The Avaya S8700 Media Server is offered in two major configurations: IP-Connect and Multi-Connect.
This setup typically sends control signals over the corporate LAN, using the customer's in-place Ethernet equipment. A total of 16,000 endpoints are supported: up to 12,000 IP endpoints and up to 4,000 DCP or analog endpoints. Configuration considerations include:
Reliability: This configuration supports only duplex reliability. This means that there are always two Avaya media servers, where one is active (handling call-processing) and the other is on standby, being updated constantly to take over operations if the active server's performance ever becomes impaired. See S8700IP-Connect duplex configuration for details.
Port networks: This configuration supports only Avaya G600 media gateways (formerly known as IP600 rack-mounted cabinets) in its port network.
Up to 4 media gateways can be stacked to form a port network. Each port network must contain a TN2312 Internet Protocol Server Interface (IPSI) circuit pack.
Each of media gateway can hold up to 10 circuit packs. A TN2302 IP Media Processor board is required per gateway; the other slots are filled as needed to provide the desired services.
The S8700 IP-Connect
configuration may be set up to send its control signals over a private
LAN. The configuration in this case looks identical to that of a S8700
Multi-Connect Duplex Configuration, except that only Avaya G600 media
gateways are supported in the port network.
This setup features a private LAN for control signaling. It supports up to 36,000 endpoints, 12,000 of which may be IP endpoints. Configuration considerations include:
Reliability options supported:
The S8700 Multi-Connect duplex configuration provides duplex server reliability identical to that used for the IP-connect configuration above.
The high-reliability option includes duplex server reliability, and also duplicates the control network components (the Ethernet switches and the IPSI circuit packs).
The critical-reliability option includes the duplicated server and control-network reliability of the high-reliability option, but also duplicates the bearer network components (the Expansion Interface or Asynchronous Transfer Mode circuit packs in the port networks).
Port networks supported:
up to 44 port networks if a Center Stage Switch (CSS) is used for the bearer network
up to 64 port networks if an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) setup is used for the bearer network
non-IPSI connected port networks. These port networks require an Expansion Interface (EI) board to connect them to a port network that contains an IPSI. Control signals for the non-IPSI connected port networks are sent over the bearer network for these port networks.
S8700 IP Connect duplex configuration
S8700 Multi-connect duplex configuration
S8700 Multi-connect high-and critical-reliability configuration