Building management solutions for open packet telephony networks

Open packet telephony (OPT) networks based on MGCP/H.248 control protocols present an excellent value proposition for service providers. Management of such networks, whose architecture significantly departs from that of traditional TDM networks, poses new challenges, such as the adaptation of existing operations support infrastructure. This paper explores these challenges in detail and presents an experimental management solution. One of its key aspects is the introduction of the concept of a virtual switch, which hides much of the complexity in dealing with the distributed nature of OPT networks.