This Technical Report defines an architectural framework suitable as a basis for the development of standards in the area of Computer- Supported Telecommunications Applications (CSTA). This edition of the report introduces a client-server Architectural Model and defines an Operational Model of the Switching Function acting as the server. This model is used as a basis for the definition of Switching Function Services.
This architectural framework is focused on the provision of an application interface between a Switching Function and a Computing Function. This application interface is not specified as being associated with a specific user-network interface or network-network interface. Hence the CSTA interface does not have to exist in the same physical interface as the objects with which it interacts.
Therefore, CSTA is not intended to incorporate direct support for the user-to-network interface.
Applications may incorporate support of user-to-network interfaces separately from CSTA but this is not within the scope of CSTA.
The definitions of an Operational Model for the Computing Function and the related Computing Function Services are provisional and will be completed in a future edition of the report.
Within the scope of the Operational Model embracing the Switching Function as server this edition of the report covers the following subject areas:
- types of CSTA application currently envisioned;
- overall system operational and functional requirements met within the framework;
- a functional architecture as it relates to a Telecommunications Application environment viewed as a whole;
- types of CSTA configurations envisaged;
- an operational architecture defined in terms of the Switching Function objects visible to, and capable of being acted on, by the Computing Functions;
- the individual Switching Function Services needed to support the CSTA applications envisaged;
- examples of some possible state transition scenarios as they relate to the Switching Function server interface to the Computing Function;
- the distribution of CSTA application functionality between the Switching and Computing Functions;
- Application Layer structure;
- the interconnection architectures existing to support the Application layer structure; and
- security and management within a distributed CSTA application domain.