Aculab, a leading provider of enabling technology for the communications market

GroomerII is offered as a cost-effective, signalling and media gateway for any telco or service provider function where there is a need for IP and TDM voice network interconnectivity. It enables the delivery of today's revenue generating, IP-based services into SS7 or legacy CAS and PRI networks. In addition, it can be used as a powerful protocol converter between multiple TDM protocols including DPNSS and Q.SIG. Because GroomerII is an adaptable, integrated appliance, it can be readily used for many IP and TDM gateway functions.

Compliance tested gateway

GroomerII is a reliable, compliance tested gateway solution that can be used to add new voice services, extend existing infrastructure, and reduce costs in support of a migration strategy to an all IP architecture. In short, GroomerII is a powerful and adaptable problem solver.

Scalable, rackmount signalling and media gateway configurations offer essential redundancy, with transcoding, protocol conversion, ODBC database connectivity, call balancing, and a myriad of call routing features for all supported protocols - whether CAS, DPNSS, H.323, ISDN PRI, Q.SIG, SIP or SS7.

An ideal solution

In GroomerII, a broad spectrum of users - equipment manufacturers, resellers, systems integrators, service providers and carriers - have the ideal solution for their TDM-to-TDM and TDM-to-IP protocol conversion and media gateway requirements.

As an adaptable, integrated appliance, GroomerII has no peers when it comes to looking for a resilient and reliable, tried and tested signalling and media gateway or protocol converter that can be deployed practically anywhere in the world.

For an overview of supported IP and TDM protocols, click here

Click here for more detail information on GroomerII, or to view the GroomerII datasheet please click here.

If you wish to discuss your gateway needs, please talk to your Account Manager or email sales@aculab.com

Your needs are great

There has always been a need for protocol conversion to enable inter-working between incompatible systems. Whether this has been from Q.931-based ISDN protocols like Q.SIG or DPNSS for ACD and contact centre systems, or from legacy CAS protocols, such as MFC R2 or T1RBS, enabling the connection of enterprise PBXs to service provider's ISDN networks, the need has been consistent and ongoing. Now, with a proliferation of H.323 and SIP networks and endpoints to interconnect, there remains a long term need for signalling and media gateways between elements of fixed and mobile networks.

Product benefits

• GroomerII provides many gateway routing features otherwise available only by using a separate softswitch or media gateway controller, making it an extremely adaptable problem solver
• A signalling and media gateway alternative to maintaining expensive, bespoke PBX solutions for service interconnection
• GroomerII can be used to extend the capability of existing TDM or IP infrastructure, reduce cost and help to deliver added value, revenue generating services
• Aculab's media gateways enable service providers to cost-effectively connect hosted SIP-based service delivery platforms to the SS7-based PSTN/PLMN
• Media gateways can be used to add IP functionality to an existing PBX/ACD or connect an IP-PBX to an SS7 or ISDN PRI network
• A resilient and reliable, tried and tested protocol converter that can be deployed practically anywhere in the world due to the wide range of available protocols and approvals
• Much more than a commodity media gateway, GroomerII offers many essential call routing features, such as: CLI or DDI-based (ANI/DNIS) routing; numbering plans, translation and portability; fallback routing; black/white lists; an ODBC interface; and dual redundant SS7 signalling

If you wish to discuss your gateway needs, please talk to your Account Manager or email sales@aculab.com

Typical deployments

GroomerII is typically deployed as a signalling and media gateway between public or private networks and hosted IP platforms, contact centre switches, IP call managers or PBXs with disparate TDM or IP interfaces. Aculab gateways allow you to connect your TDM equipment to IP networks or connect your hosted IP-based service platforms to circuit switched networks. GroomerII provides a dependable, compliance tested media gateway solution for interconnecting not only TDM protocols, but also for connecting to H.323 and SIP networks and equipment, such as IP-PBXs from Siemens and Avaya.

Call routing

Aculab's gateways perform signalling protocol conversion to set up a call between two remote endpoints and also simultaneously provide the routing and media path conversion between a TDM stream and IP/UDP/RTP. This functionality is a composition of key elements found in the IMS architecture and is the reason that GroomerII is described as a stand-alone appliance.

The call routing capability of GroomerII is a feature that underlines its adaptability, enabling the resolution of many problem scenarios. The integral call manager offers innumerable routing options and an ODBC database interface further extends its capability for routing on selected parameters. Routing can be based on various factors such as CLI or DDI (ANI/DNIS) numbers, SIP Proxy, IP address, TDM numbering plans, and black/white lists. Fallback routing, number translation and portability are also offered as is call concentration from multiple trunks. When connected to a hosted IP service platform, for example, GroomerII also provides outgoing SIP call balancing.

Resilient configurations

Operating in a dual chassis redundant SS7 signalling configuration using 'A' or 'F' links, several GroomerIIs can present a single network point code and independently handle large volumes of media conversions between SS7 and IP. Scalable hardware configurations offer from 1 to 40 E1/T1 trunks in 1U and 6U 19" rackmount models, both with SNMP and high availability, redundant, hot swap PSUs and RAID HDD as standard, to meet the needs of the most demanding users. Compliance tested with Siemens' HiPath 8000 and Avaya's Communication Manager using several protocols, including ISDN, SS7, H.323 and SIP, GroomerII can be readily customised for a variety of application requirements.