TC400 Series Manual
TC400 Series Manual
TC400 Series Manual
TCE400/TC400B
User Manual
601-00007 Rev. B
Digium, Inc.
445 Jan Davis Drive NW
Huntsville, AL 35806
United States
Main Number: 1.256.428.6000
Tech Support: 1.256.428.6161
U.S. Toll Free: 1.877.344.4861
Sales: 1.256.428.6262
www.digium.com
www.asterisk.org
www.asterisknow.org
Digium, Inc. has made every effort to ensure that the instructions contained in this document
are adequate and error free. The manufacturer will, if necessary, explain issues which may
not be covered by this documentation. The manufacturer’s liability for any errors in the
documents is limited to the correction of errors and the aforementioned advisory services.
This document has been prepared for use by professional and properly trained personnel,
and the customer assumes full responsibility when using it.
Adobe and Acrobat are registered trademarks, and Acrobat Reader is a trademark of Adobe
Systems Incorporated.
Asterisk and Digium are registered trademarks and Asterisk Business Edition, AsteriskNOW,
AsteriskGUI, and Asterisk Appliance are trademarks of Digium, Inc.
Any other trademarks mentioned in the document are the property of their respective owners.
Chapter/
Title Description
Appendix
User Cautions
Power Source.
The outlet should be installed near the equipment and be easily
accessible.
Applying Power.
Use only the power cord, power supply, and/or batteries indicated in
the manual. Do not dispose of batteries in a fire. The may explode.
Check with local codes for special disposal instructions.
Installation
This card is for use only with compatible UL Listed computers that
have Installation Instructions detailing installation of card cage
accessories.
Servicing.
Do not attempt to service this card unless specifically instructed to do
so. Do not attempt to remove the card from your equipment while
power is present. Refer servicing to qualified service personnel.
Chapter 1
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
What is Asterisk®? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Asterisk as a Switch (PBX) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Asterisk as a Gateway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Asterisk in the Call Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Asterisk in the Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Asterisk Everywhere . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Chapter 2
Card Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Unpacking the Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Shipment Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Slot Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Hardware Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Software Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Installing DAHDI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Installing Asterisk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Chapter 3
Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Chapter 4
Questions and Answers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Appendix A
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Appendix B
Glossary and Acronyms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
The TC400 Series cards decompress G.729a (8.0 Kbit) or G.723.1 (5.3
Kbit and 6.3 Kbit) into u-law or a-law; or, compress u-law or a-law into
G.729a (8.0 Kbit) or G.723.1 (5.3 Kbit and 6.3 Kbit). The TC400 Series
cards are rated to handle up to 120 bi-directional G.729a transformations
or 92 bi-directional G.723.1 transformations. The TC400 Series cards do
not require additional licensing fees for the use of these codecs nor do
Features:
120 channels of bi-directional G.729a (8 Kbit) transcoding
or
92 channels of bi-directional G.723.1 (5.3 Kbit and 6.3 Kbit) transcoding
What is Asterisk®?
Asterisk is the world’s leading open source telephony engine and tool kit.
Offering flexibility unheard of in the world of proprietary
communications, Asterisk empowers developers and integrators to create
advanced communication solutions...for free. Asterisk is released as open
source under the GNU General Public License (GPL), and it is available
for download free of charge. Asterisk is the most popular open source
software available, with the Asterisk Community being the top influencer
in VoIP.
Asterisk as a Gateway
It can also be built out as the heart of a media gateway, bridging the
legacy PSTN to the expanding world of IP telephony. Asterisk’s modular
architecture allows it to convert between a wide range of communications
protocols and media codecs.
Asterisk Everywhere
Asterisk has become the basis for thousands of communications
solutions. If you need to communicate, Asterisk is your answer. For more
information on Asterisk visit http://www.asterisk.org or http://
www.digium.com.
Shipment Inspection
The following items are included in the shipment of the TC400 Series
card:
A TC400B or TCE400 card
Caution.
Only qualified service personnel should continue with hardware
installation and configuration of the TC400 Series card. Users
should not attempt to perform these functions. This card is for
use in Listed I.T.E. (information technology equipment) only.
TC400M
voice
processing
module
Keyed for
3.3 or 5 volt PCI
Slot Compatibility
Check the type of card you received to be sure it is compatible with your
PCI slot. To determine which slot you have, identify it by comparing it to
those shown in the figure below.
Slot Number:
0: AGP Pro Slot
1: 64-bit 5.0 volt PCI Slot
2: 64-bit 3.3 volt PCI Slot
3: 32-bit 5.0 volt PCI Slot
4: PCI Express Slot
Slots
The TC400B is a 32-bit 33MHz card keyed for universal 3.3 volt or 5.0
volt operation and works in any PCI 2.2 (or greater) compliant slot. This
means that in the motherboard shown in Figure 5, the TC400B card will
fit into Slots 1, 2, or 3 (PCI slots) but will not fit into Slot 0 (AGP slot).
The TCE400 card is a PCI Express card. Slot 4, illustrated above, is a 1
lane (X1) PCI Express compliant slot. The TCE400 will work in any PCI
Express compliant slot, including lane lengths X1, X4, X8, and X16. This
means that in the motherboard shown in Figure 5, the TCE400 will only
fit into Slot 4. The TCE400 can not be used in Slots 0 through 3.
Hardware Installation
1. Power down your computer and unplug it from its power source.
2. Attach a static strap to your wrist and open the case.
3. Remove the bracket place holder and insert the card into the PCI or
PCI Express slot. See Figure 6.
Software Installation
Digium hardware requires drivers and libraries that are not integrated
with the Linux kernel. Digium hardware is only supported under Linux.
Digium recommends CentOS, Debian, Red Hat, and Ubuntu distributions
of Linux. However, many other distributions are supported by Digium
Technical Support.
Digium’s software, including drivers and application software, may be
obtained from Digium’s download server at:
http://downloads.digium.com
For an introduction to Asterisk, Digium’s telephony software, including
additional information on its configuration, setup, and features, please
refer to:
http://www.asterisk.org
For the latest information on setting up and configuring DAHDI drivers
for your Digium hardware product, please refer to the latest release of this
manual which is available from the product-specific documentation
section at:
http://www.digium.com
It is recommended that you use the most recent version of the Asterisk
and DAHDI software for the best results. If you have previously installed
either of these, Digium recommends that you upgrade to the latest “-
current” version of each.
Note: If you are using the 1.4.x series of Asterisk, you will need
Asterisk 1.4.22 or newer.
Installing DAHDI
1. Download the latest DAHDI drivers with tools. DAHDI is available
for download from:
http://downloads.digium.com/pub/telephony/dahdi-linux-complete
# wget http://downloads.digium.com/pub/telephony/
dahdi-linux-complete/dahdi-linux-complete-current.
tar.gz
2. Expand the downloaded file, compile its contents, and install the
drivers and tools. Substitute the version of DAHDI for the X.X.X in
the command lines below.
3. Load DAHDI drivers into the kernel using the modprobe utility. The
appropriate driver for a TC400 Series card is wctc4xxp.
# modprobe wctc4xxp
4. Confirm that the card was started successfully by running the dmesg
command.
# dmesg
dahdi_transcode: Loaded.
wctc4xxp: tc400b0: Attached to device at 0000:00:0a.0.
wctc4xxp: tc400b0: (G.729a / G.723.1) Transcoder support LOADED (firm ver
= 6.12)
wctc4xxp: tc400b0: Installed a Wildcard TC: Wildcard TC400P+TC400M
dahdi_transcode: Registered codec translator 'DTE Encoder' with 92
transcoders (srcs=0000000c, dsts=00000101)
dahdi_transcode: Registered codec translator 'DTE Decoder' with 92
transcoders (srcs=00000101, dsts=0000000c)
Installing Asterisk
If you wish to use Asterisk with your new hardware, you can follow the
instructions below.
1. Download the latest release version of Asterisk, either 1.4.22 (or later)
or 1.6.0.1 (or later). Substitute the version of Asterisk for the X.X in
the command below. Asterisk is available for download from:
http://downloads.digium.com/pub/telephony/asterisk
# wget http://downloads.digium.com/pub/telephony/
asterisk/asterisk-X.X-current.tar.gz
2. Expand the downloaded file, compile its contents, and install the
application. Substitute the version of Asterisk for the X.X and X.X.X
in the command lines below.
3. If this is the first Asterisk installation on this system, you should install
the sample configuration files. To do this, run:
# make samples
If your installation has failed, it may be because you are missing one
or more of the build dependencies, the kernel headers, or the
development tools. Please contact your reseller where the card was
purchased, or call Digium Technical Support (+1.256.428.6161) for
assistance.
Note: Complete instructions for installing Asterisk are available at
www.asterisk.org.
mode = g723: This option will enable 92 calls of G.723.1 (5.3 Kbit and
6.3 Kbit)
# asterisk -vvvvc
2. Verify that the TC400 Series is registered with Asterisk by issuing the
following command on the Asterisk CLI.
timing device, you can use the dahdi_dummy kernel module to serve as
one. The dahdi_dummy kernel module can be loaded by executing
modprobe dahdi_dummy.
Physical.
Size: 4.69” × 2.52” × 0.63” (11.9 x 6.4 x 1.6 cm)
PCB size, does not include the PCI bracket
Weight: 2.5 oz (70.9 gm)
Interfaces.
PCI Bus (TC400B): 3.3V or 5V bus slot, half-length slot minimum
size, 33MHz minimum bus speed, compliant with PCI 2.2 or
greater.
PCI-E Bus (TCE400) - Compliant with PCI-E X1 1.0 or greater.
Environment.
Temperature: 0 to 50° C (32 to 122° F) operation
-20 to 65° C (4 to 149° F) storage
Humidity: 10 to 90% non-condensing
Supported Codecs.
G.729a (8.0 Kbit)
G.723.1 (5.3 Kbit and 6.3 Kbit)
μ-law (u-law)
α-law (a-law)
Model Power
TC400B
3.3V 0 Watts
5V 4 Watts
12V 0 Watts
TCE400
3.3V 0 Watts
5V 4 Watts
12V 5 Watts
a-law
Mainly used in European telephone networks for the conversion between
analog and digital signals in PCM applications. Similar to the North
American mu-law standard. Refer to G.711 on page 38 and mu-law on
page 43.
asynchronous
Not synchronized; not timed to an outside clock source. Transmission is
controlled by start bits at the beginning and stop bits at the end of each
character. Asynchronous communications are often found in internet
access and remote office applications.
attenuation
The dissipation of a transmitted signal’s power as it travels over a wire.
bandwidth
The capacity to carry traffic. Higher bandwidth indicates the ability to
transfer more data in a given time period.
bit
The smallest element of information in a digital system. A bit can be
either a zero or a one.
broadband
Broadband transmission shares the bandwidth of a particular medium
(copper or fiber optic) to integrate multiple signals. The channels take up
different frequencies on the cable, integrating voice, data, and video over
one line.
channel
A generic term for an individual data stream. Service providers can use
multiplexing techniques to transmit multiple channels over a common
medium.
Cat5
Category of Performance for wiring and cabling. Cat 5 cabling support
applications up to 100 MHz.
Cat5E
Category of Performance for wiring and cabling. Category 5 Enhanced
wiring supports signal rates up to 100 MHz but adheres to stricter quality
specifications.
CO central office
The CO houses local switching equipment. All local access lines in a
particular geographic area terminate at this facility (which is usually
owned and operated by an ILEC).
E1
The European equivalent of North American T1, transmits data at 2.048
Mbps, up to 32 voice channels (DS0s).
E3
The European equivalent of North American T3, transmits data at 34.368
Mbps, up to 512 voice channels (DS0s). Equivalent to 16 E1 lines.
full duplex
Data transmission in two directions simultaneously.
G.711
A recommendation by the Telecommunication Standardization Sector
(ITU-T) for an algorithm designed to transmit and receive mulaw PCM
voice and A-law at a digital bit rate of 64 Kbps. This algorithm is used for
digital telephone sets on digital PBX.
G.723.1
A recommendation by the Telecommunication Standardization Sector
(ITU-T) for an algorithm designed to transmit and receive audio over
telephone lines at 6.3 Kbps or 5.3 Kbps.
G.729a
A recommendation by the Telecommunication Standardization Sector
(ITU-T) for an algorithm designed to transmit and receive audio over
telephone lines at 8 Kbps.
H.323
A recommendation by the Telecommunication Standardization Sector
(ITU-T) for multimedia communications over packet-based networks.
interface
A point of contact between two systems, networks, or devices.
Linux
A robust, feature-packed open source operating system based on Unix
that remains freely available on the internet. It boasts dependability and
offers a wide range of compatibility with hardware and software. Asterisk
is supported exclusively on Linux.
loopback
A state in which the transmit signal is reversed back as the receive signal,
typically by a far end network element.
multiplexing
Transmitting multiple signals over a single line or channel. FDM
(frequency division multiplexing) and TDM (time division multiplexing)
are the two most common methods. FDM separates signals by dividing
the data onto different carrier frequencies, and TDM separates signals by
interleaving bits one after the other.
MUX multiplexer
A device which transmits multiple signals over a single communications
line or channel. See multiplexing.
RJ11
A six-pin jack typically used for connecting telephones, modems, and fax
machines in residential and business settings to PBX or the local
telephone CO.
T1
A dedicated digital carrier facility which transmits up to 24 voice
channels (DS0s) and transmits data at 1.544 Mbps. Commonly used to
carry traffic to and from private business networks and ISPs.
T3
A dedicated digital carrier facility which consists of 28 T1 lines and
transmits data at 44.736 Mbps. Equivalent to 672 voice channels (DS0s).
telco
A generic name which refers to the telephone companies throughout the
world, including RBOCs, LECs, and PTTs.
twisted pair
Two copper wires commonly used for telephony and data
communications. The wires are wrapped loosely around each other to
minimize radio frequency interference or interference from other pairs in
the same bundle.
u-law
Also known as mu law, is the PCM quasi-logarithmic curve. It is the 64
Kbps standard North America voice amplitude sample used for
encoding/decoding.
V volts