MGCP Call Agents
A call agent, or MGC, represents the central controller in an MGCP environment, as
depicted in Figure 5-17.
Gateway Gateway
Call Agent
IP
V V
Figure 5-17 MGCP Call Agent
A call agent exercises control over the operation of a gateway and its associated endpoints
by requesting that a gateway observe and report events. In response to the events,
the call agent instructs the endpoint what signal, if any, the endpoint should send to the
attached telephone equipment. This requires a call agent to recognize each endpoint type
it supports and the signaling characteristics of each physical and logical interface that is
attached to a gateway
A call agent uses its directory of endpoints and the relationship each endpoint has with
the dial plan to determine appropriate call routing. Call agents initiate all VoIP call legs.