Sniffer installation

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for installing the VoIPmonitor sensor (sniffer). The recommended method for all modern Linux distributions is to use the pre-compiled static binary.

Recommended Method: Static Binary Installation

A static binary includes all necessary libraries and is the quickest and most reliable way to get the sensor running on any supported Linux distribution with a kernel version of 2.6.18 or newer.

Step 1: Download the Correct Archive

First, download the latest stable binary for your system's architecture from the official website.

For 64-bit (x86_64) Systems (most common)

wget https://www.voipmonitor.org/current-stable-sniffer-static-64bit.tar.gz -O voipmonitor-sniffer.tar.gz

For 32-bit (i686) Systems

wget https://www.voipmonitor.org/current-stable-sniffer-static-32bit.tar.gz -O voipmonitor-sniffer.tar.gz

For ARMv6/v7 (e.g., Raspberry Pi)

wget https://www.voipmonitor.org/current-stable-sniffer-static-armv6k.tar.gz -O voipmonitor-sniffer.tar.gz

Step 2: Extract and Run the Install Script

The downloaded archive contains an installation script that automates the setup process.

# Extract the archive
tar xzf voipmonitor-sniffer.tar.gz

# Navigate into the newly created directory
# The 'cd voipmonitor-*' command will work regardless of the exact version number
cd voipmonitor-*-static

# Run the installation script with root privileges
./install-script.sh

The `install-script.sh` will:

• Copy the `voipmonitor` binary to `/usr/local/sbin/`.
• Copy the default configuration file to `/etc/voipmonitor.conf`.
• Copy the service startup script to `/etc/init.d/voipmonitor`.
• Attempt to enable the service to start on boot.

Step 3: Initial Configuration

After the installation, you must edit the main configuration file to connect the sensor to your database and set basic parameters.

nano /etc/voipmonitor.conf

At a minimum, configure your database connection settings and the network interface to monitor.

Step 4: Service Management (systemd)

Modern Linux distributions use `systemd` to manage services. Use the following commands to control the sniffer:

Start the service

systemctl start voipmonitor

Stop the service

systemctl stop voipmonitor

Check the service status

systemctl status voipmonitor

Enable the service to start automatically on boot

systemctl enable voipmonitor

For a more detailed `systemd` service file template and advanced options, please see the systemd guide.

Troubleshooting Download Issues

If the primary download URL hangs or fails (especially on Debian 11/12), this is often caused by issues with the chain of redirects to SourceForge mirrors. In such cases, use the alternative direct download link that bypasses the redirects:

Alternative direct download for 64-bit systems

wget https://download.voipmonitor.org/current-stable-sniffer-static-64bit.tar.gz

Alternative direct download for 32-bit systems

wget https://download.voipmonitor.org/current-stable-sniffer-static-32bit.tar.gz

Alternative direct download for ARMv6/v7

wget https://download.voipmonitor.org/current-stable-sniffer-static-armv6k.tar.gz

This alternative URL provides a direct download from voipmonitor.org, avoiding the redirect chain and potential SourceForge-related issues.

Advanced & Special Installation Cases

Installing a Specific or Older Version

If you need a specific version (e.g., one that includes the Wireshark SS7 module), you can find historical releases on the VoIPmonitor SourceForge page.

Copy the download link for the desired file and use it with the `wget` command from Step 1.

Example for version 20.4.4 with the SS7 module

wget https://sourceforge.net/projects/voipmonitor/files/20.4/voipmonitor-wireshark-amd64-20.4.4-static.tar.gz/download -O voipmonitor-sniffer.tar.gz

Then proceed with the extraction and installation as described above.

Installing a Development Build (Manual Upgrade)

If instructed by the support team, you can manually upgrade to a new development build.

# Create a temporary directory and download the new build
mkdir /tmp/new-sniffer && cd /tmp/new-sniffer
wget https://download.voipmonitor.org/some-development-build.tar.gz -O sniffer.tar.gz
tar xzf sniffer.tar.gz

# Stop the current service and back up the old binary
systemctl stop voipmonitor
mv /usr/local/sbin/voipmonitor /usr/local/sbin/voipmonitor.backup

# Copy the new binary into place and start the service
cp voipmonitor-*-static/voipmonitor /usr/local/sbin/voipmonitor
systemctl start voipmonitor

Compiling from Source

For developers or special use cases, you can compile the sniffer from its source code. This is not the recommended method for most users.

Clone the master branch (stable)

git clone https://github.com/voipmonitor/sniffer.git

Or clone the develop branch (latest features)

git clone -b develop https://github.com/voipmonitor/sniffer.git

Then follow the instructions in the `README` file within the repository.

Example of compiling from the source (e.g. for arm64)

Debian12

apt install git make g++ unixodbc-dev libvorbis-dev libmp3lame-dev libmpg123-dev libpcap-dev libssl-dev libsnappy-dev libcurl4-openssl-dev libicu-dev libpng-dev libjpeg-dev libfftw3-dev libjson-c-dev librrd-dev libglib2.0-dev libxml2-dev libmariadb-dev-compat libmariadb-dev libzstd-dev liblz4-dev liblzma-dev liblzo2-dev gnutls-dev libgcrypt-dev libgoogle-perftools-dev 

cd /usr/src
git clone https://github.com/voipmonitor/sniffer.git
cd sniffer
./configure
make
# if exists old binary
mv /usr/local/sbin/voipmonitor /usr/local/sbin/voipmonitor.static

mv /usr/src/sniffer/voipmonitor /usr/local/sbin/voipmonitor

Add these lines to the config:

upgrade_by_git = yes

git_folder = /usr/src/sniffer

AND restart:

service voipmonitor restart

Uninstallation

To completely remove the VoIPmonitor sensor from a system, follow these steps.

For systemd-based Systems (Recommended)

# 1. Stop and disable the service
systemctl stop voipmonitor
systemctl disable voipmonitor

# 2. Remove the service files and binary
rm -f /etc/systemd/system/voipmonitor.service
rm -f /etc/init.d/voipmonitor
rm -f /usr/local/sbin/voipmonitor

# 3. Reload systemd to apply changes
systemctl daemon-reload

# 4. (Optional) Back up and remove the configuration file
mv /etc/voipmonitor.conf /etc/voipmonitor.conf.backup

# 5. (Optional) Delete the spool directory (contains all captured data)
# WARNING: This is irreversible!
# rm -rf /var/spool/voipmonitor

For older SysV-based Systems

Run the following commands to stop the service and remove its files:

/etc/init.d/voipmonitor stop
update-rc.d voipmonitor remove
rm -f /etc/init.d/voipmonitor
rm -f /usr/local/sbin/voipmonitor
mv /etc/voipmonitor.conf /etc/voipmonitor.conf.backup

AI Summary for RAG

Summary: This guide provides a step-by-step process for installing the VoIPmonitor sensor (sniffer). The primary and recommended method is using the pre-compiled static binary, which involves downloading the correct archive for the system architecture (64-bit, 32-bit, or ARM), extracting it, and running the included `install-script.sh`. The guide details the post-installation steps: editing `/etc/voipmonitor.conf` and managing the service with `systemctl` (start, stop, enable). For download issues on Debian 11/12 or other systems where the primary URL fails or hangs due to SourceForge redirect issues, an alternative direct download URL is available at `https://download.voipmonitor.org/` which bypasses the redirect chain. It also covers advanced scenarios, such as installing a specific older version from SourceForge, manually upgrading to a development build, and compiling from source via `git clone`. Finally, it provides complete uninstallation procedures for both modern `systemd` systems and older `SysV` systems, including commands to remove binaries, configuration files, and service links. Keywords: install, installation, setup, sniffer, sensor, static binary, install-script.sh, download, wget, tar.gz, systemd, systemctl, enable on boot, start service, compile from source, git, development build, upgrade, uninstall, remove, SysV, init.d, arm, x86_64, download issues, redirect, SourceForge, alternative download URL Key Questions:

• How do I install the VoIPmonitor sniffer?
• What is the recommended way to install VoIPmonitor?
• Where can I download the latest static binary for the sensor?
• What does the `install-script.sh` do?
• How do I start the voipmonitor service and enable it on boot?
• How can I install an older version of the sniffer?
• How do I completely uninstall or remove the VoIPmonitor sensor?
• What do I do if the wget download hangs or fails on Debian 11/12?
• What is the alternative direct download URL if the primary URL fails?
• How to compile the sniffer from source code?

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