jjwcmp@ultb.isc.rit.edu (Jeff Wasilko) (11/13/90)
As I was catching up on my Digest-reading, a thought occured to me -- why are switch programs called 'generics'? Thanks, Jeff Wasilko RIT Communications
goldstein@delni.enet.dec.com (Fred R. Goldstein) (11/14/90)
In article <14643@accuvax.nwu.edu>, jjwcmp@ultb.isc.rit.edu (Jeff Wasilko) writes... >As I was catching up on my Digest-reading, a thought occured to me -- >why are switch programs called 'generics'? You had to own/manage a Rolm 7000-series CBX to really appreciate what a generic is! (No, it doesn't mean "cheaper than name-brand software".) Back in the '70s and early '80s I used to run a bunch of them. Some early computer-controlled telephone switches had highly customized software. You told the manufacturer what your hardware configuration was, how many of this and how many of that feature, how you routed your calls, your numbering plan, etc., and they linked an executable software module Just For You. At Rolm, this process was called "Sysgen", and produced a "configuration". Changing this required a "deconfiguration" (print it out with any changes made) and "reconfiguration". So, for example, if you wanted to changed the wired-for configuration to include more tie lines, DID trunks, or a different mix of ordinary/fancy phones, you had to reconfigure. Even changing a hunt group pilot number nominally took a six-week-plus reconfiguration cycle, though _certain_ things could be patched if you knew whom to ask. (And a few things could be changed using undocumented commands.) Needless to say, Rolm had "releases", but not "generics". A generic is a set of software that could be field-customized to meet the user's requirement. It may or may not have all the optional feature licenses, but it's generally configurable, so customers don't need factory intervention in order to set the machine up and maintain it. Most PBXs today as well as central offices use generic software. If there's another explanation, I'd be curious to hear it too. Fred R. Goldstein Digital Equipment Corp., Littleton MA goldstein@delni.enet.dec.com voice: +1 508 486 7388 Do you think anyone else on the planet would share my opinions, let alone a multi-billion dollar corporation?
foz@ihlpf.att.com (William F Thompson) (11/14/90)
From article <14643@accuvax.nwu.edu>, by Jeff Wasilko <jjwcmp@ ultb.isc.rit.edu>: > As I was catching up on my Digest-reading, a thought occured to me -- > why are switch programs called 'generics'? I always wondered that too (and I even develop software for them). But wonder no more - they're now called Software Releases. Bill Thompson AT&T Network Systems att!ihlpf!foz
jeffm@ihlpf.att.com (Jeffrey C Martin) (11/15/90)
In article <14643@accuvax.nwu.edu>, Jeff Wasilko <jjwcmp@ultb.isc. rit.edu> writes: > As I was catching up on my Digest-reading, a thought occured to me -- > why are switch programs called 'generics'? Generic: adj, "relating to ... a whole group or class" (from Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary). The word "generic" started out in the No. 1 ESS with its usual adjectival usage, as "generic program": i.e., a program usable in multiple central office environments, customized by changing "parameters" and "translations." Over time, people shortened the term to "generic" and started using the word as a noun. Here's a fairly early reference, from the September, 1964 issue of "The Bell System Technical Journal": No. 1 ESS: System Organization and Objectives By W. KEISTER, R. W. KETCHLEDGE and H. E. VAUGHAN (Manuscript received January 22, 1964) "This paper is an introduction to the No. 1 electronic switching system, a new general-purpose switching system developed for use in the Bell System. Organization and objectives of the system are outlined to provide a back- ground for the detailed technical papers which follow." 3.3 Programs "Approximately 90 programs totaling about 100,000 words are used to control the operations required for telephone service and to control the maintenance of the system. These programs, each an ordered set of instructions to provide a particular function, are stored in the program store. The call programs provide the solution to any problem a customer can present to the system, either directly or through some other switching system. An assembly of call programs must tailor-make a connection according to the demands of the customer. "Several approaches toward providing programs for a large number of different offices could be used. A generic program, which is the same for each office, with detailed differences listed in a parameter table, is the approach used in No. 1 ESS. The generic program includes all features for a large number of offices, covering sizes from 2,000 to 65,000 lines and means for handling growth and changing traffic conditions. This approach simplifies record keeping, because only the parameter tables which specify present size and operating conditions are unique to each office. Additional data which characterize a particular office are found in translation tables also in the program store. Typically, 18 different sets of translations are required in each office. These include directory number to equipment number translations for both lines and trunks, class of service, and special treatment for lines and trunks. "In the future, economics may dictate the need for several generic programs - for instance, one for small offices, one for large offices, one for four-wire offices, and perhaps some combinations of these..." This excerpt was from the lead article in a two-volume special issue on the No. 1 ESS switch. That special issue was a true classic. When I joined No. 1 ESS development in late '72, those two volumes were still the basic reference for bringing people on board with the switch, and I believe they remained so throughout its development life. They still make for pretty good reading... Jeff Martin att!ihlpf!jeffm
dave@westmark.westmark.com (Dave Levenson) (11/15/90)
In article <14643@accuvax.nwu.edu>, jjwcmp@ultb.isc.rit.edu (Jeff Wasilko) writes: > As I was catching up on my Digest-reading, a thought occured to me -- > why are switch programs called 'generics'? The term comes from the early history of electronic switching. The switch required memory. Three kinds of memory. There is memory which contains the parameters which are customized for every installation. This has subscriber class-of-service, call-routing tables, and other such. It is called "Translation" because it is the tables that translate the dialed number into a physical route. Translation is where the custom features are enabled or disabled. It is writeable only from the administrator's console. The second kind of memory is called "status". (Earlier, it was called 'call-store'. It holds the details of the calls in progress right now: the digits you've just dialed, the state of your switchhook, and the map that indicates which trunks and links are idle, busy, or in maintenance mode. Status memory is where you look when you're debugging a central office crash. It is writeable by the operational software and may be readable by the administrator. The third kind of memory contains the operational software. It is identical in every installation -- the per-installation customization is in translation memory. Because it is always the same, it is called generic. It is ROM. Bell Labs writes it! (Or they did in the old days.) Dave Levenson Internet: dave@westmark.com Westmark, Inc. UUCP: {uunet | rutgers | att}!westmark!dave Warren, NJ, USA AT&T Mail: !westmark!dave [The Man in the Mooney] Voice: 908 647 0900 Fax: 908 647 6857
HWT@bnr.ca (Henry Troup) (11/19/90)
My friendly competitior foz@ihlpf.att.com (William F Thompson) writes: > I always wondered that too (and I even develop software for them). > But wonder no more - they're now called Software Releases. Northern Telecom releases generics for SL-1 systems and BCS (Batch Change Supplement) for DMS and SL-100 systems. DMS software is sold by the 'feature package' so that each piece is separately charged. This means that NT builds and delivers individual loads for each customer switch. There are a lot of packages, and a lot of switches, too. George Smyth, one of the original DMS team, and now President of BNR, once remarked that the DMS loader corrected all the deficiencies of the SL-1 loader, and if the software were the same size as SL-1, there would never be a need to globally compile DMS software, or globally reload it. SL-1 has about 50 software modules in the switching core, DMS has several hundred. The loader supported relocation and individual reloading of object modules, which are separately compilable.
williamsk@ncar.ucar.edu (Kevin W. Williams) (12/02/90)
In article <14693@accuvax.nwu.edu>, foz@ihlpf.att.com (William F Thompson) writes: > From article <14643@accuvax.nwu.edu>, by Jeff Wasilko <jjwcmp@ > ultb.isc.rit.edu>: > > As I was catching up on my Digest-reading, a thought occured to me -- > > why are switch programs called 'generics'? > I always wondered that too (and I even develop software for them). > But wonder no more - they're now called Software Releases. > Bill Thompson AT&T Network Systems att!ihlpf!foz Well, I also develop software for them, and still call them generics. The "generic" portion of the load is that part which is identical in all machines, i.e. it is generic. This contrasts with the "Office Dependent" sections of the load, i.e. the database, and the "dynamic" sections of the load, i.e stacks and other unprotected data. In common usage, the new release of the program became a new generic. Kevin Wayne Williams UUCP : ...!ames!ncar!noao!asuvax!gtephx!williamsk