Goal

This guide helps you setup a simple, mature and flexible open source SIP server. OpenSER can be used on systems with limitted resources as well as on carrier grade servers, scaling to up to thousands call setups per second.

Applicability

OpenSER includes all major entity of a SIP Network. It is a registrar, location server, proxy server, redirect server, gateway to SMS/XMPP, or advanced VoIP application server.

Prerequisites (OS, dependencies on other software)

• Linux/Unix OS

Installation (OS agnostic)

Read first carefully the INSTALL file, paying especially attention to section 3C) and 3D).

Configuration (OS agnostic)

The configuration is located in /etc/openser. The default configuration is ready for a very simple setup and for some very basic tests. You can already try to register to the SIP server.

Troubleshooting with ngrep

Before you try to register to your SIP server make sure udp and tcp port 5060 are open. Use ngrep for tracing SIP messages on the SIP server. Useful commands are:

ngrep port 5060 
ngrep -d eth0 port 5060
ngrep -q 'test_user_name' 

Troubleshooting with the xlog module

For debugging purposes, it may be very helpful to use the xlog module, which logs directly with syslog.

Add the following line to the /etc/syslog.conf file:

# OpenSER messages 
# make sure this spacing is done with tabs, spaces may cause errors 
local7.* /var/log/openser 

# remove local7 from syslog and messages 
*.*;auth,authpriv.none,local7.none -/var/log/syslog 
*.=info;*.=notice;*.=warn;\ 
mail,news.none,local7.none -/var/log/messages 

And add the following line to the openser.cfg:

log_facility=LOG_LOCAL7 
;Add the xlog module: 
loadmodule "/usr/lib/openser/modules/xlog.so"

It is particular helpful for logging variables. You can add e.g. follwing line at the beginning of the default route.

xlog("L_INFO", "request method: [$rm], from URI: [$fu], To URI: [$tu]");

The full set of variables is available on http://openser.org/docs/pseudo-variables.html

Control server with openserctl

With sudo openserctl moni you can monitor the state of your openser (whether it is actually running after the installation).

openserctl is located in /usr/sbin, which is not by default in the user PATH. To use openserctl as a non-priviledged user you need to add the path to the environment export $PATH=PATH:/usr/sbin or call with the full path /usr/sbin/openserctl. Addionally you have to change permissions for the fifosockets. Add the following line in /etc/openser/openser.cfg.

sock_group="staff" # openser socket/fifo group, e.g. staff

If you don't want to type the read/write password every time you make a change via openserctl, you can add the following lines to your /etc/openser/openserctlrc. This is also a good moment to configure the SIP domain.

## password for database read/write user 
DBRWPW=openserrw 
## your SIP domain 
SIP_DOMAIN=yoursipdomain.ch