VoIP protocols - RTP, QOS & RSVP

Internet data transmissions are composed of several layers. The network layer consists of the Internet Protocol (IP) which establishes a connection between two computers. The transport layer provides the rules for sending the data -- for example, whether the data

needs to arrive intact or whether data can be missed. The application layer determines how the data will be processed once it arrives at its destination.

Most data travelling over the Internet uses the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) for the transport layer because it guarantees data delivery and integrity. VoIP does not need the kind of delivery guarantee which TCP provides, so most VoIP transmissions use the faster User Datagram Protocol (UDP) as the transport layer.

Once VoIP data arrives at its destination, the application layer interprets it and presents it to the user. The most commonly used application layers for VoIP are SIP (see part 1) and RTP.

RTP

Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) was originally designed for delivering multimedia content over the Internet. It is often used for streaming (delivering in real-time) audio and video content such as music and movies.

RTP always uses UDP (User Datagram Protocol) as the transport layer. It can be used in conjunction with both SIP and H.323 for delivering voice data in a consistent and reliable manner. It provides services for identifying the type of data, its sequence, and whether or not each packet has been delivered.

QOS

Quality of Service (QOS) in VoIP refers to the likelihood that voice data will be delivered quickly and up to a certain standard -- clear and without background noise. It is used for VoIP, multimedia streaming, and applications which require a high degree of reliability.

Essentially, QOS is provided by ensuring that enough bandwidth has been reserved for a particular application. There are two ways to do this -- providing more than enough bandwidth to meet all needs at all times, or reserve bandwidth when it is needed. The second option is more practical because there is no way to foresee exactly what network demands will be at any given time.

VoIP most often uses RSVP (Resource ReSerVation Protocol) to reserve bandwidth, although other solutions including VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network) and VPN (Virtual Private Network) are being used by some VoIP service providers.

RSVP

Resource ReSerVation Protocol (RSVP) is used to manage Quality of Service (QOS). RSVP is used to request a minimum bandwidth and latency from every Internet router between two endpoints. Those that comply will reserve resources for the data stream.

The Internet has mechanisms in place to monitor the signal path between any two points. When a reservation request is received, the routers along the path examine the state of the signal paths and decide whether they can accommodate it. Once the reservation is accepted, the routers have to carry that data as specified. To do this they reserve the resources necessary to guarantee bandwidth. After receiving an RSVP the data path is monitored to make sure the data travels along the path as expected. If not, the reserve request will timeout after a certain period of time so that resources are not unnecessarily used up.