Internet Communications Using SIP (Hardcover)

by Henry Sinnreich (Author), Alan B. Johnston (Author) "The Internet challenges and transforms the close to one-trillion-dollar-per-year business of telecommunications..." (more)
Key Phrases: calling user agent, component server architecture, multimedia conferencing architecture, World Wide Web, Internet Telephony Services, Session Initiation Protocol (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"...a good book for what it is..." -- M2 Communications, 22 April 2002

"...a good book for what it is..." (M2 Communications, 22 April 2002)

Product Description
From leading WorldCom engineers--expert guidance on how to plan for SIP implementation
Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) has gained tremendous market acceptance since it became an official IETF Internet communications standard in 1999. SIP is the technology that makes it possible for multimedia communications sessions on the Web--ones that allow voice, video, chat, interactive games, and others to run all at the same time. Now that the deployment of real SIP networks is about to take off, two leaders of the commercial rollout deliver complete guidance on this exciting new technology. Geared to IT and networking professionals and decision-makers at Internet service providers (ISPs), as well as networking (NSPs) and application (ASPs) service providers, this book helps readers sort through the available vendor offerings and services to discover how to integrate and maximize SIP's power across their networks.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1st edition (October 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471413992
• ISBN-13: 978-0471413998
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #673,781 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #64 in

  Books > Professional & Technical > Engineering > Telecommunications > Telephone Systems

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Read -- This book explains the "why" of SIP services, November 16, 2001

By	Dean Willis (Plano, TX United States) - See all my reviews

I've been involved in the development of the SIP specification for several years, and currently co-chair the Internet Working Groups overseeing its continued evolution. I'm closely involved with the application of SIP to next-generation mobile phone networks. Between standards work and speaking on SIP frequently at trade shows and conferences I've seen a lot of SIP books and tried to explain SIP to many people. Most of the books on SIP cover the dry technical details of the specification and implementations. This book, "Internet Communications Using SIP" goes into an entirely different realm.

Henry Sinnreich and Alan Johnston are two of the most knowledgeable authorities and notable figures in the SIP world. I expected a lot from them them. They've greatly exceeded my expectations, doing a surprisingly good job of explaining WHY the SIP protocol works the way it does, WHAT sort of advanced services it is making possible, and HOW service providers can use it to enrich their business offerings.

This book is an absolute "must read" for anyone in the industry, especially for people familiar with traditional telephony who are trying to design, market, or implement new telecom services of any kind. If you haven't read this book and Gonzalo Camarillo's new SIP book, don't argue with the old-timers on the SIP mailing lists -- they're likely to just tell you to "RTFB" . . . and this is one of the books they're referring to.

39 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Outstanding Book on SIP, April 27, 2002

By	Jonathan Rosenberg (Freehold, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

I'll keep it short and sweet. I am one of the authors of SIP and
of many of its related technologies that are discussed in
this book. As such, I am frequently asked by people how they
can quickly understand the benefits of SIP technology, why
it is important to them, and what it can enable. The answer is
simple - read the Sinnreich/Johnston book. The book helps you
understand how SIP, its extensions, and related technologies
all fit together, and why SIP is revolutionizing communications.
This is a fabulous piece of work, written by two recognized
leaders. I highly recommend it.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disorganized and too shallow, May 15, 2006

By	a reader - See all my reviews

This books presents SIP, the protocol for Session Initiation. It covers many aspects, including conferencing, security, Internet telephony, user preferences.

The book is not 400+ pages as Amazon indicates but just below 300. Why does this matter? Because, with 17 chapters, this gives an average of less than 20 pages per chapter. As you can guess, 20 pages are not sufficient to explain topics such as Internet telephony, or conferencing. Even the SIP protocol is not presented fully. Only the major messages are listed with a short description of their use.

I was also disappointed by the book organization. The SIP Overview chapter which explains how SIP works is chapter 5. All the preceeding chapters mention SIP before we even know what SIP is. This is most confusing unless you have already some SIP knowledge.

The book tries to cover too much. We get a whirlwind tour of many topics, none of them explained appropriately. The book opens many issues that remain unanswered. If you want a shallow overview of SIP, this book may meet your need. But you are likely to quickly need something more in-depth.