Voice over IP at the University of Ottawa Pete Hickey

1. Voice over IP at theUniversity of OttawaPete Hickey

2. Our traditional phone system • Network of 8-ish MITEL SX2000 • Each switch connects to a ‘per’ via fibre. • System mimics old style routers/hubs • Very redundant • Multiple paths • Multiple Bell feeds from multiple COs

3. Our traditional phone system • Most phones digital • We do monthly rental/long distance • Own crew for install/cable • Mitel tech to manage the switch. • « This system been verry verry good to me. »

4. Organization • Orginagram goes here

5. Why go to Voice over IP • Its cool! • “we want VoIP if it works or not.” • Get our feet wet • Partnered with Mitel.

6. Why not go to Voice over IP • Cost savings? • OSI networks, ATM, FDDI, Token-Ring • Bleeding edge pain • If it ain’t fixed, don’t broke it.

7. Why Mitel • Little experience in data world • Lots of experience in voice world • Feature transparency across VoIP and traditional • Seamless integration into current system. • One management platform covers both IP and traditional • No increased cost of operation in theory

8. Where to install • New SITE building • State of the art phones on a state of the art network in a nifty new building. • 200-300 phone were expected. Just over 200 so far. • We’re not stupid enough to beta test on real people • We used CCS staff first.

9. The test • Phone 1 installed main campus • Phone 2 installed remote campus • 4KM spread Spectrum • 2 router hops • Radio on remote phone • Remote called local, traditional • Listened to loopback of radio • Local listened to radio for few days

10. The pilot • 40 people in CCS were given VoIP phones • 2 models, web & traditional • Beta testing can be painful • When phone rebooted, PC was out of service • More upset at loosing computer than phone • Note the paradigm change

11. SITE install • Over 200 users installed. • Not a disaster. • Proffs have web phones.

12. MITEL system • Phone plugs into wall • PC plugs into phone. • Phone powered through ethernet • Central controller almost identical to SX2000 • Both traditional and IP • Same other interfaces (T1, E1, ISDN, etc)

13. Issues • Supplier doesn’t understand data • Boot process • Security • Power • Who does what • Debugging • Pricing/chargeback doesn’t fit.

14. Issues part 2 • Dealing with supplier • Weird users • A new world for phone people • 911 • Eggs in a basket • Phones, PCs, HVAC, fire alarms? • Power failure operation for data

15. A new world for voice people • What used to be a plain wire is now as complex as the entire phone system. • Other things may be effected by phone system • Phone system may effect other things. • Concepts are different • Moving phone easy • fear

16. Security • Encrypted conversations not much of a concern • Fears are DOS attacks. • Accidental wrong IP address assignment. • Prof plugs traffic generator in the wrong way. • Security of the server: NT based? Running IIS? • MITEL assumes their equipment lives on a secure trusted net.

17. Security answers • Phones installed on a separate network • 192.168.x.y • Firewall between networks. • Switch port is a trunk • 802.1Q • Phone on one network, PC on another.

18. How to separate VLANs • Cisco’s is proprietary. We have to do things using existing standards. • Switch port is a trunk. Native VLAN is the one for the PC. • Phone boots, gets temporary IP address from our DHCP server with optional parms. • Optional parms tell it to set itself up on another VLAN • Phone boots again on other VLAN, and gets its permanent address

19. ISSUE • CCS runs a DHCP server for all campus except one place SITE

20. Power • Not yet standard • Although we have a 6500 with power supply-able boards, we must use a power injector box • ‘intelligent’ dongle enables phone to get power. • PC can be safely plugged into wall • BUT NOT INTO DONGLE • Newer phone will have internal dongle

21. Debugging • Debugging involves many people • Phone, data, dhcp-owner, etc • Difficult to get in touch with supplier”s data people • Wasted time when wrong person tries to solve “simple” problem

22. Who does what • Data crew involved a lot early • Phone crew now doing data installs. • New debugging tools needed for phone guys • New training required for phone crew • Calls were going to different people semi-simultaneously • New procedures were established.

23. Supplier doesn’t understand concerns. • They don’t know data • Still can’t find out how web browsing works. • Don’t understand our security concerns.

24. SITE install • Over 200 users installed. • Not a disaster. • Proffs have web phones.

25. Dealing with supplier • In the voice world, they are the expert. • Not used to dealing with customers who know more than their best techs do. • No direct line to their good data people • A duplex mismatch problem took forever to solve

26. Weird users • Phones are good. • Standard. • Users can’t muck with the interface • Them was the good old days. • Those with multi-pc offices are plugging cheap hubs into the phone • Those with sniffers are trying to catch the data • Old computers don’t work well

27. 911 • Simple: Combine your net management platform with your 911/phone system. • I told you they don’t understand data. • We have a good 911 system in the phone world. • Phones are not as portable as sales people claim. • Net port must be enabled. • Most ports on campus are still 10M hubs

28. Eggs in a basket • Yep. • Important to have UPS and redundant paths. • Staff on 24x7 call?

29. Voice over IP at theUniversity of OttawaPete Hickey