SIP in higher education

[Steve Blair <>]

Thanks Jiri

Jiri Kuthan wrote:
> as promised on the Oct-05th conference call.... -jiri
>
> ---
> Ladies and gentlemen, girls and boys,
>
> the new testing pre-release of the best SIP proxy server ever, SER, is out!=
> =20
>
> This major pre-release, codenamed Ottendorf, includes fundamental improveme=
> nts=20
> to the software. The improvements allow SER users to achieve significantly =
> higher=20
> managability and reliability by better data mode, interop features, securit=
> y, etc.=20
> They recollect voluminous feedback we have received from iptel  customers a=
> nd open=20
> source users. In particular, the new features include but are not limited t=
> o:
> - improved data model which eliminates any possible ambiguities.
> - key under-the-hood changes with impact on performance: timer subsystem
>   overhaul (now fast, with fine resolution, high accuracy and variability),=
> =20
>   TCP processing  overhaul (higher scalability)
> - key reliability changes: DNS cache and IP blacklisting
> - key interop changes: support for STUN-bis, presence server aligned to lat=
> est
>   IETF development, sanity module for early detection of invalid messages
> - more management: management features are now available via XML-RPC remote=
> ly,
>   as well as via an alternative binary protocol
> - more security: ratelimit module, more check types in permissions module
> - scripting features: select operator in combination with revised AVPs,
>   named flags and routes, more types of routes (onsend, timer, branch)
> - applications: presence has been greatly updated to keep pace with=20
>   development in the IETF/SIMPLE (includes asynchronous subscription
>   authorization, extended PIDF); web interface includes many new managibili=
> ty
>   features (multidomain, templates and multilanguage to name some). New
>   scripting flexibility allows safely for features like individual ringing
>   timers and direct access to SIP message elements.
> - new tools: Nils's script execution tree tool
>   http://lists.iptel.org/pipermail/serdev/2006-October/008124.html
>   and refurbished ser_ctl
> see the following links for some additional details:
> - http://www.iptel.org/ser/doc/010whatsnew=20
> - http://cvs.berlios.de/cgi-bin/viewcvs.cgi/ser/sip_router/NEWS?rev=3DHEAD
>
>
> Accompanying software, SEMS and SERWEB have been greatly overhauled as well.
> SEMS now features improved performance (single-threaded model now), service
> composition via python-IVR-scripting and B2BUA, adaptive playout buffer for
> better voice quality, and more. SERWEB features new multilevel administrati=
> ve
> access system, multidomain support, per-domain customization, remote xml-rpc
> access, multilanguage support, and more. The new command-line utility,
> SER_CTL, provides also many great improvements over the previous tool.
>
> Interop
> -------
> Shortly, we have been keeping the bar high through our participation in the=
>  IETF
> and SIPITs. SER implements latest interop changes from the IETF (STUN-bis, =
> presence
> + XCAP, to name the most important ones) and both new features and legacy f=
> eatures=20
> were extensively and successfully tested middle of October in SIPit.
>
> Next Steps
> -----------
> Keep in mind, this is a pre-release for testing purposes. It is now call on
> users to test the software hard and provide feedback. In the meantime, the
> codebase remains frozen and we only commit patches fixing various bugs. Once
> we get good confidence that Ottendorf has stabilized and is being adequately
> documented, we will declare the final release. No date has been determined =
> yet.
> Also, we consider changing CVS to SVN.
>
> Again, and this is very important: the final release will be as good as the
> feedback we obtain for this pre-release. Please do spend your time sending=
> =20
> solid feedback back to [serusers].
>
>
> Roadmap
> -------
> We keep rolling. We are still debating with our generous contributors what =
> is=20
> the next possible good things to work on, the topics include but are not li=
> mited
> to as of now:
> - documentation.
> - databases are important. LDAP and BDB, DB-API revision.
> - interop: identity, TLS revision
> - advanced scripting (scripting engine, vars returns, AVPs)
> - uncountable improvements (futex, dev/rtc, tm/refcnts, tcp fd cache, .....)
>
> Trivia
> --------
> The release name Ottendorf is coming from a place in Saxonian Switzerland, =
> where=20
> many iptel fellows and their friends spent a weekend during this Indian sum=
> mer.
> http://www.iptel.org/jan/gallery/saxonian_switzerland_2006/
> http://www.iptel.org/~andi/2006-09-22-Ottendorf/
> http://www.iptel.org/~vlada/saxon_switzerland/index.html
> http://www.ohlmeier.de/albums/ottendorf_2006/index.html
>
>
> Acknowledgments
> ---------------
> This grand achievement is result of extremely many folks who did lot
> of hard work. Out of folks affiliated with iptel, Andrei and Jan spent=20
> immense effort on moving SER forward, with great support from Hallik
> (command-line tool), Michal, Miklos, Nils, Tomas, Vaclav (presence),=20
> Vlada (new STUN). In this context, I would like to thank to our company=20
> for the great support. Recently, Bogdan Pintea greatly helped to make=20
> the upcoming release better and more stable under sponsorship of his=20
> company, iptego. transnexus provided osp support.
>
> SEMS has been greatly improved thanks to Stefan and Raphael.
> Credits for serweb go to Karel.
>
> Same importantly, SER has been immensely benefitting of contributors,
> to name in alphabetic order at least the 'top-of-the-iceberg' fellows:
> Bogdan Pintea, Cesc Santa, Greg Fausak, Greger Teigre, Hendrik Scholz,=20
> <http://tutpro.com/>Juha Hein=E4nen, Klaus Darilion, Maxim Sobolev, Peter N=
> ixon, Uli Abend.
>
> Great support on the mailing list has been provided by Greger V. Teigre,
> Java Rockx, Klaus Darilion, Zeus Ng, and more.
>
> Simply, this list is too short and incomplete to capture all the
> generous contributions that came in -- my appologies for everyone
> else I have missed.
>
>
> Warnings and Disclaimers
> ------------------------
> This is a TESTING version. We are encouraging people to give it intense
> testing and provide us with feedback, so that we can properly assess
> what it takes to declare it final. The volume and number of changes
> is big, caution is advised.
>
> All GPL warnings and disclaimers apply.
>
> This is SER, which is not the derivate software known as openser. We=20
> have no ideas of in what extent and timeline derivate projects follow
> (or not) SER.
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------=
> ----
>
> To Give it a Try
> -----------------
> warning: this is just a 'jump-start' for black-belt users. It is not=20
> a replacement for documentation or a detailed step-by-step installation
> guide. It assumes knowledge of operating system, SIP, and SER.
>
>
> PREPARATION
> - make sure mysql is running. In the default configuration, SER assumes it
>   to be running on localhost, if this does not hold, you need to change
>   ser.cfg.
> - make sure python is installed (needed for new command-line utilities)
> SER INSTALLATION FROM CVS
> - Download from CVS/HEAD using instructions at  http://www.iptel.org/downlo=
> ads
> - Compile it: make include_modules=3D"mysql xmlrpc" all
> - Install it the default way of your administrative privileges allow to:
>   make include_modules=3D"mysql xmlrpc" install
> - Download command-line tool (see more documentation under
>   http://cvs.berlios.de/cgi-bin/viewcvs.cgi/*checkout*/ser/serctl/README?re=
> v=3DHEAD)
>   - cvs co serctl
> - Initiate database:
>   ./scripts/mysql/ser_mysql.sh create
> START
> - Start it. Call: ser
> - Begin provisioning users with the new serctl (the capital word are just p=
> lace holders)
>   #  ser_ctl domain add DOMAINNAME
>   #  ser_ctl user add 
> USERNAME@DOMAINNAME
>  -p PASSWORD
>   #  If you want to have Asserted Identity header for your user
>   #  - ser_attr add uid=3DUID asserted_id=3D"PID"
>   # If you want to have gateway support
>   # - ser_db add attr_types name=3Dgw_ip rich_type=3Dstring raw_type=3D2  \
>       description=3D"The gateway IP for the default ser.cfg" default_flags=
> =3D33
>   # - ser_attr add global gw_ip=3DGATEWAY-IP
> - more things you may wish to do:
>   - familiarize yourself with current ser.cfg
>   - send us feedback.
>
>
>
>
>
> --
> Jiri Kuthan            http://iptel.org/~jiri/=20=20
>
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>
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