Architecture of an SS7 Protocol Stack on a Broadband Switch Platform Using Dualistic Petri Nets

Process Petri Nets are an ideal modeling language for depicting the architecture of computer-based systems such as a broadband switch platform because: 1) computers are process systems, and 2) complexity of computer systems requires a hierarchical abstraction capability to understand the system well. Petri Nets also allow one to exploit the dualistic nature of transformation and place to model complex process systems in a versatile, yet formal, manner as well as analyze the system's use of resources and operational performance characteristics. This paper introduces Dualistic Petri Nets (dP-Nets) and how it was used to depict the architecture of an SS7 protocol stack engine on an already-existent broadband switch platform during the engine's development process. dP-Nets were used to establish the scope of the problem space and differentiate sub-systems during the requirements analysis phase guiding further development of high-level designs in the solution space. Analysis of critical path and bottleneck process performance can also give support to architectural decisions.