With the rapid adoption of Voice over IP (VoIP), many telephony and data network technicians, engineers, and designers are now working to become proficient in VoIP. Professional certifications, such as the CCNP Voice certification, offer validation of an employee’s or a consultant’s competency in specific technical areas.

This book mirrors the level of detail found in the Cisco CVOICE Version 8.0 course, which many CCNP Voice candidates select as their first course in the CCNP Voice track. Version 8.0 represents a significant update over the previous version, Version 6.0, of the CVOICE course. Specifically, Version 8.0 integrates much of the content previously found in the Implementing Cisco IOS Unified Communications (IIUC) 1.0 and Implementing Cisco QoS (QOS) 2.3 courses. This content includes coverage of Cisco Unified Communications Manager Express (CUCME) and quality of service topics.

A fundamental understanding of traditional telephony, however, would certainly benefit a CVOICE student or a reader of this book. If you think you lack a fundamental understanding of traditional telephony, a recommended companion for this book is the Cisco Press book Voice over IP First-Step (ISBN: 978-1-58720-156-1), which is also written by this book’s author. Voice over IP First-Step is written in a conversational tone and teaches concepts surrounding traditional telephony and how those concepts translate into a VoIP environment.