Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)

Introduction

„ A powerful alternative to H.323

„ More flexible, simpler
„ Easier to implement
„ Advanced features
„ Better suited to the support of intelligent user
devices
„ A part of IETF multimedia data and control
architecture
„ SDP, RTSP (Real-Time Streaming Protocol), SAP
(Session Announcement Protocol)

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 Popularity of SIP
„ Originally Developed in the MMUSIC (Multiparty
Multimedia Session Control)
„ A separate SIP working group
„ RFC 2543
„ Many developers
„ The latest version: RFC 3261 (June 2002 )
„ SIP + MGCP/MEGACO
„ The VoIP signaling in the future
„ “bake-offs” or SIP Interoperability Tests
„ The development of SIP and its implementation by system
developers has involved a number of events.
„ Various vendors come together and test their products against
each other
„ to ensure that they have implemented the specification correctly
„ to ensure compatibility with other implementations
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 SIP Architecture
„ A signaling protocol
„ The setup, modification, and tear-down of multimedia sessions
„ SIP + SDP
„ Describe the session characteristics to potential session
participants
„ Separate signaling and media streams
„ Signaling may pass via one or more proxy or redirect servers
„ Media stream takes a more direct path.

SIP Signaling

IP Network

RTP Media Stream

SIP User SIP User

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 SIP Network Entities [1/4]

„ Clients
„ User agent clients
„ Application programs sending SIP requests
„ Servers
„ Responds to clients’ requests
„ Clients and servers may be in the same
platform.
„ Proxy acts as both clients and servers

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 SIP Network Entities [2/4]

„ Four types of servers

„ Proxy servers
„ Act in a similar way to a proxy server used for web
access
„ Handle requests or forward requests to other servers
after some translation
„ Can be used for call forwarding, time-of-day routing,
or follow-me services

1.Request 2.Request
Collins@work.com Collins@home.net

4.Response SIP 3.Response

Caller@work.com Proxy Collins@home.net

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SIP Network Entities [3/4]
„ Redirect servers
„ Accept SIP requests
„ Map the destination address to zero or more new
addresses
„ Return the new address(es) to the originator of the
request
1.Request
Collins@work.com

2.Moved temporarily
Contact: Collins@home.net

Caller@work.com 3.ACK Redirect Server

4.Request
Collins@home.net

5.Response
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SIP Network Entities [4/4]
„ A user agent server
„ Accepts SIP requests and contacts the user
„ The user responds → an SIP response
„ A SIP device
„ E.g., a SIP-enabled telephone
„ A registrar (location server)
„ Accepts SIP REGISTER requests
„ Indicating that the user is at a particular address
„ Personal mobility
„ Typically combined with a proxy or redirect server

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 SIP Call Establishment
„ SIP call establishment is simple.
„ A number of interim responses may be made to the
INVITE prior to the called party accepting the call.

INVITE
a
Ringing
b
OK
c
ACK
d
Conversation
e

BYE
f
OK
g
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SIP Advantages

„ Attempt to keep the signaling as simple as possible

„ Offer a great deal of flexibility
„ Does not care what type of media is to be exchanged
during a session or the type of transport to be used for
the media
„ Various pieces of information can be included
within the messages
„ Easily include non-standard information
„ Text-based encoding
„ Enable the users to make intelligent decisions
„ The control of the intelligent features is placed in the hands
of the customer, not the network operator.
„ E.g., SUBJECT header

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Call Completion to Busy Subscriber Service

INVITE
a
Busy (Try at 4pm)
b
ACK
c
d INVITE
Ringing
e
OK
f
ACK
g
Conversation
h

BYE
i
OK
j
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 Overview of SIP Messaging Syntax
„ Text-based
„ Similar to HTTP
„ Disadvantage – more bandwidth consumption
„ SIP messages
„ message = start-line
*message-header CRLF
[message-body]
„ start-line = request-line | status-line
„ Request-line specifies the type of request
„ The response line indicates the success or
failure of a given request.

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„ Message headers
„ Additional information of the request or response
„ E.g.,
„ The originator and recipient
„ Retry-after header
„ Subject header
„ Message body
„ Describe the type of session
„ The most common structure for the message body
is SDP (Session Description Protocol).
„ Could include an ISDN User Part message
„ Examined only at the two ends

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 SIP Requests [1/2]

„ Method SP Request-URI SP SIP-version CRLF

„ Request-URI
„ The SIP address of the destination
„ Methods
„ INVITE, ACK, OPTIONS, BYE, CANCLE, REGISTER
„ INVITE
„ Initiate a session
„ Information of the calling and called parties
„ The type of media
„ ～IAM (initial address message) of ISUP
„ ACK only when receiving the final response

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SIP Requests [2/2]
„ BYE
„ Terminate a session
„ Can be issued by either the calling or called party
„ OPTIONS
„ Query a server as to its capabilities
„ To support a particular type of media
„ CANCEL
„ Terminate a pending request
„ Pending Request: an INVITE did not receive a final response
„ REGISTER
„ Log in and register the address with a SIP server
„ “all SIP servers” – multicast address (224.0.1.175)
„ Can register with multiple servers
„ Can have several registrations with one server

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“One Number” Service

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 SIP INFO Method

„ Specified in RFC 2976

„ For transferring information during an ongoing
session
„ The transfer of DTMF digits
„ The transfer of account balance information
„ Pre-paid service
„ The transfer of mid-call signaling information

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 SIP Responses
„ SIP Version SP Status Code SP Reason-Phrase CRLF
„ Reason-Phrase
„ A textual description of the outcome
„ Could be presented to the user
„ Status code
„ A three-digit number
„ 1XX Informational
„ 2XX Success (only 200 is defined: the request has been understood and
has been performed)
„ 3XX Redirection (302: the called party is not available at the address used
in the request, and the request should be reissued to a new address
included with the response)
„ 4XX Request Failure (401: the client is not authorized to make the request)
„ 5XX Server Failure (505: the server does not support the SIP version
specified in the request)
„ 6XX Global Failure (600: busy)
„ All responses, except for 1XX, are considered final
„ Should be ACKed if the original message happened to be an INVITE
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 SIP Addressing

„ SIP URIs (Uniform Resource Indicators)

„ user@host
„ sip:collins@home.net
„ sip:3344556789@telco.net

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 Message Headers

„ Provide further information about the message

„ E.g.,
„ To:header in an INVITE
„ The called party
„ From:header
„ The calling party
„ Four main categories
„ General, Request, Response, and Entity headers

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General Headers
„ Used in both requests and responses
„ Basic information
„ E.g., To:, From:, Call-ID: (uniquely identifies a specific
invitation to a session), …
„ Contact:
„ Provides a URL for use in future communication regarding a
particular session
„ Examples 1: In a SIP INVITE, the Contact header might be
different from the From header.
„ An third-party administrator initiates a multiparty session.
„ Example 2: Used in response, it is useful for directing
further requests directly to the called user.
„ Example 3: It is used to indicate a more appropriate
address if an INVITE issued to a given URI failed to reach
the user.
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„ Request Headers
„ Apply only to SIP requests
„ Addition information about the request or the client
„ E.g.,
„ Subject:
„ Priority: urgency of the request (emergency, urgent,
normal, or non-urgent)
„ Response Headers
„ Further information about the response that cannot
be included in the status line
„ E.g.,
„ Unsupported
„ Retry-After

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 Entity Headers
„ Indicate the type and format of information
included in the message body
„ Content-Length: the length of the message
body
„ Content-Type: the media type of the message
body
„ E.g., application/sdp
„ Content-Encoding: for message compression
„ Content Disposition: how a message part
should be interpreted
„ session, alert, render …

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