In the ever-evolving world of telecommunications, ensuring reliable and effective communication while maintaining compliance with regulatory requirements is paramount. One technology that has emerged as a key component in achieving this is SIPRec (Session Initiation Protocol Recording). SIPRec, along with the Session Recording Server (SRS) function, plays a crucial role in recording voice and video communications for various purposes such as compliance, quality assurance, and analytics.
This blog provides an overview of SIPRec and the function of SRS, tailored for telecom engineers who are familiar with the technical aspects of communication protocols.
SIPRec, or Session Initiation Protocol Recording, is a protocol designed specifically for the recording of communication sessions in IP-based networks. It operates within the framework of SIP, which is the standard protocol used for initiating, maintaining, and terminating real-time voice, video, and messaging sessions across IP networks.
The primary goal of SIPRec is to provide a standardized method for recording media streams of SIP sessions without requiring significant changes to existing network infrastructure. This is achieved by defining a mechanism where media streams from an ongoing SIP session can be forked and sent to a recording device, typically referred to as the Session Recording Server (SRS). SIPRec ensures that the recorded media is accurately captured, stored, and retrieved for future use, whether for compliance with regulations, used for analytics or simply for internal purposes such as quality monitoring.
The SIPRec architecture consists of two primary components:
The SRC is typically a part of the communication infrastructure, such as a SIP proxy, IP-PBX, or media gateway. It is responsible for capturing the media streams (RTP) of a SIP session and sending them to the Session Recording Server (SRS). The SRC may also handle the signaling and media forking processes to ensure that the media streams are correctly duplicated and transmitted to the SRS.
The SRS is the recording device that receives the duplicated media streams from the SRC. Its function is to process, store, and manage these recordings. The SRS can also provide playback capabilities, allowing authorized users to retrieve and review recorded sessions.
See how the SRC and SRS components interacts in a call recording scenario in the illustration below:
The Session Recording Server (SRS) is the cornerstone of the SIPRec architecture. Its primary role is to handle the recording of media streams and the associated metadata, ensuring that the recorded data is accurately captured, securely stored, and easily retrievable. Here are the key functions of the SRS:
The SRS receives the media streams from the SRC and processes them for recording. This involves handling the media and ensuring that they are synchronized and recorded in a format that can be easily stored and retrieved.
Alongside the media streams, the SRS also receives metadata from the SRC, which provides context for the recordings. This metadata can include information such as caller ID, time stamps, session identifiers, and more. The SRS uses this data to index the recordings, making it easier to search and retrieve specific sessions.
The SRS is responsible for storing the recorded sessions securely. Depending on the implementation, it may use various storage methods, where AWS S3 in the cloud can be an alternative. The SRS also manages the retention and deletion policies for recordings, ensuring compliance with relevant regulations.
The SRS must ensure that the recorded data is protected from unauthorized access and tampering. This involves implementing encryption for both data at rest and in transit, as well as providing access control mechanisms to ensure that only authorized personnel can access the recordings.
SIPRec, along with the Session Recording Server (SRS), is a vital component in modern telecommunications networks, particularly for organizations that need to record communication sessions for compliance, quality assurance, or analytics. For telecom engineers, understanding the role of SIPRec and the SRS function is essential for implementing and maintaining a robust recording solution within an IP-based communication environment. By effectively utilizing SIPRec, organizations can ensure that their communication recordings are accurate, secure, and compliant with industry standards and regulations.
The iotcomms.io Recording Service provides SIPRec-based call recording. The Session Recording Server function (SRS) is delivered with the service. Calls from any voice platform – a PBX or Session Border Controller (SBC) that supports the SIPRec protocol – can be recorded.
iotcomms.io’s Recording Service allows developers to manage recordings through an API, enabling customization such as trimming and masking as required. The recording is saved as an MP3 file in an Amazon S3 or S3-compatible on-premise storage destination .
In use cases with strict privacy requirements the SRS function is deployed in the customer’s own data center using iotcomms.io’s Hybrid Enabler Service.
With the Recording Service from iotcomms.io solution providers can easily build call recording solutions with the global scalability and dynamic elasticity natively provided by services designed for the cloud.
