Unified Communications | News

New Hampshire U Lab To Develop Unified Communications Interoperability Test Tools

• By Sharleen Nelson
• 07/24/13

To improve the interoperability of its members' software and hardware environments and meet government certification requirements, the Unified Communications Interoperability Forum (UCI Forum), a non-profit alliance dedicated to helping companies achieve unified communications (UC), has enlisted the University of New Hampshire's InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL) to develop a suite of session initiation protocol (SIP) test tools.

For the project, UNH-IOL will develop SIPv6 software that will allow UCI forum members to establish a SIPv6 interoperability environment. IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6) is the latest revision of the Internet Protocol that provides an identification and location system for computers on networks and routes traffic across the Internet. UNH-IOL will also provide testing services designed to help forum members meet United States Department of Defense (DoD) requirements for maintaining a consolidated list of products that have completed interoperability and information assurance certification.

UCI member benefits include:

• Pre-certification testing, which increases likelihood of passing DoD UCR 2008 Change 3 compliance test;
• UNH-IOL laboratory on-site SIPv6 equipment testing;
• Option to install and operate stand-alone versions of the pre-certification test environment within their own networks;
• Remote IPv6 virtual network availability; and
• Access to a SIPv6 interoperability supported site for virtual plug tests or performing individual interoperability testing while connected to the UCI Forum SIPv6 network.

"We are delighted to team with UNH-IOL to deliver this valuable interoperability testing service to our members. We selected UNH-IOL after an extensive search for labs because of their strong reputation for independent, vendor-neutral testing and years of experience," said Matt Collier, president of UCI Forum, in a prepared statement. "We are providing our members access to the labs for interoperability testing, which helps simplify the process and streamline the resources required when seeking certifications like this."

At its 32,000 square foot facility in Durham, the University of New Hampshire's InterOperability Laboratory provides its students with a unique education experience while providing companies with independent, broad-based interoperability and standards conformance testing for data, telecommunications, and storage networking products and technologies. For more information, visit iol.unh.edu.

The Unified Communications Interoperability Forum focuses on promoting widespread global adoption of interoperable unified communications. For more information, visit ucif.org.