TelcoBridges SBC
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TelcoBridges designs, develops and manufactures carrier-grade telecommunications software and hardware.
From its headquarters in Boucherville (Montreal), QC, CANADA, TelcoBridges performs R&D as well as assembly and testing of its products. TelcoBridges brands include: ProSBC, FreeSBC, Tmedia, Tsig, Ttrans, Tdev, and Tmonitor. These products answer the needs of session border controllers, VoIP gateways, telecom solution development platforms, and real-time network monitoring.
With deployments in more than 100 countries worldwide, TelcoBridges strives to continuously provide the highest standards of Stability, Reliability, and Integrity. To minimise the Total Cost of Ownership [TCO] ,TelcoBridges gateways offer the world’s highest density gateways in the smallest form factor possible, and efficient modern power modules.
TelcoBridges flagship products are our ProSBC and FreeSBC virtual session-border-controllers and Tmedia VoIP media Gateways. These products answer the needs of session border control, VoIP gateways, telecom solution development platforms, and real-time network monitoring.
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FreeSBC & ProSBC
The TelcoBridges FreeSBC and ProSBC are Session Border Controller (SBC) products that provide security, an ease of deployment, IP network adaptation, and peering solutions.
They are software upgradeable from 500 to 60,000 sessions (or 30,000 with 100% transcoding), the ProSBC is the most cost-effective SBC product for service providers and carriers currently available on the market that combines solid protection, IP-to-IP network adaptation, and fast setup time in a single solution.
Characteristics of the FreeSBC and ProSBC
- Back-to-back user agent (B2BUA)
- DOS/DDOS protection, dynamic blacklisting and call access control
- Easy to deploy, operate and manage through various interfaces including a RESTful API
- Integrated network troubleshooting tools (traces, media/signaling recording, test call generation, etc)
- Flexible and extensive routing with SIP headers modification capabilities
- Fit to install on cloud or virtual environment or on baremetal servers
Additional features of ProSBC
- Up to 60,000 simultaneous signaling and media sessions
- Media transcoding
- OSS/BSS Connectors like SNMP, Lawful interception, Radius, CDR
- Call trace and other debugging tools
- TLS/sRTP
For full list of features see: https://freesbc.telcobridges.com/pricing/
Installation (Baremetal)
IMPORTANT: Due to the complex nature of this setup and its multiple environments, the user should check TelcoBridges's documentation or get directly in contact with TelcoBridges for guidance and troubleshooting in case of any configuration issue or question with their respective platform. VoIP.ms will be able to provide only information about their respective network rules and settings.
It is recommended that the configuration of the system is performed by an IT network engineer, a System Administrator, or a person otherwise familiar with SBCs and/or their respective platform.
Requirements
Minimal server requirements:
- 64-bit server
- USB key for installation (or Optical disk drive)
- One Ethernet interface for management
- One or more Ethernet interfaces for SBC processing (LAN/WAN). Must be in the List of supported NICs
- Two Ethernet interfaces, if a 1+1 configuration is required
- Console access through serial port or keyboard/monitor ports or other (i.e. Dell iDrac)
- Support for the "Legacy BIOS mode with MBR partition" or UEFI (UEFI support new with version 3.1.117)
- BIOS setup for maximum performance (no dynamic CPU throttling)
Getting the license and the ISO
In order to get a FreeSBC or ProSBC license and the download links to the ISO, you need to create an account to be able to access Telcobridge's customer dashboard.
You can use this link to log in or to register for a new account: https://dashboard.telcobridges.com/dashboard
To see instructions about how to register and generate the password click on the following link to access the Customer Dashboard User Guide
Installing the ISO
After you have downloaded the ISO create a bootable unit to install it on your server. On Windows, Rufus is known to work with the FreeSBC & ProSBC ISO, however, any similar application should work.
Once the unit is ready with the ISO file, plug it on your server and boot from that drive.
The installation process will reformat the server's disks and install all the necessary software.
Then the "Virtual Appliance Installer" menu should be displayed:
Press the 'R' key followed by the 'ENTER' key to start the installation
Wait for the installation process to complete. When the installation is complete, the server will automatically reboot.
Important: Make sure to remove the unit from the drive while the server is rebooting. If you get back to "Virtual Appliance Installer", just eject the CD or remove the USB flash drive and reboot again.
It may take a couple of minutes for the system to be brought up after the first reboot. Until the Web Portal is accessible, you must not reboot the newly created machine to allow the installation to complete properly.
Assigning the IP address
By default, all detected network interfaces will have DHCP enabled. This means, the server might already have an IP address assigned, if the network has a DHCP server running. In this case, you can display and use it to access the web portal configuration panel.
Use this command to retrieve an IP address assigned by DHCP
# ifconfig
Use the following shell command to change your Ethernet interface address:
# tbchangeip
Accessing the SBC web portal
Once you have retrieved or defined the IP address of the server, open a web browser and go to that IP address on port 12358.
For example, if your server's IP is 192.168.0.58, the URL would be http://192.168.0.58:12358
Web Portal Initial Configuration
Before you begin
The initial configuration of the SBC is carried out by accessing a configuration wizard in a web browser (Chrome, Firefox or other). Before you begin, you must have the following information on hand:
- Product key: In the following VTB-XXX-XXXX format. If you do not have this key, please go to our ProSBC Download site .
- Hostname of the unit. It is important to set the host name correctly and to not modify it later, otherwise you will need a new license.
- Will the system be used as a standalone unit or in a Primary/Secondary configuration?
- Does the system require external transcoding? For example, G.711 to G.729a transcoding
- The role of each of the network interface.
Once you have this information, proceed as described in the following procedures:
Initial configuration of ProSBC or FreeSBC
Access the SBC through its IP address and a configuration wizard will be displayed.
On the first screen, click on Continue.
Accept the EULA agreement.
Enter your activation key and hostname
Enter your SSH and WEB root password
Make sure to note them down somewhere as you'll need them to initiate your server and access the SBC's Web Portal.
Select the configuration of your SBC. Either standalone, or in a Primary/Secondary configuration.
If the system requires external transcoding, select it here. As an example, if the system needs G.711 to G.729a transcoding, then select yes.
In this window, you define the role of the network adapters in the system. The following is a short description of each type:
- mgmt: Used for management of the system (suggested name: mgmt0)
- ctrl0: Used for communication with the external transcoding devices (suggested name: ctrl0)
- ctrl1: Same as ctrl0. Adds redundancy (suggested name: ctrl1)
- LAN/WAN: SIP/RTP access to private network (suggested name: LAN0) or public network (suggested name: WAN0)
When you are done, click Continue.
A Confirmation window is displayed. If you are satisfied with the configuration, click Confirm.
Guide links
Contact TelcoBridges: Contact us
