Spark and SIP issues

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mobiusnz

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Topic # 242225 16-Oct-2018 21:49

Hi guys - I'm probably grabbing at straws but just wanted to check. Had a client today who is running an Avaya Phone system with SIP trunks. All of a sudden they couldn't make or receive calls today on arrival at the office. The phone system provider checked everything including with the SIP provider (2Talk) and couldn't see a cause. Nothing has changed with their Firewall in months and no-one played with patching or anything else to explain it.

We have a loan 4G router we use as a loaner for clients with outages so we took it out, hooked it up to the 2nd port on the Avaya and the phone people changed it so it was the default route and all their SIP trucks are up and working like a dream.

Just wondering if perhaps Spark might be doing something to disrupt SIP traffic in provisioning their own sip offerings or something.

I really can't think of any other reason that all of a sudden things would change - Its a Spark service on Enable Fibre in Christchurch.

I'll be upfront here- SIP is not my thing - I've dabbled but I don't do anything with SIP offerings for clients and leave it up to the "experts".

Its just that nothing has changed at the site for some time so there is really no explanation. I don't think its anything to do with the LAN or ports on the Avaya as they have a Site to Site vpn to an Auckland office with 2 or 3 SIP phones up there and they can make internal calls from the Digital phones patched to the avaya here to the Avaya SIP desk phones in Auckland so that kind of rules out it being a lan related issue.

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Reply # 2109149 16-Oct-2018 22:11

Maybe an automatic firmware update has enabled SIP ALG on the router - it’s caused problems for my spark clients on 2talk before - try turning it off and see how you go

chevrolux

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Reply # 2109201 17-Oct-2018 06:53

We saw some strange things like this happen with 2talk trunks every now and again.

One day a whole bunch of Samsung PBXs de-registered and needed router reboots (the main purpose to clear the state table) to get back online. But at that same time all the LG iPECS systems were fine. Talking around 50+ Samsungs and over 100 LG's.

I wouldn't be looking at Spark at all personally. It's got to be either router config, pbx config, or sip trunk issues. What make is the router? Is it the device that establishes the site-to-site?

mobiusnz

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Reply # 2109227 17-Oct-2018 08:11

It’s a Draytek router so no auto firmware updates, yes it establishes the IPSec link. They rebooted the Avaya, the ONT and the router and no differences there. I’m going to take another look this morning, I left it up to the phone people until they ran out of ideas so suggested the 4g at least to narrow it down a little (still a lot of possibilities thought).

BarTender

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Reply # 2109242 17-Oct-2018 08:34

If it is running over a IPSEC tunnel then unless the coverage of the 4G router is terrible (which it could be?) then there shouldn't be anything that Spark would do to mess with the connection.

But are you sure it's running over IPSEC? As I assume you are going Avaya -> Router with IPSEC -> Spark Mobile Network -> Internet encrypted IPSEC tunnel -> Other end of IPSEC Tunnel -> Internet -> 2Talk. Whatever you are terminating the IPSEC tunnel to could also be having issues. As normally I would assume you would talk SIP straight to 2Talk. What happens if you use a IP Softphone and connect directly from the site to 2Talk cutting out the PBX and everything else?

mobiusnz

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Reply # 2109245 17-Oct-2018 08:37

The IPSEC tunnel is inter-branch - So just the Auckland 2 or 3 phones run over that. The trunks go out over the internet connection directly which is Fibre. Currently they have our loan 4G router (A TP Link one with a Vodafone Sim in it) and its working like a dream with all incoming and outgoing external calls.

chevrolux

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Reply # 2109248 17-Oct-2018 08:42

Have things actually been checked on the 2talk end? ie.. a password hasn't been updated? Or user requested a reset? On retail 2talk the web login password is the SIP registration password.

2talk will ban an IP for too many failed registration attempts - has this been checked. Would explain why it registers over 4G and not the normal connection.

mobiusnz

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Reply # 2109254 17-Oct-2018 08:45

chevrolux:

Have things actually been checked on the 2talk end? ie.. a password hasn't been updated? Or user requested a reset? On retail 2talk the web login password is the SIP registration password.

2talk will ban an IP for too many failed registration attempts - has this been checked. Would explain why it registers over 4G and not the normal connection.

The phone people spent time dealing with 2talk to make sure it wasn't a problem there and they use 2talk with all their clients.

If it was incorrect credentials then it wouldn't work when we put in a temporary solution of a 4G router.

cbrpilot

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Reply # 2109390 17-Oct-2018 09:58

mobiusnz:

Just wondering if perhaps Spark might be doing something to disrupt SIP traffic in provisioning their own sip offerings or something.

I really can't think of any other reason that all of a sudden things would change - Its a Spark service on Enable Fibre in Christchurch.

I can speak for Spark Broadband (assuming it is a Spark BB service and not a Spark Digital high end product): we do not do anything to interfere with SIP traffic of any nature. No blocking, no de-prioritisation. Nothing. In the network all bytes are treated equally.

In line with international best practice, we do block a few ports to protect our customer's security (25, 135-139 and 445) but that is all. Of course you can opt out of that. However that is likely not the issue being faced here.

My views are my own, and may not necessarily represent those of my employer.

mobiusnz

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Reply # 2113242 24-Oct-2018 15:01

Hi guys - Hopefully someone is monitoring this thread. I've been away for a few extra days around the long weekend.

In the meantime the VOIP provider has been into the customer site and tried both one of their routers that they use (Cambium cnPilot R201) and a Spark HG659 and the Voip one way audio issue was still present.

This really leaves it being a strange Spark issue and we are getting no-where as Spark basically say that the Internet connection is working so they've done their bit and can only support VOIP/SIP if its a Spark product.

The calls work perfectly over the 4G connection.

Can anyone think of anything that might have changed on the Spark network that might account for this? It ran reliably on their Vodafone Cable connection up till April 2017, then they've had Spark fibre and its worked perfectly up until last week when it just stopped over night.

The client is at the point of a change of RSP - I'm temped to try removal of the static IP as I've seen strange issues due to the IP Pool you are in (Mainly Vodafone though off the top of my head) but with the headaches associated as they host their own mail and website on the connection its easier to change it once to a new IP than to go Dynamic and try it and then back again to prove a point.

chevrolux

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Reply # 2113251 24-Oct-2018 15:26

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I think they should try a change of PBX tech!

These days if you deal with SIP you have to know more than how to make a call flow on a phone system. You should have the ability to set up the network as required.

I have NEVER had a speech issue that wasn't due to either the PBX config or firewall config. No NZ providers are mucking around with filtering SIP.

mobiusnz

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Reply # 2113254 24-Oct-2018 15:32

chevrolux:

I think they should try a change of PBX tech!

These days if you deal with SIP you have to know more than how to make a call flow on a phone system. You should have the ability to set up the network as required.

I have NEVER had a speech issue that wasn't due to either the PBX config or firewall config. No NZ providers are mucking around with filtering SIP.

Why would you suggest that when its a pretty tried and true platform that works everywhere else, worked on this connection for a year and still works on another connection??? I don't know much about Sip but the people that installed the phones certainly do?

It would actually be easier and cheaper to change to another ISP???

Peppery

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Reply # 2113264 24-Oct-2018 16:04

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Have you done a packet capture to see what that reveals? Or attempted to connect a softphone directly to 2talk ?

I highly doubt that it's an issue on Spark's end. Swapping ISPs for the issue to remain seems like a pain.

sbiddle

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Reply # 2113276 24-Oct-2018 16:35

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A SIP packet capture would tell you very simply and easily what the issue is.

If your phone tech doesn't know how to do this then you should be changing them and finding somebody who actually knows about VoIP before you change ISP.

hio77

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Reply # 2113279 24-Oct-2018 16:40

sbiddle:

A SIP packet capture would tell you very simply and easily what the issue is.

If your phone tech doesn't know how to do this then you should be changing them and finding somebody who actually knows about VoIP before you change ISP.

wasn't there a thread around here where it was stated packet captures were too advanced to do in the field? ;)

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Any comments made are personal opinion and do not reflect directly on the position my current or past employers may have.

sparkz25

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Reply # 2113436 24-Oct-2018 19:43

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Peppery:

Have you done a packet capture to see what that reveals? Or attempted to connect a softphone directly to 2talk ?

I highly doubt that it's an issue on Spark's end. Swapping ISPs for the issue to remain seems like a pain.

As @peppery has said, run up the softphone for 2 talk on a laptop or something to test that connection and so on and if that fail get a packet capture, that will help a hell of alot and point you in the right direction

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