MGCP is a protocol used in media conferences to set standards for speech and visual activity, aid in recording, and manage the session. It controls communication between the media gateway and gateway controller, with elements of IPDC and SGCP. Advanced versions like Megaco and H.248 allow for more ports and thousands of connections.
Media Gateway Control Protocol or MGCP is the usual set of protocols used during a live session in a media conference. The protocols help set the standards for any type of speech or visual activity that occurs during the conference. At the same time, some aspects of the Media Gateway Control Protocol also aid in the recording of audio-visual activity during the media conference, allowing the entire event to be archived for later playback.
The key function of the Media Gateway Control Protocol has to do with overseeing the signaling process and enabling the host to effectively manage the media session. To perform these tasks, the protocol will control the communication process between the media gateway which helps to convert the data into packets and the gateway controller which is at the termination point. This conversion process converts packets from signals received from a circuit-switched network and allows the software managing the conference session to easily digest and translate the data into a usable format. Today, the typical gateway controller can control a number of gateways, which means conference participants can be engaged using any number of different communication devices.
In structure, the Media Gateway Control Protocol owes much to two pre-existing protocols. Elements of both Internet Protocol Device Control and Simple Gateway Control Protocol are in the mix for MGCP. What is slightly different is that with the Media Gateway Control Protocol, the master-slave relationship structure firmly places control with the media gateway controller.
Advanced versions of Media Gateway Control Protocol are usually referred to as Megaco or H.248. With the increased use of the Internet on mobile devices and the growing reliance of many companies on web-based conferencing sessions for holding meetings, these advanced versions are especially important, as they allow more ports to be processed per gateway. Using the Media Gateway Control protocol, it is conceivable to hold an interactive web-based conference that includes thousands of individual meeting connections.
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