[SR-Users] [OT] the role of SBCs

[Alex Balashov]

Also, Kamailio's procedural route script language is a major asset of 
its particular methodology.

While it can sometimes be a pain for newbies trying to do relatively 
simple, canonical kind of things, the flexibility it affords in 
scripting SIP outcomes on a very granular level, and providing a 
powerful state machine within that programmatic framework, are both 
hugely important to "non-trivial" endeavours.

The feature set of something like an Acme Packet NetNet SD is 
essentially static; it does what it does, and not one bit more.  It may 
have a lot of capabilities, but those capabilities are all a matter of 
configuration, not of customisation or extension.  It is in something 
like Kamailio (or Asterisk or Freeswitch) that you can truly *extend* 
the functionality, allow it to interface with other open-source and 
proprietary components, build complex middleware and business layers, etc.

On 08/31/2012 08:13 AM, Alex Balashov wrote:

> Commercial SBCs are quite featureful, but their feature set is extremely
> static, and often depends on vendor consulting and expertise to be
> approachable.
>
> Nobody claimed the open-source solutions are simple to support or don't
> require expertise.  They're not free, either, as everyone well knows.
>
> In my view, the real value of something like Kamailio - where it's not
> merely a money-saving measure but can achieve truly spectacular
> multiplier effects in technological leverage - is in its integration
> paths (MI and sercmd/binrpc), HTTP client/server, database connectors,
> integrated servers, etc.  The ability to develop new kinds of
> applications and services that rely on making disparate components talk
> to and interoperate with each other in novel ways, as well as to make
> better, more economical use of existing technology through those same
> kinds of facilities, is where the real power truly lies.  Some
> commercial products powered by proprietary stacks have APIs too, but
> they're light years behind the open-source world in this regard; they
> are far too bureaucratic and inflexible.
>
> This is where our customers typically see massive payback of using
> something like Kamailio, aside from the any savings on licensing costs
> (both of the core network element and potential dependencies).
>


-- 
Alex Balashov - Principal
Evariste Systems LLC
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