License

This page explains how channel licensing works in VoIPmonitor, including what constitutes a channel, what happens when you exceed the limit, and how to resolve license lock issues.

What is a Channel License?

A channel license limits the number of concurrent calls processed by the VoIPmonitor GUI. Commercial licenses are sold with a specific channel cap (e.g., 100, 500, 1000 channels).

What Counts as a Channel?

The GUI counts **one channel per call**. For call correlation purposes, the GUI merges CDRs from all legs if the caller and called numbers share at least the last 6 digits.

For example:

Call from 123456001 to 123456002 = 1 channel (caller and called share last 6 digits: 456001 and 456002)
Call from 123456789 to 987654321 = 1 channel (different numbers do not merge)
Multiple calls to different phone numbers are counted separately

What Happens When the License Limit is Exceeded?

When the channel count exceeds your license limit, VoIPmonitor has a grace period before locking:

1. **3-Day Grace Period:** You can exceed the limit for up to 3 consecutive days without any blocking 2. **Day 4 onwards:** The system begins a lockdown process 3. **After 14 Days:** The GUI locks completely

Effects of a Locked GUI

When the GUI becomes locked after exceeding the license limit for more than 14 consecutive days:

**GUI becomes unusable:** You cannot access the web interface
**Alerts are disabled:** No alert notifications will be sent
**Reports are unavailable:** You cannot generate reports
**CSV exports are blocked:** Data export functionality is disabled

What Still Works During Lock

Important: The sniffer continues to operate normally and record all CDRs to the database even when the GUI is locked. Your call data is not lost.

Resolving a License Lock

To unlock your VoIPmonitor GUI after it has been locked due to license limit overage:

Option 1: Upgrade Your License

The recommended solution is to upgrade to a larger channel license:

1. Contact VoIPmonitor support to upgrade your license to a higher channel limit 2. Install the new license key 3. Restart the GUI service

Option 2: Increase License Limit (Temporary)

If you have a higher tier license available but the limit is currently set lower:

1. Update your license key configuration to increase the channel limit 2. Restart the GUI service

Option 3: Remove and Re-compute CDRs

If you need to quickly unlock the GUI without upgrading:

# WARNING: This will delete all existing CDRs from the database
# Make sure you have backups or can re-compute from PCAP files

# Stop VoIPmonitor
systemctl stop voipmonitor

# Connect to MySQL and delete CDRs
mysql -u root -p voipmonitor

# Run these commands in MySQL
TRUNCATE TABLE cdr;
TRUNCATE TABLE cdr_next_partition;
-- Also truncate any cdr_partition_* tables
TRUNCATE TABLE cdr_partition_YYYYMM;
EXIT;

# Restart VoIPmonitor
systemctl start voipmonitor

After deleting the CDRs and restarting, the GUI will recalculate the channel count from the remaining data. If the count is now within the license limit, the GUI will unlock.

Note: This is a destructive operation. Only use this if you can afford to lose historical CDR data.

Option 4: Re-compute CDRs from PCAP Files

If you have PCAP files in your spool directory, you can re-compute CDRs after making changes:

# Stop VoIPmonitor
systemctl stop voipmonitor

# Delete old CDRs (see Option 3 above)

# Re-process PCAP files to regenerate CDRs with the new license settings
voipmonitor --config-file /etc/voipmonitor.conf --readpcapdir /var/spool/voipmonitor

# After processing completes, restart VoIPmonitor normally
systemctl start voipmonitor

Monitoring Your Channel Usage

Check your current channel usage and license limit:

1. Log in to the VoIPmonitor GUI 2. Check the footer or the **About/License** page (often found under the Gear icon or User menu) 3. Look for **Active channels** vs **License limit**

If you consistently hit the limit during peak hours, consider upgrading your license to avoid lock situations.

License Key File Location

The license key file is typically located at:

/var/www/html/voipmonitor/key.php

This file contains your license details including the channel limit. Updates to this file (e.g., when upgrading your license) should be provided by VoIPmonitor support.

AI Summary for RAG

Summary: VoIPmonitor channel licensing limits the number of concurrent calls processed by the GUI, with licenses sold in channel caps (e.g., 100, 500, 1000 channels). The GUI counts one channel per call, merging CDRs from all legs if caller and called numbers share at least the last 6 digits. What constitutes a channel: one channel per SIP call (concurrent dialog). CDR merging logic: merges all legs if caller and called numbers share the last 6 digits. Exceeding the limit consequences: 3-day grace period allows exceeding limit without block; after 3 consecutive days over limit, lockdown process begins; after 14 days total, GUI locks completely. When locked, GUI, alerts, reports, and CSV exports become unusable. The sniffer continues recording all CDRs to database even while locked (sniffer does NOT stop). Resolution options: (1) Upgrade license to higher channel limit (recommended), (2) Increase license limit if higher tier available, (3) Remove and re-compute CDRs from database (destructive - TRUNCATE TABLE cdr and cdr_next_partition, then restart), (4) Re-compute CDRs from PCAP files using --readpcapdir. Monitor usage: check GUI footer or About/License page (Gear icon or User menu) for Active channels vs License limit. License key file location: /var/www/html/voipmonitor/key.php (provided by VoIPmonitor support).

Keywords: channel license, concurrent calls, license limit, GUI lock, license lock, exceed limit, grace period, 14 days lock, unlock GUI, upgrade license, CDR merging, caller called numbers, 6 digits, channel count per call, active channels, license key key.php, re-compute CDR, PCAP restore, sniffer continues recording, GUI locked, alerts disabled, reports unavailable, CSV export blocked

Key Questions:

What happens when I exceed the channel license limit in VoIPmonitor?
How many days can I exceed the license limit before the GUI locks?
What constitutes a channel in VoIPmonitor licensing?
Does VoIPmonitor stop recording CDRs when the license limit is exceeded?
How do I unlock my VoIPmonitor GUI after the license limit lock?
What happens to CDRs when the GUI is locked due to license overage?
How do I check my channel usage vs license limit in VoIPmonitor?
Can I re-compute CDRs to fix a license lock without upgrading?
What is the grace period for exceeding the VoIPmonitor channel license?
Do I have to upgrade my license if the GUI is locked?
How does VoIPmonitor count channels for licensing?
What is the difference between one channel and multiple channels?
How are CDRs merged for channel counting purposes?
Does the sniffer stop when the license limit is reached?
What functionality is disabled when the GUI is locked?
How long can I exceed the channel limit before locking?
Where is the VoIPmonitor license key file located?
How do I upgrade my VoIPmonitor channel license?
Can I delete CDRs to unlock the GUI temporarily?
Does VoIPmonitor have a trial period for exceeding licenses?