[Freeswitch-users] Howto? Migrating from Siemens HiPath4000 to FreeSWITCH

Thu May 10 10:07:29 MSD 2012

Hi Uli

1.  The HP4k will always be ISDN slave - so on the FS side, you'll need to be the timing source i.e. pretend to be the telco from that ISDN port - it should simply be one signalling setting - I'm not familiar with FS ISDN stuff.  On the other port, the German ISDN provider will no doubt be the timing source.
2.  Depending on your indial configuration, but it sounds like you have a good plan.  Setting up FS in front of the HP4k so that those areas that are cabled first can be handled by FS/IP-phones, whilst those that are not can be routed to HP4k.  This is good.
3.  Your experience with linux is handy - security is important.  Keep your phones on a separate (V)LAN to mitigate risks.
4.  Get hardware echo cancellation on the ISDN card, don't try and save $500 by leaving this out - it will be the first thing users complain about if you forego.
5.  The management of your HP4k is costly and cumbersome, with FS or any other F/OSS system, you have a multitude of choices.

Not sure about your QoS ethernet -> fibre -> ethernet query due to lack of experience.
Similarly for ISDN cabling distances, but 50m should not be a problem.    I'm sure there are settings to warn the card/software of how far you are from your next "hop".

Sounds like a really good project!

Good luck!
Chris

On 10/05/2012, at 3:50 PM, NeCoSec - Ulrich Schinz wrote:

> Hi FS-List,
> 
> maybe there are some experts in here, that can help me to get some
> things clear.
> 
> I'm working for an institution with about 500 extensions. At the moment
> there is a Siemens HiPath4000 used. It is an old version
> of the Software, we are using (3.x). We are paying a lot of money for
> that solution(rental fee/leasing), so I'm planning to move
> to another option.
> 
> The building is an old monestary and the infrastructure (e.g. cables) is
> very old. So we are planning to get the Infrastructure
> up to cat7 cables. On the one hand, because we need to get most parts of
> the building online (internet for guests and conferences)
> and on the other hand it makes no sense to keep a 70-80 years old
> cabeling up. So with this in mind VoIP would be a good option....
> 
> To bring the cabeling up to date, we're planning to do it part by part.
> It's not a realistic option to get this done in a short time.
> The building is a very large one, so this has to be done in maybe 3-5
> years...
> 
> We are using a Telekom PRI/E1 (german Telekom).
> 
> So my plan is:
> Setting up a FreeSWITCH server with 2 PRI cards (e.g. Sangoma A101D),
> one card connecting to the PRI of Telekom and the other card
> connecting to the HiPath4000. In this way I hope to get the calls
> connected through FreeSWITCH to the HiPath4000 and I can start
> getting ip-phones connected, where cat7-cables are available.
> In this way I have some advantages:
> - I can handle a smooth change to VoIP (don't have to have a hard cut)
> - I first can integrate open-minded people to the VoIP-technologie, so
> they can test and give feedback, what they like, and what
> they wanna have better... Older or not so open-minded people (we have
> some really old monks and padres) would then benfit from
> a tested environment.
> 
> The switches are planed to have QoS and PoE.
> 
> As phones I'm planning to use Snom-phones. (Snom300 and Snom320)
> 
> Further I'd like to build a failover system, with a second server.
> 
> Another option would have been to upgrade the HiPath to VoIP, but the
> costs for that are in no relation to what a FreeSWITCH System
> would cost...
> 
> My experience with FreeSWITCH is limited to quite small enviroments and
> I never tried it with PRI (always using "normal" ISDN base,
> Sangoma a500...)
> My experience with HiPath4000 is limited to the available webfrontend.
> The "internal configuration" is done by the provider of that
> system.
> My experience with Linux and networksystems is about 12 years in small
> an large systems...
> 
> In two years the HiPath is "payed" and it's ours. So we can use this
> system with no costs and have full access.
> 
> My questions:
> 
> - Do you think this is an good way to get it running?
> 
> - Maybe someone with some experience in HiPath knows, whether it's
> complicated, to get the HiPath configured (getting extension-blocks
> handled by FreeSWITCH and on the other side keep other extensions on the
> HiPath)?
> 
> - Is the routing with this 2 PRI-cards construct possible, or better
> easy done?
> 
> - Is there a way to simulate a PRI-Provider. I.e. if I'm buying two
> PRI-cards I maybe could configure two test-boxes, each having one
> card. Connecting these two I maybe can play around with these PRI
> connections (just to get a feeling for it...)?
> 
> - Do you have some hints, what to consider, if I'm doing this? I'm
> planning this for quite a while, and im thinking a lot about this,
> but I always have the feeling of forgetting some essential things and
> the whole construct blows up, if im starting it. This would be
> not very optimal ;)
> 
> - Maybe someone has some hints, in which order to plan this setup. The
> plans become more and more concrete and I'm not sure, like
> said before, whether I'm doing and thinking things in right order.
> 
> - Just a technical detail: the HiPath is in a room, that is not optimal
> for this kind of it-systems (aircondition, accessible for everybody).
> But the patchpanels are in that room (the old ones, old cables, 2 poles
> for HiPath-Protocol, parts of it with 4 poles for ISDN). And the
> PRI-connection to the Telekom is in this room. Would it be possible to
> place the servers in another room and get the PRI there?
> Would the cable-length be a problem (I think about 50 meters)?
> And for the failover system it would be optimal to have the system in
> another part of the building (in case of fire another place is better).
> There it would be nice to "patch" the PRI to another place...
> 
> - As the building is very large, we have some fibrechanel connections to
> get the long distances bridged. To keep QoS up: Do I have to
> have special converters? (I don't think so, cause the switches should do
> that, but maybe I'm wrong).
> 
> - Cascading switches (Phone -> Switch -> Fibre -> Switch -> Server):
> Does every switch have to do QoS, or would the first switch be
> enough. Or the other way around, would cascaded switches make problems,
> if both have QoS configuration...?
> 
> Sorry for this very long post and so many questions....
> 
> Kind regards
> Uli
> 
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