Visual Communication Development Kits for Business Application Integration

1
Visual Communication Development Kits for
Business Application Integration

• Esa Vitikainen
• Masters thesis presentation 5.9.2006
• Thesis supervisor Prof. Östergård
• Communications Laboratory
• Helsinki University of Technology

2
Introduction

• Quality visual communication to every desk
• -gt Find best technology provider
• How to get to every desk?
• useful/fun, affordable, easy, working
• personal, mobile, cross the borders
• culture gt--gt visual, online, on-stage
• Visual communication ltgt video conference

3
Contents

• Introduction
• Multimedia communication architectures
• Multimedia connectivity in IP networks
• Requirements for the development kit
• Development kits available
• Conclusions

4
Real-time multimedia communication architectures

• H.323
• SIP
• Megaco / H.248
• Comparison

5
H.323

• Packet-based multimedia communications systems
• ITU-T 1996 v1, 2000 v4, 2006 v6 backward
  compatible
• Entities Terminal, gatekeeper, gateway, MCU
• Closely related to respective ISDN/PSTN/ATM specs
• Main function Tight session control,
  compatibility

6
SIP

• Session Initiation Protocol
• IETF 1996 draft, 1999 v2, 2002 RFC3261
• Entities User Agent, proxy / location / redirect
  server
• text-based transaction protocol (HTTP/SMTP) for
  initiating interactive sessions of any type
  between users
• Main functions Location, invitation, negotiation

• SIP principles
• End-to-end services
• Generally applicable features
• Simplicity
• Reuse

7
Megaco / H.248

• Media gateway / Device control protocols
• IETF al 1998-99 -gt MGCP IETF ITU 2000
  H.248
• Entities dumb Media Gateways, smart MG
  Controller
• Main function Gateway decomposition

8
Architecture comparison

• Megaco/H.248
• Top-down
• Complete
• Decomposition
• Network devices
• No endpoint functionality
• Protocol independent media services

• SIP
• Bottom-up
• Modular
• Messy
• Initiation
• Loose
• Extensible
• Endpoint centric
• Future
• MS / IMS / NGN

• H.323
• Top-down
• Complete
• Structured
• Control
• Tight
• Compatible
• Endpoint centric

9
Architecture comparison

• Megaco/H.248
• Top-down
• Complete
• Decomposition
• Network devices
• No endpoint functionality
• Protocol independent media services

• SIP
• Bottom-up
• Modular
• Messy
• Initiation
• Loose
• Extensible
• Endpoint centric
• Future
• MS / IMS / NGN

• H.323
• Top-down
• Complete
• Structured
• Control
• Tight
• Compatible
• Endpoint centric

SHOULD complement each other.
Winner unresolved.
10
Real-time multimedia connectivity in IP networks

• Barriers
• NAT, FW, Intrusion Prevention System
• Effect on each architecture
• Solutions
• FW traversal
• Enablers
• Naming / numbering scheme
• Directories, presence
• Summary

11
Connectivity barriers

• Symmetric NAT
• arbitrary public transport address for each
  connection
• gt pinhole opening from inside FW impossible
• Intrusion Prevention System
• dynamic NAT/FW/filtering behaviour

12
Connectivity solutions
3 behavioral traversal solution categories found

• Learning
• STUN -gt TURN -gt ICE (IETF)

• Tunneling
• H.460.17-19 (ITU)
• SBCs, proxies, other proprietary

• Instructing
• UPnP (industr.)
• MIDCOM, NSIS (IETF)

13
Connectivity solutions
3 behavioral traversal solution categories found

• Learning
• STUN -gt TURN -gt ICE (IETF)

• Tunneling
• H.460.17-19 (ITU)
• SBCs, proxies, other proprietary

• Instructing
• UPnP (industr.)
• MIDCOM, NSIS (IETF)

economical - deployment
- H.460 only H.323 - others non-std. - HW
cost simple, ready

• - UPnP scalability
• long-term, safe
• - far-away, cost

Small advantage SIP.
Smart ICE coming up.
14
Requirements for the development kit

• Integration
• compatibility H.323 must, SIP plus
• network IP GWs, traversal plus, ISDN nice
• software only Windows must, Java/Mac/Linux plus
• user admin LDAP (MS AD)
• licensing flexible buy-out ... usage based
• cost feature/capability dependent
• provisioning GK
• billing GK

15
Requirements for the development kit

• Integration
• compatibility H.323 must, SIP plus
• network IP GWs, traversal plus, ISDN nice
• software only Windows must, Java/Mac/Linux plus
• user admin LDAP (MS AD), GK
• licensing flexible buy-out ... usage based, GK
• cost feature/capability dependent
• provisioning GK
• billing GK

16
Requirements for the development kit

• Functionality, standards
• visual 25 fps, CIF, 1 Mbps, camera ctrl
• (720p, 2 Mbps)
• audio 7 kHz (14/20 kHz)
• presentation H.239 screen sharing (T.120)
• multipoint 4CIF receive, DTMF
• security H.235
• extensibility (H.460.x GEF for Presence IM)

17
Software development kits available
fulfilling H.323 IP Windows LDAP

• VCON (Emblaze)
• IL, 1 share, line of losses, SW focus
• COMGUI
• client mode
• symmetric
• 720p receive
• flex licensing

• OpenH323/OPAL
• AU, open source, non-profit (consult), small team
• DLL, low-level
• few codecs
• H.460 extensibility
• no management
• minimal encryption

• Polycom
• US, 40 share, well profitable, HW focus
• COM
• SIP, UPnP
• no camera ctrl
• GK port conflict
• less CPU load

18
Software development kits available
fulfilling H.323 IP Windows LDAP

• VCON (Emblaze)
• IL, 1 share, line of losses, SW focus
• COMGUI
• client mode
• symmetric
• 720p receive
• flex licensing

• OpenH323/OPAL
• AU, open source, non-profit (consult), small team
• DLL, low-level
• few codecs
• H.460 extensibility
• no management
• minimal encryption

• Polycom
• US, 40 share, well profitable, HW focus
• COM
• SIP, UPnP
• no camera ctrl
• GK port conflict
• less CPU load

Technical advantage VCON (small). Business/politi
cal/financial factors rule.
19
Conclusions

• Current business market requires H.323
• Tunneling only way between organizations
• 2 providers technically close, other factors
  decisive
• SIP will take over look for dual or converged
  protocol/philosophy support