Do I need a SBC?

[SIMMN]

Do I need a sbc for VoIP? I think so but correct me if I am wrong.

Here is the scenario:

I have two networks: one data and one voice. Firewall rule prevents data communicating with voice. I have soft phone on computer on data network. I need to have the soft phone registering with phone server which is located on voice and also soft phone to talk to ip physical phones. They are all sip based with sip trunk to ITSP.

So I think use SBC as the "proxy" point and open firewall rule to allow data to talk to sbc in order to communicate with voice. This way, I only need to control rule to one node instead the whole voice network.

i guess another way to ask this: if I had a SBC, can I use it as "proxy" point for soft phone to talk to voice network? So no huge udp port range needs to be opened between two networks, only between SBC and data network?

Please advise.

[Wilson Samuel · Accepted solution]

Presuming you are using Cisco for SBC (aka CUBE) you could use CUBE to terminate ALL your softphone traffic to the Voice Network traffic on the CUBE and CUBE will hide the Voice Network and Data Network.

So in essence it may look like this:

Data Network <<===>>  FW====(Allows only Voice Traffic )<<==>>  < CUBE> >VoiceNetwork> ITSP

                                                       between Softphone and CUBE

Now, if you want your SoftPhones to register with ITSP then I guess you can enable Proxy on CUBE and make them register with the ITSP, however I have never attempted or tried that scenario.

You could alternatively also do enable CME on CUBE and register all the Softphones on the CME/CUBE and then CUBE talk to your Voice Network.

HTH

[SIMMN]

Actually I am not referring to cube as the cost of it. I am looking at some small vendor SBC appliance.

i only get sip trunk from ITSP and host phone server internally. Generally speaking, SIP SBC is capable to do what I planned in scenario, right?

[Wilson Samuel · Accepted solution]

Yes, however it will depend mainly on the capabilities of the SBC device itself.

HTH

[SIMMN]

Thanks. I am looking at the Patton 5480 appliance. Not sure if and how I can figure it out before paying for it.

http://www.patton.com/session%2Dborder%2Dcontroller/sn5480/

[Wilson Samuel]

Well, this is mostly Cisco Support Forum, and most of us work only on Cisco platform.

One of the best things about Cisco is Support, so, I will highly recommend getting a Cisco 2900 Series Router, compared to any other SBC.

HTH
 

[SIMMN]

Totally, I would go with a 2900 but I can not sign the cheque for the purchase

[Wilson Samuel]

Ha ha, cost wise it may be not much of a different anyway :-)

Check with your local Cisco Account Manager, before you go the other way around :-)

[SIMMN]

I could call the buddy in Cisco here but from what I know  of the Patton so far and what I paid for 2921s, the difference will be big...plus I think cube license is expensive too...

[Wilson Samuel]

Check it out, the voice bundle for 2901 comes with CME + CUBE (not sure how many in numbers), depending on the vendor / partner your speak with, it may be worth talking about 2901 / 2911 before you go out for Patton :-)

HTH

[Mohammed al Baqari]

Hi,

If the purpose bridge between voice and data networks for softphones to communicate with deskphones, why don't you use Trusted Point Relay (TRP) assuming that you are using cisco call manager

[SIMMN]

Actually this will be a new setup for a medium size customer and will be not Cisco...I just so use to come here for clearing my confusions, so...

Wouldn't SBC provide TRP functionality? TRP is just a Cisco term for the technology, isn't it?

[Leo Salcie Tejeda]

TRP is a Cisco concept

[SIMMN]

Thanks

[Mohammed al Baqari]

As mentioned, TRP is a Cisco concept. It is a free of cost idea if you already have Cisco router to bridge multiple call legs.

SBC is more than bridging multiple call legs. It provide more functions