[SIPForum-discussion] What is the utility of Contact header field?

[Jeff Poole]

The Contact header is used in none of these cases -- it is used for routing
new, out-of-dialog messages to the same endpoint (and is often rewritten by
hosted VoIP providers since it usually involves an address that isn't
publicly routable).  Responses to a request follow Via headers, in-dialog
requests follow the Route headers set up in the Record-Route headers of the
initial request/response, and the ACK is the first message to test that
Route (the ACK is routed like a new in-dialog request, so if that doesn't
make it to the other side, the Route headers are probably a problem).

If the endpoints are in different networks, you'll want the proxy to stick
Via and Record-Route headers in the messages so future messages (responses
and in-dialog requests) get routed through the proxy.  If the proxy can
handle it, it would be valuable for it to modify the Contact header as well
so any out-of-dialog requests will go to the proxy which knows how to talk
to each device.



On Wed, Dec 30, 2015 at 10:30 AM Rodrigo Pimenta Carvalho <pimenta at inatel.br>
wrote:

> Hi.
>
>
> I have a question about the utility of Contact header field, from the
> point of view of an UAC that needs to answer with SIP ACK after receiving a
> SIP 200 OK.
>
>
> *Use case 1:*
>
>
> I have a SIP Proxy and 2 softphones registered in such proxy. Softphones
> and proxy are all located in the same domain (they are directly connected
> to the same router). So they are in the same local network.
>
>
> When softphone A calls softpohone B, B answers with SIP 200 OK. When A
> receives SIP 200 OK, it sends SIP ACK to B. Every thing is ok!
>
>
> *Use case 2:*
>
>
> The softphone A is located in another network, somewhere on Internet. So,
> from the A's point of view, B and the SIP Prpxy are behind a NAT. When A
> calls B, B receives the SIP INVITE normally and sends SIP 200 OK to A. In
> this case, the Contact header field in SIP 200 OK message contains an IP
> that can't be reached from A. Such IP is the one of softphone B, valid only
> in the local network. (There is no Stun service being used here).  Every
> time A receives a SIP message having the Contact header field with a
> invalid IP, such UAC can't send messages to B, let's say a SIP Bye, or SIP
> ACK. That is why I suspect the field Contact, sometimes, is read by the UAC
> when such agent needs to send some message to the other peer. Obviously, in
> this case, the call fails.
>
>
> So, is the Contact filed really used/read by an UAC that wants to send a
> message to the other peer, like a SIP ACK? If not, what is the utility of
> such field?
>
> Why a SIP ACK can't simply be sent to the same address found in the 'To'
> header filed?
>
>
> *Use case 3:*
>
>
> The softphone A is still located in another network, somewhere on
> Internet. When A calls B, but no one answers from B, the SIP Proxy sends a
> SIP message to A. Such message doesn't have a Contact header filed. In this
> case, A sends its SIP ACK, but using the same value found in the 'To'
> header field. That is why it seems that when 'Contact' is not present, the
> value from 'To' is used in this case.  Is the 'Contact' header filed
> optional? If yes, when it must be present?
>
>
> Any hint will be very helpful!
>
>
> Thanks alot.
>
>
>
> RODRIGO PIMENTA CARVALHO
> Inatel Competence Center
> Software
> Ph: +55 35 3471 9200 RAMAL 979
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