplexing (TCM) path be
tween the KSU and the digital station set.
The Adapter's microprocessor can then
interface to a 8-channel and pass data to
an RS-232 port for connection to a
personal computer or data terminal. This
method of connection offers substantial
simplicity for upgrading a standard
Norstar voice station to give it integrated
voice/data functionality (Diagram A).
The applications terminal chip, used in
advanced telephone sets such as those
with large liquid crystal display (LCD)
panel displays, allows those sets to
interface with the 8-channel, while at the
same time controlling other standard
telephony functions. In the Norstar M7900
set, for example, the applications terminal
chip enables a single Motorola 68000
processor to control B-channel data
access, local terminal functions, handsfree
switching, display graphics, and the
D-channel protocol interface. Use of the
applications terminal chip also allows
these sets to maintain a small footprint
while providing the additional computing
power required for its advanced interfaces
(Diagram B)
CPU 68000 . ' . ; ~ ~ j
. - If - ;'.,. ~ , '
.1, .. "....:... ..
its user number; the appropriate sets can
then respond.
Functional messages
The messages between one Norstar set
and another, or more exactly between the
two sets' controlling programs, are called
functional messages. Communication
occurs through a functional messaging
protocol (FUMP)
The complete FUMP sequence for
setting up a simple call is as follows:
The calling set sends an ORIGINATE
message that includes the originator's
index number and user number, as well as
the called user number. (In addition to its
user number, every set has a separate
index number. The Norstar system uses
the index number when it needs to identify
some particular line or set.)
One or more sets, with appearances of
the called user number, send ALERTING
messages, specifying their own index
number and user number.
When one of the users answers, that set
sends an ACCEPT message. Conceivably,
two or more users might answer at the
. same time, and each set will send an
ACCEPT message.
The originating set chooses one of the
ACCEPT messages, normally the first to
arrive, and sends a SELECT message. The
select message identifies one particular set
by its index number, so that any other sets
that are ringing, or that may have answered
at the same time, can indicate busy or take
other appropriate action.
After the two sets agree to communi
cate, the speech path is set up by the
Network Manager, another software
program in the KSU. The Network Manager
sends control signals to the KSU hardware
- the digital circuit switch - to set up the
required connections between the sets.
The Network Manager responds only
when both the originating and answering
sets send a message to it. This restriction
ensures that a "rogue" set, deliberately or
Distributed processing and broadcast
messaging make it possible for PCs to be
integrated into aMeridian Norstar system
28 Telesi s 1989 two
accidentally introduced into the system,
cannot overhear conversations.
One of the most important advantages
of this distributed processing and broad
cast messaging capability is that personal
computers (PCs) can be integrated into the
system to expand call-processing features
or to add appli cati ons. Personal comput
ers, connected through one of the system's
ports, can interact directly with all aspects
of the Norstar architecture, including call
processing, user interfaces on the sets,
and system administration and mainte
nance To simpl ify the task of designing
new applications and features, BI\JR has
developed a plug-in card and basic
software package for the Pc. (For more
information, see the article on page 4.)
PC integration, together with high
performance CLSls, modularity, common
interfaces, distributed call processing, and
broadcast messaging capabilities, has
enabled Northern Telecom to bring small
to medium-sized businesses all the advan
tages of digital technology at a cost that is
competitive with traditional analog sys
tems Moreover, the Meridian Norstar
system design ensures an extremely intelli
gent communications tool that is simple to
manufacture, distribute, install, and use.
In delivering these capabilities to
customers, Northern Telecom and BNR
have created an architectural platform that
has set a new global standard of excel
lence for key telephone system design.
David Lynch graduated from the
Uni versity of Toronto in 1978 with a BASc.
in applied physics. Following graduation,
he joined the BNR product integrity group
and became invol ved in the testing and
analysis of such Northern Telecom prod
ucts as the Vantage 12, SL-10, and SL-1 . In
1981, Mr . Lynch became a member of the
BNR custom sil icon design group and
designed or co-designed a number of
CMOS devices, including the NTW05 filter
codec and NTX11 digital line multiplexer
devices. In 1985, he assumed responsibil
ity for the CMOS3 terminals macros and
resulting products, such as the quad
codec and digital station-set chips used in
Meridian Norstar. Since 1987, Mr. Lynch
has been manager of an integrated circuit
development group concentrating on
terminal, transmission, and line card mixed
analog/digital components.
Dave Robertson started with BNR as a
student in 1981 , and joined the company
as a full-time staff member in 1983 after
receiving his B.Se. in electrical engineering
from the University of Waterloo (Ontario)
and M.Eng. from Carleton Uni versity
(Ottawa, Ontario) Mr. Robertson worked In
design engineering and management on
several product developments, Including
Vantage, oisplayphone, and MS-1. Most
recentl y, he has filled progressively more
senior roles in the development of Meridian
Norstar and, in 1989, was promoted to
director, terminals and small systems
technology.
Bill Williams graduated with a B.Se. in
mathematics from King's College, Univer
sity of London (England) in 1952. After
service in the Royal Air Force, he joined an
earl y British computer company, Elliott
Brothers, as a programmer and later
worked on radar systems, real-time
process control, discrete simulation
systems, and the design of various
computers. Mr. Williams moved to Canada
in 1974 to join BNR where he became
involved in several projects, including CAD
systems, OMS design, the XMS distributed
processing system, and the oVS Data
Voice System. Formerly director, advanced
products, responsible for some of the early
system design of Meridian Norstar, Mr.
Williams is currentl y a technical director of
BNR's Computing Research Laboratory.
Telesis 989 two 29