Xiaofan Chen wrote:

> The company I am working for is using Cisco IP phones. It is
> quite useful but it does not really pass the endurance test
> IMHO. Last Wednesday evening, we had a 3 hour conference
> about SAP using the CISCO IP phone and Microsoft
> Netmeeting. 

[Minor SAP/Siebel rant mode on.]

Yep, SAP is hideous bloatware that will cause many more 3 hour 
conference calls.

Everyone's using it, and it's great at lowering productivity worldwide 
now.  Almost ubiquitous with "I can't get my job done because the SAP 
designers forgot a field on the screen or it's greyed out and I don't 
have access to it."

SAP is probably the worst, with Siebel running a close second place in 
software that singlehandedly creates thousands of hours of unnecessary work.

Things that used to be easy prior to these all-encompassing bloated 
tracking systems are now difficult.  They don't add any real value other 
than that the CEO can tell his golfing buddies that "we're using it now 
too".

[Rant mode off.]

> Microsoft Netmeeting worked through the 3 hours.
> The Cisco phone failed once here in Singapore (have to power cycle
> it). I am not so sure if the other side (Cleveland) is using CISCO or
> not but it also failed once.

The whole phone crashed?  That's odd.

Sounds like a problem locally on the LAN or in CallManager if that's 
what they're using there as a gateway.

Were you using the pass-through port on the phone for the Ethernet 
connection to the PC that was running Netmeeting?  Maybe the phone 
became a bit overloaded.

(Disclaimer: I work for a Cisco competitor, but I'll be nice.  You can 
always buy our phones.  They work very well!  GRIN!  No offense to 
William here on the list!)

> At home, I am always using international calling cards with the
> land phone. I think they are using partially IP based service.
> Never feel the need to use Skype or other PC based service.

A very large percentage of traffic carried internationally is now on IP, 
even if you came in from the PSTN.  Economically, the last few years it 
made more sense for carriers to start to upgrade the core switching and 
turn it into packet-switched networks, than to throw out PSTN switches 
right away.  Their depreciation cycles are 10 years or more on that big 
gear.

Sonus gateways are very popular in International call routing circles.
http://www.sonusnet.com/

Audiocodes seems to be popular for gateways out from IP to PSTN older gear.
http://www.audiocodes.com/

And of course Cisco...
http://www.cisco.com

Nate

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