Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)

Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) is a digital service designed to run over existing
telephone networks. ISDN can support both data and voice. But ISDN applications require
bandwidth. Typical ISDN applications and implementations include high-speed file transfer,
videoconferencing etc. ISDN is actually a set of communication protocols proposed by
telephone companies that allows them to carry a group of digital services that simultaneously
convey data, text, voice, music, graphics, and video to end users, and it was designed to
achieve this over the telephone systems already in place. ISDN is referenced by a suite of
ITU-T standards that encompass the OSI models Physical, Data Link, and Network layers.
The ISDN standards define the hardware and call-setup schemes for end-to-end digital
connectivity. PPP is typically used with ISDN to provide data encapsulation, link integrity,
and authentication. These are the benefits of ISDN:

Can carry voice, video, and data simultaneously

Has faster call setup than a modem
Has faster data rates than a modem connection

ISDN Components
The components used with ISDN include functions and reference points.

In North America, ISDN uses a two-wire connection into a home or office. That is called a
U reference point. The NT1 device is used to convert the two-wire connection to a fourwire connection that is used by ISDN phones and terminal adapters (TAs). Most routers can

now be purchased with a built-in NT1 (U) interface. Figure below shows the different
reference points and terminal equipment that can be used with Cisco ISDN BRI interfaces.

ISDN Terminals
Devices connecting to the ISDN network are known as terminal equipment (TE) and network
termination (NT) equipment. There are two types of each:
TE1 Terminal equipment type 1 refers to those terminals that understand ISDN standards and
can plug right into an ISDN network.
TE2 Terminal equipment type 2 refers to those that predate ISDN standards. To use a TE2,
you have to use a terminal adapter (TA) to be able to plug into an ISDN network.
NT1 Network termination 1 implements the ISDN Physical layer specifications and connects
the user devices to the ISDN network.
NT2 Network termination 2 is typically a providers equipment, such as a switch or PBX. It
also provides Data Link and Network layer implementation. Its very rare at a customer
premises.
TA Terminal adapter converts TE2 wiring to TE1 wiring that then connects into an NT1
device for conversion into a two-wire ISDN network.

ISDN Reference Points

Reference points are a series of specifications that define the connection between the various
equipment used in an ISDN network. ISDN has four reference points that define logical
interfaces:
R reference point Defines the reference point between non-ISDN equipment (TE2) and a
TA.
S reference point Defines the reference point between the customer router and an NT2.
Enables calls between the different customer equipment.
T reference point Defines the reference point between NT1 and NT2 devices. S and T
reference points are electrically the same and can perform the same function. Therefore, they
are sometimes referred to as an S/T reference point.
U reference point Defines the reference point between NT1 devices and line-termination
equipment in a carrier network. (This is only in North America where the NT1 function isnt
provided by the carrier network.)
ISDN Protocols
ISDN protocols are defined by the ITU, and there are several series of protocols dealing with
diverse issues:

Protocols beginning with the letter E deal with using ISDN on the existing telephone
network.
Protocols beginning with the letter I deal with concepts, aspects, and services.
Protocols beginning with the letter Q cover switching and signaling.

ISDN Switch Types

We can credit AT&T and Nortel for the majority of the ISDN switches in place today, but
additional companies also make them. In the Table given below under Keyword, youll find
the right keyword to use along with the isdn switch-type command to configure a router for
the variety of switches its going to connect to. If you dont know which switch your provider
is using at their central office, simply call them to find out.

Basic Rate Interface (BRI)

ISDN Basic Rate Interface (BRI, also known as 2B+1D) service provides two B channels and
one D channel. The BRI B-channel service operates at 64Kbps and carries data, while the
BRI D-channel service operates at 16Kbps and usually carries control and signaling
information. The D-channel signaling protocol spans the OSI reference models Physical,
Data Link, and Network layers. The D channel carries signaling information to set up and
control calls. The D channel can also be used for other functions like an alarm system for a
building, or anything that doesnt need much bandwidth, since it is only a whopping 16k. D
channels work with LAPD at the Data Link layer. When configuring ISDN BRI, you will
need to obtain SPIDs (Service Profile Identifiers), and you should have one SPID for each B
channel. SPIDs can be thought of as the telephone number of each B channel. The ISDN
device gives the SPID to the ISDN switch, which then allows the device to access the
network for BRI or PRI service. Without a SPID, many ISDN switches dont allow an ISDN
device to place a call on the network. To set up a BRI call, four events must take place:
1.
2.
3.
4.

The D channel between the router and the local ISDN switch comes up.
The ISDN switch uses the SS7 signaling technique to set up a path to a remote switch.
The remote switch sets up the D-channel link to the remote router.
The B channels are then connected end-to-end.

Primary Rate Interface (PRI)

In North America and Japan, the ISDN Primary Rate Interface (PRI, also known as 23B+D1)
service delivers 23 64Kbps B channels and one 64Kbps D channel for a total bit rate of up to
1.544Mbps. In Europe, Australia, and other parts of the world, ISDN provides 30 - 64Kbps B
channels and one 64Kbps D channel for a total bit rate of up to 2.048Mbps.

ISDN with Cisco Routers

Accessing ISDN with a Cisco router means that you will need to purchase either a router with
a built-in NT1 (U reference point) or an ISDN modem (called a TA). If your router has a BRI
interface, youre ready to rock. Otherwise, you can use one of your routers serial interfaces if
you can get a hold of a TA. A router with a BRI interface is called a TE1 (terminal endpoint
1), and one that requires a TA is called a TE2 (terminal endpoint 2). ISDN supports virtually
every upper-layer network protocol (IP, IPX, AppleTalk, you name it), and you can choose
PPP, HDLC, or LAPD as your encapsulation protocol.
For each ISDN BRI interface, you need to specify the SPIDs that are using the isdn spid1 and
isdn spid2 interface subcommands. These are provided by the ISDN provider and identify
you on the switch, sort of like a telephone number. However, some providers no longer
require SPIDs to be configured on the router. Check with your provider to be sure.
The second part of the SPID configuration is the local dial number for that SPID. It is
optional, but some switches need to have those set on the router in order to use both B
channels simultaneously. An example is shown below:
RouterA#config t
Enter configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z.
RouterA(config)#isdn switch-type basic-ne1
RouterA(config)#int bri0
RouterA(config-if)#encap ppp (optional)
RouterA(config-if)#isdn spid1 086506610100 8650661
RouterA(config-if)#isdn spid2 086506620100 8650662
Notes

When configuring ISDN, youll need to know the type of switch that your service
provider is using. To see which switches your router will support, use the isdn switchtype ? Command in global configuration mode or interface configuration mode. You
need to do this because each manufacturer has a proprietary protocol for signaling.

The isdn switch-type command can be configured in either global configuration or

interface configuration mode. Configuring the switch type global will set the switch
type for all BRI interfaces in the router. If you only have one interface, it doesnt
matter where you use the isdn switch-type command.