[Asterisk-Users] Generic Network profile for VOIP

[James Taylor]

On Mon, 27 Dec 2004 08:08:28 -0700, Matt Larsen  
<mlarsen at inventivemedia.net> wrote:

> Has anyone put together a list of basic modifications & recommended
> settings to optimize a TCP/IP (mostly wireless)network for VOIP?
> Specifically G.711 & IAX protocol, and the Vonage and Packet8 services.
>
> My network is mostly StarOS (which uses linux cbq and ipchains) and
> Mikrotik and I'd like to put in some tweaks to get VOIP working better.
>
>
> It is working just fine right now, with a couple of minor exceptions,
> but I do want to make sure that everything from the customer end to my
> Asterisk VOIP gateway is optimized and scalable.
>
> Thanks!
>
> Matt Larsen
> mlarsen at inventivemedia.net
>
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Matt,
I'm using both StarOS & Mikrotik.
G.711 takes a lot of bandwidth.

I'm using g.729 for consumers.

But, if your pipes are big enough, who cares?

I've used StarOS for the AP's.
I'm moving toward Mikrotik for "routing" along with 5.8GHz backbones.

The "packer" protocol really works!

 From the manual:
========================
"...The MikroTik Packet Packer Protocol (M3P) optimizes the bandwidth  
usage of links using protocols that have a high overhead per packet  
transmitted. The basic purpose of this protocol is to better enable  
wireless networks to transport VoIP traffic and other traffic that uses  
small packet sizes of around 100 bytes.

M3P features:
enabled by a per interface setting
other routers with MikroTik Discovery Protocol enabled will broadcast M3P  
settings
significantly increases bandwidth availability over some wireless links –  
by approximately four times
offer configuration settings to customize this feature..."
========================

This only works between Mikrotik boxes.

So, Mikrotik is my main router to the Internet. And, I have them on the  
"backbone" as routers between towers.

I took an old 2MB link and enabled the Packer on each end.  Throughput  
could be tweaked up to 3.8MB if you play with the packet size to match the  
traffic on your network.

I do all of the stuff: Burst & penalize at the StarOS on a per customer  
basis.
On the Mikrotik, I mangle the P2P traffic so that downloads are good and  
upload take the lowest priority.

Other traffic is mangled and queded.
0- Housekeeping
1- VOIP
2- telnet, ssh, RDT, VNC
3- Http
4- pop3
5- smtp
6- gaming
7- P2P "in"
8- P2P "out" (lowest priority)

Port 25 is blocked on the network to cut down on virus, & trojan activity.
Ports 114-139 get dropped also.
Forwarding is off so clients can't "see" each other.

All SMTP is sent out via "OUR" SMTP on port 26.  We get it off the  
wireless netowrk quickly and into the SMTP server and then spoon-feed it  
to destinations.

With business or "commercial" accounts ($100 & up) we offer domain, web,  
and email hosting (free on our server) to discourage hosting on the  
wireless.  This also helps us retain customers.  Public IP's are a premium  
and start on the $399 accounts.

Only one NAT at the last Mikrotik connected to the Internet.

The list goes on...

I'm sure that there are a lot of thoughts on bandwidth management out  
there, this works for us and our customers.
-- 
James Taylor
3505 Summerhll Road
Suite 11
Texarkana, Texas  75503
903-793-1956