Deploying Cisco Voice over IP Solutions [Hardcover]

Jonathan Davidson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 18, 2001

Learn real-world voice-over-IP deployment solutions and strategies from the Cisco experts

Deploying Cisco Voice over IP Solutions covers:

• Definitive guidelines on real-world VoIP deployments, the fundamentals of the latest VoIP solutions, and a look into the future of VoIP services
• Different techniques for engineering and properly sizing traffic-sensitive voice networks
• Basic concepts applicable to echo analysis, echo cancellation, and locating and eliminating echoes
• Various QoS features applicable to voice
• Detailed information on call admission control (CAC)
• Dial plan configuration recommendations on Cisco H.323 gateways and gatekeepers used to support large dial plans
• Basic tasks of designing a long-distance VoIP network
• The two classes of hosted voice networks: Managed Multiservice (MMS) networks and packet voice VPNs
• Fax services store and forward as well as real-time relay fax services
• Sample configurations and step-by-step examples to help you learn how to build a VoIP network

Deploying Cisco Voice over IP Solutions provides networking professionals the knowledge, advice, and insight necessary to design and deploy voice over IP (VoIP) networks that meet customers' needs for scalability, services, and security. Beginning with an introduction to the important preliminary design elements that need to be considered before implementing VoIP, Deploying Cisco Voice over IP Solutions also demonstrates the basic tasks involved in designing an effective service provider-based VoIP network. You'll conclude with design and implementation guidelines for some of the more popular and widely requested VoIP services, such as prepaid services, fax services, and virtual private networks (VPNs).

This book is a collaboration of Cisco Systems CCIE(r) engineers, technical marketing engineers, and systems engineers. You'll find design experience from people who have designed some of the world's largest VoIP networks.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

If you've got a wide area network (WAN) already, putting interoffice voice traffic on it is an obvious application for it. Voice signals take up so little bandwidth, and the cost savings can be so significant, that Voice over IP (VoIP) deserves serious consideration. However, you can easily throw away years of cost savings by bringing in consultants to implement your VoIP solution. Deploying Cisco Voice over IP Solutions is meant to help organizational information technology people (as well as engineers at service providers and, for that matter, the expensive consultants) learn how to design, implement, and fine-tune VoIP systems that center on equipment and software from Cisco Systems. This book is all about Quality of Service (QoS), capacity management (gatekeeping), and network design. Cisco's implementations of fax services (under T.37 and T.38) and unified messaging (under uOne) are covered as well, but the authors leave most call-control matters to this book's companion volume, Cisco CallManager Fundamentals: A Cisco AVVID Solution.

The authors' approach, in large part, takes the form of a series of engineering problems, in which answers to design questions are given with lots of supporting math, equipment specifications, and references. In a discussion of setting up a transcontinental VoIP network, for example, the authors show how to configure Internetwork Operating System (IOS) 12.x to act as a gatekeeper and interact with CallManagers at both sites. There's IOS syntax, of course, but also a discussion of how Hot Standby Routing Protocol (HSRP) affects gatekeeping duties, and a complete table of options. A well-thought-out system for providing prepaid calling-card services on a VoIP network--meaning there's a database and authentication built into the call flow--is a great conclusion. --David Wall

Topics covered: Design- and implementation-time considerations for building a Voice over IP (VoIP) network on Cisco Systems hardware and software. Traffic analysis, echo, Quality of Service (QoS), dial plans, and extended services like fax and messaging get the attention of the all-Cisco authorial team.

From the Back Cover

Learn real-world voice-over-IP deployment solutions and strategies from the Cisco experts

Deploying Cisco Voice over IP Solutions covers:

• Definitive guidelines on real-world VoIP deployments, the fundamentals of the latest VoIP solutions, and a look into the future of VoIP services
• Different techniques for engineering and properly sizing traffic-sensitive voice networks
• Basic concepts applicable to echo analysis, echo cancellation, and locating and eliminating echoes
• Various QoS features applicable to voice
• Detailed information on call admission control (CAC)
• Dial plan configuration recommendations on Cisco H.323 gateways and gatekeepers used to support large dial plans
• Basic tasks of designing a long-distance VoIP network
• The two classes of hosted voice networks: Managed Multiservice (MMS) networks and packet voice VPNs
• Fax services store and forward as well as real-time relay fax services
• Sample configurations and step-by-step examples to help you learn how to build a VoIP network

Deploying Cisco Voice over IP Solutions provides networking professionals the knowledge, advice, and insight necessary to design and deploy voice over IP (VoIP) networks that meet customers' needs for scalability, services, and security. Beginning with an introduction to the important preliminary design elements that need to be considered before implementing VoIP, Deploying Cisco Voice over IP Solutions also demonstrates the basic tasks involved in designing an effective service provider-based VoIP network. You'll conclude with design and implementation guidelines for some of the more popular and widely requested VoIP services, such as prepaid services, fax services, and virtual private networks (VPNs).

This book is a collaboration of Cisco Systems CCIE(r) engineers, technical marketing engineers, and systems engineers. You'll find design experience from people who have designed some of the world's largest VoIP networks.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 608 pages
• Publisher: Cisco Press (November 18, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587050307
• ISBN-13: 978-1587050305
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 7.1 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,025,760 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deploying Voice over IP Solutions, January 2, 2004

By 

ROMMEL DAVID "LANCETHEWEEHEE" (WEST COVINA, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Deploying Cisco Voice over IP Solutions (Hardcover)

Deploying Voice over IP Solutions is an effective reference for experienced Data and Voice Engineers when they are in the stage of designing, improving or identifying existing problems in the Packet voice infrastructure.

I should stress out that this book is not for beginners who are just getting into Packet Voice technologies as well as engineers who have a simple goal of just passing a certain voice exam. It is more targeted to an audience who has an extensive experience in both the voice and data field. Service provider engineers will have the most benefit utilizing this book. For beginners, I strongly recommend resorting to the VoIP fundamentals written by the same author.

The book starts by introducing traffic models for voice analysis. I find this chapter highly detailed and will probably be difficult (and dry) for most of the engineers out there. Chapter 1 should be more condensed and have less detail for the target audience of this book. However, Chapter 2 to 4 which deals with quality of service and Call admission controls are one of the most useful and relevant in the design and implementation aspects of Voice over IP. These three chapters are well worth the cover book price. As far as the examples, I would strongly suggest the whole capture of the configurations (i.e. sh run) and provide more detail and larger illustrations. The remaining chapters dealt with designing VoIP for Service providers and Managed Multiservice networks which can also be useful to Enterprises who are considering to utilize this emerging service as opposed to an in-house VoIP solution. As a note to the author, maybe it's time to revamp the Cisco Uone unified messaging to the new Cisco Unity. I would also suggest including an e-book copy from a CD.

In conclusion, I find this book very informative for engineers who really want to get an in-depth understanding of the design and troubleshooting of Packet voice networks most specifically when dealing with traffic engineering. I rate this book 5 out of 5 and highly recommended it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, but intended for Engineer w/prior VoIP experience, January 7, 2004

By 

Mark G. Reyero "IT Consultant, CCIE 12932, an... (Annapolis, MD United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Deploying Cisco Voice over IP Solutions (Hardcover)

Of late, one cannot read the Wall Street Journal or watch CNBC without hearing some reference to Voice over Internet Protocol. It is the latest buzz in the business world, with companies such as AT&T and Comcast beginning to pilot Voice over IP (VoIP) products and services to its customers. The detailed technical aspects of VoIP are the basis of the Cisco Press book, "Deploying Cisco Voice over IP Solutions".

As announced in the first line of the Introduction, "Deploying Cisco Voice over IP Solutions" is the sequel of sorts to the Cisco Press book, "Voice over IP Fundaments". Rather than jumping right to a discussion of contents and merits of this book, first a word about what the book isn't. This book is not for the businessperson interested in learning more about the excitement and buzz around VoIP. Nor is it intended to be an introduction to VoIP or meant to address basic Cisco VoIP configurations for small and medium businesses (although there are many great configuration examples). Finally, this book is not meant to help you pass any specific certification exam, (although it likely should be on the list of any aspiring CCIE-Voice, such as myself). "Deploying Cisco Voice over IP Solutions" is targeted to engineers in large enterprises and/or service providers who are already comfortable with both the theoretical knowledge and practical experience of Cisco VoIP.

The book opens with a detailed explanation of voice traffic analysis, and specifically the Erlanger Traffic Models. Have your calculator handy and brush up on the algebra! It was nice to finally see a detailed discussion on the "mysterious" Erlanger Models that I've read some much about. This detailed discussion is indicative of the great detail the authors and editors delve into when they discuss other weighty topics such as Echo, CAC, QoS, Fax Services, and Prepaid Phone Services.

My only (nominal) complaint about "Deploying Cisco Voice over IP Solutions" was that it only briefly discusses CallManager. However, I'll let Cisco Press off the hook because they've published other more detailed books on the topic (and hey, CCM is really "just" an application on the VoIP network). There is also a chapter about the theory behind Unified Messaging. Although informative, it references Cisco's older product, uOne, which has been replaced by the more robust Cisco Unity. Perhaps the kind folks at Cisco Press will produce a book relating to that topic in 2004?

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mediocre, pricey - but still useful, March 20, 2003

By 

Tyler Durden (Miami, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deploying Cisco Voice over IP Solutions (Hardcover)

The first few chapters covers various voice analysis - which I found useful: (Traffic, echo, QoS, CAC). The strengths of this book are in the tips, advice and some great scenarios. The weakness is the lack of details, - no running configs, and too few sample configurations.etc. The book tries to cover a broad spectrum of voip - prepaid, pbx, fax, unified messaging. This is where is fails. Each one of these topics should have their own book. I feel as if this book fails to explain in better detail how a dial-peer works, what options (hidden or otherwise) exist and how to overcome common problems. The gatekeeper coverage is lacking (mostly theory which is discussed as if the reader is experienced with Gatekeepers) and I would not recommend this book for a practical setup. It is very apparent that it was written by several authors, the topics are disconnected. It was helpful to some degree - in conjunction with Troubleshooting Cisco IP Telephony (Cisco Press) and the *very* useful Cisco technical support knowledge base. I would like to see a more comprehensive book that covers all possible configurations for a Cisco router/access gateway(runing-config) and in what cases it would be beneficial, with scenarios. I gave it 3 stars - because I feel that a great void exists in good technical manuals for VOIP, and this book is a step in the right direction.