H.

323 Notes

H.323
ITU-T Spec (1996) Based on ISDN Q.931 Layer 3 Signaling
H.225: This TCP-based communications protocol is responsible for call setup
and teardown. Number exchange and call state reporting are part of this
subprotocol.
Default port is TCP 1720 (Can be changed to UDP on both sides)

H.225 RAS: Registration, Admission, and Status (RAS) functions are UDP based,
and they are used with a gatekeeper.
H.245:
Performs call control, including a capabilities exchange (for example, codec
negotiation, DTMF relay, VAD etc.).
Uses Control channel to transport messages between endpoints
Logical channel Signaling (OLC): Open/closes a channel that carriers a media
stream
Capabilities Exchange: Negotiates audio, video and codec
Master or Responder determination: Which endpoint is the master and which is
responder (used to resolve conflicts)
Mode Requests: Requests a change in mode or capability of the media stream.
Uses TCP port range from 11000-11999
H.450:
Controls supplementary services between H.323 endpoints
Supplementary services include call-waiting, hold, transfer, park and pickup.

H.323 Basic Call Setup:

Originating gateway initiates a H.225 session with the destination gateway on TCP port
1720.
Call setup procedures based on Q.931 create a call signaling channel between the
endpoints.
Endpoints open another channel for the H.245 control function (negotiates capabilities and
exchanges logical channel descriptions)
Logical channel descriptions open RTP sessions
Endpoints exchange multimedia over RTP including quality stats using RTCP.

H.225 is responsible only for setting up the call and routing it to the proper destination.
H.225 does
not have any mechanism for exchanging capabilities or setting up and tearing down media
streams. The called H.323 device is responsible for sending the IP address and port
number that are used to establish the TCP connections for H.245 signaling. This
information can be sent by the
called device in either the Alerting or Connect message. When the originating H.323 device
receives the IP address and port number for H.245 negotiations, it initiates a second TCP

connection to carry out the necessary capabilities exchange and logical channel
negotiations. This
TCP session is primarily used to do four things:
Master/slave determination-This is used to resolve conflicts that might exist when two
endpoints in a call request the same thing, but only one of the two can gain access to the
resource at a time.
Terminal capabilities exchange-This is one of the most important functions of the H.245
protocol. The two most important capabilities are the supported audio codecs and the basic
audio calls.
Logical channel signaling-This indicates a one-way audio stream. With H.323 version 2,
it is possible to open and close logical channels in the middle of a call. Because H.245
messages are independent of the H.225 signaling, a call can still be connected in H.225
even if no logical channels are open. This is typical with such features as hold, transfer, and
conference.
DTMF relay-Because voice networks typically do not carry DTMF tones inband because of
compression issues, these tones are carried on the signaling channel. Ensure that the type
of DTMF relay configured on your gateway is compatible with your gatekeeper.

H.245

Used to negotiate media (DTMF Relay, Codec, VAD etc.)

Called Capabilities Exchange
Opens Logical Channel (OLC) for media to pass through
Flow Control Messages
Uses TCP Port range from 11000 11999

H.323 Slow start:

H.225/Q.931 does call setup (TCP port 1720)

H.245 then negotiates capabilities on a different channel after setup has completed

In H.323 Slow start the H.245 transmission doesnt start until the other end answers and a
connect message is sent. After that H.245 starts and OLC takes place allowing Media.

Can also configure H.232 slow start on a specific dial peer instead of globally via an H323
Voice Class map.

Codecs in H.323 The H.245 protocol performs three functions when a call is being set
up
Capability negotiation: The most important H.245 function enables devices to
communicate without have prior knowledge of the capabilities of the remote entity. It
negotiates audio/video/codec and additional parameters such as AD. Capabilities are
offered via Terminal Capabilities set (TCS) messages and are answered using ACK/
REJECT/ Confirm

Master Slave Determination:

Occurs after the first TSC message is sent. Master settles all disputes.

Logical Channel signaling: Occurs after capabilities exchanged and master slave
determination is made. Devices open media flows referred to as logical channels. This is
done by sending OLC messages that carry RTP/RTCP ports and receives and
acknowledgement message.
The final function of H.245 is exchanging information, such as IP address and RTP port
numbers, to be used to create the media streams. These take the form of logical
channel commands and acknowledgments.
Because the H.245 negotiation sends many messages, this method is sometimes
called slow connect. If the endpoints have prior knowledge of each other (customer-owned
environment), a method known as fast connect is used. The H.245 information is
predetermined and is sent as part of the H.225 setup and connect messages.

Early Media:

A third method, known as H.323 Early Media, combines the two methods. In Early Media,
the H.245 is still negotiated, as in Slow Start, but this is done during the setup and connect
portions of H.225. H.323 Early Media is usually used with the PSTN.
Both Gateways negotiate the capabilities such as codecs and RTP/RTCP port numbers
within the first two messages. When early media is negotiated they open the media
channels before any other H.225 messages are exchanged.
Early Media allows sending of media from the called party or an application server to the
caller prior to the call being accepted. Early Media is usally sent from the PSTN and carries
ringing tones or announcements.

H.323 fast start

Fast connect allows endpoints to establish media channels without waiting for a separate
H.245
connection to be opened. This streamlines the number of messages that are exchanged
and the amount
of processing that must be done before endpoint connections can be established. A highlevel view of
the fast-connect procedures within the H.323 protocol follows:
1. The calling endpoint transmits a setup message containing the fastStart element that

contains a
sequence of encoded logical channel structures, each representing a different capability
media type
for both send and receive directions.
- call setup procedures based on Q.931 create a combined call signaling channel and
control channel for H.245. capabilities and logical channel descriptions are exchanged
within the Q.931 call setup procedure.
2. The called endpoint selects one or more of the media types offered by the calling

endpoint for the

send and receive directions and returns its selections in a fastStart element in any H.225
message up
to and including connect. At this point, the called endpoint must be prepared to receive
media along
any of the channels it selected.
3. If H.245 procedures are needed and one or both of the endpoints do not support

tunneling, a separate H.245 connection is used.

Fast connect is not explicitly configurable. All H.323 Version 2 VoIP endpoints are capable
of initiating
or accepting fast-connect calls. It is assumed that the gateway is capable of sending and
receiving

fast-connect procedures unless its corresponding dial peer has been configured for the
Resource
Reservation Protocol (RSVP). RSVP means the quality of service is set by the reqqos command to a
value other than the default of best-effort. If the dial peer has been configured for RSVP,
traditional
slow connect procedures are followed, and the endpoint neither attempts to initiate fast
connect nor
responds to a fast-connect request from its peer.
A terminating endpoint can reject fast connect by simply omitting the fastStart element from
all H.225
messages up to and including connect. In this case, normal H.245 procedures are followed
and a separate H.245 TCP connection is established. So, if an endpoint does not support
the fast-connect procedures, normal H.245 procedures are followed. In addition, certain
conditions can cause a fast-connect call to fall back to normal H.245 procedures to
complete the call.

In Fast Start the H.245 is negotiated prior to a connect.

To Enable Fast Start check the following on the Gateway definition in CUCM

Note also that MTP Required should be set for Outbound Fast Start

H.323 Outbound Fast Start Call Connections

Calls that are placed from IP phones over large WAN topologies with long delays can
experience voice clipping when the called party goes off-hook to answer the call. When
H.323 trunks or gateways are separated from the Unified CM server, significant delays can
occur because of the many H.245 messages that are exchanged when a call is set up.
With the Fast Start feature, information that is required to complete a media connection
between two parties gets exchanged during the H.225 portion of call setup, and this
exchange eliminates the need for H.245 messages. The connection experiences one
round-trip WAN delay during call setup, and the calling party does not experience voice
clipping when the called party answers the call.
Unified CM uses media termination points (MTPs) for making an H.323 outbound Fast Start
call. Unified CM starts an outbound Fast Start call by allocating an MTP and opening the
receive channel. Next, the H.323 Fast Connect procedure sends the SETUP message with
a Fast Start element to the called endpoint. The Fast Start element includes information
about the receiving channel for the MTP.
By default, H.323 Fast Start is disabled. To enable H.323 Fast Start, check the MTP
Required and Enable Outbound FastStart checkboxes on the H.323 trunk, and select the
desired Codec For Outbound Fast Start. Also note that Inbound Fast Start is enabled

separately with check box Enable Inbound FastStart. (Inbound Fast Start does not require
an MTP or a codec selection.)
Note
When H.323 Fast Start is enabled, an MTP is assigned for every outbound H.323
trunk call. MTPs used for H.323 Fast Start support a single voice codec only, and therefore
video and encrypted calls are not supported. H.323 Fast Start is disabled by default on
H.323 trunks, and MTPs are not required for outbound or inbound calls. As a general rule,
this default H.323 (Slow Start) trunk configuration is preferred so that voice, video, and
encrypted calls are supported over H.323 trunk connections.

H.323 Trunks with Media Termination Points

Media termination points (MTPs) are generally not required for normal operation of the
H.323 trunk. They are, however, required for communication with devices that are H.323
Version 1, that do not support the Empty Capabilities Set (ECS) for supplementary
services, or that require H.323 Fast Start.
To test whether or not an MTP is required, use the following simple procedure:
1.
Place a call from a phone through the H.323 trunk to the other device. This call
should work normally.
2.
Place the call on hold, then resume it. If the call drops, then it is highly likely that an
MTP is required to ensure interoperability between Unified CM and the other device.

H.323 Early Media:

This method aims at eliminating delays when starting RTP streams. The time needed to
allocate all the required memory structures, open sockets, and start sending the RTP
stream might not be that significant, but it adds up to the overall delay, especially on slower
(embedded) platforms.
The solution is to start sending RTP as soon as the media channels are negotiated, even
before the called user accepts the call. You naturally cannot start sending actual sound
from the user's microphone but should send silence or some random noise instead. You
switch to the real sound when the user accepts the call.
These early channels can be used for streaming of media such as broadcast
announcements or music on hold.

Here the RTP stream is opened prior to the Connect from the far end.

H.323 Call Flow

Each protocol that is used in the call flow creates a logical channel for its traffic. Each
channel is one way so you must open two channels in each direction for each protocol.

H.323 gateways exchange H.225 call setup messages using TCP port 1720. One of those
messages (the CONNECT message) contains the control channel address to use for H.245
signals.
The gateways then exchange H.245 capabilities negotiation messages. Once negotiation is
successful the calling endpoint IP address and RTP port numbers are exchanged.

H.323 Media Flow Around

This feature adds media flow-around capability on the Cisco UBE by supporting the
processing of call
setup and teardown requests (VoIP call signaling) and for media streams (flow-through and
flow-around). Media flow-around can be configured the global level or it must be configured
on both
incoming and outgoing dial peers. If configured only on either the incoming or outgoing dial
peer, the
call will become a flow-through call.

Media flow-around is a good choice to improve scalability and performance when networktopology
hiding and bearer-level interworking features are not required.
With the default configuration, the Cisco Unified Border Element receives media packets
from the
inbound call leg, terminates them, and then reoriginates the media stream on an outbound
call leg. Media flow-around enables media packets to be passed directly between the
endpoints, without the intervention of the Cisco Unified Border Element.
1. enable
2. configure terminal
3. voice class media 1tag
4. media flow-around
5. dial-peer voice 2 voip
6. voice-class media tag
7. exit

OR
1. enable
2. configure terminal
3. dial-peer voice number voip
4. media flow-around
5. exit

Configuring Media Flow-Around at the Global Level

To configure media flow-around at the global level, perform the steps in this section.
SUMMARY STEPS
1. enable
2. configure terminal
3. voice service voip
4. media flow-around
5. exit

Using RSVP with H323

The H.323 setup is suspended before the destination phone, triggered by the H.225
alerting message, starts ringing. The RSVP reservation is made in both directions because
a voice
call requires a two-way speech path and therefore bandwidth in both directions. The
terminating
gateway ultimately makes the CAC decision based on whether or not both reservations
succeed.
At that point the H.323 state machine continues either with an H.225 Alerting/Connect (the
call is
allowed and proceeds), or with an H.225 Reject/Release (call is denied). The RSVP
reservation is

in place by the time the destination phone starts ringing and the caller hears ringback.

Enabling H.323-to-H.323 Interworking Between Fast

Start and Slow Start
Slow-start to fast-start interworking prevents the Cisco Unified Border Element from
dropping a call down to slow-start when it detects different call signaling on the incoming
and outgoing legs of H.323 to H.323 calls. Configuration may be done at either the dialpeer level or the global level.
The call start interwork command only supports interwork between fast-start and slowstart. It should not be used in situations where fast-start to fast-start or slow-start to slowstart calls are possible.
SUMMARY STEPS
1.
enable
2.
configure terminal
3.
voice service voip
4.
h323
5.
call start interwork
6.
exit

Configuring H.323 Gateways:

!
voice service voip
NY2921-VGW(conf-voi-serv)#h323
NY2921-VGW(conf-serv-h323)#?
VOICE SERVICE VOIP H323 configuration commands:
bearercap-ie
billing
call
ccm-compatible
specific behavior

Specify bearercap_ie coding

B-channel info present
Global setting for H.323 Calls
For Cisco Call Manager connections,

allow

CCM-

default
emptycapability
encoding
exit
h225
h245
h450
ip
no
null-called-number
in incoming h225 setup
ras
scenario-cause
session
telephony-service
terminal-alias-pattern

Set a command to its defaults

Empty Capability (TCS=0)
Global setting for H.323 ASN.1 encoding options
Exit from voice service voip h323 configuration mode
TCP H225 call signalling channel
H245 Signalling
H450 parameter configuration
Global H.323 IP related configurations
Negate a command or set its defaults
Configure default called number to be used if absent
Gateway RAS configuration
H.323 scenario to cause code mapping
H323 Voice Protocol session config
For CCME H323 connections
Alias pattern priority for this gateway

NY2921-VGW(conf-serv-h323)#h225 ?
alt-ep
Alternate endpoint configuration
connect-passthru Connect Pass through
display-ie
Map calling name from Q931 Facility to
h245-address
global control for h225 reporting of h245-address
GW
id-passthru
Protocol identifier pass through
listen-port
Call Signaling Port (default 1720)
plus-digit
Pass through the leading plus digit
signal
Specify signaling options
start-h245
global control of initiation of H.245
timeout
Specify timeout for maintaining connections
NY2921-VGW(conf-serv-h323)#h225 timeout ?
call-proceeding CALLPROCEEDING timeout(T310)
keepalive
KEEPALIVE timeout
ntf
Name To Follow timeout
setup
SETUP timeout
t302
T302 timeout
t304
T304 timeout
tcp
H225 CSA connection type

H225 timeout for H323 dial peers

When setting up redundant h323 dial peers for sending calls from a H323 gateway to
publisher and subscriber, set the h225 timeout to < 10 seconds. If its more than 10
seconds, q931 timer will expire and will do a call disconnect. If timeout is not set, the router
waits 40 seconds to hunt between two dial-peers that have same pattern with preference
numbers in order.
voice class h323 1
h225 timeout tcp establish 3
# 3 seconds
dial-peer voice 1 voip
destination-pattern 3
dtmf-relay h245-alphanumeric
pref 0 (default)
voice-class h323 1
session target ipv4:<ip of subscriber
dial-peer voice 2 voip

destination-pattern 3
dtmf-relay h245-alphanumeric
pref 1
session target ipv4:<ip of publisher>

Voice Class Codec Command

!
voice class codec 1
codec preference 1 g711ulaw
codec preference 2 g729r8
!

H323 Voice Class Configuration for Timeouts etc.

NY2921-VGW(config)#voice class h323 <1-10000>
NY2921-VGW(config-class)#?
VOICECLASS configuration commands:
call
Call Start Setting for H.323 Calls
ccm-compatible
For Cisco Call Manager connections, allow CCMspecific behavior
encoding
H.323 ASN.1 encoding options
exit
Exit from voice class configuration mode
h225
h225 protocol
h245
H245setting for H323 calls
help
Description of the interactive help system
no
Negate a command or set its defaults
telephony-service For CCME H323 connections
NY2921-VGW(config-class)#
H225 timeout typically shortened if you have multiple CUCM servers to achieve faster
fallback. A similar dial peer with the same routable numbers would have to have a
preference number larger that the primary server.
H225 timeout tcp establish If the H323 gateway can't establish a tcp Connection
with IP address defined in the dial-peer with preference 0 within the specified time then the
next dial-peer will be used. therefore this command is mandatory for dial-peer with
preference
0
but
optional
for
the
other
one.
H225 timeout setup this command will define the time that the gateway will wait for a
response from CUCM when trying to establish a tcp connection, if the CUCM didn't respond
within the defined time the next dial-peer will be used.
Voice
Class
H323 tag
H225
timeout
tcp
establish Seconds(recommended
2
Seconds)
H225
timeout
setup Seconds
(recommended
2
Seconds)
dial-peer
voice tag voip
Voice-Class H323 tag

Attach Voice class to Dial-Peer

dial-peer voice 100 voip

preference 1
destination-pattern 82....
modem passthrough nse codec g711ulaw
session target ipv4:172.19.108.4
incoming called-number .
voice-class codec 1
voice-class h323 3
dtmf-relay h245-alphanumeric
fax-relay ecm disable
fax rate disable
ip qos dscp cs3 signaling
no vad

Bind H323 Gateway to an interface

!
interface Loopback1
description VoIP Interface
ip address 192.168.47.248 255.255.255.255
h323-gateway voip interface
h323-gateway voip bind srcaddr 192.168.47.248
!

H.323 VoIP Call Preservation for WAN Link Failures

1.
2.

3.
4.

Connection Types:
Calls between two Cisco Unified CM controlled endpoints under the following conditions:
During Unified CM reloads.
When a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connection used for signaling H.225.0 or
H.245
messages between one or both endpoints and Unified CM is lost or flapping.
Between endpoints that are registered to different Unified CMs in a cluster, and the TCP
connection between the two Unified CMs is lost.
Between IP phones and the PSTN at the same site.
Flapping is defined for this feature as the repeated and temporary loss of IP connectivity,
which can be
caused by WAN or LAN failures. H.323 VoIP calls between a Cisco IOS gateway and Cisco
Unified CM
may be torn down when flapping occurs. When Unified CM detects that the TCP connection
is lost, it
clears the call and closes the TCP sockets used for the call by sending a TCP FIN, without
sending an
H.225.0 Release Complete or H.245 End Session message. This is called quiet clearing.
The TCP FIN
sent from Unified CM could reach the gateway if the network comes up for a short duration,
and the

gateway will tear down the call. Even if the TCP FIN does not reach the gateway, the TCP
keepalives
sent from the gateway could reach Unified CM when the network comes up. Unified CM will
send TCP
RST messages in response to the keepalives because it has already closed the TCP
connection. The
gateway will tear down H.323 calls if it receives the RST message.

H.323 Call Preserve

Configuration of H.323 VoIP call preservation enhancements for WAN link failures involves
configuring
the call preserve command. If you are using Cisco Unified Communications Manager, you
must enable
the Allow Peer to Preserve H.323 Calls parameter from the Service Parameters window.
The call preserve command causes the gateway to ignore socket closure or socket errors on
H.225.0 or
H.245 connections for active calls, thus allowing the socket to be closed without tearing
down calls using
those connections.
Example of H.323 VoIP Call Preservation for All Calls

The following configuration example enables H.323 VoIP call preservation for all calls:
voiceservicevoip
h323
callpreserve

H323

Gateway

Call

Survivability

by default when the signalling between the H323 Gateway and CUCM is lost, the RTP
stream of active calls will be disconnected after H225 Keepalive timeout.To maintain your
TDM-to-IP
Calls
for
Trunk
Gateways
use
the
below
commands:

Voice
Service
Voip
H323
no
H225
timeout
Keepalive
#To maintain your IP-to-IP Calls for IP Trunk Gateways (CUBE) use
the
below
commands
Voice
Service
Voip
allow-connections
H323
to
H323
Voice Class H323 tag (this is the same Voice class that you
defined
for
redundant
CUCM
above)
Call Preserve

H.323 Terminals
An H.323 terminal is an endpoint in the network that provides for real-time, two-way
communications
with another H.323 terminal, gateway, or multipoint control unit (MCU). The
communications consist

of control, indications, audio, moving color video pictures, or data between the two
terminals. A terminal may provide audio only; audio and data; audio and video; or audio,
data, and video. The terminal can be a computer-based video conferencing system or other
device.

Multipoint Control Unit

A multipoint control unit (MCU) is an endpoint on the network that allows three or more
endpoints to
participate in a multipoint conference. It controls and mixes video, audio, and data from
endpoints to
create a robust multimedia conference. An MCU may also connect two endpoints in a pointto-point
conference, which may later develop into a multipoint conference