SIP TRAFFIC MANAGER | Switchblade
Overview
A carrier class platform for real-time network surveillance enabling carriers to monitor VoIP SIP Signaling Traffic and improve VoIP network quality by immediately identifying and correcting network shortfalls and service operational issues.
The Switchblade’s network probe and extracts SIP Traffic from the network and generates VoIP Call Detail Records (CDRs) to a secure database where they are stored and accessible to a client PC with a web browser.
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux server reliability for 24/7 operation.
- MySQL 5.0 database.
- SIP VoIP CDRs generated.
- SIP network probes with 1 Gigabit capacity.
- Real-time display of VoIP calls-in-progress.
- SQL scripts for Fraud Analysis, Statistics, Billing and Channel Usage.
- SIP Traffic Manager web application for analyzing VoIP CDRs.
Key system Functionality
SS7 Network Surveillance
- Fraud Monitoring Services including the screening of SIP Messages.
- Trouble Shooting.
- Real-Time Call Tracing.
- VoIP Billing Verification: Collection and Reconciliation /Verification of VoIP CDRs.
- Billing for SIP use, e.g. VoIP services for other Carriers.
- Growth in VoIP traffic.
Performance & Maintenance Management
- VoIP Call Performance Statistics ASR (Answer/Seize Ratio), BSR (Busy/Seize Ratio)
and PDD (Post Dialing Delay). - Identification of Faulty Routes and misconfigured routers.
- Identification of Network Congestion.
- Identification of Congested Routes.
- Historical Troubleshooting.
Leading to Reduced Losses and Increased Revenue.
- Stopping Fraud.
- Checking the accuracy of international settlements.
- Optimization of network and route planning.
- Customer Care: Preventing Churn.
- Identification of VoIP calling patterns for major customers.
SIP Network Probe
The SIP Network Probe connects to Internet at a country's International gateway, where SIP signaling traffic is monitored. The SIP Network Probe consists of two parts; the first part is a Cisco Enterprise Switch configured to pass data traffic normally and also to pass SIP signaling traffic data onto a monitoring port (port mirroring). The second part is an Ethernet port (in the Switchblade server) connected to the monitoring port on the Cisco Switch. This port is configured in promiscuous mode to receive all network traffic and then to filter SIP signaling traffic out of all the packets received. This two-part monitoring configuration allows fully non-intrusive monitoring of the VoIP/SIP signaling traffic data.
The SIP signaling traffic data is streamed to the Switchblade server, where the SIP data is decoded and VoIP CDRs generated. The VoIP CDRs are written to the database for storage and analysis.
Switchblade Server
The Switchblade server hosts a MySQL database server and additionally functions as a web-server running the SIP Traffic Manager web application. The database stores the VoIP CDRs and executes SQL queries from the web browser on the client PCs.
The Switchblade server typically is a rack mounted Dual CPU Server, 500 to 1000 GByte Hard Disk running Enterprise Linux and uses DDR2 ECC memory for reliability. The Enterprise Linux operating system and the MySQL database server are multi-user.
Switchblade PC’s
The Client PCs run Windows XP and connect to the SIP Traffic Manager application on an Ethernet LAN. The intranet web-server is used for accessing the CDR database and for the real-time display of VoIP calls-in-progress.
A comprehensive set of SQL queries can be executed on the web-server via the client PC, the queries extract and display call statistics matching user selectable criteria.
Useful examples include:
- Identification of major VoIP users.
- Identification of network busy periods.
- Identification of Call Release codes.
- Identification and prediction of the VoIP traffic growth.
Network Planners
The displays provide snap-shots of the usage of the VoIP SIP Traffic on the internet. The processing of the collected VoIP CDR data allows the network planner to identify traffic peak demand and to specify the most effective methods for transit, overflow and alternative traffic routings in conjunction with international accounting rate managers.
Comparison of monthly total incoming route traffic against declared traffic may be used to ensure correct proportionate return traffic in multi-carrier situations. Comparison of the volume of VoIP to traditional voice calls.
Remote Monitoring via Web Browser
The Switchblade is unique in that only authorized persons can gain access to the VoIP CDR data using the SIP Traffic Manager application using a web browser.
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