Subject: RE: [Ieprep] requirements document(s) (Accounting)

From: "Gunn, Janet" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 10 Oct 2002 17:31:45 -0400

I think it is a business issue.  If the carrier (circuit switched or packet
switched) is going to bill someone (end user or government entity) on the
basis of call volume (number, or number and duration), then a detailed
accounting record is needed by both parties.  if the carrier is going to
bill independent of call volume, detailed accounting may not be needed.
 
But I don't see that emergency services would need accounting any more or
less than other VOIP services (maybe slightly different accounting data if
one is generated).
 
The CSN itself will almost certainly generate a CDR.  But I don't think that
that, in itself, means that SIP needs to generate a CDR.

-----Original Message-----
From: [email-masked] [mailto:[email-masked]]
Sent: Thursday, September 26, 2002 9:30 AM
To: [email-masked]; [email-masked]; [email-masked];
[email-masked]
Cc: [email-masked]
Subject: Re: [Ieprep] requirements document(s)

In a message dated 9/24/2002 8:19:20 AM Eastern Standard Time,
[email-masked] writes: 

[Gunn, Janet NE] ... 

I believe an original issue was whether accounting must be a general ieprep 
requirement.  It appears that it may occur (and is listed as an issue) but 
isn't a general ieprep requirement; however, if this item is critical for 
assured service (sometimes called MLPP) then perhaps a more specific MLPP 
requirements draft should cover this. 

[MAP} The requirement for Accounting was included in
draft-pierce-sipping-assured-service-02. If more needs to be said, I could
add it. Any ideas? 

I feel quite certain the accounting is a basic requirement of GETS today.
Surely the government's contract with service providers requires them to be
able to record evidence of the use of the service, both the number of total
uses as well as detail about each use. 

Question 1: Can we assume the above is acceptable and consider the 
accounting issue for the general ieprep requirement closed? 

If I am reading the concerns with accounting, the comments appear to be 
focused on not on general ieprep requirements but with respect to IP 
telephony.  It appears the underlying reason some seek it is to determine 
after the fact who has used the service and at what priority.  This 
essentially asks for a "call detail record" CDR with priority info included.

Question 2: Is a CDR an ieprep IP Telephony requirement or is this an MLPP 
specific requirement? 

[MAP] The requirement listed in draft-pierce-sipping-assured-service was for
what you called a "Call detail record". I used the term "accounting", maybe
erroneously. Guess we need to be careful with this word, since some assume
(maybe correctly) that "accounting" only relates to collection of money. 

Yes, I believe the ability to do CDR is a requirement for both. If a service
provider elects to turn it off, fine. I understand a "requirement" in a
document as meaning that a compliant piece of equipment must have the
capability, not that the user of the equipment must use the capability. 

Question 2a: Is a CDR only a reasonable requirement when interacting with 
CSN gateways? 

[MAP] Whether or not CDR (or accounting) is required should be independent
from the architecture, such as whether interacting with CSN gateways. 

Mike Pierce 
Artel

---

From: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 11 Oct 2002 13:51:11 EDT

In a message dated 10/11/2002 12:30:40 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
[email-masked] writes:

> My question is simply that in the PSTN network "accounting" consisted of two 
> different mechanisms. There was the AMA record for the particular call 
> which generated billing information specific to that call. There also were 
> a great number of peg counters that provided information about how often 
> and which special treatments were actually invoked and how often they 
> resulted in a successful call. Are you envisioning either or both 
> mechanisms? 
> 

[MAP] I was speaking of the capabilities that would allow the network 
administrator to determine who has violated the rules for use of a priority 
service. That would require "AMA-type" records, even if not used for billing. 
Peg counters (per trunk group, etc) would be a separate issue, but not the 
one to address this need. I don't think we have ever dealt with "Peg count" 
type recording in SIP (nor can I imagine how to).

Hope this helps.

Mike Pierce
Artel