TAPI 2.1 white paper.doc

OAperating System Strategic Look at the Business of Microsoft BackOffice White Paper The Microsoft Windows Telephony Platform with TAPI 2 1 Using TAPI and Windows to Creatinge the Next Generation of Computer Telephony Integration Updated for TAPI 2 1 This is the Subject Title or Phrase 19976 Microsoft Corporation All rights reserved The information contained in this White Paper represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation on the issues discussed as of the date of publication Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information presented after the date of publication This White Paper is for informational purposes only MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES EXPRESS OR IMPLIED IN THIS DOCUMENT Microsoft trademarks Use international legalese X and Y are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and or other countries if Microsoft is the only MS trademark mentioned use Microsoft is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and or other countries Other company product trademark legalese List other companies trademarks in alphabetical order by company name Microsoft Corporation One Microsoft Way Redmond WA 98052 6399 USA XX96 Part no 098 XXXXX Do not remove section break The Microsoft Windows Telephony Applications Programming InterfacePI TAPI which ships as part of Microsoft Windowsincluded with Windows NT Server version 4 0 Windows NT Workstation version 4 0 and Windows 95 and Windows CE and available for Windows 3 1 operating systems provides athe most powerful and flexible platform for developing and using computer telephony applications Microsoft with the release of TAPI version 2 1 advances the cause of computer telephony by adding more comprehensive support for client server telephony solutions TAPI provides client server support with a remote service provider to create fully featured call center applications as well as administration tools to make applications easier to deploy and manage And now the most recent version TAPI 2 1 is available as a free download TAPI abstracts the hardware layer providing developers and users with the freedom of network and device independence It is the only such platform that enables applications for use on analog telephonePSTN ISDN PBX based and IP networks Part of the Windows Open Systems Architecture WOSA TAPI is supported by severala full range of complementary APIs to enable a broad range of powerful and easy to use telephony and communications applications for a wide range of customers In addition new Microsoft ActiveX Controls further simplify and accelerate the process of development for a broader range of developers enabling more customized telephony and related communications solutions Because TAPI is built into Windows it offers has a lower cost of deployment and ownership and developers can create applications knowing that the large installed base of Windows 95 This Abstract The Power of TAPIis the Abstract Title or Phrase and Windows NT operating systems areis already equipped to support their telephony applications No more than 725 characters that summarize the subject of the paper covering key words and providing a bulleted list of topics to be covered End with a brief statement describing the product s role in the Microsoft BackOffice family of products Volutpat Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam quis nostrud exerciquis tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetuer adipiscing elit sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat Soluta nobis eleifend option congue nihil imperdiet doming id quod mazim placerat facer possim assum Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetuer adipiscing elit sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetuer The Windows operating system family has emerged as the communications platform of choice This paper outlines what is new with TAPI 2 1 and describes other key aspects of TAPI that are contributing to the Windows communications story The Microsoft WindowsBackOffice White Paper Telephony Platform1 Introduction 3 What s New with TAPI 2 1 4 Benefiting from TAPI 2 1 8 A Closer Look at the Windows Telephony Platform 10 Providing the Foundation for Rich Applications and Solutions 26 Benefiting from the Windows Telephony Platform 30 Summary 33 Market Support 34 For More Information 35 Glossary 36 Introduction New for TAPI 2 1 TAPI Remote Service Provider TAPI Client Manager5 Extensible Client Manager APIs Bringing Client Support to the Huge Win95 Installed Base6 BENEFITING from TAPI 2 1 7 Backward Compatibility7 Remote TAPI Service Provider Allows Easier Development7 Opening the Market for Custom Administration Tools7 Creating New CTI Products7 Leveraging Existing PBX and Supporting IP8 Availability8 A Closer Look at the Windows Telephony Platform 9 The Challenge Bringing Unity and Integration to a Segmented Landscape9 Supporting a Broad Range of Applications9 Bringing CTI to Common Hardware Platforms10 TAPI is Flexible and Scaleable10 Abstracting Hardware for Flexibility and Network Independence10 Providing Connection Model Independence11 Phone Centric12 CONTENTS PC Centric12 Switch to Host12 Voice Server13 The Internet13 Universal Serial Bus14 Supporting Multiple CTI Applications Simultaneously14 Building Upon a Solid Multipurpose Operating System14 Serving as Telephony Client or Server15 Providing a Secure Platform15 Building Upon other Applications15 TAPI is Comprehensive15 Providing Four Levels of Telephony Service16 Assisted Telephony16 Basic Telephony Services16 Supplementary Telephony Services16 Extended Telephony Services17 A Comprehensive Level of Control17 Using Media awareness18 Managing Media Streams18 Evolving the Telephony API19 TAPI 1 319 TAPI 1 419 TAPI 2 019 TAPI 2 120 Building in Extensibility21 Looking Ahead21 TAPI is Open and Written to Industry Standards21 Programmability22 Usability22 Using ActiveX Controls23 Providing the Foundation for Rich Applications and Solutions 25 Visual Call Control25 Exploiting Voice as a Data Type25 Telephone Enabled Productivity Applications25 Unified Messaging25 Auto Attendant26 Desktop Conferencing26 Vertical Applications26 Call Center Applications26 Help Desks27 Predictive Dialing27 Interactive Voice Response27 Voice Mail27 Routing27 PC PBX27 And Beyond27 Benefiting from the Windows Telephony Platform 28 Benefiting Application Developers28 Benefiting Hardware Manufacturers28 Benefiting Resellers28 Benefiting Corporate Information Service and Telecom Managers29 Benefiting Call Center Managers29 Benefiting Business Users and Consumers29 Benefiting Public Network Operators30 Summary 31 Market Support 33 For MorE Information 34 Customers34 Developers34 Glossary 35 INTRODUCTION Heading 2 Heading 2 This is Heading 3 which flows into the text that follows it This is Heading 4 which flows into the text that follows it Heading 2 This is Heading 3 which flows into the text that follows it HEADING 1 This is Heading 3 which flows into the text that follows it Heading 2 Heading 2 This is Heading 3 which flows into the text that follows it Heading 2 Heading 2 Heading 2 HEADING 1 For more information 4The Microsoft Windows Telephony PlatformMicrosoft BackOffice White Paper The Microsoft Windows Telephony Applications Programming InterfacePI TAPI abstracts the hardware layer providing developers and users with the freedom of network and device independence It is the only platform that enables applications for use on PSTN ISDN PBX and IP networks Microsoft is continuing its commitment to robust cost effective and widely deployable computer telephony solutions with the update to TAPI version 2 1 TAPI helps make Windows the most powerful and flexible platform for developing and using computer telephony integration CTI applications TAPI 2 1 provides full client server telephony and with enhanced server administration tools For the first time the same version of TAPI is available for use with Windows NT Server 4 0 Windows NT Workstation 4 0 and Windows 95 and complete client support for Windows 95 TAPI 2 1 is available now via afor free Internet based download works with Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4 0 and supports applications on Windows NT Workstation version 4 0 and Windows 95 operating systems TAPI 2 1 provides the most powerful and flexible platform for developing and using computer telephony integration CTI applications The Windows telephony platform is significant because the telecommunications and computer industries are technologically converging Both developers and end users benefit from this convergenceCombining of the power of telecommunications with the friendliness flexibility and scalability of personal computers benefits developers and end users The introduction of PC economics and business models into telecommunications is increasing choice competition and innovation while maintaining the high reliability people expect from their phone systems Computer telephony integration creates huge opportunities for application developers telephony network switch and hardware vendors as well as end users However success is dependent upon CTI having at its foundation a robust reliable operating system that is supported by a rich and powerful set of application programming interfaces APIs and related tools to enable this value added chain to develop and flourish The Windows telephony platform provides developers vendors and end users with the best combination of solid operating system performance and tightly integrated APIs The open standards of the Windows platform and TAPI provide a rich foundation upon which the CTIcomputer telephony industry can build Complementing TAPI is a powerful collection of other Windows APIs and Win32 functions including the Messaging API MAPI the Speech API SAPI and Communication Wave Audio and Media Control Interface MCI functions Additionally Microsoft ActiveX Controls give a much broader population of developers powerful and easy to implement plug in software components that free developers from having to code the intricate plumbing of an application Instead ActiveX Controls allow the developers to use graphical development tools and concentrate on creating applications that are intuitive to use and deliver real user benefits The abstraction of the hardware layer made possible with TAPI is especially significant for CTI developers because historically the field has been a bewildering collection of proprietary switches meaning that an application could only be written INTRODUCTION The Microsoft Windows Telephony PlatformMicrosoft BackOffice White Paper5 for one part of the industry TAPI frees developers from this burden allowing a single application to be written that works across switches Because TAPI is built into Windows it hasoffers a lower cost of deployment and ownership and developers can create applications knowing that the large installed base of Windows 95 and Windows NT operating systems are already equipped to support their telephony applications All of this makes Windows an excellent telephony and network communications platform for the future 6The Microsoft Windows Telephony PlatformMicrosoft BackOffice White Paper Microsoft s with the release of TAPI 2 1 continues its commitment to enable robust scalable computer telephony solutions with Windows s is extended with the release of TAPI 2 1 The Windows operating systems have long enabled client server telephony solutions to be written as illustrated by several independent hardware and software vendors IHVs and ISVs that have built such applications using TAPI TAPI 2 1 now which includes new client server telephony support features to make life easier for developers as well as for system administrators TAPI 2 1 also makes client server telephony less expensive for end users New features include TAPI Remote Service Provider TAPI 2 1 fully addresses the client server need for call control The Remote TAPI Remote SP makes it easier faster and less expensive to develop and deploy great client server telephony applications by eliminatingeliminating the need for the developer to do the plumbing level code between the client and the server that the developer has to write TAPI Client Manager This basic administrative tool standardizes client server telephony management and provides an easy way of associating a user s telephone number with a desktop telephony application and the user s account name on the Windows NT Server domain Extensible Client Management APIs TAPI 2 1 enables value added client management and control from the server including logging calling monitoring tracking and other functions This opens the door for third parties to provide better management applications Equivalent Client Support for the huge Windows 95 usersInstalled Base TAPI 2 1 greatly expands CTI market opportunities by providing client support for the Windows 95 operating system With TAPI 2 1 for the first time Windows 95 Windows NT Workstation 4 0 and Windows NT Server 4 0 all make use of the same version of this important communications building block WHAT S NEW WITH NEW FOR TAPI 2 1 ClientClientClient ServerServerServer ProvidedProvidedProvided bybyby ISVISVISV ProvidedProvidedProvided bybyby MicrosoftMicrosoftMicrosoft ProvidedProvidedProvided bybyby IHVIHVIHV TAPITAPITAPI RemoteRemoteRemote SPSPSP TAPITAPITAPI ServiceServiceService Telephony Application TAPI SP TAPITAPITAPI ServiceServiceService Telephony Application Client Management AdministrationAdministrationAdministration ApplicationApplicationApplication PhonePhonePhone systemsystemsystem The Microsoft Windows Telephony PlatformMicrosoft BackOffice White Paper7 Figure 1 TAPI 2 1 includes the TAPI Remote Service Provider which frees developers from having to write their own plumbing level code The TAPI Client Manager is a basic administrative tool that standardizes client server telephony management TAPI 2 1 supports 32 bit applications as well as older 16 bit TAPI applications Legacy TAPI applications can run under TAPI 2 1 via a 16 bit TAPI Dynamic Link Library DLL layer inherited from earlier versions of TAPI while 32 bit applications use TAPIServe exe TAPI Remote Service Provider The With the addition of the TAPI Remote Service Provider Remote SP RSP which enables a client PCusers to have access and control to remote TAPI devices such as telephone setss or systems modems not physically connected to the client computer at the desktop This important TAPI 2 1 feature provides a full client serverclient server model that greatly simplifies the creation of full featured call center or enterprise wide personal call management applications The availability of thisis feature is great news for developers who will no longer have to write their own remote procedure calls and server based local remote procedure calls to support this functionality Development is further simplified becauseT the Remote SSP Peffectively makes the client to server link transparent to the application and it code is essentially the same for both client and server allowsing a TAPI application to run from either the client or server side An entire system for example could run on just one client The Remote SPervice Provider appears to the application acts as like a TAPI Service Provider used to support telephony hardware r at the desktop but there is no need for hardware at the desktop buInstead t the Remote SP it interprets the application s commands sends them across the LANcomputer network to the TAPI service running on the server Fand from there ithe applicationt interacts withtalks to the phone system via the TAPI Service Provider supplied by the phone system vendor Eliminating the need to write custom remote procedure calls greatly eases the development of client server telephony applicationssolutions As a result allowing developers canto sinstead spend their time creating great value added telephony products and less time on lower level issues best handled within the operating system The Remote Service Provider of TAPI 2 1 Remote SP meansenables Independent Software Vendors ISV canto bring sophisticated client server applications to market faster and less expensively The Remote SP is expected to enable Information Technology managers or network administrators to purchase and deploy client server telephony applications to their call centers and across the enterprises at lower cost and with better integration 8The Microsoft Windows Telephony PlatformMicrosoft BackOffice White Paper TAPI Client Manager TAPI 2 1 introduces the TAPI Client Manager a basic administrative tool whichthat makes it easier and less expensive to manage and configure client server telephony applications The Client Manager standardizes telephony management and provides an easy way of associating a user s telephone number with a desktop telephony application and the user s account name on the Windows NT Server domain Figure 2 The TAPI Client Manager associates user domain names with user telephone numbers The Client Manager provides a basic easy to use graphical user interface for controlling a broad range of system attributes including Ability to add modify and delete telephony devices users and work stations User workstation configurations for additional security Service provider configuration tools Access to information provided by the switch or carrier such as phone number and customer identity The TAPI Client Manager provides the information and control to fully benefit from the powerful call center and other CTI applications that can be built upon the new client server foundation provided by TAPI 21 The Microsoft Windows Telephony PlatformMicrosoft BackOffice White Paper9 Here is an