this is my first post on this Blog. This one will compile a little bit of HiPath 4000's history and it's ancestors Hicom 300H, Hicom 300E and Hicom 300.
The facts were written originally by Mr. Orlando Moriya at his HiPath 4000 Community in Orkut. His profile can be checked at this link - you must have an Orkut/Google account to check out his profile.
The Project
In the 80's Siemens was needing to replaces it's PABX's (Private Automatic Branch Exchange) systems with CBX's systems (Computer Branch Exchange). The first one was an hybrid system with a command based on relays (ESK400E)and the CBX was based on 8086 processor (Hicom project).
The programming language used to this new system was Chill (CCITT High Level Language), a procedural programming language designed exactly for use in telecommunications switches. Chill was used early on EWSD (Elektronisches Wählsystem Digital). The terms LTG (Line trunk group) LTU(Line trunk Unit) and SLOT also came all from EWSD.
Siemens EWSD.
There where two software development lines: German and North American. The north american line was called EMS601, based on EWSD hardware. The german one was called EMS602.
Smartset Key system terminal
The north american software was superior on features compared to the german version. In Brazil this software is known as "Saturno 5000" that later was pimped to HCM300.
This is beginning of Hicom 300 era.
History
In Brazil the first Hicom 300 was installed at Centro Empresarial de São Paulo (CENESP) in 1992. The system used was based on german hardware, with version 3.1.
The customer was invited to visit the Siemens AG Headquarters and was very impressed with the solution, buying it before it's regional release date.
Hicom 330E
Mr. Moriya worked on this system on it's final factory tests in Witten (Germany).
The official launch in Brazil was in the final quarter of 1994, now at version 3.3 with part of the hardware's manufacture in the city of Curitiba. After a while the hardware was changed to Hicom 300E, with improvements on the number of ports per LTU.
The German version was inferior compared to the American one and a lot of customers complained about the absence of a Key System on digital phones - otherwise the system was very stable and the technical services was superior compared to other players.
The HiPath 4000 V1.0 was born with the need to join the separated development lines into a single global system (Unity Project). This new system was capable of internal IP communication (RMX), IP and Web administration (Unixware Assistant) and VoIP solutions (End-points, gateways and remote shelfs).
HiPath 4000 V2.0 brought the cPCI 19" shelf bringing the system closer to IT world - new gateways with greater capacity and better solutions regarding VoIP calls.
HiPath 4000 cPCI Common Control
Version 3.0 was more focused on open standards like SIP to trunking/basic subscribers and brings new features to Distribution of shelfs and subscribers in different time-zones. Voice encryption was also added in this version.
OpenStage 80 - HiPath SIP terminal
The 4th generation of HiPath 4000 (v4.0) brings new gateways able to do more than one single function with a single board. The same board is able to allocate subscribers, establish a trunk to other gateway or carry voice to remote shelf subscribers.
Brazilian Contribution
In Brazil, due market reserve, the Siemens operations were made by a company called Equitel. In practice, Equitel was Siemens in Brazil - but the trademark Siemens couldn't be used at that moment.
At end of 80's the global software and hardware maintenance was made in Curitiba. At that moment Saturno 5000 (EMS601) was much better developed in all technical or personal(training) areas compared to Hicom 300 software.
Saturno 5000 was able to do a greater job with a single pair of floppies instead of Hicom 300 hard disk based system. Investing on Saturno 5000 system would guarantee 5 years of service efforts, but the Germans really liked to be in control, starting everything from zero.
In the beginning of 90's a Brazilian team were designated to work in Munich and Berlin to develop loadwares (Peripheral Board's software) - the objective of this team was to adapt the software to Brazilian needs.
Mr. Orlando Moriya was not sent to Germany in the first group - instead of it he started to work at Cenesp for three months and then was sent to Munich and the to Berlin.
Finally in March 2001 Siemens entered in NYSE as SI - First re-engineering...
From there words like, outsourcing, synergy, off-shoring, outplacement, joint-venture, merge, acquisition, carve in, carve out, stills on our vocabulary.
The original (and hilarious) version of this text in Portuguese can be read at Orkut.
In the beginning of 90's a Brazilian team were designated to work in Munich and Berlin to develop loadwares (Peripheral Board's software) - the objective of this team was to adapt the software to Brazilian needs.
Mr. Orlando Moriya was not sent to Germany in the first group - instead of it he started to work at Cenesp for three months and then was sent to Munich and the to Berlin.
Finally in March 2001 Siemens entered in NYSE as SI - First re-engineering...
From there words like, outsourcing, synergy, off-shoring, outplacement, joint-venture, merge, acquisition, carve in, carve out, stills on our vocabulary.
The original (and hilarious) version of this text in Portuguese can be read at Orkut.
Hicom, HiPath and Siemens are trademarks that belongs to Siemens AG.
All other trademarks belongs to it's respective owners.
