Universal Voice Transcoding Support for IP-to-IP Gateways

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Updated:December 17, 2007

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Universal Voice Transcoding Support for Cisco Unified Border Elements

Table Of Contents

Universal Voice Transcoding Support for Cisco Unified Border Elements

Contents

Information About Universal Voice Transcoding Support for Cisco Unified Border Elements

How to Configure Universal Transcoding on a DSP Farm Profile

Determining DSP Capacity for Universal Transcoding

Configuring a DSP Farm Profile

What to Do Next

Configuration Examples for Universal Voice Transcoding

Universal Transcoding with an Inbox on a Universal Gateway: Example

G.711 to Any Transcoding with an Inbox on a Universal Gateway: Example

Universal and G.711 to Any Transcoding with an Inbox on a Universal Gateway: Example

Universal and G.711 to Any Transcoding with an Inbox on an Integrated Services Router: Example

Additional References

Related Documents

Standards

MIBs

RFCs

Technical Assistance

Command Reference

dspfarm profile

Feature Information for Universal Voice Transcoding Support for Cisco Unified Border Elements


Universal Voice Transcoding Support for Cisco Unified Border Elements

First Published: May 7, 2007
Last Updated: July 16, 2008

Universal Transcoding allows transcoding from any supported codec to any other supported codec.

Finding Feature Information in This Module

Your Cisco IOS software release may not support all of the features documented in this module. To reach links to specific feature documentation in this module and to see a list of the releases in which each feature is supported, use the "Feature Information for Universal Voice Transcoding Support for Cisco Unified Border Elements" section.

Finding Support Information for Platforms and Cisco IOS and Catalyst OS Software Images

Use Cisco Feature Navigator to find information about platform support and Cisco IOS and Catalyst OS software image support. To access Cisco Feature Navigator, go to http://www.cisco.com/go/cfn. An account on Cisco.com is not required.

Contents

•Information About Universal Voice Transcoding Support for Cisco Unified Border Elements

•How to Configure Universal Transcoding on a DSP Farm Profile

•Additional References

•Command Reference

•Feature Information for Universal Voice Transcoding Support for Cisco Unified Border Elements

Information About Universal Voice Transcoding Support for Cisco Unified Border Elements

Transcoding compresses and decompresses voice streams to match endpoint-device capabilities. Transcoding is required when an incoming voice stream is digitized and compressed (by means of a codec) to save bandwidth, but the local device does not support that type of compression.

Universal Transcoding employs a general transcoding facility where one supported codec is converted to any other supported codec. This functionality interconnects a diverse array of topologies. Universal Transcoding works between two voice sessions that are encoded by using different codecs, different packetization periods, or a combinationof the two. The Universal Transcoding channel operates only on RTP packets.

Although Universal Transcoding allows interconnection between endpoints that encode voice by using different codec algorithms, any transcoding causes distortion of the voice and reduces the quality of the received signal. Universal Transcoding causes the voice signal to be encoded and decoded two times. Each time that a voice signal is encoded and decoded, distortion is added and the listening quality is reduced. Additionally, transcoding adds additional dejitter delays to the voice path.

Note Consider Universal Transcoding as the last resort; make every attempt to coordinate the endpoints so that they use the same encoding algorithms.

How to Configure Universal Transcoding on a DSP Farm Profile

This section is an update to the "Configuring Enhanced Conferencing and Transcoding" in the Cisco Unified CallManager and Cisco IOS Interoperability Guide.

Determining DSP Capacity for Universal Transcoding

Channel density is limited when using the Universal Transcoding mode. As a general rule, the number of sessions needed for a Universal Transcoding channel is the sum of the session requirements for two separate voice channels, one running each of the configured codecs. For example, a channel running Universal Transcoding from a G.729a codec to iLBC would need the session capacity for a voice channel running the G.729a codec and MIPS for a voice channel running iLBC codec. See Table 1 for DSP session capacities.

Table 1 DSP Session Capacity 

Transcoding Type
NM-HD-1V/2V
(1 DSP)
NM-HD-2VE
(3 DSPs)
NM-HDV2
(16 DSPs)
2801/2811
(2 PVDM2-64)
2821/2851
(3 PVDM2-64)
3825, 3845
(4 PVDM2-64)

G.711 a-law/u-law <-> Any (with high complexity codec in dspfarm profile)

6 sessions

18 sessions

96 sessions

48 sessions

72 sessions

96 sessions

G.711 a-law/u-law <-> Any (without high complexity codec in dspfarm profile)

8 sessions

24 sessions

128 sessions

64 sessions

96 sessions

128 sessions

Universal Transcoding
(with high complexity codec in dspfarm profile)

3 sessions

9 sessions

48 sessions

24 sessions

36 sessions

48 sessions

Universal Transcoding
(without high complexity codec in dspfarm profile)

4 sessions

12 sessions

64 sessions

32 sessions

48 sessions

64 sessions


For additional information, see the "Determining DSP Resource Requirements" section of the Cisco Unified CallManager and Cisco IOS Interoperability Guide.

Configuring a DSP Farm Profile

Perform this procedure to define a DSP farm on the NM-HDV2, NM-HD-1V, NM-HD-2V, NM-HD-2VE, or PVDM2. You must configure each conferencing, transcoding, and MTP profile separately.

Note Because a software-only MTP does not require DSP resources, you can configure a software-only MTP without a voice network module, or on the NM-HDV if you do not enable the dsp services dspfarm command for the voice card.

Prerequisites

Requires Cisco IOS Release 12.3(8)T or a later release. Universal transcoding requires Cisco IOS Release 12.4(11)XW or a later release.

SUMMARY STEPS

1. enable

2. configure terminal

3. voice-card slot

4. dsp services dspfarm

5. exit

6. dspfarm profile profile-identifier {conference | mtp | transcode [universal]}

7. description text

8. codec codec-type

9. maximum sessions number

or

maximum sessions {hardware | software} number

10. associate application sccp

11. no shutdown

12. exit

13. gateway

14. timer receive-rtp seconds

15. exit

DETAILED STEPS

 
Command or Action
Purpose

Step 1 

enable

Example:

Router> enable

Enables privileged EXEC mode.

•Enter your password if prompted.

Step 2 

configure terminal

Example:

Router# configure terminal

Enters global configuration mode.

Step 3 

voice-card slot

Example:

Router(config)# voice-card 1

Enters voice-card configuration mode for the network module on which you want to enable DSP-farm services.

Step 4 

dsp services dspfarm

Example:

Router(config-voicecard)# dsp services dspfarm

Enables DSP-farm services for the voice card.

Step 5 

exit

Example:

Router(config-voicecard)# exit

Exits voice-card configuration mode.

Step 6 

dspfarm profile profile-identifier {conference | mtp | transcode [universal]}

Example:

Router(config)# dspfarm profile 20 transcode universal

Enters DSP farm profile configuration mode to define a profile for DSP farm services.

Note The profile-identifier and service type uniquely identify a profile. If the service type and profile-identifier pair are not unique, you are prompted to choose a different profile-identifier.

Step 7 

description text

Example:

Router(config-dspfarm-profile)# description art_dept

(Optional) Includes a specific description about the Cisco DSP farm profile.

Step 8 

codec codec-type

Example:

Router(config-dspfarm-profile)# codec ilbc

Specifies the codecs supported by a DSP farm profile.

Note Hardware MTPs support only G.711 a-law and G.711 u-law. If you configure a profile as a hardware MTP, and you want to change the codec to other than G.711, you must first remove the hardware MTP by using the no maximum sessions hardware command.

Note Only one codec is supported for each MTP profile. To support multiple codecs, you must define a separate MTP profile for each codec.

Step 9 

maximum sessions number

or

maximum sessions {hardware | software} number

Example:

Router(config-dspfarm-profile)# maximum sessions 4

Specifies the maximum number of sessions that are supported by the profile.

•number—Range is determined by the available registered DSP resources. Default is 0.

Note The hardware and software keywords apply only to MTP profiles.

Step 10 

associate application sccp

Example:

Router(config-dspfarm-profile)# associate application sccp

Associates the SCCP protocol to the DSP farm profile.

Step 11 

no shutdown

Example:

Router(config-dspfarm-profile)# no shutdown

Enables the profile, allocates DSP farm resources, and associates the application.

Step 12 

exit

Example:

Router(config-dspfarm-profile)# exit

Exits DSP farm profile configuration mode.

Step 13 

gateway

Example:

Router(config)# gateway

Enters gateway configuration mode.

Step 14 

timer receive-rtp seconds

Example:

Router(config-gateway)# timer receive-rtp 600

Sets the Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) timeout interval to clear hanging connections.

•seconds—Range is 180 to 1800. Default is 1200.

Step 15 

exit

Example:

Router(config-gateway)# exit

Exits to global configuration mode.

What to Do Next

See the the Cisco Unified CallManager and Cisco IOS Interoperability Guide for additional configuration information.

Configuration Examples for Universal Voice Transcoding

The following examples show configurations for both Cisco Universal Gateways and Cisco Integrated Services Routers:

•Universal Transcoding with an Inbox on a Universal Gateway: Example

•G.711 to Any Transcoding with an Inbox on a Universal Gateway: Example

•Universal and G.711 to Any Transcoding with an Inbox on a Universal Gateway: Example

•Universal and G.711 to Any Transcoding with an Inbox on an Integrated Services Router: Example

Note Universal transcoding using the AMR-NB codec in either direction is supported only on the Cisco AS5350XM and Cisco AS5450XM universal gateways.

Universal Transcoding with an Inbox on a Universal Gateway: Example

This example shows a universal transcoding configuration with an inbox on a Cisco Unified Border Element on a universal gateway. Universal gateways include the Cisco AS5350XM and Cisco AS5400XM platforms: 

iLBC_UUT1#sh run 

Building configuration...


Current configuration : 3244 bytes

!

!

voice-card 5

 dsp services dspfarm

!

voice-card 6

!

voice-card 7

 dsp services dspfarm

!

!

voice service voip 

 allow-connections h323 to h323

 allow-connections h323 to sip

 allow-connections sip to h323

 fax protocol t38 ls-redundancy 0 hs-redundancy 0 fallback cisco

 modem passthrough none codec g729r8 pre-ietf

!

!

interface GigabitEthernet0/0

 ip address 10.10.10.2 255.255.0.0

 duplex auto

 speed auto

 negotiation auto

!

interface GigabitEthernet0/1

 ip address 10.20.20.2 255.255.0.0

 duplex auto

 speed auto

 negotiation auto

!

!

sccp local GigabitEthernet0/0

sccp ccm 10.10.10.2 identifier 1 

sccp

!

sccp ccm group 1

 associate ccm 1 priority 1

 associate profile 10 register MTPNEWONE

!

dspfarm profile 10 transcode universal

 codec g711ulaw

 codec g711alaw

 codec ilbc

 codec g723r63

 codec g723r53

 codec g729ar8

 codec g729abr8

 maximum sessions 10

 associate application SCCP

!

!

dial-peer voice 10 voip

 destination-pattern 9991...

 session protocol sipv2

 session target ipv4:20.20.20.1

 

!

dial-peer voice 20 voip

 session target ipv4:10.10.10.1

 incoming called-number 9991...

 codec ilbc

!

!

telephony-service       -------------------------> Only Required for InBox

 sdspfarm units 1

 sdspfarm transcode sessions 128

 sdspfarm tag 1 MTPNEWONE

 ip source-address 10.10.10.2 port 2000

 max-conferences 8 gain -6

 transfer-system full-consult

!

G.711 to Any Transcoding with an Inbox on a Universal Gateway: Example

This example shows the configuration for transcoding for G.711 to any codec with an inbox on a Cisco Unified Border Element on a universal gateway. Universal gateways include the Cisco AS5350XM and Cisco AS5400XM platforms: 


iLBC_UUT1#sh run 

Building configuration...


Current configuration : 3244 bytes

!

!

voice-card 5

 dsp services dspfarm

!

voice-card 6

!

voice-card 7

 dsp services dspfarm

!

!

voice service voip 

 allow-connections h323 to h323

 allow-connections h323 to sip

 allow-connections sip to h323

 fax protocol t38 ls-redundancy 0 hs-redundancy 0 fallback cisco

 modem passthrough none codec g729r8 pre-ietf

!

!

interface GigabitEthernet0/0

 ip address 10.10.10.2 255.255.0.0

 duplex auto

 speed auto

 negotiation auto

!

interface GigabitEthernet0/1

 ip address 10.20.20.2 255.255.0.0

 duplex auto

 speed auto

 negotiation auto

!

!

sccp local GigabitEthernet0/0

sccp ccm 10.10.10.2 identifier 1 

sccp

!

sccp ccm group 1

 associate ccm 1 priority 1

 associate profile 20 register traditional

!

!

dspfarm profile 20 transcode

 codec g711ulaw

 codec g711alaw

 codec ilbc

 codec g723r63

 codec g723r53

 codec g729ar8

 codec g729abr8

 maximum sessions 20

 associate application SCCP

!         

!

dial-peer voice 10 voip

 destination-pattern 9991...

 session protocol sipv2

 session target ipv4:10.20.20.1

 codec g711ulaw

!

dial-peer voice 20 voip

 session target ipv4:10.10.10.1

 incoming called-number 9991...

 codec ilbc

!

!

telephony-service -------------------------> Only Required for InBox

 sdspfarm units 1

 sdspfarm transcode sessions 128

 sdspfarm tag 1 traditional

 ip source-address 10.10.10.2 port 2000

 max-conferences 8 gain -6

 transfer-system full-consult

!

Universal and G.711 to Any Transcoding with an Inbox on a Universal Gateway: Example

This example shows the configuration for transcoding for both universal and G.711 to any codec with an inbox on a Cisco Unified Border Element on a universal gateway. Universal gateways include the Cisco AS5350XM and Cisco AS5400XM platforms: 

iLBC_UUT1#sh run 

Building configuration...


!

voice-card 5

 dsp services dspfarm

!

voice-card 6

!

voice-card 7

 dsp services dspfarm

!

voice service voip 

 allow-connections h323 to h323

 allow-connections h323 to sip

 allow-connections sip to h323

 fax protocol t38 ls-redundancy 0 hs-redundancy 0 fallback cisco

 modem passthrough none codec g729r8 pre-ietf

!

!

interface GigabitEthernet0/0

 ip address 10.10.10.2 255.255.0.0

 duplex auto

 speed auto

 negotiation auto

!

interface GigabitEthernet0/1

 ip address 10.20.20.2 255.255.0.0

 duplex auto

 speed auto

 negotiation auto

!

!

sccp local GigabitEthernet0/0

sccp ccm 10.10.10.2 identifier 1 

sccp

!

sccp ccm group 1

 associate ccm 1 priority 1

 associate profile 20 register traditional

 associate profile 10 register MTPNEWONE

!

dspfarm profile 10 transcode universal

 codec g711ulaw

 codec g711alaw

 codec ilbc

 codec g723r63

 codec g723r53

 codec g729ar8

 codec g729abr8

 maximum sessions 10

 associate application SCCP

!

dspfarm profile 20 transcode

 codec g711ulaw

 codec g711alaw

 codec ilbc

 codec g723r63

 codec g723r53

 codec g729ar8

 codec g729abr8

 maximum sessions 20

 associate application SCCP

!         

dial-peer voice 10 voip

 destination-pattern 9991...

 session protocol sipv2

 session target ipv4:10.20.20.1

 codec g711ulaw

!

dial-peer voice 20 voip

 session target ipv4:10.10.10.1

 incoming called-number 9991...

 codec ilbc

!

!

telephony-service -------------------------> Only Required for InBox

 sdspfarm units 2

 sdspfarm transcode sessions 128

 sdspfarm tag 1 traditional

 sdspfarm tag 2 MTPNEWONE

 ip source-address 10.10.10.2 port 2000

 max-conferences 8 gain -6

 transfer-system full-consult

!

Universal and G.711 to Any Transcoding with an Inbox on an Integrated Services Router: Example

This example shows the configuration for transcoding for both universal and G.711 to any codec with an inbox on a Cisco Unified Border Element on an integrated services router. Integrated services routers include the Cisco 2800 and Cisco 3800 platforms: 

crosby-3845#

!

voice-card 0

 no dspfarm

 dsp services dspfarm  !

!

voice service voip 

 allow-connections h323 to h323  

!

interface GigabitEthernet0/0

 ip address 10.3.65.102 255.255.0.0

 duplex auto

 speed auto

 media-type rj45

!         

!

sccp local GigabitEthernet0/0         

sccp ccm 10.3.65.102 identifier 1    

sccp

!

sccp ccm group 1

 associate ccm 1 priority 1

 associate profile 20 register MTP000ABCD

 associate profile 10 register OLDONE

 keepalive retries 5

 switchback method immediate

!

dspfarm profile 10 transcode  ------------> for g711 to any

 codec g711ulaw

 codec g711alaw

 codec ilbc

 codec g723r63

 codec g723r53

 codec g729ar8

 codec g729abr8

 maximum sessions 10  

 associate application SCCP

!

dspfarm profile 20 transcode universal  --------------> for Any to Any 

 codec g711ulaw

 codec g711alaw

 codec ilbc

 codec g723r63

 codec g723r53

 codec g729ar8

 codec g729abr8

 maximum sessions 2

 associate application SCCP

!

!

dial-peer voice 10 voip

 destination-pattern 2...

 session target ipv4:1.3.65.12

 codec ilbc

!

dial-peer voice 11 voip

 destination-pattern 1...

 session target ipv4:10.3.65.11

 codec g711ulaw

!

!        

telephony-service   -----------> Minimum config for telephony is required for InBox

 ip source-address 10.3.65.102 port 2000

 sdspfarm units 2

 sdspfarm transcode sessions 30  

 sdspfarm tag 1 MTP000ABCD

 sdspfarm tag 2 OLDONE

 max-ephones 20

 max-dn 20

 max-conferences 12 gain -6

 transfer-system full-consult

 create cnf-files version-stamp 7960 Sep 27 2006 20:39:40

Additional References

The following sections provide references related to the Universal Transcoding Support for Cisco Unified Border Elements feature.

Related Documents


Standards

Standard
Title

None

—


MIBs

MIB
MIBs Link

•None

To locate and download MIBs for selected platforms, Cisco IOS releases, and feature sets, use Cisco MIB Locator found at the following URL:

http://www.cisco.com/go/mibs


RFCs

RFC
Title

None

—


Technical Assistance

Description
Link

The Cisco Technical Support & Documentation website contains thousands of pages of searchable technical content, including links to products, technologies, solutions, technical tips, tools, and technical documentation. Registered Cisco.com users can log in from this page to access even more content.

http://www.cisco.com/techsupport


Command Reference

This section documents modified commands only.

•dspfarm profile

dspfarm profile

To enter DSP farm profile configuration mode and define a profile for digital signal processor (DSP) farm services, use the dspfarm profile command in global configuration mode. To delete a disabled profile, use the no form of this command.

dspfarm profile profile-identifier {conference | mtp | transcode [universal]}

no dspfarm profile profile-identifier

Syntax Description

profile-identifier

Number that uniquely identifies a profile. Range is 1 to 65535. There is no default.

conference

Enables profile for conferencing.

mtp

Enables profile for Media Termination Point (MTP).

transcode

Enables profile for transcoding.

universal

(Optional) Enables universal transcoding.


Defaults

No default behavior or values.

Command Modes

Global configuration

Command History

Release
Modification

12.3(8)T

This command was introduced.

12.4(11)XW

The universal keyword was added.


Usage Guidelines

Use this command to create a new profile or delete a disabled profile. If you create the profile successfully, you enter the DSP farm profile configuration mode. You can configure multiple profiles for the same service. If the profile is active, you cannot delete the profile.

The profile identifier uniquely identifies a profile. If the service type and profile identifier are not unique, you must choose a different profile identifier.

When the universal keyword is used, Universal Transcoding is activated. Universal Transcoding converts any supported codec to any other supported codec. This functionality allows a diverse array of interconnected topologies. Universal Transcoding works between two voice sessions that are encoded using different codecs, different packetization periods, or a combination. The Universal Transcoding channel only operates on RTP packets.

Examples

The following example shows how to enable DSP farm services profile 20 for conferencing: 

Router(config)# dspfarm profile 20 conference

Note the response if the profile is already being used: 

Router(config)# dspfarm profile 6 conference


Profile id 6 is being used for service TRANSCODING 

 please select a different profile id

Related Commands

Command
Description

dsp service dspfarm

Configures DSP farm services for a specified voice card.

voice-card

Enters voice-card configuration mode.


Feature Information for Universal Voice Transcoding Support for Cisco Unified Border Elements

Table 2 lists the release history for this feature.

Not all commands may be available in your Cisco IOS software release. For release information about a specific command, see the command reference documentation.

Use Cisco Feature Navigator to find information about platform support and software image support. Cisco Feature Navigator enables you to determine which Cisco IOS and Catalyst OS software images support a specific software release, feature set, or platform. To access Cisco Feature Navigator, go to http://www.cisco.com/go/cfn. An account on Cisco.com is not required.

Note Table 2 lists only the Cisco IOS software release that introduced support for a given feature in a given Cisco IOS software release train. Unless noted otherwise, subsequent releases of that Cisco IOS software release train also support that feature.

Table 2 Feature Information for Universal Voice Transcoding Support for Cisco Unified Border Elements

Feature Name
Releases
Feature Information

Universal Voice Transcoding Support for Cisco Unified Border Elements

12.4(11)XW

Universal Transcoding allows transcoding from any supported codec to any other supported codec.



Any Internet Protocol (IP) addresses used in this document are not intended to be actual addresses. Any examples, command display output, and figures included in the document are shown for illustrative purposes only. Any use of actual IP addresses in illustrative content is unintentional and coincidental.

© 2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

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