Topic: VoIP + X-Lite + SME Server 7.2

[DocRob]

Hiya,

I am very new at this so please be kind. I have an small lan of 3 (Win XP) machines with SME server acting as the gateway. My ISP provides a a broadband phone with up to 480 minutes of calls and I would like to make use of this. I have downloaded X-Lite onto one of the XP machines and set it up according my ISPs instructions. The 1st problem is that X-Lite reported:

Registration error : 479 we dont accept private IP contacts.

I have tried opening UDP ports 3478, 5060, 8000 & 8010 following the firewall FAQ as suggested by my ISP with no change. I am not sure that I have done this correctly as I can't find a command to show which ports are open. I have also tried port forwarding with the same result. 

I also tried disabling masq as referred to in a couple of posts and that did appear to make a difference the error changed to a registration error. I have re enabled it as I didn't what to leave it off for long.

As I am a bit lost now any suggestions?

Rob
 

[Tib]

Are you using Sail or are you just trying to use x-lite through your SME server?

If your trying to use it through your server then you need to port forward not open ports.

Port forward the required ports to the IP address of the machine that you are using the software on.

I know it works ... I have used softphones before without problems.

If you want to get fancy then load on Sail and setup the voip through there and then just connect to your server. This way you have a pabx in your home 

You say you have tried port forward ... are you sure you are forwarding correctly?


Regards,

Tib

[DocRob]

Tib,

Thanks for the reply. No I am not using sail, just X-Lite on one of the machines. Yes I have used Port Fowarding and Opened the relevent ports on the server with no change. However, I have loaded X-Lite onto a different machine and with the same settings it works. Most odd. The firewall is off on the orginal machine but it maybe a problem with that.

I will have a look at sail, once I am happy with the single machine solution. I have a spare external IP address, I may setup a seperate machine for Voip.

Thanks for the help.

[DocRob]

I'm still trying to fix this. Can somebody tell me what command to use to list the open ports.

Thanks

Rob

[CharlieBrady]

The 1st problem is that X-Lite reported:

Registration error : 479 we dont accept private IP contacts.

You'll have to work out how to configure X-Lite to work with NAT (if that is even possible). All your efforts with the SME firewall have been pointless - you should undo anything you've done there.

[DocRob]

Charlie,

Thanks for the reminder, I have undone the changes I made. The software does work with NAT. I have installed it on my Laptop and it works fine - I can make and receive calls. The problem I have is that it does not work on my desktop machine. It looks like the SME Server is not NATing the ports required - although IE etc work. The settings are the same for both machines - XP fully updated - MS firewall off.

Rob

[arne]

The SIP protocol can some times be a bit tricky protocoll to pass trough a nat router. Some cheap nat routers will not handle this well, but the Sme server will normally do this well (my experinece.) When it comes to the SIP protocol I think it is just a normal situation that things will not work from time to time, without a reasonable reason, and even though they should.

Patricularly this might be true for SIP clients on mobiletelephones that should be working on a hot spot, but still does not.

The reason is, I believe that the SIP protocol use more than one UDP port during the call, which from time to time makes some problems.

There is an other protocol alternative that performs much bether trough nat routers, from hat spots, etc, and this is the Asterisk native IAX2 protocol.

The Zoiper is a free IAX2 client that is much more easy to connect from "anywhere" than the x-lite sip client. http://www.zoiper.com/

The IAX2 client use only one UDP port and it is much more "nat friendly".

Zoiper used to have the name Idefisk before, and it used to be easy to connect from anywhere, but with poor sound quality. I think the new Zoiper version is still easy to connect while the sound quality has improved to that level of x-lite.

It is also possible to configure a Asterisk server directely or inderectely via a firewall to use or listen to UDP port 53. When UDP 53 is used it will be possible to log on from a lot of hot spots, restricted wlans, etc. I am using this configuration for my SME 7.2 just now, after some modifications.

[DocRob]

Thanks Arnie

It turned out the simple fix worked. I uninstalled the software and reinstalled and it now works with the same settings !!!

I have been looking at running something like Asterisk or sail, but as I do not have any real knowlege of such systems or software I am finding it a little daunting. Is there a good howto on the subject?

Regards

Rob

[groutley]

Hey DocRob,
  I know what you mean when you suggest the SAIL / Asterisk VOIP stuff sounds daunting !
I put it off for ages, but was intrigued.
One day I thought I would just install the Selintra SAIL as detailed in these forums,
and within a couple of days I had switched the house over to VOIP calling out multiple VOIP Trunks, with the kids PCs having their own extensions, and my Laptop able to make internal phone calls from anywhere in the world !!

Saves me a fortune in T$lstra calls, and gives fantastic flexibility.

I had no idea before I started, and ran into a couple of issues, but a quick post to this Forum, and some experienced users helped,
Let alone fantastic support given by Selintra !
I recommend if you are at all curious,  just do it !  But I must warn you,  it becomes an addiction !

The way I did it was to install according to the howto on this site.
Configuration is more daunting,  but I printed out the Selintra Admin guide and followed the information there.

I found it to be easier than I had suspected

 Glen

[arne]

DocRob ->

I do not use the Selintra configuration tool at the moment, but I think I will recomend it as the most easy way to get started with a Asterisk server. (Have tested it before.)

I am using SME 7.2 with Asterisk for SME from selintra and also a Astlinux installation. I configure both "manually" from textline, but I would not recommend this approach for an easy start.

To get started I would start up with a Asterisk/SAIL installation. If I felt some inresistible need to do some manual configurations, because of the pleasure of doing this, I wold chose the Astlinux distro for this. I think it has downloadable image for vmware so it can be tested and tried on a Windows or a Linux workstation:

http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=170462

To do a manual configuration (if you like to do that) will require some basic thery that can be found in this free book:

http://voipspeak.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=33&Itemid=2

By the way the savings obtained on telephony from using the Asterisk server is quite much more than the cost of hardware and ADSL line, all together.

[CharlieBrady]

By the way the savings obtained on telephony from using the Asterisk server is quite much more than the cost of hardware and ADSL line, all together.

That certainly depends on how much you spend on telephony.

And don't forget also to factor in electricity cost (and greenhouse gasses).

[arne]

It also depends on how you use the Asterisk server. For my use the Asterisk server takes most of the load for the fixed line telephony and the GSM telephony. Total cost for comunication services (ADSL, POT and GSM) has been reduced by approx 80 % after the implementation of the Asterisk server. This remaining 20 % is also includs some free call services for friends. It is really not only small money to save, using an Asterisk server the way it can be used.

[DocRob]

Thanks for the replies, they have been a great deal of help. I think I now know what I need to do.

Rob