FAQ

From VoIPmonitor.org
Revision as of 18:38, 9 January 2026 by Admin (talk | contribs) (Add FAQ about support ticket visibility for users from same organization)


Quick answers to frequently asked questions. For detailed troubleshooting, see Sniffer Troubleshooting and GUI Troubleshooting.

Quick Navigation

General Configuration Licensing Audio & Files

General & Architecture

How does VoIPmonitor scale for high traffic?
For hardware recommendations and optimization of CPU, Disk I/O, and Database bottlenecks, see Scaling and Performance Tuning.
How do I manage disk space and database retention?
See Data Cleaning and Retention for PCAP cleanup (cleanspool) and CDR retention settings.
Can I run multiple GUI instances for redundancy?
Yes. Requirements:
  • All GUIs connect to the same database
  • PCAP storage accessible via NFS/SSHFS
  • Same key.php license file on each GUI

⚠️ Warning: CRITICAL: Enable the cron job on only ONE GUI instance. Multiple active cron jobs cause duplicate alerts and reports. 

# Disable on secondary GUIs:
# * * * * * root php /var/www/html/php/run.php cron
Can one GUI display data from multiple sensors?
Yes. Use the Client-Server architecture (v20+):
  • Local Processing (packetbuffer_sender=no): Sensors analyze locally, send CDRs only
  • Packet Mirroring (packetbuffer_sender=yes): Sensors forward raw packets to central server
See Distributed Architecture for full configuration.

Platform Support

What architectures are supported?
Component Supported Notes
Sensor x86 (32/64-bit), ARMv7/v8 Compile from source for ARM64
GUI x86 only Not supported on ARM64/aarch64
Can I run VoIPmonitor on AWS?
Yes. For license detection: chmod 644 /dev/root
  • Stop/Start instance: HWID usually preserved
  • Terminate/Launch new: HWID changes, requires new license key
Is Docker supported?
Yes, but ensure /proc/self/cgroup content doesn't change between restarts (affects HWID stability).
Are cloud databases (RDS, Azure) supported?
Yes. Requires MySQL-compatible database with SUPER privilege. If unavailable, set:
log_bin_trust_function_creators = ON
Why is mysql_native_password deprecated?
PHP 7.4.4+ supports caching_sha2_password natively. Upgrade PHP and reinstall IonCube Loader. See GUI Installation.

CDR View

What does the red icon mean?
Indicates which party sent the BYE message (ended the call).
How do I filter with regular expressions?
Prefix with R(). Example: R(^500[0-9]{4}$)
How do I exclude values from filters?
Use ! prefix:
  • !123456 – exclude specific number
  • !00420% – exclude prefix
  • 222%, !223% – include 222*, exclude 223*
How do I search multi-word strings in custom headers?
Use underscore for spaces: %normal_call_clearing%
Why are caller/called numbers swapped?
VoIPmonitor extracts from SIP headers (From/To). Check destination_number_mode setting. See CDR Documentation.
Why is there a delay before CDRs appear?
Database can't keep up. See SQL Queue Troubleshooting.

Protocols & Ports

Which protocols are supported?
Supported Not Supported
SIP, Skinny/SCCP, MGCP, SS7/ISUP, Diameter, RTCP H.323, MEGACO/H.248
Why don't I see SIP on ports other than 5060?
Configure additional ports in voipmonitor.conf:
sipport = 5060,5080,8088,8089
See sipport configuration.
How do I enable IPv6?
Set ipv6=yes in config. Existing databases require migration. See IPv6 Guide.
How do I capture REGISTER messages?
Set sip-register=yes. See REGISTER Monitoring.
How do I capture DTMF?
dtmf2db = yes           # RFC2833 and SIP INFO
inbanddtmf = yes        # G.711 only, CPU intensive

RTP & Quality Metrics

Why are quality metrics (MOS, jitter) missing for one call leg?
Usually NAT mismatch – SDP announces different IP than actual RTP source.
Solution: Configure natalias mapping:
# Map public IP to private IP
natalias = 1.2.3.4 10.0.0.100
See NAT Configuration for details.
Why is RTP not correctly associated after moving SIP/RTP to different NICs?
Enable memory blocks for multi-interface scenarios:
auto_enable_use_blocks = yes
Why do recordings mix audio from different calls?
Enable SDP verification on both sides:
rtp_check_both_sides_by_sdp = yes

Licensing

How are license channels calculated?
Based on maximum concurrent calls (averaged hourly, checked daily). View in Tools → System Status → Concurrent calls.
  • Calls are deduplicated if last 6 digits of caller/called match within ±10 seconds
  • 487 Request Terminated responses are NOT counted
What happens if I exceed my limit?
Duration Effect
1-2 days Warning only, self-clearing
3+ consecutive days GUI blocked
How do I unblock a locked GUI?
In Settings > License, click get/update license key – this grants a temporary increase automatically.
I get "Invalid or corrupted hwid" error. What do I do?
Common causes:
  1. Incomplete key: Copy the entire multi-line license key, not just the first line
  2. Wrong field: Use "License token" for short tokens, "License key" for full multi-line keys
  3. AWS: Run chmod 644 /dev/root
  4. Docker: Ensure container ID doesn't change on restart
  5. Trial on different machine: Contact support for a pre-generated key
I get "license file key.php is for another hwid" after hardware change?
In Settings > License, click get/update license key then recheck to fetch new key for current HWID.
I get "Bad Key Content" error?
You're using the wrong field. Short tokens go in "License token" field, then click "get/update license key".
How do I transfer a license to a new server?
  1. Get token from old GUI (Settings > License) or customer portal
  2. On new GUI: paste token, click get/update license key
  3. IMPORTANT: Disable cron on old server to prevent conflicts
Can I use one license on multiple servers (test/dev)?
Yes. Contact support to reconfigure your token for multiple HWIDs.
What are the available license tiers?
10, 35, 50, 100, 150, 200, 350, 500, 750, 1000, 1250, 1500, 1750, 2000

Audio & PCAP Files

Why does call recording stop after exactly 4 hours?
Default absolute_timeout = 14400 (4 hours). Increase or disable:
absolute_timeout = 43200   # 12 hours
# absolute_timeout = 0     # Unlimited (watch memory usage)
Why are WAV files missing for non-G.711 codecs (Opus, G.729)?
Requires vmcodecs binary from GUI package. Install GUI, then restart sensor.
Why is audio playback garbled?
DTLS-SRTP encryption. Configure SSL Key Logger for decryption. See TLS/SRTP Decryption.
Why can't I download PCAP files?
Files deleted by retention limits. Check:
grep maxpoolsize /etc/voipmonitor.conf
grep maxpooldays /etc/voipmonitor.conf
Increase limits and restart. See Data Cleaning.
Why does downloaded PCAP have fewer packets than GUI shows?
Pcap deduplication before download is enabled. Disable in Settings > System Configuration > Advanced.
How do I bulk download audio/PCAP files?
Use GUI API. See Bulk Download Guide.
Can VoIPmonitor detect voicemail calls?
No automatic detection by analyzing RTP audio. Workarounds:
  • Filter by voicemail pilot number
  • Track SIP 302 redirects (save_sip_history = all)
  • Capture custom SIP headers your PBX adds
How do I convert WAV to OGG?
cd /var/spool/voipmonitor
find ./ -name '*.wav' -exec bash -c 'ffmpeg -i "$0" -vn -acodec libvorbis "${0%.wav}.ogg"' {} \;
find ./ -name '*.wav' -exec rm -f {} \;
chown -R www-data:www-data ./
How do I enable live call listening?
Edit configuration.php:
define('DISABLE_LIVEPLAY', false);
See GUI Configuration for details.

Administration

How do I reset admin password?
See User Management.
How do I fix GUI after PHP/OS upgrade?
Re-run installation. See Re-install GUI.
How do I enable debug mode?
Add ?debug=31415 to URL. See GUI Debug Mode.
How do I fix "Unknown column" errors after database upgrade?
Access: https://your-gui/admin.php?check_tables=1

ℹ️ Note: Do NOT use "Check MySQL Schema" button in Tools - that's for millisecond precision only.

Can I run multiple sensor instances on one host?
Yes. See Multiple Instances Guide.
Users from the same organization cannot view each other's support tickets. How can we share access?
Support tickets are associated with individual email addresses. To enable team-wide ticket visibility, merge all user accounts under a single main email address. Contact VoIPmonitor support to consolidate multiple accounts into one organization account.

Compliance

PCI Compliance

How do I disable audio recording?
savertp = header    # Headers only, no audio
savertp = no        # No RTP at all
dtmf2db = no        # No DTMF to database
dtmf2pcap = no      # No DTMF to PCAP
How do I selectively record calls?
Use Capture Rules to enable/disable recording based on IP, number, or SIP headers.
How do I disable live listening?
  • Settings > System Configuration > Advanced: Enable "Hide live play" and "Hide WAV play"
  • Edit configuration.php: define('DISABLE_LIVEPLAY', true);
  • Edit config/system_configuration.php: define('DISABLE_LIVE_SNIFFER', true);

CALEA Compliance

How do I export data to CALEA systems?
Use GUI API methods getPCAP and getVoiceRecording. See CALEA Integration Guide.

See Also


AI Summary for RAG

Summary: VoIPmonitor FAQ organized by topic. General: scaling (link to Scaling page), multiple GUI instances (requires same DB, NFS storage, single cron job to prevent duplicate alerts), client-server architecture for multi-sensor. Platform: x86 required for GUI (ARM64 not supported), AWS/Docker/cloud DB supported. CDR: regex filters with R() prefix, exclusion with ! prefix, underscore for multi-word search. Protocols: SIP, Skinny/SCCP, MGCP, SS7, Diameter supported; H.323 and MEGACO NOT supported. RTP: natalias for NAT mismatch causing missing quality metrics, auto_enable_use_blocks for multi-interface, rtp_check_both_sides_by_sdp for mixed audio. Licensing: concurrent calls averaged hourly, 3+ consecutive days over limit locks GUI, get/update button for temporary increase, common HWID errors (incomplete key, wrong field, AWS chmod, Docker cgroup). Audio: absolute_timeout default 4 hours (14400s), vmcodecs needed for non-G.711, DTLS-SRTP causes garbled audio. Admin: admin.php?check_tables=1 for schema errors after DB upgrade. Compliance: savertp=header/no for PCI, capture rules for selective recording, DISABLE_LIVEPLAY for hiding playback.

Keywords: faq, license, hwid, concurrent calls, absolute_timeout, natalias, auto_enable_use_blocks, rtp_check_both_sides_by_sdp, vmcodecs, savertp, capture rules, multiple gui, cron duplicate alerts, admin.php check_tables, schema error, H.323 not supported, MEGACO not supported, ARM64 not supported, sipport, ipv6, dtmf, PCI compliance, CALEA

Key Questions:

  • How do I fix "Invalid or corrupted hwid" license error?
  • Why does call recording stop after 4 hours?
  • Why are quality metrics missing for one call leg?
  • How do I run multiple GUI instances without duplicate alerts?
  • What protocols does VoIPmonitor support (H.323? MEGACO?)?
  • How do I fix "Unknown column" database errors after upgrade?
  • Can VoIPmonitor automatically detect voicemail calls?
  • How do I transfer my license to a new server?
  • Why is audio playback garbled or distorted?
  • How do I disable audio recording for PCI compliance?
  • Does VoIPmonitor GUI run on ARM64?
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