Presented By

Adnan Mehedi : 12-95467-1

Bidhan Halder : 12-95846-2
Debabrata Bhowmik : 11-95244-3
Khurshid Alam : 12-95403-1
Md. Habibur Rahman : 11-94853-2
Tahmina Akter : 12-95436-1
Islam Asiful : 11-95193-3
 Outline

• What is H.323
• Scope of H.323
• Why is H.323 Important
• Historical Development Stages
• Elements of H.323 System
• H.323 Network Architecture
• H.323 Core Protocols
• H.323: Call Signaling
• Prospect/Future of H.323
2
 What is H.323

H.323* is a multimedia conferencing protocol, which

includes voice, video and data conferencing for use
over packet-switched networks
Real-time multimedia communications and
conferencing for packet-based networks

* H.323 is “ITU-T Recommendation H.323: Packet-based multimedia

communications systems”

3
 Scope of H.323
• Point-to-point and multipoint conferencing
support
• Inter-network interoperability
• Heterogeneous client capabilities
• Audio and video codecs
• Management and accounting support
• Security
• Supplementary services

4
 Scope of H.323
Scope of Rec. H.323

Video Codec
Video I/O equipment
H.261, H.263

Receive
Path
Audio Codec Delay
Audio I/O equipment G.711, G.722,
G.723, G.728,
G.729
H.225.0 Network
Layer Interface
User Data Applications
T.120, etc.
System Control

H.245 Control

System Control Call Control

User Interface H.225.0

RAS Control
H.225.0

T1524040-96

5
 Why is H.323 Important
Trend
Rapid growth of the Internet
Universal deployment of corporate LANs have made
packet-based networks ubiquitous

Standardization
H.323 is a standard protocol has been widely accepted
Promotes greater awareness, availability, and
acceptability of multimedia conferencing over packet-
based networks

6
 Why is H.323 Important
Internet working
Bridges multimedia communications between packet-
based and switched-circuit networks (SCN)
SCN conferencing standards like H.320 (ISDN), H.321
(ATM), and H.324 (PSTN) can inter-operate with H.323
clients

Integrated services
Additional services such as e-mail, voice mail, fax, call
center functionality and video conferencing in an
integrated environment

7
 Why is H.323 Important

ITU-T/ IETF
Recommendations V Standards
E
N
D

ETSI/ IMTC
O Interoperability
R
S

Connectivity

Customers Products
8
 Development Stages of H.323
• H.323v1 published in 1996 & designed for LAN
– Companies tried to do use H.323 in WAN, large
private VoIP networks, and the Internet
• Guess what?
• It worked very well
• H.323 was an early adopter of IETF protocols as
RTP proved ability to carry real-time audio and
video over IP networks
– Indeed, H.323 was much more than a LAN
protocol name was changed in H.323 V2 (1998)
9
Development Stages of H.323 (con)
Recognizing the fact that H.323 was much more
than a LAN protocol, the name was changed in
H.323 Version 2 (1998)
Enhancements were made, including:
Security
Performance
Supplementary Services
Scalability

10
Development Stages of H.323 (con)
H.323 v3 introduced a few modest improvements,
mostly geared for better PSTN integration and
scalability

New annexes were introduced:

H.323 – UDP signaling
H.323 – Simple endpoint type
H.225.0 – Communication between
administrative domains

11
Development Stages of H.323 (con)

• H.323 v4 was approved Nov. 2000 and brings a

number of enhancements to H.323. Areas of focus
include:
– Scalability
– Services
– “Must Have” Features
– Generic Extensibility Framework
• Current version of H.323 commonly referred to as
"H.323v6” was published in 2006

12
 Scalability

Alternate Gatekeepers
By using Alternate Gatekeepers, endpoints are
able to continue functioning in the face of one
or more failures
Never Lose a Call!
X
GK GK GK GK

X
T
13
 Scalability (con)
Endpoint Capacity Reporting
By utilize endpoint capacity reporting, Gatekeepers may
select an endpoint that is best capable of handling the
call
This is extremely useful for large scale deployments of
Gateways and is also useful in call center applications
Never Lose a Call!

GK GK GK GK GK

The GK selects the GW with the most

capacity. H.323 endpoints report capacity
in absolute terms, not in percentages.

GW GW GW GW GW GW
23% 64% 48% 77% 14% 36%
14
 Services

Annex K – Services via HTTP

Annex L – Stimulus Control
H.450.8 – Name identification
H.450.9 – Call Completion

15
 “Must Have” Features

Usage reporting
Caller Identification
Alias mapping
Better bandwidth management (multicast)
Fax enhancements
Tunneling other protocols (Annex M.x)
H.323-specific URL
Call credit-related capabilities
DTMF relay via RTP (RFC 2833)

16
 Generic Extensibility Framework

The Generic Extensibility Framework (GEF)

introduces a new means by which H.323 may be
further enhanced or extended with optional
features, which does not require changes to the
current ASN.1 syntax

Work has already begun

Robustness procedures (Annex R)
Local number portability

17
 Components of H.323 System
Terminals
what people see/hear
Multipoint Control Units (MCUs)
provides conference capabilities
Gateways
control and ‘routing’
Gatekeeper
access to other environments
Border Elements

18
Components of H.323 System

19
 Terminals
An endpoint on the network which provides for

real-time, two-way communication with other

H.323 terminal, GW, or MCU
Terminal can be:
Telephones
Video phones
IVR devices
Voicemail Systems
“Soft phones” (e.g., NetMeeting®) T
20
 Multipoint Control Units (MCUs)
Needed
only when multiparty
conferences are desired
Functions:
To manages call
signaling
Provides capability of
videoconferencing with
more than one party
Acts as a coordinator of
multiparty conferences

21
 Gateways (GW)
• Gateway (GW)
• used as interface H.323
between different networks
e.g. LAN & PSTN
• Functions:
• Data format translation
• Audio/video codec
translation
• Call setup, termination
from both sides of the
network

22
 Gatekeeper (GK)

Gatekeeper is an optional component in H.323 system

used for:
 Admission Control and
Address Resolution
Endpoints do register themselves at a Gatekeeper
All H.323 endpoints registered to a single GK build an
H.323 zone
H.323 zones are independent of physical network
topology
Each zone has only one GK (exception: Alternate
GKs)
23
 Gatekeeper Functionality
Mandatory Gatekeeper Functions
Address Translation
Admission Control
Bandwidth Control
Zone Management
Optional Gatekeeper Functions
Call-Control Signaling
Call Authorization
Bandwidth Management
Call Management

24
 Gatekeeper Zone
s
The Internet

Zone B

Gateway
Gatekeeper

Zone A

Gatekeeper

25
 Border Elements (BE)
Co-located with Gatekeeper, Exchange addressing
information
Participate in call authorization between
administrative domains
May aggregate address information to reduce the
volume of routing information passed through the
network
May assist in call authorization/authentication
directly between two administrative domains or
via a clearinghouse
26
 Using Elements (BE)
 As with hierarchical
Gatekeepers, Border
Elements may send Access
GK/BE Request messages to other
Border Elements and
indicate where to send a

Acces
LRQ
reply
s Req
ARQ GK  Border Elements may also
T reply directly to a request by
uest

utilizing address
information cached from
GK/BE previous exchanges with
other Border Elements

27
 Router Gateway Phone

MCU

Gatekeeper

Gateway

H.323 terminal H.323 terminal ISDN videophone

28
 Protocols of H.323
H.323 is an umbrella of four protocols:
• Registration Admission and Status (RAS)
– define communications between endpoints and gatekeeper

– only needed when a gatekeeper exists

• H.245 - Connection Control for Capability Negotiations

• H.225/Q.931- Call Signaling (between endpoint and gatekeeper, or

between gatekeepers)

• Real-time Transport Protocol(RTP) - timely and orderly

delivery of audio and video streams
29
H.323 Protocol stack

30
Registration Admission and Status (RAS)
• Defined in H.225.0
• Allows an endpoint to request authorization to
place or accept a call
• Allows a Gatekeeper to control access to and from
devices under its control
• Allows a Gatekeeper to communicate the address
of other endpoints
• Allows two Gatekeepers to easily exchange
addressing

31
Registration Admission and Status (con)

T RRQ GK
RCF
(endpoint is registered)

ARQ
ACF
(endpoint may place call)

DRQ
(call has terminated)
DCF

32
 H.225
H.225 Call Signaling
H.225 call signaling is used to establish a connection
between two H.323 endpoints
Achieved by exchanging H.225 protocol messages on
the call-signaling channel
call-signaling channel is opened between two H.323
endpoints or between an endpoint and gatekeeper
H.225 is the conference control protocol
Master/slave determination
Capability exchange
Management of media and data streams

33
 RTP/RTCP
RTP/RTCP used for audio & video over IP
networks
H.225 call signaling is used to establish a connection
between two H.323 endpoints
Achieved by exchanging H.225 protocol messages on
the call-signaling channel
call-signaling channel is opened between two H.323
endpoints or between an endpoint and gatekeeper
Real Time Transport Protocol (RTP)
end-to-end network transport function
payload type, sequence number, timestamp
RTP Control Protocol (RTCP)
34
 CODECs
Audio
G.711 (popular codec for telephone n/ws)
G.723.1 – more efficient

Video
H.261 codec (for channels with bandwidths p*64
kb/s)
H.263 codec (for low bit rate transmission without
loss of quality )

35
 Voice over IP
Voice over IP (VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol)
commonly refers to the communication protocols,
technologies, methodologies, and transmission techniques
involved in the delivery of voice communications and
multimedia sessions over Internet Protocol (IP) networks,
such as the Internet.
Other terms commonly associated with VoIP are:
IP telephony, Internet telephony, voice over broadband
(VoBB), broadband telephony, IP communications, and
broadband phone.

36
 Voice over IP: Protocols
Voice over IP has been implemented in various ways
using both proprietary and open protocols and
standards. Examples of the network protocols used to
implement VoIP include:
 H.323
 Media Gateway Control Protocol (MGCP)
 Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)
 Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP)
 Session Description Protocol (SDP)
 Inter-Asterisk eXchange (IAX)

37
 Voice over IP: Protocols (con)
H.323 protocol was one of the first VoIP protocols
found widespread implementation for long-distance
traffic, as well as local area network services.
However, since the development of newer, less
complex protocols such as MGCP and SIP, H.323
deployments are increasingly limited to carrying
existing long-haul network traffic.
Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) has gained
widespread VoIP market penetration.
A notable proprietary implementation is the Skype
protocol, which is in part based on the principles of
peer-to-peer (P2P) networking.
38
Voice over IP: Business use

39
 Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)
Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) is an Internet
Engineering Task Force (IETF) standard protocol for
initiating an interactive user session that involves
multimedia elements such as video, voice, chat,
gaming, and virtual reality.
The protocol can be used for creating, modifying and
terminating two-party (unicast) or multiparty
(multicast) sessions. Sessions may consist of one or
several media streams.
Other SIP applications include video conferencing,
streaming multimedia distribution, instant
messaging, presence information, file transfer.
40
H.323 vs. SIP

41
H.323 vs. SIP

42
H.323 vs. SIP

43
H.323 vs. SIP

44
 H.323: Network Architecture

GK GK
MCU MCU

LAN1 WAN
LAN2
TE GW TE
GW

Zone-1 Zone-2

Simple Network Architecture of H.323

45
 H.323 Protocol Architecture
Control Data Audio Video AV Control GK Control
signal + connection

Q.931 G.7xx H.26x

/H.22 H.245 T.120 RTCP RAS
5
RTP

TCP UDP

IP

Protocol Relationships in H.323

46
 H.323: Call signaling
H.323 Call signal goes through 7 Phases:
Phase Protocol
• Call admission RAS
• Call set-up Q.931 t
as ect”
F
“ nn
• Capability negotiation H.245 co

• Stable call RTP

• Channel closing H.245 t
Fas ect”
“ nn
• Call tear-down Q.931 co

• Call disengage RAS

47
 H.323 Call Signaling Model

• Direct Call Model

- Gatekeeper optional

• Gatekeeper Routed Call Model

48
 Direct Call Model

Gatekeeper optional
Cloud

S RA
RA S

Q.931
Terminal H.245 Terminal
Endpoint 1 RTP Endpoint 2

49
 Gatekeeper Routed Call Model

Gatekeeper
Cloud

RA 31
S
RA 31

Q. 45
S
H.
9
9
Q. 45

2
2
H.

Terminal Terminal
Endpoint 1 RTP Endpoint 2

50
Basic Call set-up with No Gatekeeper

51
Call set-up with Gatekeeper Routing

GW GK GW
ARQ
ACF
Set-up Set-up
Call Presiding
t
ARQ
ACF
g
Alerting Alertin
ect
ect Conn
Conn

52
Call set-up with Gatekeeper Routing

53
 Security Issue in H.323
in H.323 v1

H.235 Security protocols ITU

authentication: end-point authentication

integrity: validation within a packet

privacy: encryption and decryption mechanism

non-repudiation: false denial of participation

54
 Call Enhancement in H.323
H.323 v2 & v3
H.450 on top of Q.931
H.450.1 – Generic functional protocols and procedures [v1]
H.450.2 – Call Transfer [v2]
H.450.3 – Call Diversion
H.450.4 – Call Hold
H.450.5 – Call Park and Pick-up [v3]
H.450.6 – Message Waiting indication
H.450.7 – Call Waiting
H.450.8 – Name Identification[v4]
H.450.9 – Call Completion
H.450.10 – Call Offer
H.450.11 – Call Intrusion and so on…
55
 H.323: Market Today

Today the biggest market for H.323 applications is

Voice over IP.
Why?
Low bit-rate Internet connections make video and data
intensive applications less appealing
It’s a young industry– and with all such industries, it
takes time to mature good products
Companies can provide VoIP services today at a low
cost and provide new competition to the incumbent
carriers

56
 H.323: The Changing Market

Tomorrow, expect to see video and data

conferencing to become more pervasive

Broadband connectivity is making it possible

Video and data are logically the next services

customers expect to find in conference rooms and on

their computer screens

57
 H.323: Beyond Voice over IP

Voice over IP opens the door to the next generation

of communication products
It will take some time to migrate the world from
PSTN to IP networks
H.323 provides excellent interworking between IP
networks and the PSTN
H.323 provides a strong foundation for new multimedia
products and services

58
 H.323: IP Telephony

• IP Telephony with H.323 truly means Multimedia

over IP
• IP Telephony is not Just Research Topic Anymore
– is now real… there are many deployed products and
services that offer IP Telephony services
– new kinds of services are now available to customers
using IP Telephony that were never possible before

59
 H.323: Makes All Possible
H.323 makes it possible to create and deploy new
services quickly and to take advantage of
multimedia capabilities
These services can embrace audio, video, and
data conferencing
- Application Sharing - Electronic Whiteboard - File Transfer

- Instant Messaging - Click to Dial - Internet Call Waiting

- Web Call Parking - Call No-Waiting - Ad-Hoc Conferencing

- Voicemail Anywhere - Unified Messaging - Service Portability

- Services! - Services! - Services!

60
 H.323: for Service Provider

H.323 is a proven technology that is utilized in

large networks, such as Genuity, iBasis, ITXC,

China Unicom, and others
Excellent integration with the PSTN

Gateways and residential devices are in use today

61
 H.323: in the Enterprise

Multimedia conferencing devices show the real

potential of H.323 and multimedia communication

With H.323 in the service provider network, H.323 is

a logical choice for the enterprise

The enterprise customer wants voice, video, and data

conferencing capabilities

62
 Importance of H.323
Interoperability - H.323 establishes methods for receiving
clients to communicate capabilities to the sender
Network independence - H.323 is not tied to any
hardware or operating system
H.323 sets multimedia standards for the existing
infrastructure (i.e. IP-based networks)
H.323 conference can include endpoints with different
capabilities
H.323 provides multiple audio and video CODECs that
format data according to the requirements of various
networks, using different bit rates, delays, and quality
options.

63
 Importance of H.323 (con)
Although H.323 can support conferences of three or more
endpoints without requiring a specialized multipoint
control unit, MCU's provide a more powerful and flexible
architecture for hosting multipoint conferences
Although H.323 can support conferences of three or more
endpoints without requiring a specialized multipoint
control unit, MCU's provide a more powerful and flexible
architecture for hosting multipoint conferences
H.323 supports multicast transport in multipoint
conferences
H.323 has the support of many computing and
communications companies and organizations
64
H.323: Pros and Cons

65
 Recommendation Annexes
H.323
Annex C – H.323 over ATM
Annex D – H.323 FAX
Annex E – UDP operation
Annex F – Simple Endpoints
Annex J – Security for Simple endpoints
Annex K – HTTP based call control
Annex M – Tunneling of QSIG in H.323
H.225.0
Annex G – Inter-Domain Communications
Annex H – ASN.1 Syntax

66
 Conclusion
H.323 is a protocol that leverages the strength
of the packet-switched protocols from the
IETF
Offers excellent integration with the PSTN

H.323 enables voice, video, and data

conferencing
H.323 provides a solid foundation for new
services and the continued growth of
Multimedia over IP
67
 Acronyms
• ARQ –Admission Request message
• BE – Border Element
• GEF – Generic Extensibility Framework
• GK – Gatekeeper
• GW – Gateway
• IETF – Internet Engineering Task Force
• IMTC – International Multimedia Telecommunications
Consortium
• IP – Internet Protocol
• IVR – Interactive Voice Response
• LAN – Local Area Network
• LRQ – H.225.0 Location Request message
• MCU – Multipoint Control UnitMC – Multipoint Controller
• MG – Media Gateway
• MGC – Media Gateway Controller
• MP – Multipoint Processor
• PSTN – Public Switched Telephone Network
68
 Acronyms
• RFC – Request for Comments
• RTP – Real-Time Transport Protocol
• RTCP – Real-time Transport Control Protocol
• TCS – H.245 Terminal Capability Set message
• UDP – User Datagram Protocol
• URL – Uniform Resource Locator
• VoIP – Voice over IP
• MC – Multipoint Controller
• MG – Media Gateway
• MGC – Media Gateway Controller
• MP – Multipoint Processor
• PSTN – Public Switched Telephone Network
• RFC – Request for Comments
• RTP – Real-Time Transport Protocol
• RTCP – Real-time Transport Control Protocol
• TCS – H.245 Terminal Capability Set message
• UDP – User Datagram Protocol
• URL – Uniform Resource Locator
• VoIP – Voice over IP

69
 Acknowledgement
• http://www.ip-voip.com/VOIP-protocols-h323-vs-SIP.htm
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_over_IP
• http://www.javvin.com/protocolH323.html
• http://www.h323.org/
• http://www.packetizer.com/ipmc/h323_vs_sip/
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H.323
• http://www.pulsewan.com/data101/h323_basics.htm
• http://www.cisco.com/en/US/tech/tk1077/technologies_t
ech_note09186a00800c5e0d.shtml

70
 Questions ?

Thank You

for

Kind Attention
71