Signaling Protocols for VoIP

By:
Dr. Ahmed A. Khalifa
 Agenda
• H.225 RAS
• H.225 Standard Messages (Q.931)
• H.245

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 H.225 RAS

• H.323 endpoints must:

• Find a gatekeeper (Gatekeeper Request—GRQ,
Gatekeeper Confirmation—GCF)
&
• Request admission (Registration Request—RRQ,
Registration Confirmation —RCF) from the
gatekeeper

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H.323 Intro. H.323 Components H.323 Subprotocols H.323 Operation SIP MGCP
 H.225 RAS (Cont.)
•The “unregistration” occurs when a station
disconnects from the system
•Admission runs between the endpoint & the
gatekeeper
•A node may request a certain amount of
bandwidth from the network using an
Admission Request (ARQ) message
•Gatekeepers allowing this type of request
will respond with an Admission Confirm
(ACF) message
Examples
•Gatekeeper Request (GRQ)
•Gatekeeper Confirm message (GCF)
•Registration Request (RRQ)
•Admissions Confirm (ACF)
•Bandwidth Confirm (BCF)
•Unregistration Confirm (UCF)
•Not all messages have to be supported by every
node and in every direction
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H.323 Intro. H.323 Components H.323 Subprotocols H.323 Operation SIP MGCP
 H.225 RAS (Cont.)
•The “unregistration” occurs when a station
disconnects from the system
•Admission runs between the endpoint & the
gatekeeper
•A node may request a certain amount of
bandwidth from the network using an
Admission Request (ARQ) message
•Gatekeepers allowing this type of request
will respond with an Admission Confirm
(ACF) message
Examples
•Gatekeeper Request (GRQ)
•Gatekeeper Confirm message (GCF)
•Registration Request (RRQ)
•Admissions Confirm (ACF)
•Bandwidth Confirm (BCF)
•Unregistration Confirm (UCF)
•Not all messages have to be supported by every
node and in every direction
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H.323 Intro. H.323 Components H.323 Subprotocols H.323 Operation SIP MGCP
 H.225 RAS fields

This RAS message is a

gatekeeper request (GRQ),
which makes it one of the
terminal and gateway
discovery messages

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H.323 Intro. H.323 Components H.323 Subprotocols H.323 Operation SIP MGCP
 H.225 RAS fields (Cont.)

Request Sequence Number is

used to manage multiple requests
Value increases with each
message and any response uses
the same sequence number

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H.323 Intro. H.323 Components H.323 Subprotocols H.323 Operation SIP MGCP
 H.225 RAS fields (Cont.)

Protocol Identifier (6-byte) is used to

indicate which version of the
recommendation is in use.
Syntax of 0.0.8.2250.0.5 indicates version 5
values of “0.0.8” refer to the ITU-T (0), the
recommendation (0), and the letter H (8)

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H.323 Intro. H.323 Components H.323 Subprotocols H.323 Operation SIP MGCP
 H.225 RAS fields (Cont.)

Nonstandard Data (optional) can be used

in the discovery, registration, setup, or
connect messages. These elements are
vendor specific. There is no requirement
for
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a gatekeeper to forward this message
H.323 Intro. H.323 Components H.323 Subprotocols H.323 Operation SIP MGCP
 H.225 RAS fields (Cont.)
RAS Address: the IP address and port
number to be used by the VoIP endpoint,
7 bytes indicate the field descriptor (0), the
IP address (192.168.16.23), and the port
(49301). The port number is only used for
the RAS messages

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H.323 Intro. H.323 Components H.323 Subprotocols H.323 Operation SIP MGCP
 H.225 RAS fields (Cont.)

Endpoint Type: It is the type of endpoint that is

registering.
Type 2 indicates a simple endpoint type (SET),
which is a telephone with an RJ45 jack
This is also an indication of the capabilities
of the phone
MC bit (multipoint controller function) is also not
set, which is understandable, as it is just a phone

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H.323 Intro. H.323 Components H.323 Subprotocols H.323 Operation SIP MGCP
 H.225 RAS fields (Cont.)

Endpoint Alias: This field is a 7-byte value that

includes the field name, type of alias, and the name
by which other nodes may identify the endpoint

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H.323 Intro. H.323 Components H.323 Subprotocols H.323 Operation SIP MGCP
 H.225 RAS fields (Cont.)

Tokens: A collection of items that may or may not be necessary to allow the
connection to go forward. The tokens field is of variable length and, as can be
seen from Figure 6-19, is a list of the Object Identifiers (OIDs) required. OID
1.3.14.3.2.6 refers to the Data Encryption Standard (DES) encryption
for Electronic Code Book (ECB) mode. Each section
begins with a numerical value indicating how many items follow
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H.323 Intro. H.323 Components H.323 Subprotocols H.323 Operation SIP MGCP
 H.225 RAS fields (Cont.)
Feature Set
This is a collection of items supported by the
phone
Features are referenced by their OIDs

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H.323 Intro. H.323 Components H.323 Subprotocols H.323 Operation SIP MGCP
 H.225 RAS fields (Cont.)
Registration Confirmation
message from the gatekeeper to
this particular VoIP phone (packet
571) includes the Call Signal
Address (IP address and port) to
be used with the H.225 packets
This packet also indicates that the
phone is allowed to make calls
immediately

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H.323 Intro. H.323 Components H.323 Subprotocols H.323 Operation SIP MGCP
 H.225 Example
• Avaya G700 chassis
with an S8300 media
gateway
• The VoIP endpoints
are Avaya 4610 IP
phones
• This topology also has
DHCP and TFTP
servers along with
monitor stations
watching traffic from
the two IP phones

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H.323 Intro. H.323 Components H.323 Subprotocols H.323 Operation SIP MGCP
 H.225 Example (Cont.)
1. Phones power up and look for an IP
address via DHCP
2. Phones look to update their software
via the TFTP server
• This process varies a little between
vendors, but it is present on this
Avaya based topology
3. Phones contact the call server in
order to register themselves and allow
a user to log in to the phones
• This gives the phone its phone or dial
number

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H.323 Intro. H.323 Components H.323 Subprotocols H.323 Operation SIP MGCP
 H.225 Example (Cont.)
Packet list from phone startup

Packets from Phone 1

IP address obtained from the
DHCP server: 192.168.16.23

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H.323 Intro. H.323 Components H.323 Subprotocols H.323 Operation SIP MGCP
 GK Discovery

H.323 Intro. H.323 Components H.323 Subprotocols H.323 Operation SIP MGCP
 Direct call signaling

Request permission from a GK to participate in a call

H.323 Intro. H.323 Components H.323 Subprotocols H.323 Operation SIP MGCP
 Bandwidth change

H.323 Intro. H.323 Components H.323 Subprotocols H.323 Operation SIP MGCP
 H.225 Standard Messages (Q.931)

• H.225-Q.931 SETUP message is used

to initiate the process of calling to the
other side

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H.323 Intro. H.323 Components H.323 Subprotocols H.323 Operation SIP MGCP
 Q.931 Fields

• Protocol Discriminator
• This 1-byte field is set to 08 per the ITU-T Recommendation H.225.
• This indicates that it is a Q.931 message

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H.323 Intro. H.323 Components H.323 Subprotocols H.323 Operation SIP MGCP
 H.225-Q.931 SETUP message

Protocol Discriminator
This 1-byte field is set to 08 per the
ITU-T Rec H.225.
This indicates that it is a Q.931
message

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H.323 Intro. H.323 Components H.323 Subprotocols H.323 Operation SIP MGCP
 Q.931 Fields (Cont.)

• Call Reference Value Length

• This is a 4-bit field, and it specifies the number of octets used for the call reference
Value(default maximum length is three octets)
• Call Reference Flag
• This is a single-bit flag indicating the direction of a particular message (Originators always
set this to zero, and destinations set this to one)
• Call Reference Value
• It identifies the call or request and is valid for the duration of the call
• It is the second part of every message
• This value is set by the originator of the call
• In Wireshark example: 689f
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H.323 Intro. H.323 Components H.323 Subprotocols H.323 Operation SIP MGCP
 H.225-Q.931 SETUP message

Call Reference Value Length

This is a 4-bit field and specifies the
number of octets used for the call
reference value.
Call Reference Flag
This is a single-bit flag indicating
the direction of the message.
Call Reference Value
This field identifies the call or
request and is valid for the duration
of the call.
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H.323 Intro. H.323 Components H.323 Subprotocols H.323 Operation SIP MGCP
 Q.931 Fields (Cont.)

• Message Type
• 1-byte field (7 bits for the code and 1 bit for future use) specifying the kind of message
• Examples
 ALERTING has a code of 01
 CALL PROCEEDING has a code of 02
 CONNECT has a code of 07
• Information Element
• It can be either single octet or variable length, depending on the fit bit in the octet
• current value is 7e, or 0111 1110 in binary
• The table from ITU-T Recommendation Q.931 indicates that this value is user-user
• Other examples include Calling Party Number (01101100)

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H.323 Intro. H.323 Components H.323 Subprotocols H.323 Operation SIP MGCP
 Mandatory and optional H.225 messages types
for an H.323 implementation using Q.931

• Conditional mandatory means that it is required

if the option is supported
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H.323 Intro. H.323 Components H.323 Subprotocols H.323 Operation SIP MGCP
 H.225 (Q.931) Messaging

• Each message has the same basic header, which eventually

indicates the message type
• Once the message type is determined, the message is
constructed accordingly

Q.931 message types

defined in the packets

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H.323 Intro. H.323 Components H.323 Subprotocols H.323 Operation SIP MGCP
 H.225-Q.931 SETUP message

Signaling port has changed from

the 1719 of the RAS messages to
1720

Indicate a voice-only versus an

H.323 video call

Possible codec and connection speed

(capabilities) are included (64Kbps based on
G.711ulaw)
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H.323 Intro. H.323 Components H.323 Subprotocols H.323 Operation SIP MGCP
 CALL PROCEEDING message

CALL PROCEEDING
The user or endpoint receives this
message in order to indicate that the
network has received enough
information to allow the call to
move forward

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H.323 Intro. H.323 Components H.323 Subprotocols H.323 Operation SIP MGCP
 CONNECT message
CONNECT message is sent to the
caller from the call server and from the
called party to the call server.
It is used to indicate acceptance of
the call by the called party. The
other end can be either the call server
or
gateway itself or another endpoint
such as a phone.

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H.323 Intro. H.323 Components H.323 Subprotocols H.323 Operation SIP MGCP
 FACILITY message

FACILITY message is used to request or acknowledge a “supplementary service.”

Message shows the codec, IP address, and port for the reverse channel has been
determined. These values are used in the subsequent RTP packet.
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H.323 Intro. H.323 Components H.323 Subprotocols H.323 Operation SIP MGCP
 H.245

• What is H.245?

Answer:
The messages cover receiving
and transmitting capabilities as well as
mode preference from the receiving
end, logical channel signaling and
control & indication

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H.323 Intro. H.323 Components H.323 Subprotocols H.323 Operation SIP MGCP
 H.245 General Services
• Master-slave determination: Endpoints have the ability to act as both a master
(e.g., media controller) or slave when setting up a bidirectional connection. In
this case, the capabilities of each are compared and a master selected for the
call
• Capability exchange: Capabilities of the endpoints are communicated to
ensure that only codecs or configurations understood by both sides of the
conversation are selected
• Logical channel signaling: Using the OpenLogicalChannel messages (OLC,
OLC ACK, and CLC), H.245 establishes the parameters to be used when
encoding and decoding data
• Audiovisual and data-mode request: Once the capabilities are known and the
desired encoding selected, the endpoints signal their desire through this
method.

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H.323 Intro. H.323 Components H.323 Subprotocols H.323 Operation SIP MGCP
 H.245 messages

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H.323 Intro. H.323 Components H.323 Subprotocols H.323 Operation SIP MGCP
 H.245 master-slave determination
message

• The circled values are actually used for the final decision.
• The terminal type is simply a value between 0 and 255, which depends on the unit.
• The statusDeterminationNumber is a random number.
• The larger terminal type value will be the master.
• If these are the same, the statusDeterminationNumber is compared using modulo
arithmetic.

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H.323 Intro. H.323 Components H.323 Subprotocols H.323 Operation SIP MGCP
 H.245 master-slave determination
ACK

• The endpoint with IP address of 10.210.200.112 became the

master.
• Then, the parameters for the session itself are negotiated via the
OpenLogical‐ Channel and OpenLogicalChannelAck messages
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H.323 Intro. H.323 Components H.323 Subprotocols H.323 Operation SIP MGCP
 Big Picture Reminder
• The phones and the call server go through a number of
important steps that are points of interest:
• DHCP
• TFTP
• Gatekeeper discovery and registration via H.225 RAS
• Establishing a connection to the other endpoint via H.225
• Negotiating the communication parameters for the call or
session via H.245 or H.245 tunneling
• Transmission of voice data via RTP
• Tracking the performance of the voice data via RTCP
• Termination of the media session via H.245
• Termination of the connection via H.225

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H.323 Intro. H.323 Components H.323 Subprotocols H.323 Operation SIP MGCP
 Call Termination
• The last part of any phone call is hanging up
• At the beginning of a call, the call manager and
possibly the other endpoint are contacted, and
then the media session must be set up (via the
H.225 and H.245 messages)
• Upon termination, the session must be closed
via H.245 and then the call termination
finalized by H.225

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H.323 Intro. H.323 Components H.323 Subprotocols H.323 Operation SIP MGCP
 Example:
An Ad-Hoc Conference
One the the endpoints must contain an MC

H.323 Intro. H.323 Components H.323 Subprotocols H.323 Operation SIP MGCP
 Example:
Basic Call without GKs

H.323 Intro. H.323 Components H.323 Subprotocols H.323 Operation SIP MGCP
 References

1) Lingfen Sun, Is-Haka Mkwawa, Emmanuel Jammeh, Emmanuel

Ifeachor, “Guide to Voice and Video over IP: For Fixed and Mobile
Networks”, 2013

2) Pramode K. Verma, Ling Wang, “Voice over IP Networks: Quality

of Service, Pricing and Security”, Volume 71, 2011

3) Bruce Hartpence, “Packet Guide to Voice over IP”, First Edition,

2013

4) Jonathan Davidson, James Peters, Brian Gracely, “Voice over IP

Fundamentals”, Cisco Press, 2000

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 Thank you!

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 Questions

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