Monitoring voice-over-IP performance over the internet

1. A method, comprising:

initiating, by a device in communication with a Voice over IP (VoIP) server that monitors VoIP setup and quality over the Internet among devices, VoIP initiation testing between a source agent and a target agent, wherein the VoIP initiation testing is performed without instrumentation of the VoIP server;

receiving, by the device, VoIP initiation test results for the VoIP initiation testing;

determining, by the device, a network path between the source agent and the target agent using network path tracing; and

generating, by the device, a report based on the VoIP initiation test results that includes information related to the determined network path.

2. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the VoIP server monitors call quality and video quality.

3. The method as in a claim 1 , wherein the VoIP initiation testing is performed using active probing and includes one or more of: a registration test or a session setup test.

4. The method as in claim 1 , further comprising:

initiating, by the device, synthetic VoIP quality testing between the source agent and the target agent, wherein the VoIP synthetic quality testing is performed without instrumentation of the VoIP server that monitors VoIP setup and quality over the Internet; and

receiving, by the device, synthetic VoIP quality test results for the synthetic VoIP quality testing, wherein there the report is further based on the synthetic VoIP quality test results.

5. The method as in claim 4 , wherein the synthetic VoIP quality testing is performed using a stream of Real-time Transfer Protocol (RTP) packets.

6. The method as in a claim 4 , wherein the synthetic VoIP quality testing is performed using a stream of custom Real-time Transfer Protocol (RTP) packets.

7. The method as in a claim 1 , wherein determining, by the device, the network path between the source agent and the target agent is based upon one or more of: a) MultiProtocol Label Switching (MPLS) tunnel inference and route labeling or b) path Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) and MTU decrements.

8. The method as in a claim 1 , wherein the report based on the VoIP initiation test results further includes an indication of call quality or video quality between the source agent and the target agent.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more network interfaces to communicate with a Voice over IP (VoIP) server that monitors VoIP setup and quality over the Internet among devices;

a processor coupled to the network interfaces and configured to execute one or more processes; and

an apparatus memory configured to store a process executable by the processor, the process when executed operable to:

initiate VoIP initiation testing between a source agent and a target agent, wherein the VoIP initiation testing is performed without instrumentation of the VoIP server;

receive VoIP initiation test results for the VoIP initiation testing;

determine a network path between the source agent and the target agent using network path tracing; and

generate a report based on the VoIP initiation test results that includes information related to the determined network path.

10. The apparatus as in claim 9 , wherein the VoIP server monitors call quality and video quality.

11. The apparatus as in claim 9 , wherein the VoIP initiation testing is performed using active probing and includes one or more of: a registration test or a session setup test.

12. The apparatus as in claim 9 , the process when executed further operable to:

initiate synthetic VoIP quality testing between the source agent and the target agent, wherein the VoIP synthetic quality testing is performed without instrumentation of the VoIP server that monitors VoIP setup and quality over the Internet; and

receive synthetic VoIP quality test results for the synthetic VoIP quality testing, wherein there the report is further based on the synthetic VoIP quality test results.

13. The apparatus as in claim 12 , wherein the synthetic VoIP quality testing is performed using a stream of Real-time Transfer Protocol (RTP) packets.

14. The apparatus as in claim 12 , wherein the synthetic VoIP quality testing is performed using a stream of custom Real-time Transfer Protocol (RTP) packets.

15. The apparatus as in claim 9 , wherein to determine the network path between the source agent and the target agent is based upon one or more of: a) MultiProtocol Label Switching (MPLS) tunnel inference and route labeling or b) path Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) and MTU decrements.

16. The apparatus as in claim 9 , wherein the report based on the VoIP initiation test results further includes an indication of call quality or video quality between the source agent and the target agent.

17. A tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing program instructions that cause a device, in communication with a Voice over IP (VoIP) server that monitors VoIP setup and quality over the Internet among devices, to execute a process comprising:

receiving, by a device, VoIP initiation testing between a source agent and a target agent, wherein the VoIP initiation testing is performed without instrumentation of the VoIP server;

receiving VoIP initiation test results for the VoIP initiation testing;

determining a network path between the source agent and the target agent using network path tracing; and

generating a report based on the VoIP initiation test results that includes information related to the determined network path.

18. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium as in claim 17 , wherein the VoIP initiation testing is performed using active probing and includes one or more of: a registration test or a session setup test.

19. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium as in claim 17 , the process further comprising:

initiating synthetic VoIP quality testing between the source agent and the target agent, wherein the VoIP synthetic quality testing is performed without instrumentation of the VoIP server that monitors VoIP setup and quality over the Internet; and

receiving synthetic VoIP quality test results for the synthetic VoIP quality testing, wherein there the report is further based on the synthetic VoIP quality test results.

20. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium as in claim 19 , wherein the synthetic VoIP quality testing is performed using a stream of one or more of: Real-time Transfer Protocol (RTP) packets or custom RTP packets.