H.

323

Scope of H.323?
Why H.323 is Important?
Protocol Under H.323 Stack
H.323 Signaling Mechanism
H.323 Call Flow
H.323 Traces


WHAT IS H.323

H.323 is an ITU standard multimedia conferencing protocol
Includes voice, video, and data conferencing, for use over packet-switched
networks.
H.323 was the first standard for VoIP, but is being supplanted by SIP.
The first version was published by the ITU in November 1996 with an
emphasis of enabling videoconferencing capabilities over a Local Area
Network (LAN).
It was quickly adopted by an industries for transmitting Voice communication
over IP networks, WAN and Internet (VoIP)
Over the years, re-published with enhancements to enable both voice and
video functionality over Packet-switched networks, with each version being
backward-compatible with the previous version
current version of H.323, referred to as "H.323v6", was published in 2006.
First VoIP standard to adopt the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)
standard Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) to transport audio and video
over IP networks.
WHY H.323 IS IMPORTANT

Trend
Explosive growth of Internet
Offset some of the Tariffs of PSTN
Standardization
H.323 protocol widely accepted
Availability and acceptability of Multimedia Conferencing over IP
Internetworking
H.323 bridges multimedia communications between packet-based
and switched-circuit networks(SCN)
Integrated Services
e-mail
Voice mail
Fax
Call center functionality
Videoconferencing


SCOPE OF H.323

H.323 protocol stack is designed to operate above the transport layer of the
underlying network
Can be used on top of any packet-based network transport like Ethernet,
TCP/UDP/IP, ATM, and Frame Relay to provide real-time multimedia
communication.
Other recommendations in the series include
H.310 for conferencing over broadband ISDN (B-ISDN), H.320 for
conferencing over narrowband ISDN, H.321 for conferencing over ATM
H.322 for conferencing over LANs that provide a guaranteed quality of
service
H.324 for conferencing over public switched telephone networks (PSTN).
H.323 standard is designed to allow clients on H.323 networks to
communicate with clients on the other videoconferencing networks
Scope of H.323 is much broader and encompasses inter-network multipoint
conferencing among terminals that support not only audio but also video and
data communication

SCOPE OF H.323 IS CATEGORIZED AS :
Point to Point and Multipoint Conferencing
H.323 conferences may be set up between two or more clients without
any specialized multipoint control software or hardware.
MCU supports flexible topology.(hub-and-spoke topology , tree topology)
Inter-Network Interoperability
Interoperable with switched-circuit network (SCN) conferencing clients
Heterogeneous Client Capabilities
H.323 client must support audio communication; video and data support
is optional
This heterogeneity and flexibility does not make the clients incompatible
Audio and Video Codecs
H.323 specifies a required audio and video codec
No restriction
Two clients can agree on any codec which is supported by both of them

Management and Accounting Support
Calls can be restricted on numbers based, bandwidth limitions, calls
already in progress, or time restrictions
It also provides accounting facilities for billing purposes
Security
Authentication, integrity, privacy, and non-repudiation support
Supplementary services
Call-Transfer and Call-Forwarding
H.323 ARCHITECTURE

COMPONENTS

TERMINALS
H.323 terminal is an endpoint that provides real-time voice
consist of control, audio, moving color video pictures, or data
can be a computer-based video conferencing system or other devices
must be capable of TRX and RX voice that is encoded with G.711 (a-law
and -law) 64-kb/s PCM
Also support other encoded voice formats, such as G.729 and G.723.1
Gateway
Translation between audio, video, and data formats
Conversion between call setup signals and procedures
Conversion between communication control signals and procedures

GateKeeper
A gatekeeper is an H.323 entity on the network.
A gatekeeper provides these services:
Address translation
Network access control for H.323 terminals, gateways and
multipoint control units
Primary functions are admission control, zone management, and E.164
address translation.
Gatekeepers are logically separated from H.323 endpoints such as
terminals and gateways.
Gatekeepers are optional devices in a network.

GATEKEEPER RESPONSIBILITIES

Mandatory:
Address resolution: Translates H.323 IDs (such as gwy1@domain.com)
and E.164 numbers (standard telephone numbers) to endpoint IP
addresses.
Admission control: Controls endpoint admission into the H.323 network.
Bandwidth control: Consists of managing endpoint bandwidth
requirements.
Zone management: Provides zone management for all registered
endpoints in the zone.
Optional:
Call authorization: The gatekeeper can restrict access to certain
terminals or gateways or have time-of-day policies restrict access.
Call management: The gatekeeper maintains active call information
and uses it to indicate busy endpoints or redirect calls.
Bandwidth management: The gatekeeper can reject admission
when the required bandwidth is not available.
MULTIPOINT CONTROL UNIT (MCU)

It 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
A multipoint control unit may also connect two endpoints in a point-to-point
conference, which may later develop into a multipoint conference.
H.323 PROTOCOL ARCHITECTURE

PROTOCOL
H.323 is based on the ISDN ITU-T Recommendation Q.931 protocol, which
allows H.323 to easily interoperate with legacy voice networks
H.225 provides a message transport mechanism for the H.245 control
function and the RAS signaling function
Call-signaling function the call-signaling function uses a call-signaling
channel that allows an endpoint to create connections with other endpoints.
The call-signaling function uses messages formatted according to H.225
H.245 control function: The H.245 control function uses a control channel to
transport control messages between endpoints or between an endpoint and a
common control component, such as a gatekeeper or multipoint controller
unit. The control channel used by the H.245 control function is separate from
the call-signaling channel.
Logical channel signaling
Capabilities exchange
Master or responder determination
Mode request
Timer and counter values

RAS signaling function: The RAS signaling function uses a separate
signaling channel (an RAS channel) to perform registration, admissions,
bandwidth changes, status, and disengage procedures between endpoints
and a gatekeeper. The RAS signaling function uses messages formatted
according to H.225.
IP TO TDM CALL FLOW

CALL FLOW Q.931 AND H.245
A normal method defined in the 1st version is called
as Slow Start (obsolete)






To continue please open H.323 Call flow PDF file


H.245 - FAST CONNECT




Please open file VoIP_05
H.245 - TUNNELING




Please open file VoIP_05