communications. Like TCP/IP in the 1980s and the World Wide
Web in the 1990s, communications hardware and software
product vendors are adding SIP capability to their products.
Issues being worked out today include:
ߜ Development of a reference architecture of common
network elements
ߜ Specification of the basic protocols (and protocol
extensions) that must be supported by each element
of the reference architecture
ߜ Specification of the exact standards associated with
these protocols
ߜ Specification of standard methods for negotiating pro-
tocols, protocol extensions, and exchanging capability
information between endpoints
ߜ Definition of authentication methods to ensure user
security and accurate billing
SIP vendors are tackling these interoperability issues now, so
that you won’t have to face them on your own, especially
should your company adopt SIP technology in the near future.
Several groups are actively working on SIP interoperability,
including the following:
ߜ Developer Connection is Avaya’s program that promotes
interoperability between Avaya products and others in
the market. Go to http://devconnectprogram.com.
ߜ iLabs (InteropNet Labs) engineers test the interoperabil-
ity of hundreds of commercial and open source prod-
ucts. The 2005 SIP iLabs is designed to show the state of
vendor interoperability using SIP. You can read more at
http://www.networkworld.com/research/2005/
050205-ilabs-sip.html.
ߜ SipCenter promotes the development of SIP based
products and interoperability. Info can be found at
http://www.sipcenter.com.
ߜ SIP Connect morphed into the SIP Forum as the
IP PBX and Service Provider Interoperability Task
Group. Information is available from http://www.
sipforum.com.
Part 5: SIP Interoperability
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