Real-time Communications

This area recommends infrastructures for real-time communications with an emphasis on open standards, SIP in particular. The infrastructure itself should be media transparent, coping with voice, video, messaging, document sharing and presence. A particular focus is given to VoIP and IP telephony. Best practices from a number of NRENs in Europe are given. Security concerns are discussed and implemented solutions are recommended. Performance issues are also covered.

AV infrastructures and services within RCTS

This document provides an overview of Audio/Video infrastructures and services within RCTS, the Science Technology & Society Network, which is the Portuguese national research & education network, managed by FCCN as a unit of FCT,I.P..

Installation and configuration of H.323 gatekeeper

This paper describes the theoretical basis of the H.323 protocol with the aim of presenting a solution for the software implementation and integration of H.323 Gatekeeper into the existing infrastructure of the Academic Network of Serbia (AMRES).

Implementing an IP Telephone Exchange Using Asterisk

This paper describes the implementation of an IP telephone exchange at the central location (the headquarters - HQ) of the Academic Network of Serbia (AMRES) using the free Asterisk software package. The paper contains all the instructions necessary for installing and configuring the Asterisk software package, as well as basic information on the accompanying services.

ToIP Interconnections

This document describes the connection specifications for the telephony over IP (ToIP) service installed at RENATER, France. The aim of this service, based on a SIP call router, is to link up the RENATER sites that have deployed a ToIP solution within their institutions. This router only sends SIP signalling and not RTP traffic, which is transmitted point-to-point between the two users.

VoIP Network Status in Portuguese R&E

The VoIP@RCTS project started around 2007 following the network infrastructure upgrade of Rede Ciência, Tecnologia e Sociedade (RCTS) ‒ the Portuguese NREN ‒ that connected around 85% of the Portuguese research and higher education community over a dedicated optical fibre network. The remaining 15% of this community is also enabled, but over leased connections. VoIP over RCTS was the next logical step in order to exploit all the bandwidth that became available.

In late 2012, the Portuguese government decided to integrate FCCN, the organisation managing the NREN into Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P. (FCT,I.P.). That integration process was completed in October 2013. FCT, I.P. is the public institute responsible for funding science in Portugal, and FCCN became one of its units, still with the main responsibility of managing RCTS.

This document is essentially an update on the Portuguese chapter of CBPD146, published during the GN3 project. (Ref [1] in the document).

IP Telephony Best Practice in EU National Research Networks

IP telephony is offered as an advanced service by many NRENs in Europe. This document presents implemented solutions, experiences and recommendations from the Czech Republic, Finland, Croatia, Slovakia and Portugal. A later update to this report will include additional countries.

IP Telephony Review from a Czech Academic Environment

This document describes the best examples of VoIP implementations at Czech universities. Implementations based on the open-source solutions OpenSER/Kamailio and Asterisk are included. A commercial implementation, where Cisco Call Manager is used as an extension to the legacy PBX (Ericsson MD110), is also described. Description of a Kamailio configuration script generator is also included. Details from the implementation of the CESNET SIP infrastructure are given, which also includes the use of ENUM technology.

Evaluating the Performance of a SIP Infrastructure

A methodology for testing and benchmarking a SIP infrastructure is presented in this document. Tests are conducted based on a configurable maximum load. The results will reveal the dynamically changing characteristics of the tested system, such as response times and packet delays. This is useful information for deciding on a system that is best suited to a particular environment.

SIP Penetration Testing in CESNET

This document describes a system that generates SIP-penetration tests in order to reveal potential vulnerabilities for SIP servers, and shows example tests for a number of well-known attack methodologies. An analysis of the security risks is given and weaknesses are highlighted. The document also includes a description of applications that are used in evaluating of the security of the SIP infrastructure.

VoIP Anomaly Detection Engine (VoIPADE)

In this document, an open source solution, VoIPADE, which is based on a behavioural learning algorithm for anomaly detection of VoIP traffic, is detailed. The algorithm learns the normal behaviour of call patterns, and after an initial training period, the system will generate alarms based on configurable threshold values. VoIPADE can be installed in conjunction with session border controllers (SBCs), and analyse the logged call detail records (CDRs).