VPN or Proxy Manager

[neon013]

If I have sites connected via a VPN (via Draytek routers) do I need to use to use 3CX proxy manager to connect the sites?

I am assuming the proxy manager will then need a machine permanently 'on' to make calls - is this correct?

 

[jpillow]

Do you "need/have" to use the SPM, the answer is no you do not have to use the SPM. It will boil down to whatever works best for you and your personal preferences when implementing and using either VPN or SPM

 

[leejor]

VPN has encryption, the 3CX Proxy Manager does not. The proxy manager allows remote sites, with more than a couple of sets to "work properly" but offers no security, if that is a concern. And, yes, it is required to run on a PC, at the remote end.

 

[bardissi]

NEITHER!!!

Session Border Controller for all Remote phones.

We have thousands of extensions on the WAN connected back to 3CX servers using an SBC.

Works great.

 

[SY]

NEITHER!!!

Session Border Controller for all Remote phones.

We have thousands of extensions on the WAN connected back to 3CX servers using an SBC.

Works great.

Hi bardissi,

FYI, "3CX SIP/RTP proxy manager" IS and always WAS a "Session Border Controller"...

 

[bardissi]

Sure but my SBC doesnt need anything installed on the REMOTE SITE!!!!!!

Critical fact!

 

[SY]

Sure but my SBC doesnt need anything installed on the REMOTE SITE!!!!!!

Critical fact!

Then... you can remove this SBC because 3CX PhoneSystem does not require any help

 

[bardissi]

Haha totally disagree but that's OK!

 

[SY]

Haha totally disagree but that's OK!

Same "haha" on my side
Please show the case where "SBC", you mentioned, helps 3CX Phonesystem to work properly with remote extensions...

Thanks

 

[bardissi]

I have 60 cases

3 multitenant servers all remote phones

No 3cx proxy manager at any remote site

No stun

No VPN

No manually opening up ports for individual phones

Drop ship from distributor fully provisioned

Customer plugs phones in at any remote site

We don't have to touch any nat settings on any customer routers or firewalls

 

[tsukraw]

What device are you referring to being used?

 

[bardissi]

No device... SBC in the cloud as a service...

Direct message me if you want me info

 

[sigma1]

SY, let me keep you company with the HAHAHA. Bardissi is simply over-complicating this. Positively no need for an SBC neighboring 3CX, maybe at the remote site. But the SIP Proxy Manager is a very effective SBC.
Anyway, back to the very simple original question, if you already have a site-site VPN you are perfectly fine. No need for STUN, SIP Proxy etc.
Bardissi, please READ the question, he HAS already a SITE-SITE VPN.

 

[bardissi]

No worries Charles everyone can go about this however they want.

We tried site-to-site vpn vs SBC and found that things didn't quite work as well.

@ the end of the day the route needs enough horsepower to handle that kind of traffic via VPN.

So if they are only doing a hand full of phones and the routes at each end are workable that will work sure.

But any type of volume across that VPN may not be a very good story.

 

[sigma1]

Bardissi:

In IT there are many ways to reach the goal. The best way is always the one with the least number of components and the most simple. He should leverage what he already as in place and working well. If hos routers lack horsepower to handle the VPN, and NOTE that he did NOT specify if he is using encryption, maybe he is not and maybe he has a 4-5Mbps circuit so it would be irrelevant. The bottom line is that he needn't any SBC or complicated Enterprise level hardware with added administration work and an additional single point of failure. Keep it simple... works every time. With 198 hosts in our data center (hosts not VMs, notice), we do not use any SBC. Those are for applications where the network engineer is not very capable and needs an easy way to secure the backend and make $$$ with extra labor time. We have thousand of remote extensions, not one Proxy manager nor SBC.

 

[bardissi]

Seems like we are on two different pages on what goes into an SBC and that's ok.

The SBC requires 0 maintenance and 0 extra work to be extremely honest.

All it means is using a different dns / ip enter when going to provision the phones via the 3CX management console using the "Remote extension SIP Proxy Manager Mode"

That's it!

It really cant be any simpler and removed any need for us to mess with customer routers / firewalls, worry about a windows machine going down and the 3CX proxy manager going down with it.

I totally agree with you that the more simple the deployment and roll out the better it is for everyone!

With the SBC option we saw not only a super simplification of the whole process the deployment time went down as well. No need to deal with massive amounts of firewall rules to port forward for individual phones.

Glad you are doing well with your process however if we had to go through the rest of the 14,842 extensions that we are migrating to 3CX out of 18,931 in totally by jumping through more than a provisioning URL and a drop shipment we wouldn't be using 3CX !

 

[sigma1]

Bardissi:

All of our phones ship with only one change... the Server Config File path... Once the client plugs them in they are in business after 1 automated reboot. I truly fail to understand what your SBC has to do with any of this. Sorry, we have just been doing this since.... 1995. As 3CX tech support will verify with you, 99.9% of all remote extension issues reside at the remote end router and their NAT issues. This has NOTHING to do with an SBC neighboring 3CX. Please quit while you are ahead. You have an SBC to isolate your 3CX infrastructure from the outside world at best for security reasons. You can google back and we sustained several massive DOS attacks etc., against our 3CX infrastructure, 3CX did AWESOME with no issues whatsoever and all by itself. 3CX rules!

 

[bardissi]

Security reasons has nothing to do with why we use an SBC.

And to be clear we operate out of 4 geographically seperated data centers and on top of that still use the SBC for on prem deployments where remote phones are needed.

Sounds like your idea of experience of sbc's vs what we are actively doing today are not in the sane boat.

We actually have a dozen other 3cx partners actively using our SBC with their customers and love it.

I feel like if you actually tried it you would prefer the simplicity in it.

Offer is open free of charge for you to send over a public IP that we can whitelist and then send you the info to test with your 3cx server at your facility

 

[sigma1]

Bardissi:

Thank you for the offer, we operate 17 world class data centers and we provide service to hundreds of SIP providers. I think we are very happy with our services. Further, I think we are vastly different in technical know-how, size, scope and sophistication yet we love to keep things simple and reliable without unnecessary devices to interject latency and to manage. 3CX can do the job all by itself and very well too. Would you be interested in US or International routes? We have terrific deals on 10MM minute bundles all on private 10GbE Fiber peered with Tier 1 carriers from Level3, Verizon to Comcast etc. Just $19,000 now.

All the best!

Charles

 

[bardissi]

Unfortunately you wouldn't be offering any value to us.

By the way Charles your reputation proceeds you.

Nice to meet you but seriously you need a bottle of something.

What is your drink of choice I will ship you a christmas present.