Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) is a computer communication protocol which is widely used to control multimedia communication sessions like video and voice calls over a private network or the public Internet. The best example of SIP would be Skype which uses Voice Over IP technology to connect two computers together for video or voice calling.
While Skype and other VOIP software can be used for video and audio communication, it can’t be used in a private network. If you want to setup a SIP server in your network quickly, a good option would be OfficeSIP. The benefit of OfficeSIP server is that it is free and requires minimal configuration to setup completely.
Setting up OfficeSIP
First of all, you will need to download OfficeSIP server. The latest version of OfficeSIP Server is 3.1 but you can always start with the latest 3.3RC build. The installation is quite comfortable and effortless. You will only be given the choice of installation path. Everything otherwise is pretty straight forward.
Once installed, you will need to go to the OfficeSIP server installation directory and run “ControlPanel.exe”. By default, it should be located in “C:Program FilesOfficeSIP Server”
A word of caution for Windows 8 users: you should not install the SIP server in C:Program Files folder. Choose another drive instead. This is because the OfficeSIP Server does not run with administrative privileges by default so it will not be able to write on the configuration file when you change its settings.
What is Mobile VoIP with Windows Mobile? Mobile VoIP is a new way of using your Windows Mobile phone by routing calls over the internet rather than via traditional mobile operators - thus cutting out the middle man and saving you money. SIP tools; SIP Protocol Stacks and Libraries; TURN servers and RTP Proxies; RTP. JAIN-SIP Proxy Mini-SIP-Proxy A very tiny perl POE based SIP proxy.
There are a few fields in the control panel of the server which need explaining. The first one is the “Server address”. You can also change the port but it is highly recommended that you keep it as default.
The login and password fields are for controlling the control panel. When you click on the Connect button, the server will start and you will be taken to the user management and configuration window.
Clicking on the “Settings” tab will enable you to configure different settings of the server. If you are using Active Directory in your network, you can let the server pull all the users from the Active Directory and add them as SIP users. Otherwise, leave everything as default.
The user management tab has been named as .csv File which is quite strange. You can click on the .csv File in order to add or remove users from the server.
Once you have added the users, everything is setup and your SIP server is running on the network. To connect using this SIP server, just download the SIP client messenger and install it on the client systems.
OfficeSIP messenger is very similar to any other messaging program. You will need to enter your username and password to sign in. If there are multiple SIP servers running in your network, then you can manually give the IP address of the server you want to connect.
If you are getting error messages similar to “Can not find server, try to specify server address“, you can uncheck the “Find server automatically” checkbox while logging in and specify the Server IP address (which should be localhost if you are testing it on the server).
All the users added to the SIP server will be shown on the messenger window and the online users will get a green icon in front of them. You can text, voice and video call any of the online users easily from the messenger interface.
While OfficeSIP is not the best SIP software out there, it comes in very handy if you want to setup a simple communications server in your network.
What type of communication setup do you have in your network? What are your thoughts about OfficeSIP server?
Image credit: Businessman Dialing On Conference Phone by Big Stock Photo.
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Items you will need
- Linux
- Broadband network router
- CD/DVD burner drive
- Blank CD
- IP telephones or telephone software for local network computers
Voice over Internet Protocol phone systems use Session Initiation Protocol, or SIP, to manage voice connection routing when connecting to a broadband telephone network. When creating your own PBX or VoIP server, you must correctly configure the SIP settings to connect to a service provider network and negotiate calls with other VoIP or landline telephone systems. SIP settings allow you to use hardware or software IP phones with your VoIP system and ensure that all phones connect to the network in the same way. Configuring phones and systems for use with SIP used to be a tedious process, but modern VoIP PBX software makes the task much easier and straightforward.
Install Linux on a dedicated server computer. Connect the server to a broadband router to access the Internet. Download and install a free PBX/SIP/VoIP server application (see Resources). Most VoIP server applications come as image files that you must burn to a CD or DVD.
Open the CD/DVD authoring/burning program on the Linux computer. Burn the VoIP server image file to a blank CD or DVD.
Launch the installation utility on the new CD or DVD. Wait for the installation wizard to appear on the screen. Follow the installation wizard to install the VoIP server software. Reboot the computer if prompted to do so.
Subscribe to an account with a VoIP service provider that allows you to use your own hardware IP phones or software phone applications. VoIP providers like VoIP.ms, Broadvoice and Teliax have plans for individuals or small office VoIP networks that allow you to use open source software to access the service provider’s VoIP gateway (see Resources).
Print out your account information, including your assigned phone number, VoIP gateway IP address, username, password and authentication code.
Launch the SIP/VoIP server software on the Linux computer. Click the “VoIP Settings” or “Connection Settings” option on the menu or tool bar. Enter your VoIP account information, your phone number, account username and password.
Enter the authentication code in the “Pin” or “Code” field and save the account configuration settings. Enter the assigned VoIP Gateway IP address in the corresponding field.
Click the “IP Settings” or “Internet Settings” menu option. Jot down the IP address shown in the “Server IP Address” field.
Connect the included RJ-45 LAN network cables to the IP phones and broadband router. Optionally, download and install software IP telephone applications to use with the VoIP provider network.
Configure the IP phones or soft-phone software with the SIP information for the local VoIP server. Enter the IP address information for the local SIP server in the “192.168.0.1” format.
Reboot the new SIP/VoIP server computer. Launch the VoIP server software. Wait for the server software to connect with the VoIP service provider and establish a connection.
Use the hardware IP phones or phone software to place and receive calls using the new VoIP server and the service provider’s gateway.
Tips
Ensure the Linux VoIP server computer uses a static IP address and not a dynamic address assigned to it by the broadband router.
Refer to the user manual for the SIP/VoIP server application for information on how to set up departments and extensions or to route calls to various computers or IP phones on the network.
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