Signaling System # 7

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book for both amateurs and experts of SS7
Review: In this edition Travis has just made the book even better. I make sure that all on our crew has a copy after they take their 1st SS7 class. Even I find I still need a refresher after working in SS7 for the past 13 years. Thanks Travis for another excellent book.

Rating:
Summary: The definitive publication for SS7 in today's networks.
Review: Mr. Russell has consolidated an obvious amount of research and knowledge into a concise, logical and readable format. If one book were to be used as a reference source and learning tool for the SS7 protocol in today's switching networks, this should be that choice.

Rating:
Summary: Poorly organized; inaccuarate in places
Review: Russell's rambling style makes easy reading for beginners, but I found this book to be virtually useless as a technical resource; it's difficult to find the piece of information you're looking for because the text jumps from one topic to another according to the author's train of thought at the time. I have some experience with SS7 and had hoped this book would fill in the areas where I was weak, but I discovered that the book is actually incorrect in its explanation of some topics (e.g. Changeover) and so Russell can't be trusted - you'll end up reading the actual standards if you want an accurate description of SS7.

Rating:
Summary: An attempt at writing an SS7 text book
Review: Signaling System #7 contains a great number of facts. Unfortunately they have not been effectively organized for easy understanding. In addition, most of the book is old. Very little was changed to reflect the evolution of the communications industry. The book is classic 'phony jargon. The few diagrams included are inadequately labled and do a very poor job of conveying any meaning at all. The prose is rambeling and confused. This book is an excellent advertisement for the need of a clear, concise, well-thought out, up to date book on the subject.

Rating:
Summary: Book Reviews
Review: Signaling System #7 has been a tremendous success over the last few years, thanks to the many readers who have purchased this book. I hear from readers all over the world on a regular basis, and have the opportunity to meet many of you in person. I am always eager to hear comments from my readers, and appreciate the feedback and suggestions you provide. As an author, I discovered long ago that you will never satisfy everyone. Reading some of the reviews here on Amazon leaves me a bit confused however. This is the first I have heard these complaints, and based on the thousands of phone calls, letters, and e-mails I have received regarding this book already, some of these reviews do not match what we have heard directly from readers. Seeing as how these are anonymous, I am left wondering about the legitimacy of some of these reviews. I would welcome these readers to contact me via e-mail and provide suggestions on improvements for the next edition. If you have comments about any of my books, and suggestions on how they can be improved, please feel free to e-mail me at the address below. As many of my readers have already discovered, I always welcome comments and suggestions and enjoy hearing from readers.

Rating:
Summary: A Telecom Must Have
Review: Signalling System #7 is not only a great reference to have on SS7 protocols but a book that works for you out in the field. I have purchased many technical books that quickly end up shelved and forgotten but Signalling System #7 is the one technical book that doesn't gather dust.

Rating:
Summary: Another Banner Year!
Review: The year 1998 was an exciting year for those of us working in the SS7 field. We have seen many new innovations, and some exciting developments in the world of telecommunications. I have no doubt that SS7 will continue to be an exciting subject through 1999.

This book had a banner year as well. I have heard from many of you throughout the industry who have been using my book on a daily basis, and I want to thank you for your comments and praise for the book. I have enjoyed meeting many of you as I travel throughout the US visiting your companies. This has been a great book for me, and based on the comments I have been receiving lately, a very useful daily reference for many of you as well.

As we start off 1999, there are many changes facing us. IP and SS7 are the biggest topics of the year, and I am sure of major interest to all of you readers. Be looking for updates on this in the next revision.

Thanks to all my readers who have called or sent e-mail. I enjoy hearing from all of you! Please feel free to send your comments to me directly at: [e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: Needs editorial work
Review: There is a lot of information here but it appears that the author did alot of cut and paste. The exact same information will appear just a few pages later many times. And I am not talking about protocols or data, the narrative is duplicated. There are also alot of typos and some factual errors (not relating to ss7 as I am in no position to judge, but there errors in the historical narrative) I wish that the third edition had been available when I bought it. I doubt that I will buy it just to find out if the same problems exist, but one would hope that these problems have been addressed. I cannot believe that an editor actually read this book.

Rating:
Summary: Repitition Makes It Hard To Grasp
Review: This 600 Page book could be half this size if the author would stop repeating the same thing over and over. The book gives about four descriptions of the same thing with varying degrees of detail - sometimes just a few lines later, other times in different chapters. That's very confusing when you want to learn information in a categorical manner. It's like the author must think he needs to explain everything again in each chapter - like the readers won't stick around long enough to finish the book. I think the author should read a good technical book and learn from the format. First give an overview of the topics, and then go into the details. Don't repeat. The outline should be enough for an overall view. The details will fill in the gaps. Don't mixed topics. Keep the details with one topic. That being said, there's a lot of good info here. It's just a pain to learn from this book.

Rating:
Summary: Good for SS7 in PSTN but not for SS7 in Mobile and VoIP.
Review: This book covers basics of SS7 very well. It is also a good reference. It covers MTP(1 to 3), SCCP, TCAP and ISUP. There are also short chapters on local number portability and usage of SS7 in VoIP. Content of the book is rich enough if the reader was interested the usage of SS7 in PSTN only (MTP,SCCP,TCAP,ISUP). However it doesn't cover any detail on other application parts like MAP, OMAP, INAP and usage of SS7 in UMTS and GSM. The chapter on SS7 in VoIP communications is rather short and not very informative. There is not much detail on Sigtran, SCTP and MTP adaptation layers.

There is also an inconsistency about the content of the book (4th edition with ISBN 0071387722). Table of contents given in the publishers web site is not correct. As one of the previous reviewer has mentioned, there are only 11 chapters in this book (not 16). Correct chapter layout in the book is :

1- Signaling System #7.
2- SS7 Network.
3- Overview of a Protocol.
4- Overview of Signal Units.
5- Message Transfer Part (MTP).
6- Message Transfer Part Level 3.
7- General Description of SCCP Functions.
8- Overview of TCAP.
9- Overview of ISUP.
10- Local Number Portability.
11- IP telephony
Appendices

And therefore following chapters don't exist the book separately (neither in the CDROM covering entire book in PDF format):

- SS7 and SIP
- SS7 and H.323
- SS7 over IP
- SS7 and VoIP
- SS7 and TCP/IP
- SS7 and MGCP

I recommend this book for the readers who want to know signalling in PSTN. It wouldn't be useful for signalling in mobile communication networks and VoIP communication networks.