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Flanagan Consulting
Network Analysts and Consultants
"We Have the Experience"
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ViewsLetter on
Provisioning 3 Nov
2003 #32
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A fortnightly look at provisioning automation.
SIP SOFTWARE SHOWS CARRER SCALE
AS IBM ROLLS OUT VoIP WORLDWIDE
--Linux Server Cluster handles 100,000+ IPphones,
Points Carriers at Automated Provisioning Steps
William A. Flanagan, Editor and Publisher
According to IBM, it has put together standard enterprise servers to
create a Voice-over-IP call processor with capacity for more than
100,000 IP phones. As experience increases, IBM expects further
expandability of the same technology.
Supporting that many subscribers, the server shows the "carrier
scale" needed to contend for the switching job in the central
office. With the capacity hurdle behind it, there are several
other aspects of this project that will influence how telephone
companies operate a decade from now (whatever they will be by then).
Key to the large capacity are multiprocessor and clustering features
built into recent releases of Linux. These features ensure high
availability of the call processing software when running on IBM's
high-end commercial servers. This solution doesn't require
expensive computers specially designed for reliability, and you can't
beat the price of Linux.
That doesn't mean free: you can download Linux components at no
charge, but assembling and integrating them is a big job. You
probably would prefer to buy a valued-added version for high
availability or tailored to a complex application. The price of
the software, however calculated, will be far less than software on
central office switches.
Price pressures like these are pushing makers of class 4 and class 5
central office switches away from proprietary hardware. Their web
sites indicate most have ported their call control software from their
proprietary switches to standard servers.
After considering migrations strategies for its 400,000 employees,
worldwide, IBM opted to move straight to a solution based on Session
Initiation Protocol (SIP). Despite early doubts by their
telecom people, who maintain 900 circuit-switched PBXs, the decision
was not to take a cautious approach. Rather than run VoIP and
PBXs in a parallel, they would simply cut over groups when ready.
At the same time, they set a goal to replace the 900 PBXs with one call
processor. Considering latency for signaling packets over global
distances, they determined a need for at least three sites.
To keep the number of processors to three they need a call processor
with capacity for more than 100,000 users. They think they've
found it, in Linux clusters and existing SIP proxy agent software
(vendor unnamed).
The plan puts staff trained in managing voice calls at only at call
processor sites. With backups and certain legal constraints,
telecom-staffed sites may number about ten, down from 900.
That means that almost all IBM locations will lack skilled telecom
people. So who's doing the moves, adds, and changes? Not a
problem, IBM believes. The SIP protocol allows for automated
registration of phones and gateways as they connect to the
network. Whoa! That sounds like automated provisioning!
If IBM can do it internally, why can't local exchange carriers so
something similar? What about E911 location reporting, you
ask?
Done, IBM says, by DHCP and dynamic DNS, with reports from ARP about
which phone is on which switch port. Your switches not ready for
that? Panduit has an add-on panel that front ends a switch
and reports (via SNMP) the MAC address of devices on each LAN
segment. Just add a data base that matches switch ports to
offices and you're done, too.
What about power? The IEEE power standard, 802.11af, is almost
final. Several firms offer add-ons to deliver power over the LAN
cable. Enterprises also have the option of new Ethernet switches
or new interface cards offered for many of the switches installed in
their networks.
It will be harder for carriers to provide power for IP phones.
Analog phones draw little power from the central office, and only when
in use. Because phones are used a very small percentage of the
time, Local Exchange Carriers (LECs) need to deliver only a low average
power. IP devices are computers. They need more power, all
the time--even when the phone is "on hook" so it can process incoming
calls.
As an industry, we'll solve the power problem:
--The subscriber is responsible for power under normal conditions.
--LEC power during installation simplifies automated provisioning.
--The question is how (and if) the LEC will provide power in emergencies to a large number of IP phones.
Or could we find successors to the hook switch and ringing voltage so
IP phones wouldn't need to be powered when idle? I have a few
ideas. Put on your thinking cap, let me know what you come up
with. We'll compare notes in a future ViewsLetter.
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"Flanagan Consulting" and "ViewsLetter" are
Service Marks of W. A. Flanagan, Inc.
Updated: 17 July 2004 2003
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