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Note: As a user, you will not need
to read this page, in order to use the IFI VoIP system. (So you may stop
now ;) ) However, it contains some some background information, which is
useful, if you're trying to debug your setup/configuration, if something
doesn't work as expected.
SIP phone addresses consist of a username and a hostname part (as do
emails).
Your username is the 5-digit extension you were assigned
initially (e.g., 50890).
The hostname of the IFI VoIP
server depends on the interface, you're connecting to:
These are resolved to the proper IP addresses using DNS (Domain Name
Service), like any other domain names, you use.
Thus, your real
SIP VoIP address looks like this: 50890@voip-internal.ifi.uzh.ch
Since
this address looks somewhat ugly, there exist so-called SIP SRV
entries for the ifi domain. These are comparable to MX entries used for
email communication, and map
ifi.uzh.ch to voip-internal.ifi.uzh.ch
Therefore,
Users that use a SIP SRV compatible VoIP client, may reach you
under an address, like: 50890@ifi.uzh.ch
For convenience
reasons, an alias exists, mapping your IFI username to your VoIP
username/extension, allowing users to call addresses, like: schaffrath@ifi.uzh.ch
In
order to be compatible with the old telephony system, where all addresses
consist of digits only, the ENUM entries were created. These are
responsible to map traditional phone numbers to SIP addresses.
In
order to achieve this, DNS was again (ab- ;) ) used, creating so-called NAPTR
entries in specific top level domains.
The IFI VoIP system is
registered in the nrenum.net domain (responsible for swiss research
institutions).
Thereby, 0.9.8.0.5.3.6.4.4.1.4.nrenum.net
resolves to 50890@ifi.uzh.ch .
Thus, callers, which are
registered to a VoIP provider that performs ENUM lookups, may call
numbers, like : 0041446350890
(NB: Some providers will not
perform the ENUM lookup for all adresses and establish a connection
via their PSTN gateway nontheless - and thereby earning money with the
call ;) )
The ENUM setting in your user settings does not
change anything about your reachability, but only the setting in the IFI
VoIP system, whether an ENUM lookup will be performed, when you're
calling someone else.
So the resolving looks like this:
0041446350890
---ENUM--> 50890@ifi.uzh.ch --SIP-SRV--> 50890@voip-internal.ifi.uzh.ch
IAX2 is merely another VoIP protocol.
It was originally intended
for communication between VoIP servers, but nowadays, some VoIP clients
support the protocol as well.
It's got some advantages over SIP w.r.t.
firewalls, as it uses only a single symmetric (i.e. with source-port ==
destination-port) UDP connection for both signalling and actual voice
data. SIP is only used for signalling, the actual data is transferred over
RTP (Real Time Protocol) on dynamic ports, thereby sometimes creating
problems with firewalls, if the clients are not correctly set up, to use
symmetric ports as well)
IAX2 addresses look like
caller-username@hostname/callee-username .
In order to allow users,
who are not registered to the destination host, to call IAX2 extensions on
that host, a guest account is in place.
Thus an IAX2 address
for external callers would look, like: guest@voip-internal.ifi.uzh.ch/50890
Also
here, ENUM, alias and IAX SRV concepts are
applicable, as described above.