[asterisk-users] Asterisk H.248 Support

[Julio Arruda]

Chad Whitten wrote:
> Im not looking for a call agent but rather gateway functionality for a
> lab setting to provide dial tone v h.248 to client gateways.
> 

 From what I understand, the Media Gateway (in Megaco world language), 
is the 'client' if you will, while the call server/softswitch/call 
agent, is the 'inteligence'.
If you have a gateway (either a small one or a trunk one), you would 
need yes, a Call Agent.
I found this interesting link that has a summary on this..
http://www.javvin.com/protocolVOIP.html
Who provides the Dial Tone would be, I assume, the gateway, the 
"client", either a "line side" one, like the Calix, MG9000 or others, or 
a trunk side gateway, like the MG15K in Nortel NGN deployments.
In a Nortel CS2000/CS2Kc NGN, the 'megaco/h248 call agent' would be the 
call server itself (actually, the gateway controllers, that translate 
from PPVM to H.248, from what I can remember).

You may also want to check if your gateway can't be changed to use 
another protocol, since H.248, AFAIK, is not exactly much supported in 
the OSS world


> On Feb 16, 2008 5:05 PM, Julio Arruda <jarruda-asterisk at jarruda.com> wrote:
>> Chad Whitten wrote:
>>> I have been searching for some documentation that would indicate if
>>> Asterisk supports H.248 and everything I have come across seems to
>>> indicate I should use MGCP which I would agree is a better choice but
>>> unfortunately the equipment I am trying to integrate only does H.248.
>>>
>>> Could anyone point me to something related to this.
>>>
>>
>> I've not seem anything on Asterisk being used as a Call Agent for H.248
>> gateways, but I've seem the question pop-up at least a couple of times
>> in the past.
>> I understand there are quite few gateways out there that support H.248
>> in one flavor or another. I remember Nortel (used to work there) has at
>> least the PVGs/MG7k/15k (high density trunking gateways, quite
>> interesting in terms of carrier grade features, like
>> non-service-interrupting sw upgrades and etc) and some other gear that
>> would run with H.248, also Calix had at least some sw version that would
>> do H.248. Isn't H.248/Megaco a kind of 'son-of-MGCP' ?
>> I wonder how much effort would be required to implement MGC/call-agent
>> capabilities in asterisk..