ACB56 Interface Card

The ACB56 cards are single V.35 56/64kbps synchronous cards manufactured by SeaLevel Systems and distributed by ICS. The figure below shows a picture of the ACB56 card.

(Click image to enlarge.)

Driver

The driver for the ACB56 card rpovides, CH, SDL or SDT access to the card. The CH or SDL driver places the Zilog part into transparent mode and passes octets directly off the line to the channel or signalling data link driver. The SDT driver places the Zilog part into HDLC mode and performs SS7 HDLC using the Zilog SCC. The SDT driver performs better, of course, than the CH or SDL drivers, however, the Zilog SCC HDLC is incapable of performing some SS7 functions that are provided by the OpenSS7 SDT (SS7-HDLC) module for the CH or SDL drivers.

Features

Following are some features of the ACB56 card:

1 x V.35 56 kbps or 64 kbps synchronous port on DB-25 connector.
DB-25 to N-type cable available.
56 kbps or 64 kbps DTE mode.
56 kbps DCE mode.
Based on Zilog 80585 Serial Communications Controller (SCC).
ISA Bus.
Supports dual-channel ISA DMA.
Also suppots RS-232C although not usefule for SS7.

Advantages

Following are the advantages of the ACB56 card:

Provides V.35 interface where necessary.

The ACB56 card has few advantages. It only provides low-cost V.35 interface where absolutely necessary. Any other V.35 capable card might be a better choice.

Disadvantages

Following are the disadvantages of the ACB56 card:

ISA bus.
Low density.
Limited number of cards per host due to ISA IRQ and DMA limitations.
Needs external CSU/DSU.
Does not support TDM voice channels.

Due to its disadvantages for SS7 applications, another V.35 card (PCI or cPCI based, higher density, integrated CSU/DSU) should be considered where V.35 interface is completely necessary.

Most SS7 applications do not have a requirement for V.35 interface and this card is not used on the most deployment platforms. If V.35 interface becomes a requirement at a later date, a different card will be selected. The selected card will have a higher density, PCI with PCI DMA and bus-mastering, integrated CSU/DSU, and other features absent from the ACB56 card.

Disclaimer

Note: Some of the information in this hardware selection guide may be incomplete, incorrect, out of date, or inconsistent with the vendor's actual offerings. Also note that this hardware selection guide does not constitute an endorsement of anyone's product or service. The authors of the OpenSS7, their sponsors, agents and representatives will not take responsibility in it.

Please use good business sense when considering any vendor's products and consult with the individual vendor before making any decisions. Please do, however, investigate the product and service offerings of the sponsors listed on our Sponsors page: it is through your support of our sponsors that the OpenSS7 Project exists and is funded to continue.