Simple Gateway Control Protocol
Encyclopedia
Simple Gateway Control Protocol (SGCP) is a communications protocol
used within a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system. It has been superseded by MGCP, an implementation of the Media Gateway Control Protocol architecture.
The Simple Gateway Control Protocol was published in 1998 by Christian Huitema and Mauricio Arango, as part of the development of the "Call Agent Architecture" at Telcordia. In this architecture a central server, the "Call Agent", controls "media gateways" and receives telephony signaling requests through a "signalling gateway". Later implementation of the architecture refer to the "Call Agent" as a "Softswitch".
SGCP was intended to be compatible with the Session Initiation Protocol
(SIP), enabling the Call Agent to relay calls between a Voice over IP network using SIP and a traditional telephone network. The SGCP commands are encoded with a syntax somewhat comparable to the SIP or HTTP headers. They carry a payload describing the voice over IP media stream. This payload is encoded using the same "session description protocol" (SDP) as SIP.
SGCP was merged with the IPDC proposal sponsored by Level3 Communications. This led to the definition of the Media Gateway Control Protocol, jointly submitted to the IETF by the authors of SGCP and IPDC in November 1998.
Communications protocol
A communications protocol is a system of digital message formats and rules for exchanging those messages in or between computing systems and in telecommunications...
used within a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system. It has been superseded by MGCP, an implementation of the Media Gateway Control Protocol architecture.
The Simple Gateway Control Protocol was published in 1998 by Christian Huitema and Mauricio Arango, as part of the development of the "Call Agent Architecture" at Telcordia. In this architecture a central server, the "Call Agent", controls "media gateways" and receives telephony signaling requests through a "signalling gateway". Later implementation of the architecture refer to the "Call Agent" as a "Softswitch".
SGCP was intended to be compatible with the Session Initiation Protocol
Session Initiation Protocol
The Session Initiation Protocol is an IETF-defined signaling protocol widely used for controlling communication sessions such as voice and video calls over Internet Protocol . The protocol can be used for creating, modifying and terminating two-party or multiparty sessions...
(SIP), enabling the Call Agent to relay calls between a Voice over IP network using SIP and a traditional telephone network. The SGCP commands are encoded with a syntax somewhat comparable to the SIP or HTTP headers. They carry a payload describing the voice over IP media stream. This payload is encoded using the same "session description protocol" (SDP) as SIP.
SGCP was merged with the IPDC proposal sponsored by Level3 Communications. This led to the definition of the Media Gateway Control Protocol, jointly submitted to the IETF by the authors of SGCP and IPDC in November 1998.
External links
- SGCP pages at Telcordia Description of SGCP and the call agent architecture.