Release 5 - Product Specification

Newport Networks release 5 software includes Session Border Controller (SBC), Border Controller (BC) and Border Gateway (BG) capabilities. Release 5 can be hosted by any of Newport’s range of platforms, the 310 and 1460 (see separate data sheets for platform specifications).

Release 5 provides common support for the three application modes: SBC, BC and BG across all Newport’s platforms. In addition, the chassis based 1460 can host multiple instances of the applications or combinations of applications thus increasing the flexibility of the deployment options of the products.

Newport Networks Release 5 software marks a significant expansion in the capabilities of its border control range of software. Release 5 builds on the already robust feature sets of earlier release and introduces:

• Message Manipulation - a programmable message profiling tool. Delete, modify, copy and replace headers in the SIP message. Specify methods supported or rejected.  White lists and black lists for the SIP header. Interwork between 3GPP SIP and IETF SIP.  Configurable topology hiding.
• Newport Networks Call Routing Engine (CRE)
  Robust, scalable and intelligent call routing and reporting engine.
• Full support for third party control of BGF functions via H.248 Ia profile.
• IPv6 to IPv4 interworking on BG
• Call Routing dial plans
  Configurable dial plans to route calls based on dialled E.164 digits and SIP URI.
• 3GPP IMS SIP header support and modifications Configurable behaviour of SIP headers, depending on the location and role of the product, e.g. SBC, BCF etc. The list of headers includes PATH, Service Route, Route, Privacy, P-asserted Identity etc.

Network Interoperability: SIP is at the heart of every evolving multimedia IP network and provides both the common protocol for these networks to communicate and a powerful framework through which they can differentiate themselves. Being an open and extensible protocol SIP offers a range of ways to enhance and extend the information that it carries.  This has led to many networks using different sub-sets of SIP’s features and in some cases using unique extensions to SIP in order to implement useful new features. This has resulted in many networks being unable to exchange traffic because the methods and features offered are not common between them.

To solve this problem Newport Networks has introduced network profiling to ensure that messages crossing the borders of a network are made compatible with the destination network. This greatly increases the chances of the call completing successfully and therefore maximises revenues.

The message manipulation profile can be applied per end-point or network. In addition to user defined custom network profiles, Newport supplies standard profiles for common types of network equipment. The profiles can include:

Header White List/Black List: Headers can be matched against either an inclusive or exclusive list of headers and stripped if not supported.

Method Rejection: Parties in a SIP call can exchange details of the methods that they allow. Method rejection allows unsupported or unwanted methods to be removed from this exchange. Further if an end point attempts to use an unsupported method then the attempt will be rejected.

Header Copy: The header contents (value) of one of header can be copied to another header. For example, the URI value of the P-Asserted-Identity header can be copied to the From header.

Exchange of Headers: The header contents (value) of one header can be copied to another header, the source header is then deleted.  For example, the value of the History-Info header can be copied to the Diversion header, and History-Info header will be removed from the SIP message.

Strip Message Body: this is a list of unsupported message bodies. For example, if the Application/ISUP message body is unsupported in the destination network, these will be removed from any incoming message and the appropriate adjustments made in the MIME header.

Modify Header Components: this feature can add characters to the start and/or to the end of the User Name. Also a User Name containing a Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) address can be changed to IP address and vice versa.

3GPP headers, which include PATH, Service Route, Route, Privacy, P-asserted Identity can be manipulated appropriately according to the location of the controller within the IMS architecture.

Further information about the message manipulation feature can be found in a separate Application Note.

Other key features within Release 5 include:

Peering Architecture with Dial Plan feature: Newport’s SBC application supports dial plans which can be created to route calls between networks based on E.164 dialled digits or on FQDN. The dial plan can be configured with powerful pattern matching regular expressions to reduce the number of entries required and hence reduce management overhead. This feature allows the SBC to be used in simple IP exchange applications (such as IPX) without the fully featured Call Routing Engine (described in a separate application note).

The Newport Networks Call Routing Engine (CRE) is a complete peering solution that integrates Newport’s Session Border Controller (SBC) with a robust, scalable and intelligent call routing and reporting engine. The solution enables ITSPs, carriers and ISPs to peer with other operators for wholesale call termination and origination. It also enables service providers to deliver SIP trunking services to the Enterprise market. Please see the Call Routing Engine Application Note for full details of this feature.

Control of the Border Gateway by third party SoftSwitches or IMS entities, such as the Policy Decision Function (PDF) or the Resource and Admission Control Subsystem (RACS) is supported through a TISPAN compliant interface supporting the H.248 Ia profile (compliant with version 3).

Improved security and performance: release 5 features improved SIP performance and increased protection against Denial of Service attacks. As VoIP services increase in popularity they also become more attractive targets for malicious activities. The software now offers even better protection against malformed SIP messages and against DoS attacks at the IP and SIP level.

IPv6 support has been added to the Border Gateway to enable support of IPv6 media and also interworking between IPv4 and IPv6 media connections. This will allow interworking of applications between traditional IP networks and the latest architectures supporting IPv6 addressing, such as some wireless access networks and will give operators a greater reach for their services.

An extended Web interface now allows configuration as well as monitoring of system parameters. The Web interface allows the user to configure the system in logical steps, acting as a wizard taking the user through the required steps to input information.  Configuration via the Web interface is in addition to the existing CLI and SNMP support. The Web interface offers a highly visual method of configuration and increases the speed of system configuration.