ABSTRACT: Issue 4 of GR-2878, Generic Requirements for CCS Nodes Supporting ATM High-Speed Signaling Links, replaces GR-2878, Issue 3, November 1998. GR-2878 provides the Telcordia view of proposed generic requirements for 1.5 Megabit-per-second (Mb/s) Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) High-Speed Signaling Links (HSLs) implemented at Local Exchange Carrier (LEC) narrowband Common Channel Signaling (CCS) network nodes. The HSLs described in this document shall use the ATM and Signaling ATM Adaptation Layer (SAAL) protocols currently defined for signaling channels in the Broadband Integrated Services Digital Network (B-ISDN) environment for their data-link and link-layer functions, respectively, and Level 3 of the Signaling System No. 7 (SS7) protocol's Message Transfer Part (MTP) at the network layers. These links shall be implemented over dedicated DS1-rate (1.544 Mb/s) physical-layer transmission link facilities.

The generic requirements provided in GR-2878 cover the SS7 protocol and message handling functions and operations capabilities applicable to Signaling Transfer Points (STPs) and CCS end nodes (i.e., including CCS Switching Offices (CCS SOs), Service Switching Points (SSPs), and Service Control Point (SCP) nodes) that implement 1.5-Mbps HSLs. In this document, an instance of these network elements is referred to generally as an HSL network element (HSL NE).

Issue 4 of GR-2878 incorporates clarifications, revisions, and corrections to the generic criteria published in Issue 3, as well as to introduce new functional requirements, based on funder and industry input.

Principle revisions concern new requirements and objectives clarifying criteria for the HSL NE's use of Normal Link Set Activation versus Emergency Link Set Restart procedures, as defined under the SS7 protocol, which determine whether normal or emergency proving is used on the activation or restoration of individual HSLs.

For a detailed list of the substantive revisions, please refer to Section 1.6.4 of this document.