CIPTV 1 - Configure an IOS Gateway - CUBE fonctions / CUBE Video

Helle back guys, will take over a new topic, a topic which give me the goosebumps to be honest with you.

CUBE is hard as a RUBIK CUBE puzzle, i'm not kidding. And we better get started.

CUBE stands for Cisco Unified Border Element, this evil guy is placed in the border of your collaboration network.

what's beyond the border, well one thing for sure that is the ISP ( Internet Service Provider ) , and so as you know a very ISP , because don't give normal ISP access but rather SIP (commonly) access service into its VOIP network.


before we start a brief intro of the infamous CUBE, some of CUBE foncionalites are :

• CUBE interworking VoIP networks ( against the concept of a usual Voice gateway)
• Also called Session Border Controller ot IP-to-IP gateway
• it runs on Cisco  IOS router
• Ability to connect a voip dialpeer to another vop dialpeer
• interworking scenarios
• H.323 to SIP
• SIP to H.323
• SIP to SIP and H.323 to H.323

Here a general like topology when deploying CUBE:

now let's get to why you are here, i like to call this section the WhyTF CUBE?

Why we in hell in need CUBE?

• Reason 1 : Session Mgt , as it goes also by the name of Session Border Controller , ut provide real time session management , statistics , CAC, etc.
• Reason 2 : Interworking is far most an important functionalities of CUBE as it enbaled us to connect different IP network, transcoding and codec filtering is part of CUBE'S ...
• Demarcation : wee you can say it in another simple word as ISOLATION , it provide isolation for you private from the ISP'S, which increase security , enables topology hiding
• Security : Encrypted communication and authorized registration to prevent toll-fraud

CUBE provide low cost architecture and flexil usage which makes it a very cost-effective solution
another key point about CUBE is scalability think of how many connection of Ethernet port can a CUBE have against a Cisco IOS Gateway with 4EHWIC limited by the number of port / card.

ease of deployment can be a pros and a con depending on the level of implementation.


NEW : classic way to connecto to ISP is via PRI /BRI connection that are not very scable vs connecting via SIP Trunks whihc requiers in L2 only ethernet

CUBE Call Flow:

calls as they flows trought the CUBE can be categorized into two types:

• Media flow-trought : in this type both Media and signalling is passed trought the CUBE
• Media flow-around : in this type only signaling is passed trought CUBE, as for the media is been transmit directly or not between the endpoint, no CUBE interaction with the media.

CUBE Design :

when designing a CUBE solution for voice there is some parameters to watch out for:

• CPS Call Per Second
• Active call ( media trought or media around)
• Transcoding resource

as we saw CUBE can intercat with the media , a caracteris of it the codec , CUBE has the ability to change the codec of a media stream using transcoding ressource as well as been transparent, we can say that the CUBE operate into mode:

• non-transparent codec negotiation
• transparent négociation

somethimg to note about CUBE is also now listen very carefully , its also can transpoarent for SDP messages , this is called pass-thru sdp, this means that CUBE will not interfer in the negotiation via SIP/SDP messages and this will directly between the endpoints.


BASIC / DESIGN CONFIGURATION


CUBE SIP PROFILE
now will talk a very cool gadget up the sleves of CISCO IOS gateway with uck9 license pack meaning they supprot Voice features.

what is a SIP profile?
a SIP profile is like a transaltion pattern, --many concepts in the CISCO UC collab technoligies is used over and over but in the difference place and bit of modification --

just like a transaltion rule or transaltino pattern , the SIP profile is used to match a string in a SIP/SDP message and then apply operation on it, this operation in contrast with TR & TP , SIP profile gave more operation then them as it not only do a MATCH-REPLACE operation it can do MATCH-ADD or MATCH-MODIFY or MATCH-REMOVE

very cool tool in CISCO IOS when working in a SIP enviroment, i invite you to check it in more fine details.

CUBE VIDEO
CUBE is also used in voice calls as for video calls.

check a blog of ipexpert.com on CUBE video calls its very helpfull (http://blog.ipexpert.com/cube-video-calling/)

you get hold of a concepet of the CUBE rtp payload negociation and a little bit of configuration that need to be done for CUBE Video Caalling



Cheers, Oussama