PART 1: THE BIG PICTURE
The first part of the course is the big picture. To get started, we’ll cover the strategic reasons for an all-IP telecommunications network and its business implications, the architecture of the all-IP network and the different categories of services and service providers. This section is completed with a solid start on VoIP: jargon and buzzwords, VoIP standards and protocols, softswitches and gateways, and different VoIP implementations: PBX replacement, hosted PBX, IP centrex, internet VoIP and more.
1. The IP Packet-switched telecommunications network (IP-PSTN) and CONVERGENCE
We'll begin building your understanding of the IP telecom network and IP telecommunications with Why: what convergence means, the reasons for a converged network, who stands to benefit, and how this time is different than previous attempts at convergence: ISDN and ATM.
A. The Way Humans Communicate Evolves, Again
1. Convergence and Converged Networks
B. The IP Packet-Switched Telecommunications Network (IP-PSTN)
C. Benefits of VoIP and the IP-PSTN
1. Benefits to Cable TV companies
2. Benefits to telephone companies
3. Benefits to large organizations
4. Benefits for everyone
D. Opportunities
E. Challenges
F. A Sea Change in Network Technology
1. Forget ATM and ISDN – Everything in IP
2. Network Architecture
Next is How. At a high level, we'll understand how from a network engineer's point of view carriers like Verizon and TELUS view the network as having three parts: core, edge and access; and how the CO links the core to the access using MANs and L2/L3 switches, with optical Ethernet, VDSL or DOCSIS systems for access... replacing "CO switches" and voiceband analog POTS.
A. Core
B. Edge
C. Access
3. IP Network Services
Then comes What. We'll outline services and sort out types of service providers and types of services. You'll understand how we will cease to think of the "telephone network" and "high-speed internet" as being two different things, and how existing services like dedicated T1s, Frame Relay, ISDN, ATM will all disappear, to be replaced by one service: IP VPNs with QoS.
A. Categories of Service Providers
1. Facilities-Based Carriers
2. Resellers
3. Application Service Providers
B. Network Services
1. Broadband IP Dial Tone
2. Service-Level Agreements and Quality of Service
3. Customer-Premise-Based IPsec
4. Network-based IPsec with QoS: "Carrier" VPNs
5. Network-based Virus Detection, Proxying
C. Value-Added Services
1. Integrated Messaging
2. Telephone Service
3. Internet Service
4. Web Hosting
5. Television over IP (IPTV)
6. IPTV from the CO
4. Voice over IP: VoIP Systems, Components, Standards, Jargon and Buzzwords
Telephone service is, of course, one of the main services that will run over the IP telecom network. We'll complete the first, "big picture" part of the course going one step deeper into VoIP, identifying and explaining key components, jargon and buzzwords: soft switches, media servers, gateways and terminals, plus the main standards and protocols used to provide telephone service on an IP network and an unbiased look at different implementation choices.
A. The Big Picture
B. VoIP and IP Telephony Components, Jargon and Buzzwords
1. Terminals
2. Softswitches
3. Media Servers
4. Gateways
C. Key VoIP Standards
D. Internet Telephony
1. Computer-Computer: Skype
2. Phone-Phone: Vonage
E. VoIP from Carriers: Managed IP Telephony (MIPT)
F. Softswitches and VoIP PBXs
G. IP Centrex vs. Hosted PBX
PART 2: IP and the IP Telecom NetWork, From the Ground Up
The second part is the fundamental concepts and principles of operation of an IP telecom network. Building from the ground up, you will understand all of the pieces and how they fit together - in plain English. We'll start with the physical layer: basics of fiber and broadband on copper. Then we'll understand Layer 2: Ethernet, MAC addresses, LANs and VLANs. Then Layer 3: IP addressing, public and private, DHCP and NAT, TCP ports and sockets, multicasting, plus the basics of routing, OSPF and CIDR. We'll finish with a comprehensive review of IP security: encryption and authentication, VPNs, firewalls, viruses and Trojans.
Without bogging down on details, you will build solid career-enhancing understanding that lasts a lifetime.
5. Framework
To be sure everyone is on the same page, we'll briefly review the OSI Reference Model, paying particular attention to Layers 2 and 3, data links and networks, frames and packets respectively, and how these are related.
A. OSI Layers
B. Protocol Stacks
C. Frames and Data Link Protocols
D. Packets and Networks
6. Layer 1: Infrastructure
With a framework in place, we'll cover Layer 1: the physical layer connections in the IP-PSTN. In the long term, the access network will be fiber, so we will make sure you have a working knowledge of fiber optics, wavelengths, DWDM for transmission systems and Passive Optical Networks (PONs) for access networks. In the short term, residences and small business will continue to use the existing copper wires – so we'll cover DSL, VDSL and data over Cable TV systems.
A. Fiber Optics and Wavelengths
B. Fiber Access Networks (FTTN, FTTP, PON, EPON and GPON)
C. DSL and VDSL
D. Cable Modems
7. Layer 2: LANs and VLANs and Ethernet
In this section, we'll concentrate on Layer 2: the data link layer, implemented with Ethernet. We'll fill in gaps in your knowledge of LANs, 802 standards and MAC addresses, and bring you up to speed on VLANs, critical for IP traffic management for security and QoS, plus Optical Ethernet, the technology used for Metro Area Networks (MANs), connecting customers to COs.
A. Ethernet LANs: Broadcast Domains
B. IEEE 802 Standards
1. 802 Frames, LLC and MAC Addresses
2. 802.3 CSMA/CD Access Method and Physical Layer Specifications
3. Gigabit Ethernet
C. Layer 2 Switches and Broadcast Domains
D. VLANs and 802.1Q
E. L2 Switch Hierarchy and Trunking
8. IP
Here, you'll fill in the gaps in IP fundamentals including address classes, static vs. dynamic address, public vs. private, network address translators, and without spending a lot of time on it, ensure that you have a good working knowledge of IPv6.
A. IPv4 Packets
B. IPv4 Address Classes and Dotted-Decimal
C. Dynamic Addresses and DHCP
D. Private Addresses
E. Network Address Translation
F. Next-Generation IP: IPv6
G. IPv6 Packets and Extension Headers
H. IPv6 Addressing Hierarchy
I. Next-Generation MAC Addresses: EUI-64
J. Transitioning to IPv6
K. DNS, ARP and RARP
B. TCP, UDP, Ports and Sockets
D. Multicasting and IGMP
9. IP Routing
In this chapter, you'll come to really understand how routing works – maybe worth attending the course all in itself!
A. Networks with Gateways: 1980s IP Thinking
B. Subnets and CIDR
C. Prefix and Subnet Mask
D. Assigning VLANs to Subnets: DHCP and L2/L3 Switches
E. Elements of Routing
F. Autonomous Systems
G. Route Discovery Protocols
1. RIP: Routing Information Protocol
2. OSPF: Open Shortest Path First
3. BGP: Border Gateway Protocol
H. Routing Tables
I. Calculating the Next Hop
J. ARP
10. IP Security
Here, you'll get a comprehensive overview of security in the IP world, and an understanding of the tools and techniques used to implement security. We'll begin with a discussion of risk areas, vulnerabilities and measures. Then, we'll cover the critical concept of network segmentation, and how this is implemented by assigning IP subnets to VLANs and requiring traffic to pass through an L2/L3 switch as a point of control between subnet/VLANs. Understanding this concept is yet another reason to attend this course all by itself. Then we'll look at how this "control" is implemented, with firewall technologies; the important topics of encryption, IPsec and VPNs, and malicious software such as Trojans.
A. Risks, Measures and Policy
B. Network Security: Segmentation and Perimeters
C. Mapping VLANs onto IP subnets with L2/L3 Routing Switches
D. Firewalls: Packet Filtering, Proxies and Stateful Packet Inspection
E. IPsec and IP VPNs
F. Public Key Encryption, Authentication
G. Digital Certificates
H. Malicious Software: Viruses, Trojans
I. VoIP Security Risk Areas
J. VoIP Security Measures and Solutions
PART 3: MPLS, MPLS SERVICES, COMPETITION, POPS AND MANS: IP AS A BUSINESS
The third part of the course adds the real-world dimension of IP as a business: commercial-quality IP services and interconnect. We begin by understanding what is MPLS and how MPLS is used as a traffic management and quality of service tool on an IP network. You will understand the basic principles of Service Level Agreements, traffic profiles vs. transmission characteristics, traffic shaping and traffic policing. Then we will explore how carriers build networks with fiber rings, POPs, MANs and sometimes acting as CLECs, and trace a circuit from end to end across several different carriers. We'll compare MPLS VPN services to Internet services, and sort out IP transit vs. peering. We've come a long way since the switched access to competitive long-distance of the 1980s!
11. MPLS AND QUALITY OF SERVICE
Quality of Service (QoS) mechanisms to guarantee transmission characteristics across an IP network are essential. Without bogging down on details, you'll understand the real story behind "net neutrality" and gain a clear understanding of the tools and techniques for controlling traffic and implementing service levels in the IP world. Importantly, you’ll understand how MPLS provides a mechanism to implement Differentiated Services to meet Service Level Agreements or specified transmission characteristics. Understanding this may be worth attending the course all by itself. We'll also include an overview of tools and techniques for measuring quality.
A. Virtual Circuit Technologies
B. MPLS
C. Diff-Serv and QoS
D. Implementing Differentiated Services with MPLS
E. Service Level Agreements and Traffic Profiles
F. Traffic Policing and Shaping
G. Queues and How Prioritization is Implemented
H. The "MPLS Service" Quiz
12. IP AS A BUSINESS. CARRIER NETWORKS, COMPETITION AND INTERCONNECT
Interconnecting IP networks – and controlling connections – is a critical piece of the Voice over IP story. In this chapter, we’ll first update the network model of Chapter 2, to include a mature competitive carrier and its interaction with the ILEC, including CLEC activities and MANs. Then we’ll understand what’s for sale at the network – network level, IP transiting vs. peering, Internet vs. business customer services.
A. Competition Today: Mature Competitive Carrier Network
1. POPs and MANs
B. Competitive Carrier –The Last Mile
1. Switched Access or Subcontract to ILEC
2. Colocation: Acting as a CLEC
3. Bypass: Fiber to the Customer
C. IP Interconnect
1. Interconnect for Business Customer Services vs. Internet
2. Transit vs. Peering
PART 4: VOICE OVER IP - FUNDAMENTALS TO IMPLEMENTATION AND CASE STUDIES
Most of the third day of the course is dedicated to VoIP: the nuts and bolts of how voice is packetized, choices for codecs, how delay and jitter affect quality and voice quality measurements. Then, a whole chapter on SIP and how VoIP phone calls are set up with SIP and softswitches (hello, Google Voice!). Following this, we'll examine in a practical way how to go about connecting a VoIP system to the traditional PSTN, and understand Megaco and PRI vs. SIP trunking. Chapter 16 is the Readiness Assessment, where you will identify and understand issues and solutions when planning or implementing a migration to VoIP. We bring everything together with a set of class-participation case studies, allowing you to identify the appropriate solutions for different business cases: an ideal opportunity to identify the best course of action for your situation.
13. PACKETIZED VOICE, VOICE CODING AND Voice Quality
Here, we'll get down to brass tacks: understanding what exactly packetized voice is, how it happens and the standards and protocols used. You'll learn about codecs and compression, and understand the factors affecting sound quality. We'll listen to sound clips of impairments, and provide you with a practical list of tips and recommendations.
A. Voice Packetization and RTP
B. Protocol Stack: RTP, UDP, IP, MAC
C. Measuring Voice Quality
D. Factors Affecting Voice Quality
E. Codecs: G.711, G.722, G.729
F. Delay and Jitter
G. Packet Loss
H. In-Class Demo: Impairments and Effects on Sound Quality
I. Tips for Maximizing Voice Quality
H. Testing and Troubleshooting Voice Quality
14. SIP and call flow in the ip world
After understanding how voice is packetized and transported, the next question is how to find and connect to someone else to make a phone call? The answer: SIP, the Session Initiation Protocol. We'll get you fully up to speed on SIP ideas, architecture, terminology, operation, jargon and buzzwords, and trace the establishment of a phone call step-by-step from "dialing" to ringing and answer. At the end of this, you'll understand how softswitches use SIP for call flow in IP telephone systems – another knowledge set perhaps worth attending the course for all by itself!
The chapter is completed with an extensive glossary of SIP terms.
A. History: H.323
B. SIP Overview
C. The SIP Trapezoid
D. SIP Addresses: URIs instead of URLs
E. SIP Messages
F. SDP: Session Description Protocol
G. Server Types: Proxy, User Agent, Redirect Server, Registrar
H. Tracing Call Flow Step-by-Step
I. Peer-To-Peer SIP
J. SIP Glossary
15. VoIP - PSTN INTERCONNECT
Here, you will understand in a practical way how to go about connecting a VoIP system to the traditional PSTN, and understand Megaco and PRI vs. SIP trunking. We’ll survey methods of connecting IP networks to the PSTN and finish up with connections to carriers from a PBX-type environment.
A. PSTN Interconnect
1. Net to Phone VSPs (DS0 Interconnect to LEC)
2. Net to Phone VSPs (IP Interconnect to LEC)
3. Session Border Controllers
4. Megaco (H.248/RFC2885)
5. ENUM Directory Structure
B. Connecting from a PBX-type Environment
1. SIP Trunking vs. PRI
2. Co-Existence with a Legacy PBX
3. Integrating Integrated Messaging
C. Access Network: IP Video/Data/VoIP Triple Play Delivery Model
16. VOIP READINESS ASSESSMENT
Step-by-step, we'll walk through issues that must be considered, resolved and checked off when planning a migration to VoIP, and finish with a practical Readiness Assessment Checklist you can put to immediate use. This will allow you to plan for change, rather than having hidden issues become a series of career-limiting surprises.
A. The Organizational Structure
B. LAN Cabling and Powering
C. LAN Architecture
D. WAN Capacity / Scalability Assessment
E. Calculating VoIP Bandwidth Requirements
F. Comparing Transmission Choices: T1, Frame Relay, ATM, MPLS, Internet
G. Redundancy and Disaster Recovery
H. IPv6
I. End-user Equipment
J. Readiness Assessment Checklist
17. CASE STUDIES: VOIP IN-BUILDING
Continuing with the practical, to cement your knowledge, we'll present mainstream solutions for deploying VoIP in a series of interactive, class-participation case studies. The first case studies are VoIP inside the building:
A. Case Study: Network-based VoIP Service (IP Centrex or Hosted PBX)
B. Case Study: PBX-based VoIP
C. Case Study: Softswitch-based VoIP
18. CASE STUDIES: voip ORGANIZATION-WIDE
The second set of case studies are VoIP for long-distance communications. Again, this is an ideal opportunity for you to compare and contrast different strategies, share practical implementation experience, and understand which approach may be best for your situation.
A. Case Study: Private Network
B. Case Study: Over Data Networks (Frame/ATM)
C. Case Study: VoIP over the Internet
D. Case Study: Internet VPNs (CPE-based IPsec)
E. Case Study: Carrier VPN Service, MPLS, IPsec
19. WRAPPING UP
We'll wrap things up with a high-level view towards the future, convergence and converged applications, an example of web-enabled multimedia call centers and where we are headed with converged IP-based communications: the IP-PSTN.
A. Convergence
B. VoIP in the Call Center: Click to Talk
C. The IP-PSTN