GL Announces Fax Testing Solutions over IP, TDM and PSTN Networks

Welcome to another December 2014 issue of GL Communications' newsletter providing information and insight into our comprehensive Fax Testing Solutions over IP, TDM and PSTN networks.

Fax Emulation Analysis

Overview

Despite rapid advancements in communication technology, fax transmission continues to hold its ground as dominant form of communication over a wide variety of wired and wireless networks.

According to some reports, fax transmission has actually increased.  Long considered a workhorse in the office, a dedicated fax machine offers the simplicity of feeding a document "as is" and dialing and transmitting to an unattended destination - features that are hard to beat. Also, fax transmission is now being done by PCs with built in text scanners and modems.  Fax transmission is so vital that any new technology must address ways and means of transporting it i.e. Fax over IP (FoIP) and Fax over wireless networks.

So fax is here to stay for the foreseeable future.  To successfully deploy fax services requires extensive network design, test and traffic engineering.  Test equipment can prove valuable in this process, if it can:

  • Generate and receive fax signals in bulk over wired and wireless networks,
  • Monitor and distinguish fax signals in real time for traffic engineering and network design purposes,
  • Analyze fax signals after capture for troubleshooting failed or poorly handled calls.

GL provides comprehensive Fax Testing Solutions over IP, TDM and PSTN networks using its products:

  • Fax Emulation over IP using Message Automation and Protocol Simulation (MAPS™)
  • Fax Emulation over 2-Wire, and T1 E1 Networks using -
    • VQuad™ with Dual UTA,
    • On any of the GL's T1 E1 Platform via Client/Server,
    •  tProbe™ FXO FXS,
  • Fax analysis using FaxScan™, PacketScan™, or GLInsight™

Some of the Fax Test Solutions are briefly discussed below.


Fax Emulation over IP using MAPS™ (Pass-Through Mode)

Fax Pass-Through mode is a method of transmission of modulated fax data over an IP transport. The support for simulation of Fax over IP in Pass-Through mode (using G.711 PCMU and PCMA) has been recently introduced in all IP based MAPS™ simulation products supporting RTP traffic simulation over an established call.   MAPS™ is GL's standard framework for emulation of signaling and traffic for a vast array of communication protocols covering IP, TDM, and Wireless protocols (see complete list).  Applicable products are: MAPS™ SIP, , MAPS™ MEGACO,  MAPS™ MGCP,  MAPS™ SIP I,  MAPS™ BICC over IP ,  MAPS™ IuCS,  MAPS™ IuH,  and MAPS™ GSM A.


Fax Emulation using VQuad™ with Dual UTA

The VQuad™ Probe (or VQuad™ coupled with Dual UTA) provides easy and flexible “quality of service” assessment across almost every network interface - whether it's IP, TDM, Analog, or Wireless - one platform handles all possibilities - Voice Quality, Data Quality, and now Fax Quality.

VQuad™ with Dual UTA supports fax testing (sending and receiving) up to 4 independent and simultaneous T.30 faxes.  The user can configure the Tx and Rx fax rate from 2400 baud to 33600 baud with V.34 fully supported. Interfaces supported for fax generation include 2-wire FXO and 4-wire Analog.

Fax emulation is fully automated using VQuad™ scripts and can be initiated remotely such that one VQuad™ can control both sides of the fax.

VQuad™ Fax provides all pertinent real-time fax messaging with proper time sequences. In other words, one can follow the fax session from start to finish on both send and receive sides.

For comprehensive information on the application, you can refer to the VQuad™ Fax Emulation web page.


Fax Emulation using any T1 E1 Platform via Client/Server

GL has recently introduced bulk (100's) call Fax Emulator software that is capable of transmitting and receiving fax over many T1 E1 timeslots or through 2-wire FXO and FXS lines. The software can emulate many “virtual fax machines” - transmitter as well as receiver. All variations are supported.

Fax Simulator can be used with any GL's T1 E1 Platforms software via client-server technology. The Fax Simulator software can also work with Protocol Emulation tools such as MAPS™ CAS Emulator, MAPS™ ISDN Emulator, and MAPS™ SS7 Emulator to emulate complete real time Fax calls over T1 E1.

For comprehensive information on the application, you can refer to the Fax Emulation on T1 E1 Platform via Client/Server web page.


Fax Analysis using FaxScan™ , PacketScan™, or GLInsight™

FaxScan™ application is used to process 2-Wire and 4-Wire voice band capture for T.30 frames and PCAP captures forT.38 packets.  User can extract a Fax TIF image, and decode general call-flow indicators for detail analysis. FaxScan™ is a valuable T.30 and T.38 debug and test tool, aiding significantly in system development.  Fax sessions can contain standard G3 or V.34-based sessions.

FaxScan™ can process up to V.34 T.30 recordings in 2-wire, 4-wire, µ-law, A-law, 16 bit, and 13 bit PCM captures.   It can also process V.34 T.38 PCAP (Fax Over IP) captures for T.38 packets alone or as part of a capture file with multiple SIP calls.

For comprehensive information on the application, you can refer to the FaxScan™ web page.

PacketScan™ software supports capturing and decoding of Fax (T.38 data) calls over VoIP. The fax decodes can be viewed in the form of T.38 call graph and call summary with decoded information for all T.38 messages received on the call.  The captured fax calls by PacketScan™ can also be analyzed using GLInsight™ by saving the fax calls directly in (*.PCAP) file format.

For comprehensive information on the application, you can refer to the PacketScan™ web page.

GLInsight™ helps in decoding and analysis of pre-recorded fax transmissions.  The transmission signals can be recorded from PSTN or IP media. GLInsight™ receives the recorded fax transmissions as raw signal files (PCM files) or as IP capture files - created by capturing devices or by software.

GLInsight™ demodulates the raw transmissions and presents the decoded data in an easy to understand format.  It produces extensive log files with all relevant debugging information for easy event tracing which in turn provides insight to potential sources of problems.

For comprehensive information on the application, you can refer to the GLInsight™ web page.


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