Common-network interface ring

The common-network interface ring (CNI ring) provides common-channel signaling (CCS) functionality on several Alcatel-Lucent SS7 products. It was introduced by Western Electric in the early 1980s but is still used today in all 1AESS and 4ESS,¹ offices, and most of the wireline 5ESS offices.²

It was designed and manufactured at the combined Bell Labs–WECo location in Columbus, Ohio.

References

US Patent 5592466 – Network interconnect backup Archived 2011-06-12 at the Wayback Machine
Brown, R.B.; Holmes, C.V.; Lanoux, M.D.; Marciani, T.P. (1992). "Common channel signaling in the AT&T US 5ESS switch". Proceedings of the IEEE. 80 (4): 618–627. doi:10.1109/5.135384.

[1] US Patent 5592466 – Network interconnect backup Archived 2011-06-12 at the Wayback Machine

[2] Brown, R.B.; Holmes, C.V.; Lanoux, M.D.; Marciani, T.P. (1992). "Common channel signaling in the AT&T US 5ESS switch". Proceedings of the IEEE. 80 (4): 618–627. doi:10.1109/5.135384.

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