WebSphere brand IBM WebSphere software for Telecom

Glossary

This glossary contains terms that pertain specifically to the IBM® WebSphere® software for Telecom: IBM WebSphere IP Multimedia Subsystem Connector V6.2, IBM WebSphere Presence Server V7.0, IBM WebSphere Telecom Web Services Server V7.1, and IBM WebSphere XML Document Management Server V7.0.

The glossary also contains relevant terms from the IBM English Terminology Database.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z #

A

Administrative console
A graphical interface that guides the user through systems administration tasks such as deployment, configuration, monitoring, starting and stopping applications, services, and resources.
Application Manager
In Common Desktop Environment (CDE), a window containing objects representing the system actions available to you.
application programming interface (API)
An interface that allows an application program that is written in a high-level language to use specific data or functions of the operating system or another program.

B

C

Call Notification
A Parlay X Web service that notifies Web clients of specific call events established through the SIP protocol for a specific called party. Call Notification supports regular SIP and IMS call flows.
CDMA2000
A set of 3G standards based on earlier 2G CDMA technology.
charge header support vector utility
A utility class that handles Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) messages, for charging interactions.
Charging Collection Function (CCF)
Defined by the 3GPP group as the entity that receives information through Diameter messages pertaining to Charging Data Records.
cluster
A group of servers that are managed together and participate in workload management. See also horizontal cluster, vertical cluster.
code division multiple access (CDMA)
A form of multiplexing where the transmitter encodes the signal using a pseudo-random sequence, which the receiver also knows and can use to decode the received signal. Each different random sequence corresponds to a different communication channel.
common base event
A specification based on XML that defines a mechanism for managing events, such as logging, tracing, management, and business events, in business enterprise applications.
common event infrastructure (CEI)
A core technology of the IBM Autonomic Computing initiative that provides basic event management services, including consolidating and persisting raw events from multiple, heterogeneous sources and distributing those events to event consumers.

D

demilitarized zone (DMZ)
A configuration including multiple firewalls to add layers of protection between a corporate intranet and a public network, like the Internet.

E

Enhanced Data Rate for GSM Evolution (EDGE)
A development of GSM that allows for the faster delivery of advance mobile services such as full multimedia messaging.
Enterprise JavaBeans
A component architecture defined by Sun Microsystems for the development and deployment of object-oriented, distributed, enterprise-level applications.
event state compositor (ESC)
A server that processes PUBLISH requests and is responsible for composing an event state into a complete, composite event state of a resource.

F

frequency division duplex (FDD)
The application of FDMA to separate outbound and returning signals. The uplink and downlink subbands are said to be separated by the "frequency offset."
frequency division multiple access (FDMA)
An access technology that is used by radio systems to share the radio spectrum. The terminology “multiple access” implies the sharing of the resource among users, and “frequency division” describes how the sharing is done by allocating users with different carrier frequencies of the radio spectrum.

G

General Packet Radio Service (GPRS)
A mobile data service available to users of GSM mobile telephones. It is often described as "2.5G." that is, a technology between the second (2G) and third (3G) generations of mobile telephony. It provides moderately fast data transfer by using unused TDMA channels in the GSM network.
Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM)
A second-generation (2G) standard for digital cellular telephone systems, which originated in Europe and is now used in countries across the globe. GSM networks use digital signals and narrowband TDMA, in conformance to a standard developed by the 3GPP, to support voice, data, text, and facsimile transmissions. The world's most popular standard for mobile telephones, GSM service is used by more than 1.5 billion people across more than 210 countries and territories.
Groupe Special Mobile (GSM)
See Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM).

H

home subscriber server (HSS)
The server that manages the database of all subscriber and service data in an IMS network. Parameters include user identity, allocated S-CSCF name, roaming profile, authentication parameters, and service information.
horizontal cluster
A cluster in which the cluster members exist on multiple physical servers, effectively and efficiently distributing the workload of a single instance. Horizontal clustering provides the ability to build in redundancy and failover, to easily add new members to increase capacity, and to improve scalability by adding heterogeneous systems into the cluster. See also vertical cluster.
hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP)
An Internet protocol that is used to transfer and display hypertext and XML documents on the Web. Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS).

I

IMS Application Server (AS)
Defined by the 3GPP to be the functional component that invokes applications (usually SIP applications) that provide services to IMS users.
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
A professional society accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) to issue standards for the electronics industry.
Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)
The task force of the Internet Architecture Board (IAB) that is responsible for solving the short-term engineering needs of the Internet. The IETF consists of numerous working groups, each focused on a particular problem. Internet standards are typically developed or reviewed by individual working groups before they can become standards.
IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS)
A network services architecture defined by 3GPP that enables support for IP multimedia applications based on SIP and IETF Internet protocols. IMS can use a variety of access methods, including wire-line IP, IEEE 802.11, 802.15, CDMA, and packet data transmission systems such as GSM, EDGE, and UMTS.

J

Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE)
An environment for developing and deploying enterprise applications, defined by Sun Microsystems Inc.
Java API for XML-based RPC (JAX-RPC)
A specification that describes application programming interfaces (APIs) and conventions for building Web services and Web service clients that use remote procedure calls (RPC) and XML. JAX-RPC is also known as JSR 101.
Java authentication authorization service (JAAS)
In J2EE technology, a standard API for performing security-based operations. Through JAAS, services can authenticate and authorize users while enabling the applications to remain independent from underlying technologies.
Java Database Connectivity (JDBC)
An industry standard for database-independent connectivity between the Java platform and a wide range of databases. The JDBC interface provides a call-level API for SQL-based and XQuery-based database access.
Java Management Extensions (JMX)
A means of doing management of and through Java technology. Developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc., and other leading companies in the management field, JMX is a universal, open extension of the Java programming language for management that can be deployed across all industries, wherever management is needed.
Java Messaging Service (JMS)
An application programming interface that provides Java language functions for handling messages.
Java Naming and Directory Interface (JNDI)
An extension to the Java platform that provides a standard interface for heterogeneous naming and directory services.
Java virtual machine (JVM)
A software implementation of a central processing unit that runs compiled Java code (applets and applications).

K

L

Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP)
An open protocol that uses TCP/IP to provide access to directories that support an X.500 model and that does not incur the resource requirements of the more complex X.500 Directory Access Protocol (DAP). For example, LDAP can be used to locate people, organizations, and other resources in an Internet or intranet directory.
location generator
The entity that initially determines or gathers the location of the target and creates location objects that describe the location of the target.
location object
An object that conveys location information (and possibly privacy rules) to which Geopriv security mechanisms and privacy rules are to be applied.
location recipient
The entity that receives location information. It might have asked for this location explicitly (by sending a query to a location server), or it might receive this location asynchronously.
location server
an element that receives publications of Location Objects from Location Generators and may receive subscriptions from Location Recipients. An entity that receives location objects published by a location generator, receives queries from location recipients, and applies privacy rules designed by the rule maker, typically the target to whose location information the rules apply.

M

mediation primitives
Program components that can be assembled into customized message-processing flows in conjunction with the IBM WebSphere Telecom Web Services Server (TWSS) Access Gateway.
message-driven bean (MDB)
An enterprise bean that provides asynchronous message support and clearly separates message and business processing.
mixed-media multilink transmission group (MMMLTG)
A multilink transmission group that contains links of different medium types (for example, token-ring, switched SDLC, nonswitched SDLC, and frame-relay links).
MLP
Mobile Location Protocol, an Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) specification.

N

natural language support (NLS)
The ability for a user to communicate with hardware and software products in a language of choice to obtain results that are culturally acceptable.

O

Open Mobile Alliance (OMA)
A standards body that develops open standards for the mobile phone industry.

P

Parlay
A set of specifications for application programming interfaces (APIs) for managing network services such as call control, messaging, and content-based charging.
Parlay Connector
A Parlay Connector is the primary system component of Telecom Web Services Server (TWSS) that provides connectivity to a Parlay gateway by using a distributed communication protocol, most commonly Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA).
Parlay gateway
A server that hosts the service implementations for the Parlay API. The TWSS Parlay Connector communicates with the Parlay gateway over CORBA. The Parlay API consists of various telecom service APIs which provide an abstract interface to network elements deployed in the service provider network. Some TWSS Web service implementations utilize the Parlay Connector to enable using the Parlay API to support the functions exposed as Parlay X Web services.
Parlay X
A set of Web services designed to enable software developers to use telecommunication capabilities in applications.
Presence
A Parlay X Web service that allows client applications to use Web services to subscribe to a presentity, synchronously query the current presence information for a presentity, receive asynchronous notifications about changes in the presence information for a presentity, and unsubscribe from a presentity.
presence agent (PA)
A SIP user agent that is capable of receiving SUBSCRIBE requests, responding to them, and generating notifications of changes in presence state. A presence agent must have knowledge of the presence state of a presentity. This means that it must have access to presence data manipulated by PUAs for the presentity.
presence information
Information comprising one or more presence tuples.
presence server
A service that accepts, stores, and distributes presence information.
presence tuple
A set of data comprising a status, an optional communication address, and optional other presence information.
presence user agent (PUA)
A SIP user agent that manipulates presence information for a presentity. This manipulation can be the side effect of some other action (such as sending a SIP REGISTER request to add a new Contact) or can be done explicitly through the publication of presence documents. A presentity can have one or more PUAs. This means that a user can have many devices (such as a cell phone and personal digital assistant (PDA), each of which is independently generating a component of the overall presence information for a presentity. PUAs push data into the presence system but are outside it; they do not receive SUBSCRIBE messages or send NOTIFY messages.
presentity
A presence entity, a software entity that provides presence information to a presence service.
public switched telephone network (PSTN)
A communications common carrier network that provides voice and data communications services over switched lines.

Q

R

registrar server
An SIP server that keeps track of where a user can be contacted and provides that information to callers. A SIP phone must register its current location with a registrar server to allow calls to be made to it using a phone number or alias. Without a registrar server, the caller would need to know the correct IP address and port of the telephone.
resource list server (RLS)
A server that accepts subscriptions to resource lists and sends notifications to update subscribers of the state of the resources in a resource list.

S

Service Component Architecture (SCA)
A set of specifications, published by the Open Service Oriented Architecture collaboration (OSOA), that describe a model for building applications and systems that builds on Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) specifications.
Service Data Object (SDO)
An open standard for enabling applications to handle data from heterogeneous data sources in a uniform way. SDO incorporates J2EE patterns but simplifies the J2EE data programming model.
Service Policy Manager
A component of WebSphere Telecom Web Services Serverthat provides a storage capability and access mechanism to enable the definition of requesters, services, and subscriptions that associate services with requesters.
service-oriented architecture (SOA)
A conceptual description of the structure of a software system in terms of its components and the services they provide, without regard for the underlying implementation of these components, services and connections between components.
serving-call session control function (S-CSCF)
A server that acts as the central node of the signalling plane in a SIP network to register users and determine routing of messages. The S-CSCF also performs additional functions like providing routing services, enforcing policies, and providing billing information.
servlet
A Java program that runs on a Web server and extends the server's functionality by generating dynamic content in response to Web client requests. Servlets are commonly used to connect databases to the Web.
Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)
An Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) standard protocol for initiating an interactive user session that involves multimedia elements such as video, voice, chat, gaming, and virtual reality.
Short Message Peer-to-Peer Protocol (SMPP)
A telecommunications industry protocol for exchanging Short Message Service (SMS) messages between SMS peer entities such as short message service centers.
Short Message Service (SMS)
A service that is used to transmit text to and from a mobile phone.
Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP)
A lightweight, XML-based protocol for exchanging information in a decentralized, distributed environment. SOAP can be used to query and return information and invoke services across the Internet.
SIP Instant Messaging and Presence Leveraging Extensions (SIMPLE)
An architecture for the implementation of a traditional buddylist-based instant messaging and presence application with SIP.
stateless SIP proxy
A proxy that receives SIP requests and forwards the request to a particular SIP container in a cluster, based on SIP dialog affinity, load balancing, and failover considerations.

T

target
(1) The destination for an action or operation. (2) An entry point into Partner Gateway. It is an instance of a receiver configured for a particular deployment; each target supports documents sent using a single transport type and multiple targets can exist for a given transport type, one for each document format. See also receiver.
Telecom Web Services Access Gateway
Provides policy-driven traffic monitoring, message capture, authorization, and management capabilities. These services are provided at the application layer, and they are enforced for each Web service request using knowledge of the requester, target service, and invoked operation.
WebSphere Telecom Web Services Server (TWSS)
WebSphere Telecom Web Services Server provides a middleware infrastructure for managing Web service access and an environment for hosting Web service API implementations, which provides flexibility for construction of tailored message processing logic in accordance with service provider network policies.
Terminal Location
A component of WebSphere Telecom Web Services Server that enables applications to send Web services requesting the Terminal Location services defined by the Parlay X 2.1 specification, and to register for Terminal Location Notifications.
Third Party Call
A Parlay X Web service that provides the ability to initiate a call from a network entity between two different users or user agents
time division multiple access (TDMA)
A technology for shared-medium (usually radio) networks. It allows several users to share the same frequency by dividing it into different time slots. The users transmit in rapid succession, one after the other, each using their own timeslot. This lets multiple users share the same transmission medium (for example, radio frequency) while using only the part of its bandwidth they require. In radio systems, TDMA is almost always used alongside frequency division multiple access (FDMA) and frequency division duplex (FDD); the combination is referred to as FDMA/TDMA/FDD.

U

Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS)
The third generation mobile telecommunications standard, defined by the ITU, that increases transmission speed to 2 Mbps per mobile user and establishes a global roaming standard.
user agent client (UAC)
In SIP, a client application that initiates the SIP request.

V

vertical cluster
A cluster in which the cluster members exist on a single physical server. Vertical clustering can be an effective way to take full advantage of a multiprocessor server. See also horizontal cluster.

W

W-CDMA (wideband code division multiple access)
A wideband spread-spectrum 3G mobile telecommunication air interface that uses CDMA. W-CDMA is the technology behind UMTS and is one of the interfaces used in cellular networks.
Web Services Description Language (WSDL)
An XML-based specification for describing networked services as a set of endpoints operating on messages containing either document-oriented or procedure-oriented information.
WebSphere Integration Developer (WID)
An integrated development and test environment and can be used as a visual editor when working with WebSphere Telecom Web Services Server mediation primitives to create customized flows.
WebSphere software for Telecom (WsT)
An IBM product suite that extends the industry leading WebSphere Application Server platform to deliver a fully IMS standards-compliant SIP application server, helping customers develop and deploy IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) compliant applications.

X

XCAP server
An HTTP server that acts as a repository for collections of XML documents. It manipulates user data such as authorization policy, resource list, and other XML resources and provides access to these resources through the HTTP protocol.
XML Configuration Access Protocol (XCAP)
An IETF specification (RFC 4825) that allows a client to read, write, and modify application configuration data stored in XML format on a server.
XML Document Management (XDM)
An OMA specification for accessing and manipulating XML documents that are stored in repositories in a network. Using XDM, an application can work with individual XML elements and attributes instead of entire documents. The XDM specification is based on the IETF XML Configuration Access Protocol (XCAP).

Y

Z

Numerics

3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)
A collaboration agreement established in December 1998 through which ETSI (Europe), ARIB/TTC (Japan), CCSA (China), ATIS (North America), and TTA (South Korea) are making a globally applicable third-generation (3G) mobile phone system specification within the scope of the ITU's IMT-2000 project. 3GPP specifies the standards for UMTS.
3rd Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2)
A collaboration agreement established in December 1998 through which ARIB/TTC (Japan), CCSA (China), TIA (North America), and TTA (South Korea) are making a globally applicable third-generation (3G) mobile phone system specification within the scope of the ITU's IMT-2000 project. 3GPP2 specifies the standards for CDMA2000.



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