Cloud

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Revision as of 18:35, 9 January 2026 by Admin (talk | contribs) (Add critical buffer memory calculation formula for EC2 instance resizing)

VoIPmonitor Cloud Service

The VoIPmonitor Cloud Service is a managed hosting model where you run only the on-premise sniffer, while VoIPmonitor hosts and manages the database and web GUI.

Service Specifications

Specification Value
Max Concurrent Channels 2000
CDR Retention 25 days
PCAP Storage Local only (on sniffer, not in cloud)

ℹ️ Note: If your requirements exceed these limits, consider an on-premise deployment.

Architecture

Data Flow

  • Sniffer (Client): Captures and processes VoIP traffic locally. Multiple sniffers can connect from different locations.
  • Cloud (Server): Hosts the database (CDR metadata) and web GUI for analysis and reporting.

How Data is Transferred

Standard Mode (Default)

The sniffer analyzes traffic locally and sends only CDR metadata to the cloud. Voice packets (PCAP) are discarded after analysis. This minimizes bandwidth usage.

On-Demand PCAP Retrieval

If packet capture is enabled via Capture Rules, PCAPs are stored locally on the sniffer. When a user requests a PCAP through the cloud GUI, the file streams directly from the sniffer to the user's browser - it is never uploaded to the cloud.

Quick Start

Free Trial

  1. Log in to VoIPmonitor Portal
  2. Navigate to my services
  3. Order the free 30-day Cloud GUI trial

Method 1: Installation Script (Recommended)

  1. Download the installation script from VoIPmonitor Portal (my services > your Cloud service)
  2. Run on your sniffer server:
chmod +x voipmonitor-cloud-install.sh
sudo ./voipmonitor-cloud-install.sh

The script automatically installs and configures everything.

Method 2: Manual Configuration

Edit /etc/voipmonitor.conf: 

server_destination = cloud.voipmonitor.org
server_destination_port = 60023
packetbuffer_sender = yes

systemctl restart voipmonitor

💡 Tip: For general client-server architecture details, see Sniffer_distributed_architecture.

AWS EC2 Configuration

When deploying on AWS, configure resource limits to prevent memory exhaustion and disk full conditions.

Required Parameters

Parameter Purpose Recommended Value
ringbuffer Packet capture buffer size (MB) 50-100 (low traffic), 500-1000 (medium), 1000-2000 (high)
max_buffer_mem Max memory for buffers (MB) 500 for t3.small, 2000 for m5.large+
maxpoolsize Max PCAP storage (MB) Set to ~80% of available disk
spooldir PCAP storage path Use EBS volume (gp3/io2), not instance store

⚠️ Warning: Always set maxpoolsize - without it, VoIPmonitor will fill the disk until the system crashes.

Example AWS Configuration

For m5.large (8GB RAM, 100GB EBS gp3): 

# Cloud connection
server_destination = cloud.voipmonitor.org
server_destination_port = 60023
packetbuffer_sender = yes

# Sensor ID
id_sensor = 1

# Capture interface (typically eth0 or ens5 on AWS)
interface = eth0

# AWS resource limits
ringbuffer = 500
max_buffer_mem = 2000
spooldir = /var/spool/voipmonitor
maxpoolsize = 102400

AWS License Fix

AWS EC2 instances require this permission for license checks: 

chmod 644 /dev/root


Resizing EC2 Instances

When resizing an EC2 instance to a different size, you 'must adjust max_buffer_mem and ringbuffer to fit the new instance's RAM limits. If you keep old settings from a larger instance, VoIPmonitor may crash or fail to start due to insufficient memory.

=== Buffer Memory Formula

The total memory allocated for buffers is calculated as:

Allocated RAM for Buffers = max_buffer_mem + count(interface) x ringbuffer

Ensure this total fits within your instance's available RAM, leaving room for other processes (GUI, database, operating system).

=== Reducing Instance Size Example

Resizing from c7i.4xlarge (32GB RAM) to c7i.xlarge' (8GB RAM):

Before resize (32GB instance): 

ringbuffer = 500
max_buffer_mem = 6000  # Total: 6000 + 1 x 500 = 6500 MB = 6.35 GB

After resize (8GB instance): 

ringbuffer = 200
max_buffer_mem = 1000  # Total: 1000 + 1 x 200 = 1200 MB = 1.17 GB

=== Increasing Instance Size

When moving to a larger instance, you can increase buffer limits to handle higher traffic volumes. See Scaling Guide for tuning guidance.

⚠️ Warning: Always restart the VoIPmonitor service after changing buffer settings: systemctl restart voipmonitor

Troubleshooting

Sensor Not Appearing in Cloud

First-Time Setup
Initialize Database

If you see failed read rsa key or loss connection errors, you must first log in to the Cloud GUI to initialize your database:

  1. Log in to Cloud GUI with your portal credentials
  2. This creates the necessary database tables
  3. Restart the sniffer: systemctl restart voipmonitor
  4. Verify sensor appears green in Settings -> Sensors
Verify Configuration
grep -E "server_destination|packetbuffer_sender" /etc/voipmonitor.conf

Required settings: 

server_destination = cloud.voipmonitor.org
server_destination_port = 60023
packetbuffer_sender = yes
Check Network Connectivity
nc -zv cloud.voipmonitor.org 60023

Ensure outbound TCP to port 60023 is allowed through all firewalls (local, corporate, cloud provider).

ARM64 Architecture Issue

On ARM64 (aarch64) systems, a known bug prevents cloud connectivity. Contact VoIPmonitor support for a corrected ARM64 static binary.

Symptoms:

  • Sensor runs locally (visible in logs)
  • Configuration is correct
  • Firewall allows traffic
  • Sensor does not appear in Cloud GUI

Solution: 

systemctl stop voipmonitor
# Download corrected binary from support
mv /usr/local/sbin/voipmonitor /usr/local/sbin/voipmonitor.backup
cp voipmonitor-arm64-fixed /usr/local/sbin/voipmonitor
systemctl start voipmonitor

See Also


AI Summary for RAG

Summary: VoIPmonitor Cloud Service is a managed hosting model where customer runs on-premise sniffer while VoIPmonitor hosts database and web GUI. Service limits: 2000 concurrent channels, 25 days CDR retention, PCAP stored locally only. Free 30-day trial via portal. Setup: use installation script from portal or manually configure server_destination=cloud.voipmonitor.org, server_destination_port=60023, packetbuffer_sender=yes. Sniffer sends only CDR metadata to cloud; PCAPs stay local and stream on-demand. AWS deployment requires resource limits: ringbuffer, max_buffer_mem, maxpoolsize (critical to prevent disk full), and chmod 644 /dev/root for license. Troubleshooting: first-time users must log into Cloud GUI to initialize database (fixes "failed read rsa key"); ARM64 requires special binary from support.

Keywords: cloud service, hosted GUI, on-premise sniffer, server_destination, packetbuffer_sender, port 60023, CDR metadata, PCAP local storage, on-demand download, AWS, EC2, ringbuffer, max_buffer_mem, maxpoolsize, EBS volume, ARM64, cloud database initialization, failed read rsa key, loss connection, free trial, 2000 channels, 25 days retention

Key Questions:

  • How do I connect my sniffer to VoIPmonitor Cloud?
  • What are the required voipmonitor.conf settings for cloud connectivity?
  • Is my call data (PCAP) stored in the cloud?
  • How do I configure VoIPmonitor on AWS EC2?
  • What is the recommended maxpoolsize for AWS instances?
  • Why is my sensor not appearing in Cloud interface?
  • How do I fix "failed read rsa key" error?
  • Does VoIPmonitor Cloud offer a free trial?
  • What are the cloud service limits (channels, retention)?
  • How do I fix ARM64 cloud connectivity issues?
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