H 323 Liane Tarouco Leandro Bertholdo Standard entities

H. 323 Liane Tarouco Leandro Bertholdo

Standard entities n n n Telecommunications standards are set by the United Nations agency, International Telecommunications Union (ITU) – The ITU has developed the H, G and T Series of standards Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) defines stadards for the Internet – IETF has developed Real-Time Protocol (RTP), Real-Time Control Protocol (RTCP) & Resource Reservation Protocol (RSVP). Products that adhere to these standards allow users to participate in a conference, regardless of their platform.

Available Transport Media n ISDN, LAN, WAN, Internet, ADSL (Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Lines) and VPN, (Virtual Private Networks) are the popular transport media used in desktop video conferencing.

Available Transport Media n The worldwide availability of the Internet has virtually stopped the use of POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) as a direct means of connecting video conferencing systems.

Available Transport Media. n However, the forthcoming media-enabled 3 G mobile phone has caused the creation of a derivative of the H. 324 POTS standard in the form of 3 G-324 M as well as next generation Gateways to transcode the new protocols.

ISDN n There are two available ISDN connections – Basic Rate Interface (BRI) • two 64 kbps B-channels and • one 16 kbps D-channel – Primary Rate Interface (PRI). • PRI in Europe provides 30 x 64 kbps B-channels and one 64 kbps D-channel. USA PRI

ISDN n ISDN connections usually aggregate the BRI and share the same number for both B channels. – Known as ISDN-2, this provides a line speed of 128 kbps is typically used in a desktop conference over ISDN. – For increased bandwidth, ISDN-6 provides a line speed of 384 kbps and is typically used in room-based conferences over ISDN.

ISDN for multipoint conference n To hold a multipoint conference over ISDN, participants use a Multipoint Control Unit (MCU), that connects and manages all the ISDN lines. – separate MCU or – endpoint with na embedded H. 320 multipoint capability

H. 320 n H. 320 - ITU standard for ISDN conferencing – Audio: G. 711, G. 722. 1, G. 728 – Video: H. 264, H. 263, H. 261 – Data: H. 239, T. 120 – Control: H. 221, H. 231, H. 242, H. 243

Local Area Network (LAN) or Intranet and Wide Area Network (WAN). n H. 323 standard defines how to assemble the audio, video, data and control (AVDC) information into an IP packet – LANs TCP/IP – WANs

DHCP n n n Most companies use DHCP and allocate dynamic IP addresses to PC's. Therefore, in order to correctly identify a user, the H. 323 endpoints are usually registered with a Gatekeeper and 'called' into a conference by their H. 323 alias. The Gatekeeper translates the alias into the corresponding IP address. – Another method of identifying H. 323 users is for them to register their presence using Light Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) with a Directory Service such as Microsoft's Site Server ILS or Windows 2003 Active Directory.

Multipoint conference n To hold a multipoint conference over IP, H. 323 systems require some form of Multipoint Conference Server (MCS). – This is also referred to as an H. 323 Multipoint Control Unit (H. 323 MCU), which is not the same as an H. 320 MCU;

Lan & WAN n H. 323 is the ITU standard for LAN conferencing and includes: – Audio: G. 711, G. 722. 1, G. 723. 1, G. 728, G. 729 – Video: H. 264, H. 263, H. 261 – Data: H. 239, T. 120 – Control: H. 225, H. 245

Cellular Networks. n The cellular phone network is a readily available form of wireless multimedia delivery and with the forthcoming media-enabled 3 G mobile phone or Personal Digital Assistants, PDAs, that support the CDMA 2000 or WCDMA Air Interface, there is sufficient bandwidth to enable IP-based multipoint audio and video conferencing to existing desktop video conferencing systems when used inconjunction with next generation Gateways and MCU's that also support these new protocols.

Cellular networks n 3 G-324 M is an extension by the 3 rd Generation Partner Project (3 GPP) and 3 rd Generation Partner Project 2 (3 GPP 2) to the ITU H. 324 M standard for 3 G mobile phone conferencing and includes: – Audio: G. 722. 2 (AMR-WB), G. 723. 1 – Video: MPEG-4, but not H. 264 – Control: H. 223 A/B, H. 245

Internet, VPN & ADSL. n n Like LANs, the Internet, VPNs and ADSL are other forms of TCP/IP networks and hence can be used as a transport media in desktop conferencing systems. What the users must do is to get their Internet Service Provider (ISP) to provide them with a fixed IP address

Directory services n n n Alternatively, users can register their presence using LDAP with a Directory Service – Microsoft's Site Server ILS – Windows 2003 Active Directory This is how you determine the address of the machine that you want to conference with. Obviously, speed is limited to that of the slowest link, but most ISPs now support ISDN Dial-up at 128 kbps or V. 92 modems at 56 kbps

Internet n H. 323 is the ITU standard used for Internet conferencing and includes: – Audio: G. 723. 1, G. 722. 1, G. 728 – Video: H. 264, H. 263, H. 261 – Data: H. 239, T. 120 – Control: H. 225, H. 245

Video standards n H. 261 - video codec for audiovisual services at p x 64 Kbps. n H. 263 - video codec for narrow telecommunications channels at < 64 Kbps. n H. 264/AVC - a new video codec standard offering major improvements image quality.

Image size n QCIF - Quarter Common Intermediate Format – 176 x 144 pixel image. – minimum size in H. 320 n CIF - optional H. 320 full- screen 352 x 288 pixels – requires more computing capability.

Video and PC Window Sizes n n NTSC - National Television Standards Committee, used in USA, Canada & Japan. 640 x 480 pixels. PAL - Phase Alternation by Line, used in Europe (except France), Africa & Middle East. 768 x 576 pixels.

Video and PC Window Sizes n CIF - Common Intermediate Format; optional for both H. 261 & H. 263, 352 x 288 pixels. n QCIF - Quarter Common Intermediate Format; required by both H. 261 & H. 263, 176 x 144 pixels. n SQCIF - Sub Quarter Common Intermediate Format; used by 3 G mobiles MPEG 4 video and H. 263, 88 x 72 pixels.

Video and PC Window Sizes n SXGA - 1280 x 1024 pixels - used by high end graphics workstations. n XGA - 1024 x 768 pixels - typical PC or laptop resolution. n SVGA - 800 x 600 pixels. n VGA - 640 x 480 pixels.

H. 264 n n Ratified in late 2003, this new codec standard was a development between the ITU and ISO/IEC Joint Video Team, (JVT) and is known as H. 264 (ITU name) or ISO/IEC 14496 -10/MPEG-4 AVC (ISO/IEC name). This new standard surpasses H. 261 and H. 263 in terms of video quality, effective compression and resilience to transmission losses Potential to halve the required bandwidth for digital video services over the Internet or 3 G Wireless networks. H. 264 is likely to be used in applications such as Video Conferencing, Video Streaming, Mobile devices, Tele-Medicine etc. Current 3 G mobiles use a derivate of MPEG-4, but not H. 264.

Audio standards n G. 711 - Pulse Code Modulation of voice frequencies (PCM), were 3. 1 k. Hz analogue audio is encoded into a 48, 56 or 64 kbps stream. Used when no other standard is equally supported. n G. 722 - 7 k. Hz audio encoded into a 48, 56 or 64 kbps stream. Provides high quality, but takes bandwidth. n G. 722. 1 - 7 k. Hz audio encoded at 24 and 32 kbps for hands-free operation in systems with low frame loss. n G. 722. 2 - Coding of speech at around 16 kbps using Adaptive Multi-Rate Wideband, AMR-WB. Five mandatory modes, 6. 60, 8. 85, 12. 65, 15. 85 and 23. 85 kbps.

Audio standards n G. 723. 1 - 3. 4 k. Hz dual rate speech codec for telecommunications at 5. 3 kbps & 6. 4 kbps. n G. 728 - 3. 4 k. Hz Low Delay Code Excited Linear Prediction (LD-CELP) were 3. 4 k. Hz analogue audio is encoded into a 16 kbps stream. This standard provides good quality results at low bitrates. n G. 729 A/B - 3. 4 k. Hz speech codec that provides near toll quality audio encoded into an 8 kbps stream using the AS-CELP method.

Data standards n n n T. 120 - defines protocols and services for multimedia conferencing. T. 121 - Generic Application Template (GAT). Defines a template as a guide for developers in managing T. 120 resources. T. 122 - defines Multipoint Communication Services (MCS) available to developers. T. 123 - defines Network Specific Data protocol for multimedia conferencing. T. 124 - defines Generic Conference Control (GCC), mandatory for 'group' conferences. T. 125 - defines MCS data transmission protocol.

Data standards n n T. 126 - Multipoint Still Image and Annotation protocol. Defines the protocol used to provide interoperability with graphics data in applications such as whiteboarding, annotated image exchange, screen sharing and remote apps control. T. 127 - Multipoint Binary File Transfer protocol. Defines the protocol used to support binary file transfer within a conference. T. 128 - defines Multipoint Application Sharing protocol (also known as T. SHARE) T. 134 - defines Multimedia Application Text Conversation protocol (also known as T. CHAT).

Data standards n n T. 135 - User-to-reservation system transactions within T. 120 conferencing. T. 136 - Remote device control application protocol. T. 137 - Virtual meeting room management - services & protocol. T. 140 - Protocol for multimedia application text conversation.

Control standards n n H. 221 - defines the transmission frame structure for audovisual teleservices in channels of 64 to 1920 Kbps; used in H. 320 H. 223 - specifies a packet-orientated multiplexing protocol for low bit rate multimedia communications; Annex A & B handles light and medium error prone channels of the mobile extension as used in 3 G-324 M. H. 224 - defines real-time control protocol for simplex applications using the H. 221 LSD, HSD and HLP channels. H. 225 - defines the multiplexing transmission formats for media stream packetisation & synchronisation on a non-guaranteed Qo. S LAN.

Control standards n n H. 231 - specifies multipoint control units used to bridge three or more H. 320 systems together in a conference. H. 233 - Confidentiality systems for audiovisual services, used by H. 320 devices. H. 234 - Encryption key management and authentication system for audiovisual services, used by H. 320 devices. H. 235 - Security and encryption for H. 323 and other H. 245 based multimedia terminals.

Control standards n H. 239 - defines role management and additional media channels for H. 300 -Series multimedia terminals. – How data and web-enabled collaboration work in parallel with video in a conference, allowing endpoints that support H. 239 to receive and transit multiple, separate media streams - typically voice, video and data collaboration.

Control standards n n H. 241 - defines extended video procedures and control signals for H. 300 -Series multimedia terminal. H. 242 - defines the control procedures and protocol for establishing communications between audiovisual terminals on digital channels up to 2 Mbps; used by H. 320.

Control standards n n n H. 243 - defines the control procedures and protocol for establishing communications between three or more audiovisual terminals - H. 320 multipoint conferences. H. 245 - defines the control procedures and protocol for H. 323 & H. 324 multimedia communications. H. 246 - Interworking of H-Series multimedia terminal. H. 248 - Gateway Control Protocol. H. 281 - defines the procedures and protocol for far end camera control (FECC) in H. 320 calls.

Control standards n n n H. 282 - Remote device control protocol for multimedia applications. H. 283 - Remote device control logical channel transport. H. 350 - Storing and retrieving video and voice over IP information from enterprise directories.

Numbers & names n E. 164 Number - (User Number). – A numeric string given to an H. 323 endpoint. – If this endpoint registers with a Gatekeeper, then the Gatekeeper can translate the E. 164 Number into the endpoints IP address.

H. 323 Alias n H. 323 Alias - A logical name given to an H. 323 endpoint. If this endpoint registers with a Gatekeeper, then the Gatekeeper can translate the H. 323 Alias into the endpoints IP address.

Q. 931 n Q. 931 Signalling protocol for establishing and terminating calls.

H. 323 evolution n H. 323 was first approved in February 1996, the same month that the first SIP draft was published n Designed to operate over IP networks n Most widely deployed standards-based voice and videoconferencing standard for packet-switched networks n ITU-T now considering work on H. 323 v 6

What is H. 323 n H. 323* is a multimedia conferencing protocol, which includes – voice, – video, – data conferencing for use over packet-switched networks

Elements of an H. 323 System n • Terminals n • Multipoint Control Units (MCUs) n • Gateways n • Gatekeeper

Terminals n Video phones n IVR devices n Voicemail Systems n “Soft phones” (e. g. , Net. Meeting®)

Terminals n n H. 323 Terminals are the endpoints on the LAN that provide real-time two way communications. The H. 323 standard states that all H. 323 Terminals must support voice, – video and data are optional. – Hence the basic form of an H. 323 Terminal is the IP Phone; – However most H. 323 Terminals are Video Conferencing Systems.

Terminals n n The H. 323 standard specifies what modes must be supported so that all these endpoints can work together. H. 323 Terminals must support – H. 245 protocol to control channel usage and capabilities; – Q. 931 protocol for call setup and signalling; – RAS (Registration/Admission/Status) protocol to communicate with the Gatekeeper and – RTP/RTCP protocol to sequence audio and video packets.

Terminal identification n When initiating an H. 323 Video Conference, we need some means of identifying the User or H. 323 Endpoint that we wish to conference with. The thought of having to remember IP addresses is daunting enough; but the use of DHCP to dynamically allocate the IP address of an endpoint means that this method is impractical. Hence the concept of a Dial Plan and the use of an H. 323 User Number registered to a Gatekeeper. – A Dial Plan is simply a method of allocating a unique number to an H. 323 Endpoint.

H. 323 User Number n n This number is referred to as the H. 323 User Number and when registered with a Gatekeeper, we have a means of translating this User Number into an IP address. The H. 323 User Number is often loosely referred to as the E. 164 Number.

Multipoint Control Units (MCUs): n n To allow three or more participants into a conference, most H. 323 systems usually require a Multipoint Conference Server (MCS). This is also referred to as an H. 323 Multipoint Control Unit (H. 323 MCU).

MCUs n Responsible for managing multipoint conferences n The MCU contains – Multipoint Controller (MC) that manages the call signaling and – may optionally have Multipoint Processors (MPs) to handle media mixing, switching, or other media processing

MCU n The H. 323 MCU's basic function is to maintain all the audio, video, data and control streams between all the participants in the conference. – hardware based – software based

MCU n n The main components of an H. 323 MCU are – MC - multipoint controller – MP - multipoint processor (optional) The MC is the conference controller and handles H. 245 negotiations between all terminals to determine common capabilities for audio and video processing.

MCU: MC & MP n n The MC also controls conference resources such as multicasting. – Most H. 323 systems support IP multicast and use this to send just one audio and one video stream to the other participants. – The MC does not actually deal directly with any of the audio, video and data streams. This is left to the MP, which does all the audio mixing, data distribution and video switching/mixing of the bits. It also provides the conversion between different codecs and bit rates.

MCU: MC & MP n n Both the MC and MP functions can exist in one unit or as part of other H. 323 components. Most H. 323 MCU's work in conjunction with, or include a Gatekeeper functionality.

MCU - H. 320 n H. 320 conferences are essentially a point-to-point connection and need to use an H. 320 MCU to link and manage all the ISDN lines in order to hold a conference with three or more participants.

Endpoint with Embedded MCU n An alternative to using a dedicated MCU for small conferences involving 3 or 4 participants is to equip one of the endpoints with an embedded multipoint capability. – The Polycom VSX 7000 s has an embedded multipoint options that supports itself and up to 3 other sites in a Voice. Activated or Continuous Presence session.

Terminal & MCU n n VSX 7000 s has both BRI or PRI ISDN options that when used in conjunction with the multipoint capability, allows mixed-mode operation between both ISDN and IP networks. In a simplistic manner, it also acts like a Gateway, bridging between the other 2 or 3 ISDN and IP endpoints.

Gatekeeper n The Gatekeeper is an optional component in the H. 323 n Primarily used for – admission control and – address resolution n The gatekeeper may allow calls to be placed directly between endpoints or it may route the call signaling through itself to perform functions such as follow-me/find-me and forward on busy

Gatekeeper n Although the H. 323 standard describes the Gatekeeper, as an optional component, it is in practice an essential tool for defining and controlling how voice and video communications are managed over the IP network.

Gatekeeper n Gatekeepers are responsible for providing address translation between an endpoints current IP address and its various H. 323 aliases, call control and routing services to H. 323 endpoints, system management and security policies.

Gatekeeper n n n Gatekeeper allow network administrators to configure, monitor and manage the activities of registered endpoints, set policies and control network resources such as bandwidth usage within their H. 323 zone. Registered endpoints can be H. 323 Terminals, Gateways or MCU's. These services provided by the Gatekeeper in communicating between H. 323 endpoints are defined in RAS.

Gateway and zone n Only one Gatekeeper can manage a H. 323 zone, but this zone could include several Gateways and MCU's.

Gatekeeper and zone n n Since a zone is defined and managed by only one Gatekeeper, endpoints such as Gateways and MCU's that also have a built-in Gatekeeper must provide a means for disabling this functionality. This ensures that multiple H. 323 endpoints that contain a Gatekeeper can all be configured into the same zone.

Examples of gatekeepers n The INVISION 100 from RADVISION combines Gateway and MCU functionality in one box and has an embedded Gatekeeper that can be disabled; – this allows the zone to be controlled by a more powerful Gatekeeper

Example of gatekeeper n VCON - Media Xchange. Manager™, MXM.

Media Xchange Manager™ - VCON n n From a remote console, the administrator can now perform centralised management functions such as configure endpoints, monitor the status and availability of endpoints, control and limit bandwidth usage and more. MXM automatically generates Call Detail Reports, CDR; which can be used for network planning or billing purposes. With video telephony services such as Call Forward, Call Transfer and Call Pickup, MXM provides the functions that make Video Conferencing as simple as making a telephone call. Furthermore, MXM includes an H. 323 Gatekeeper.

Interconnected Gatekeeper Zones: n Gatekeeper defines the zone and manages the registered endpoints within.

Calling an endpoint n To call an endpoint within the same zone, we simply dial that endpoints H. 323 User Number.

Calling na endpoint n n But what happens when we want to call an endpoint that is located in another zone? Well, we then also need to know the zone where that endpoint is registered. Each Gatekeeper on the same network is identified by a unique number, its Zone Number. To call an endpoint in a different zone, we prefix that endpoints H. 323 User Number with its Zone Number and dial this extended number.

Interconnected Gatekeeper Zones: n n The telephone analogy to the Gatekeeper Zone Number is the STD code for the local exchange. – If we want to telephone a person locally, we just dial their local number, but if we want to telephone somebody further afield, we need to prefix their local number with their STD code. All the Gatekeepers on the network must know how they are related to eachother.

Interconnected Gatekeeper Zones:

Neighbour Gatekeepers n n n When Gatekeepers are arranged in a single tier 'Peer-to-Peer' manner with no particular hierarchical structure, they are termed as being Neighbour Gatekeepers. This would typically be on a corporate network within a multi-site company who has a Gatekeeper at each site. Each Gatekeeper manages its own site (Zone), with inter-zone communications routed directly between zones and controlled on an individual basis specifically defined by the direct relationship between each Gatekeeper

Directory Gatekeepers n n When the Gatekeepers are arranged in a multi-tier manner with a hierarchical structure, they are termed as being Directory Gatekeepers (DGK). This would typically be within a large scale deployment such as the national schools network. Whilst each Gatekeeper still manages its own zone, inter-zone communications are routed indirectly on a Parent-Child basis between zones.

Directory Gatekeeper n n A Directory Gatekeeper only knows its Parent and Child Gatekeepers. If the Gatekeeper does not know the Zone of the dialled number, it routes the call to its Parent DGK, which then searches its database to see if the Zone known. If not known, this Parent routes the call to its Parent and so on until it eventually reaches a Parent DGK that has a Child DGK that matches the Zone. The call is then routed down through each Child DGK tier until it reaches the specific endpoint.

Gateways n Gateways interface H. 323 to other networks, including the PSTN, H. 320 systems, and other H. 323 networks (proxy)

Gateways n The Gateway is composed of a “Media Gateway Controller” (MGC) and a “Media Gateway” (MG), which may co-exist or exist separately – The MGC handles call signaling and other non-media-related functions – The MG handles the media

Gateways: n n H. 320 and H. 323 systems can interoperate with the use of a Gateway. Essentially, the Gateway provides translation between circuit-switched networks ISDN and packetbased networks LAN, enabling the endpoints to communicate. To do this, it must translate between the H. 225 to H. 221 transmission formats and between the H. 245 to H. 242 communications control protocols. The Gateway also has to transcode between the various audio and video codecs used between the LAN and ISDN devices.

Gateway n Most Gateways work in conjunction with, or include a Gatekeeper functionality

H. 323 Stack

The Protocols n H. 323 is a “framework” document that describes how the various pieces fit together n H. 225. 0 defines the call signaling between endpoints and the Gatekeeper n RTP/RTCP (RFC 3550) is used to transmit media such as audio and video over IP networks n H. 225. 0 Annex G and H. 501 define the procedures and protocol for communication within and between Peer Elements n H. 245 is the protocol used to control establishment and closure of media channels within the context of a call and to perform conference control

Protocols n H. 450. x is a series of supplementary service protocols n H. 460. x is a series of version-independent extensions to the base H. 323 protocol n T. 120 specifies how to do data conferencing n T. 38 defines how to relay fax signals n V. 150. 1 defines how to relay modem signals n H. 235 defines security within H. 323 systems n X. 680 defines the ASN. 1 syntax used by the Recommendations n X. 691 defines the Packed Encoding Rules (PER) used to encode messages for transmission on the network

Registration, Admission, and Status - RAS n Defined in H. 225. 0 n Allows an endpoint to request authorization to place or accept a call n Allows a Gatekeeper to control access to and from devices under its control n Allows a Gatekeeper to communicate the address of other endpoints n Allows two Gatekeepers to easily exchange addressing information

Registration, Admission, and Status – RAS

H. 225. 0 Call Signaling n Allows an endpoint to initiate and terminate a call with another endpoint

H. 245 Signaling n H. 245 is used to negotiate capabilities and to control aspects of the conference between two or more endpoints

Fast Connect and H. 245 n • Some H. 323 calls do not utilize the rich capabilities offered by H. 245 and simply media channels using the “Fast Connect” procedures n In this mode, a call may be established with as few as two messages (Setup / Connect)

Resolving Addresses n A Gatekeeper may resolve addresses in a number of ways – Sending a Location Request (LRQ) message to another Gatekeeper – Accessing a Peer Element – Accessing a back-end database (e. g. , LDAP) n Gatekeepers and Peer Elements may query other Gatekeepers and Peer Elements and may exchange address information outside the context of a call

Resolving Addresses n Since a Gatekeeper is not required, endpoints may resolve addresses themselves using, for example, DNS, LDAP, or a local “phonebook” containing static IP addresses

Using LRQs n A Gatekeeper may send an LRQ to one ore more Gatekeepers n It may accept any LCF response and utilize that information to satisfy the original ARQ

Using LRQs with Hierarchical Gatekeepers n A Gatekeeper may forward an LRQ received on to another Gatekeeper in order to resolve the address n The response may be directed back to the originating Gatekeeper or the intermediate Gatekeeper

Advanced features n Advanced Videoconferencing n Supports advanced videoconferencing features, including – Cascading MCUs – MCU control over audio and video mixing – Chair control – Far-end camera control

Supplementary Services n Standard mechanisms to provide a variety of services, including – Call transfer – Call forward – Call park/pick-up – Call Hold – Call Waiting – Message Waiting Indication – Call Completion on Busy / No-Answer – Call Intrusion

Qo. S n H. 460. 9 allows an endpoint to report Quality of Service information to the Gatekeeper, aiding in determine how to route calls n H. 323 devices may utilize IETF standards for providing quality of service, including Diff. Serv and RSVP

Scalability n H. 323 allows calls to be routed directly between endpoints without the need for an intermediate entity that maintains call state n Ability to utilize network services for address resolution, including ENUM, LDAP, and DNS

Flexibility n Voice over IP (or any packet-based network) n Videoconferencing n Support for T. 120 data conferencing n Support for real-time text communication