latency

Troubleshooting VoIP / UC Issues

Networking has always been a more or less imperfect science…perhaps more of an art? The TCP/IP suite of protocols are designed with the base concept that transmitting packets of data is prone to errors and the protocols need to have mechanisms built in to manage dropped packets, latency, and other issues.

With normal data networking it may not be a big deal if packets arrive out of order. As long as the TCP/IP protocols can reassemble them in the proper order there may be a millisecond or two of lag but the data will get there. However, with voice and video a millisecond may as well be a millenia. With VoIP, and audio/video conferencing it is much more important that data arrive quickly and in order.

Microsoft provides a comprehensive amount of guidance and documentation including Troubleshooting Enterprise Voice: Approaches, Procedures, and Tools.

One valuable tool for monitoring and troubleshooting network issues is a network analyzer (also known as a protocol analyzer or packet sniffer). I recently had an opportunity to work with the Capsa Enterprise Network Analyzer and would recommend it as a powerful, cost-effective tool for troubleshooting VoIP / UC, as well as other network issues. You can learn more about Capsa Enterprise from this review (there is also a link to a more extensive product white paper).

Managing VoIP Quality

The TCP/IP suite of protocols was designed with some safeguards against packet latency and alternative routing. When sending a data file, some packets may take a different path than others and the packets may arrive out of order. But, with TCP/IP that is OK because the protocols understand how to sequence the packets and reassemble them in the proper order so that the data arrives intact- even if it is a few milliseconds later.

Well, when you put voice communications on a TCP/IP network the demands are a little different. The PowerPoint presentation being downloaded won’t really matter if it takes a millisecond longer or what order the packets arrive in as long as they arrive. However, voice communications is now. It is real-time. It is imperative that the packets reach the listeners ear in order and with minimal delay in order to facilitate a voice conversation and mirror as closely as possible the voice communications experience that callers are used to with traditional telephone systems. Streaming video for online video calls or video conferencing is even more data intensive and still demands that the data get from point A to point B as quickly as possible, uninterrupted and in order.

This is one of the challenges that organizations face as they attempt to migrate to VoIP and unified communications. The underlying network architecture and available bandwidth are a critical foundation that can make or break the success of VoIP and unified communications in the organization. These needs have opened the door for a whole new generation of networking and quality of service equipment designed specifically around VoIP and bandwidth-intensive streaming media applications.

 Ensuring Voice and Video Quality About More Than Watching Packet Flows.

Unified Communications in the Call Center

Microsoft has a unified communications offering for small and medium businesses (SMB) with Response Point. They also have a more robust solution for enterprises providing even more features, functionality, and power for unified communications with Microsoft UC. What they do’t have, or at least didn’t have, is a unified communications solution for call centers, or other businesses that rely on communications more than standard businesses at an almost exponential level. The have formed a partnership with Aspect, a company that focuses on delivering innovative solutions for customer service and call centers. Combining the power and flexibility of Microsoft’s Office Communications Server 2007 with Aspect Unified IP delivers next-generation communications for call centers. There are still some hurdles to cross. Aside from delivering unified communications capabilities to the call center, the solution also has to offer high availability and resiliency to ensure communications are not disrupted even in the event of a server, or complete site catastrophe.