"Lupi, Guy"" wrote in message ... > Can anyone recommend a good vendor independent book on VOIP, > something that goes into detail on the different protocols, codecs, > so on and so forth? I am looking for something that takes you > through VOIP in detail, not just basic stuff. Thanks.
Voice-over-IP isn't really a technology, it's more of a solution that has individual technologies surrounding it. VoIP is more of a term, primarily in use by Cisco, and possibly Lucent, Sprint, et al, to describe nothing other than "Voice can be used over TCP/IP networks, including the Internet". It's a marketing term. So you might not be looking for "vendor-specific" VoIP, but I recommend that you do look for "technology-specific" VoIP. Another popular term is "IP Telephony" (versus traditional telephony, or TDM-only telephony), which is comparable to "VoIP". If you were to ask any member or follower of the Internet Engineering Task Force (The IETF organization, whose members document the ever-evolving Internet), they would tell you that two specific technologies are in the process of standardization and implementation: RTP/RTSP (Real-Time [Streaming] Protocol) and SIP (Session Initiation Protocol). SIP is the bulk of where IP Telephony, or VoIP, is currently heading. Other VoIP products and solutions are available, but they are likely to be not as robust or complete as SIP, and also are likely to go away in 5-10 years in favor of SIP technology. This is the best website I've seen on SIP technology that isn't quite as dry as reading RFC's: http://www.cs.columbia.edu/~hgs/sip/ They make some book recommendations here: http://www.cs.columbia.edu/~hgs/sip/papers.html The website also includes some details on other technologies in the VoIP arena (such as H.323) and makes direct comparisons to SIP as well as states how they can work together. H.323 also interfaces to TCP/IP with RTP/RTSP (needs to have glue somewhere), so it does all go back to the IETF and vendor implementations fall in suit. Clearly, SIP, MGCP, and H.323 will all still rely on SS7 to access the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network), but SIP (et al) can also act as standalone networks. SS7 and the PSTN are likely to stay the way they are for quite some time, but as an end-user, your voice equipment and technology can be optimized (cheaper, better, faster, more scalable) today. -dre Message Posted at: http://www.groupstudy.com/form/read.php?f=7&i=62407&t=62403 -------------------------------------------------- FAQ, list archives, and subscription info: http://www.groupstudy.com/list/cisco.html Report misconduct and Nondisclosure violations to [EMAIL PROTECTED]