June 19, 2012 archive

Jun 19

Speaking about IPv6 and SIP (VoIP) Next Week at SIPNOC in Virginia

SIPNOC logoHow well does the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) work with IPv6? How do current VoIP software and systems currently handle IPv6?  What does the industry need to do for SIP to thrive in an IPv6 landscape?

I’ll be exploring all those questions and much more at the “SIP Network Operators Conference (SIPNOC)” next week in Herndon, Virginia, USA.  SIPNOC is a great event sponsored by the SIP Forum that brings together network operators and many other companies all involved in actually deploying and using SIP for voice over IP. I really enjoy the event as the participants are really on the leading edge of IP communications. This year, too, the CTO of the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Henning Schulzrinne, will be giving what should be an interesting keynote. (And it’s not too late – you still can register to attend SIPNOC!)

As noted on the agenda, I’ll be participating in three sessions during the two-day event:

Tuesday, June 26

10:30am-11:15am: Panel Discussion: SIP Adoption and Network Security.

Along with Eric Burger of Georgetown University (and also an Internet Society Board of Trustee) and Randy Layman of Vocalocity, I’ll be discussing VoIP security issues, a topic I’ve long been involved with.

11:45am-12:15pm: SIP and IPv6 – Can They Get Along?

My main session for the event. The abstract is as follows:

With World IPv6 Launch happening June 6, 2012, production IPv6 network connectivity will be available to many more businesses and individuals. Major web sites and content providers will all enable IPv6 access to their content. Consumer electronics manufacturers are committing to providing IPv6-enabled devices.

What does this mean for SIP-based real-time communications? How well does SIP work with IPv6 today? What are the challenges to deployment and what steps can be taken to overcome those challenges? What should operators and vendors consider with regard to SIP and IPv6? What software, devices and tools are available to assist? And what case studies and other information is available?

In this session Dan York will discuss all of these points and provide concrete suggestions for moving forward with SIP and IPv6. The session will also provide time for sharing of experiences and insight of the attendees. Please bring your questions, ideas and be prepared for a lively session looking at how SIP and real-time communications can work in the new IPv6-based Internet.

We’ll post slides and hopefully video after the event is over.

Wednesday, June 27

12:45pm-1:30pm: BoF: SIP and IPv6

This will be an open forum for discussion of SIP and IPv6-related issues.  At last year’s SIPNOC event the session was very well attended and there were great discussions about issues people were having, examples of where IPv6 worked well and questions people had about tools and services.  I’m hoping we get that level of participation again and that it can be a useful learning experience for all involved.

If any of you will be attending SIPNOC I look forward to meeting up with you there.

Jun 19

Got IPv6? Can You Please Help With This IPv6 Deployment Survey?

NRO logoDo you have IPv6 deployed within your network? If so, could you please take a moment to participate in the 3rd annual “IPv6 Deployment Monitoring Survey” on the current and future use of IPv6?  The survey is at:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GlobalIPv6survey2012

Sponsored by the Number Resource Organization (NRO), the coordinating body for the 5 Regional Internet Registries[1], the purpose of the survey is, in the NRO’s words:

to better understand where the community is moving, and what can be done to ensure the Internet community is ready and moving toward widespread adoption of IPv6. As it is mostly the same as the survey carried out globally in 2010 and 2011, comparison of progress will be possible.

We encourage all organisations to participate in this survey, which we hope will establish a comprehensive view of present IPv6 penetration and future plans for IPv6 deployment. The survey is composed of 23 questions and can be completed in about 15 minutes. For those without IPv6 allocations or assignments, or who have not yet deployed IPv6, the questions will be fewer in number.

The results will be publicly available, as last year’s results are, and if you can spare the few minutes to answer the survey it will greatly help the registries – and all of us – understand future trends for IPv6 deployment.

THE SURVEY DEADLINE IS JUNE 30, 2012, so please participate in the survey as soon as possible.

Thank you!

[1] The 5 Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) are: AfriNIC, APNIC, ARIN, LACNIC and RIPE NCC. The RIRs are responsible for managing IP address allocations (both IPv4 and IPv6) within their respective geographical regions.

Jun 19

How Well Will Microsoft Surface Tablets Work With Skype?

Microsoft surfaceOver the past 24 hours there has been a huge amount of attention in the tech media sphere about Microsoft's announcement of its "Surface" line of tablets. The media frenzy continues today with even more analysis and coverage. It is, of course, a huge step for Microsoft to copy the Apple model and come out with their own hardware, which has to create challenges with all of the other hardware vendors who normally use Microsoft software.

My own immediate question, though, was more mundane:

How well will these Surface tablets work with Skype?

Given that Skype is now part of Microsoft, and that Skype CEO Tony Bates has said the company is focusing on Windows 8, you'd hope it would work well. Throughout all the media frenzy, though, I've seen very little on that... until I scrolled down the "About" page and found this bit (along with the image I'm including in this post):

Surface has not just one, but two cameras. Use the front LifeCam to chat with the people that you care about. The rear-facing LifeCam is angled to 22 degrees so you can flip out the Kickstand and record meetings and events hands-free. Stereo speakers and dual microphones tuned for Skype help you sound like you are right next door.

No further details on that page, nor in their spec sheet, but I'd have to assume that at least the rear-facing camera is an HD camera. Perhaps the front one will be as well. The "dual microphones tuned for Skype" also sounds promising and could in particular help with situations such as that shown in the picture where you are having a group call. The dual microphones could help create a richer audio texture to the call in reflecting where people are in the room.

It's great to see Skype being highlighted in some way, as the tablet form factor lends itself quite well to Skype usage. I've used my iPad for any number of video calls while on the road.

As to "Surface"... we'll have to see. No pricing or availability announced yet, and that will determine a great amount of the traction we'll see for it. As much as I am a great fan of Apple products, and don't expect I'll use one of these Surface tablets anytime soon, it's very good for us as consumers and for the industry in general to see a tablet like this coming out of Microsoft. Competition is good and will only spur the continued evolution that continues to deliver easier and more useful products.

What do you think? Are you looking forward to trying a Surface tablet out? Do you expect Skype will "just work" on the Surface?

More info about Surface:

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