Hartmut Weik

Internet Communications Using SIP: Internet Communications Using SIP, H. Sinnreich, A.B. Johnston (Eds); Wiley, New York, ISBN 0-471-41399-2

The session initiation protocol—SIP—is a key component for the introduction of telephony and new services in future multimedia communication networks. Henry Sinnreich and Alan B. Johnston are both active members in the standardisation bodies of the Internet society and have contributed significantly to this new developed protocol. It is their mission to distribute their finding and confession, that SIP will revolutionise telecommunications. Eighteen chapters are needed to present this finding. While the structuring of the last chapters is quite clear, we have chapters which are dealing topics like SIP Service Creation, User Preferences, Security, Network Adress Translation and Firewall and others, the structuring of the book at its beginning leaves some questions. We have an overview of SIP services in chapter 2 and a chapter 5 entitled SIP Overview. In both we have amongst others the information what SIP is not. After having sailed these cliffs the book gives profound and detailed information on the issue the book has been bought for—to get an overview on SIP and how SIP can be used and what it is good for. What I have found excellent is the structuring of the chapters itself. After each chapter the reader gets a summary and a list of references to go into more detail and to have access to additional information. Also the rich number of examples helps the reader to understand the topic that is going to be explained. Especially the omni present scenarios on calls are of big usage for the reader. An extensive glossary helps the reader to look for abbreviations that are not present in the mind. An additional index chapter helps the user also to find explanations of items in the book when reading topics out of order. As a conclusion I would recommend to read the book for getting a first overview on SIP. To my opinion it is ideally suited on the one hand for practising telecommunications professionals, electrical engineers and technologists and computer and information scientists, on the other hand for graduate and upper-level undergraduate college students in telecommunications and computer and information science.

Book Review: Internet Communications Using SIP

The session initiation protocol—SIP—is a key component for the introduction of telephony and new services in future multimedia communication networks. Henry Sinnreich and Alan B. Johnston are both active members in the standardisation bodies of the Internet society and have contributed significantly to this new developed protocol. It is their mission to distribute their finding and confession, that SIP will revolutionise telecommunications. Eighteen chapters are needed to present this finding. While the structuring of the last chapters is quite clear, we have chapters which are dealing topics like SIP Service Creation, User Preferences, Security, Network Adress Translation and Firewall and others, the structuring of the book at its beginning leaves some questions. We have an overview of SIP services in chapter 2 and a chapter 5 entitled SIP Overview. In both we have amongst others the information what SIP is not. After having sailed these cliffs the book gives profound and detailed information on the issue the book has been bought for—to get an overview on SIP and how SIP can be used and what it is good for. What I have found excellent is the structuring of the chapters itself. After each chapter the reader gets a summary and a list of references to go into more detail and to have access to additional information. Also the rich number of examples helps the reader to understand the topic that is going to be explained. Especially the omni present scenarios on calls are of big usage for the reader. An extensive glossary helps the reader to look for abbreviations that are not present in the mind. An additional index chapter helps the user also to find explanations of items in the book when reading topics out of order. As a conclusion I would recommend to read the book for getting a first overview on SIP. To my opinion it is ideally suited on the one hand for practising telecommunications professionals, electrical engineers and technologists and computer and information scientists, on the other hand for graduate and upper-level undergraduate college students in telecommunications and computer and information science.

Internet Communications Using SIP

The session initiation protocol—SIP—is a key component for the introduction of telephony and new services in future multimedia communication networks. Henry Sinnreich and Alan B. Johnston are both active members in the standardisation bodies of the Internet society and have contributed significantly to this new developed protocol. It is their mission to distribute their finding and confession, that SIP will revolutionise telecommunications. Eighteen chapters are needed to present this finding. While the structuring of the last chapters is quite clear, we have chapters which are dealing topics like SIP Service Creation, User Preferences, Security, Network Adress Translation and Firewall and others, the structuring of the book at its beginning leaves some questions. We have an overview of SIP services in chapter 2 and a chapter 5 entitled SIP Overview. In both we have amongst others the information what SIP is not. After having sailed these cliffs the book gives profound and detailed information on the issue the book has been bought for—to get an overview on SIP and how SIP can be used and what it is good for. What I have found excellent is the structuring of the chapters itself. After each chapter the reader gets a summary and a list of references to go into more detail and to have access to additional information. Also the rich number of examples helps the reader to understand the topic that is going to be explained. Especially the omni present scenarios on calls are of big usage for the reader. An extensive glossary helps the reader to look for abbreviations that are not present in the mind. An additional index chapter helps the user also to find explanations of items in the book when reading topics out of order. As a conclusion I would recommend to read the book for getting a first overview on SIP. To my opinion it is ideally suited on the one hand for practising telecommunications professionals, electrical engineers and technologists and computer and information scientists, on the other hand for graduate and upper-level undergraduate college students in telecommunications and computer and information science.

Understanding Modern Telecommunications and the Information Superhighway: J.G. Nellist, E.M. Gilbert

The intention of the book by John G. Nellist and Elliott M. Gilbert is to help nontechnical professionals to gain a basic understanding of the latest developments in telecommunications and the global information infrastructure. Questions like ‘How does the Internet work? What benefits do optical networks offer? What is the potential of PCS? What is the role of satellites in the Information Highway?’ and others are promised to be answered. In addition the book is said to explain the potential economic impact of key communication technologies and to provide insights into who the key players are in various industry segments. The authors have structured their book in 11 sections dealing with different topics like the evolution of telecommunications in general and several sections treating various aspects of the Information Superhighway followed by explanations on the management of these networks and on digital wireless issues. Two sections are devoted for some excursions in the future and for summary and conclusions. In nearly all sections comprehensive information on the technology applied in the US and Canada is given followed by a paragraph for conclusions and a rich biography. Pictures and drawings in the book are well explained and can be easily understood. Thirty pages of telecommunications glossary for the basic items have been added to complete the book. As said before the focus of the book is Canada and the US. While concentrating on this market, often issues of the rest of the world are neglected. This is the case, for example, in the plesiochronous digital hierarchy (PDH) systems. The ITU-T recommendation E.164 for addressing of international telephone numbers seems to be completely unknown. Market players like telephone companies, Internet service providers and cable companies outside the northAmerican continent have also been forgotten. So who could benefit from this book? This book can be recommended for professionals whose companies are active in the US or Canada or want to enter or to understand this market. For further information more than the cited additional publications on selected topics are recommended.