Open Source for Open Telecom

Advancing CompactPCI and PC-based Telecommunications

This site is devoted to Open Source (tm) software for computer telephony, specifically focusing on hot-swap and circuit switching capabilities for systems built with CompactPCI and the H.110 CT Bus.

CompactPCI is a standard for rugged PCI-based computers produced by the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturer's Group (PICMG). Despite a rugged industrial form-factor, CompactPCI equipment is electrically and software compatible with desktop PCI computers. H.110 is a telecom bus defined by the Enterprise Computer Telephony Forum (ECTF) for the transport and switching of telecom data streams (typically n x 64 kbps) between cards in a CompactPCI chassis. The H.110 bus has a counterpart for desktop PCs called the H.100 bus.

The current standards were adopted early in 1998 and first products appeared in 1998. While early products have been electrically and mechanically compatible, little software exists to allow developers to take advantage of the new capabilities. We seek to solve that problem and foster the growth of computer telephony based on CompactPCI and H.100/110.

What's Here_

Initial software contributions have come from Natural MicroSystems, Lucent Technologies and Telgen.

Natural MicroSystems has released, free of charge:

  • The complete source code for the core of their CT Access product including those portions that might be of use to manufacturers of complementary or competitive board-level products. CT Access is a proven software infrastructure for managing and accessing board-level resources in a computer telephony system. CT Access is already used in support of a variety of middleware and applications throughout the CT industry.
  • The entire source code for the CT Access Point-to-Point Switching (PPX) service and the CT Access basic switching service.
  • The entire source code for the CT Access Hot Swap service.
  • Complete source code of the device drivers for various Natural MicroSystems boards. This code exposes the driver-level support needed for hot swap and switching, and is provided to help other board developers make their products hot-swap and switching capable.
  • Operating System specifics for Windows NT, Solaris, Unixware and Linux. The Linux port is a work in progress - see projects - but initial code is available now.
Lucent Technologies and Telgen have release, free of charge:
  • The complete source code for the device driver for the T8100 Design Kit from Lucent Technologies Microelectronics Group.
  • Complete source code for a switching exerciser program, T8100 debug utility and a telecom demo, all for Windows NT.

Is This Useful with Regular PCs_

CompactPCI computers are software-compatible with desktop PCs (except for the extra ability to "hot-swap" boards while the computer is running). Obviously the hot-swap software will not be directly useful in desktop PC applications. However, all of the circuit switching that applies to the H.110 telecom bus also works with desktop systems using the H.100 bus or earlier telecom buses such as the MVIP Bus from the Global Organization for Multi-Vendor Integration Protocol (GO-MVIP).

What is OpenTelecom_

OpenTelecom is a loose consortium of individuals and companies interested in using widely available computer technology to build new telecommunications equipment and services. Everything shared at this site is Open Source (tm). Our immediate focus in on software for "Hot Swap" and for "Telecom Circuit Switching" in systems built with CompactPCI and desktop PC computers. For now, this web site is being subsidized by Natural MicroSystems.

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Last updated
1999.07.23
13:42

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