Experience with modularity in an advanced teleconferencing service deployment

In this paper, we describe our experience with the design of an advanced teleconferencing service under two different frameworks — an early implementation of the Distributed Feature Composition architecture, and the SIP Servlet API. The usual design goals of software modularity for encapsulation and reuse are pursued. Interestingly, two very different designs resulted. This paper discusses the factors that influenced our design decisions. In particular, we examine the different characteristics of the two frameworks as well as the maturity of project requirements, and illustrate the ways in which these factors affect various mechanisms for achieving software modularity. We also aim to draw on this experience to propose a set of design guidelines for building modular, composable SIP Servlet applications for Voice over IP and converged services.