8. Recorder Software Installation and Upgrade¶

Software Upgrades are made available for NexLog DX-Series™ regularly. They include new features, system security updates, and refinements.

Just as with any computer, Eventide NexLog DX-Series™ Recorders require a software operating system and a number of application programs to be functional and to perform useful work. The operating system in this case is Linux, and the application programs are a combination of standard programs and programs written and maintained by Eventide to work with its custom hardware environment.

As part of the manufacturing process, Eventide installs the recorder software. Because the recorder software development is an on-going process, Eventide occasionally creates software upgrades to bring older recorders up to the current software version. It is sometimes desirable or even necessary to apply these upgrades to recorders at the customer site, and the purpose of this section is to explain the process so that customers can confidently perform upgrades (and even installations) without factory intervention.

8.1. Why Re-Installation May Be Necessary¶

The recorders use redundant disks, so a single drive failure should not cause loss of data or software. However, if multiple disks in an array fail due to a common cause (e.g., lightning or other power surge), you will have to re-install the software when they are replaced.

8.2. Why Upgrades May Be Necessary or Desirable¶

There are several reasons why you may need to do an upgrade:

Hardware upgrades or changes require new software
Valuable features are available in the new release
Factory support requires a more recent software version
Problems (bugs) are found in the version currently running

8.3. Software Access Subscription¶

NexLog DX-Series™ Recorder Software is licensed on a subscription basis. See your recorder’s System: License Keys page or System: Upgrade to check the date your subscription is valid through. Only software released prior to this date will be valid for this recorder. Please contact your reseller for more information on extending your software subscription.

To be clear: if your Software Access Subscription is valid through May 1, 2021, and the version you want to upgrade to was released April 6th, 2021, you will be able to perform the upgrade on May 5th, 2021. It is the date that the Full Upgrade was released that is limited, not the date of applying the Full Upgrade.

8.4. The Software Upgrade/Installation Process¶

The actual process of upgrading (or re-installing) your software is simple and much of it is automated. It goes like this:

First, prepare for upgrading by:

Archive your call data!
Archive your recorder configuration!
Remove all archive media.

Second, choose an upgrade method:

Using the Front Panel of the recorder:

Boot to an Eventide Software Distribution DVD-ROM, at the front panel. This is the only way to do a fresh install that overwrites all data on the recorder, but it can also be used to upgrade the recorder.

Using Configuration Manager via a web browser:

Upload Full Upgrade Image from your Desktop: Upload an upgrade.zip file and reboot the recorder to upgrade. The file name must fit the pattern “NexlogDX-20##.#[#]upgrade.zip” (for example “NexlogDX-2021.2[314]upgrade.zip”) and will be verified as a real upgrade file before a reboot takes place.

From the Front Panel or Configuration Manager:

Download Full Upgrade Image from Eventide VPN Server: This will end with (VPN Not Connected) if VPN settings have not been configured and enabled.
Import Full Upgrade Image from an Archive Drive: If you have an NexlogDX-202X.X[XXX]-upgrade.zip image on a USB drive or blu-ray, you can insert it into the recorder and upgrade with this option.

8.4.1. Boot to an Eventide Software Distribution DVD-ROM¶

Insert the Eventide software distribution DVD-ROM in the top DVD drive.
Power down the recorder.
Restore power.
Wait until the software loads.
You should see a page that looks like this:

Fig. 8.1 Installer/Upgrader¶

If installing, click Install, and see the Install specific instructions below. This will erase all data on the recorder.
If upgrading, it should correctly identify your software. Click upgrade to continue. A page like this one will appear:

Fig. 8.2 Upgrade¶

Click Upgrade and the upgrade will begin.
When finished, the DVD-ROM will eject automatically. Remove it from the tray.
Touch the touch screen or hit enter to reboot.
Wait until the new software completes its initialization.

Important! You may need to wait 20 minutes or more for an upgrade. Average wait time is under 10 minutes.

8.4.1.1. Install Specific Instructions¶

After clicking Install, you will see a page like this:

Fig. 8.3 Install¶

Unless Eventide Service or your dealer tells you otherwise, click Automatic Install.
The Install will then begin.
When finished, the DVD-ROM will eject automatically. Remove it from the tray.
Touch the touch screen or hit enter to reboot.
Wait until the new software completes its initialization.
Restore your configuration.
Restore your archives, beginning with the most recent first.

This completes the procedure.

8.4.2. Upload Full Upgrade Image from your Desktop¶

Upload Full Upgrade Image from your Desktop: Upload an upgrade.zip file and reboot the recorder to upgrade. The file name must fit the pattern “NexlogDX-2020.1[601]-upgrade.zip” and will be verified as a real upgrade file before a reboot takes place.

You have the option to set this to automatically reboot and apply the upgrade once upload and verification of the image is completed. If you leave this unset, reboot manually from the System: Power Off page when ready to upgrade.

Important! You may need to wait 20 minutes or more for an upgrade. Average wait time is under 10 minutes.

8.4.3. Download Full Upgrade Image from Eventide VPN Server¶

If the recorder is configured to have VPN access to Eventide, you can kick off an upgrade from here. This option will show (VPN Not Connected) if VPN settings have not been configured and enabled.

8.4.4. Import Full Upgrade Image from an Archive Drive¶

Copy NexlogDX-202X.X[XXX]-upgrade.zip image on a USB drive or blu-ray, insert to the recorder and use the System: Upgrade Recorder Software page to apply this upgrade to the recorder by selecting this option. It will offer a list of all Eventide Upgrade Media present in the recorder. Select one of these and proceed to select which upgrade image on the drive to upgrade to.

Fig. 8.4 USB Upgrade In Progress, with Automatic Reboot Option¶

You have the option to set this to automatically reboot and apply the upgrade once upload and verification of the image is completed. If you leave this unset, reboot manually from the System: Power Off page when ready to upgrade.

8.5. Some Details, Especially About Installation¶

If you do an install on top of an existing system, all your calls will be erased. If you have archived your calls, you can restore them as described in the next section: Restoring Archives When Installing New Software. An upgrade will theoretically leave your calls in the same state as they were earlier, and, in fact, it almost always does. But why take chances? You should be archiving anyway, so can it hurt to be up to date?

If you do a new installation, you will have to reconfigure the recorderx in accordance with the Setup instructions. This is greatly simplified by the Read/Write Configuration to Archive featxure. Please read the information in SETUP carefully before you start the installation!

If you upgrade the recorder, be sure to read the release notes or other information to see if there are any new SETUP items that must be configured.

8.5.1. Restoring Archives When Installing New Software¶

In the Archiving section of the SETUP mode there is a menu item “Archive restore.” If you insert previously–recorded archive media into one or more drives, it will allow you to select that drive with the knob and perform a restore operation; i.e., copy the calls from that medium back to RAID. Several checks are performed before the medium is transferred:

Does the serial number of the recorder that recorded the archive medium agree with that of the destination recorder?
Are the channel names of the recorder the same as the destination?
Does the format of the data on the archive conform to that of the destination?
Is there any problem with or damage to the archive medium data to be transferred?
Are any of these calls duplicates of calls already on the recorder?
User confirmation: Are you sure you want to go ahead with the transfer?

If none of these apply to the medium, or if you indicated that you wish to proceed anyway, the archive transfer will commence. All drives operate independently. You can restore archive media in all available drives, or you can even record archives on one medium while restoring from another.

Important! The restoration process will delete the oldest calls on the recorder to make room for the restored calls. In some cases, this will be the calls being restored. Always restore from the most recent archive backwards.

If you are restoring archives after a new installation, set the current archive time to make sure that new archives are only recorded from the present forward. If you don’t set this and begin new archiving after you have restored your archives from a previous installation, you might find yourself “re-archiving” the restored archives.

8.5.2. Potential Issues¶

For the most part, the process is automated. At least for an upgrade, beyond inserting/removing the disk, removing/applying power, and exhibiting patience, there is little for you to do.

One problem that can occur is failure to recognize the medium in the upgrade drive (the one in which you place the DVD). If this happens, the recorder just powers up normally and the DVD never ejects. In such a case, manually eject the DVD, and again shut down the unit. Next, visually inspect the medium, confirm it has no scratches, it’s clean, it’s right-side-up, and it’s carefully centered in the drive tray. Then try again. If the drive persistently refuses to recognize the DVD, yet works correctly when archiving, you probably have a defective upgrade DVD, or one that differs enough from the drive’s calibration to make reading the DVD problematic. You can try copying the DVD-ROM to another blank one, burning a new one, requesting a replacement, etc.

Much less common: The DVD can’t be read completely, and the upgrade/install process hangs up and the DVD does not eject. In this case, try the procedure again from the beginning. For an installation, no damage will be done as long as the install eventually completes correctly. For an upgrade, there is a possibility that configuration information will have been lost, in which case it can be restored manually or from the configuration archive that you made before starting the upgrade. Do NOT, however, try to resume normal recorder operation until the upgrade has completed normally.

Note: Please read the release notes. Software upgrades will normally come with printed information, and possibly with a README file on the disk. If anything in the release notes contradicts something you read here, go with the release notes!

9. Channel Wiring for Analog Input Boards¶

All Eventide NexLog DX-Series™ recorders that are equipped to record analog telephone calls (POTS) are furnished with one or more analog input boards. Eventide provides 8-, 16-, and 24-channel analog input boards. Boards of any channel count will contain standard pin-outs on the Telco connector.

For standard pin-out assignments, see the Analog Board Standard Pin-Outs (8-, 16-, and 24-Channel Boards) table below.

The Eventide Quick Install Kits available for these boards come with cables that compensate (if necessary) for the pin ordering so that when wiring the punch down blocks, the lines are in order according to normal telephone company practice. Contact your Eventide representative to purchase your Quick Install Kit.

Table —Analog Board Standard Pin-Outs (8-, 16-, and 24-Channel Boards)

Chan	Pins	Chan	Pins	Chan	Pins	Chan	Pins	Chan	Pins	Chan	Pins
1	1 + 26	5	5 + 30	9	9 + 34	13	13 + 38	17	17 + 42	21	21 + 46
2	2 + 27	6	6 + 31	10	10 + 35	14	14 + 39	18	18 + 43	22	22 + 47
3	3+ 28	7	7 + 32	11	11 + 36	15	15 + 40	19	19 + 44	23	23 + 48
4	4 + 29	8	8 + 33	12	12 + 37	16	16 + 41	20	20 + 45	24	24 + 49

10. Alert Codes¶

In the course of operation, the recorder may generate a variety of alerts, which are messages about aspects of the system operation. These messages have different severity levels that range from informational messages to severe errors. You can configure how alert notification is handled, as well as other alert features.

This section describes how to configure alert notification, including where to display and email the alerts. It also provides the following information about alert messages:

*Table 12—Alert Severity Levels*: A list of alert severity levels and descriptions.
*Table 13—Alert Messages* below: A list of alert messages, including the alert code, severity level, & message text.

Resolved alerts are not new alerts (and are not Info alerts). MediaWorks receives only active alerts. Active alerts are resolved by a system process (e.g., when you replace a RAID), and are established by the RequireResolution flag (system centric name). Non-active alerts are one-time alerts that are not resolved by the system and may require user intervention. Most alerts are active alerts (~30 non-active).

Table 10.1 **Alert Severity Levels**¶
Level	Name	Description
1	Info	An informational message or notice that does not require acknowledgement. Example: Alert #8, “Recorder Startup.”
2	Warning	Indicates trouble. Example: Alert #6004, “Primary RAID mount failed and the recorder recovered when secondary mount succeeded.”
3	Error	Indicates an error that could result in possible loss of data. Example: Alert #5010, “The UPS on recorder <name> was found but is not functioning properly.”
4	Severe Error	Indicates a serious problem. Example: Alert #9024, “Analog input Board <name> has malfunctioned and has been disabled.”

Table 10.2 **Alert Messages**¶
CODE	ALERT TEXT	SEVERITY
0	blank	INFO
1	The system has received a test alert	INFO
2	The system has received a test alert(Auto Resolution)	INFO
3	The system has received a test alert(Manual Resolution)	INFO
5	The recorder <~1~>, has lost the network connection	WARNING
7	the <~110~> archive drive has been removed or is not functioning.	ERROR
8	Recorder Startup	INFO
9	The process <~110~> has malfunctioned on recorder <~1~>. No data loss or user intervention is expected.	INFO
10	The process <~110~> has malfunctioned on recorder <~1~>. Secondary systems may temporarily behave unexpectedly. No data loss or user intervention is expected	ERROR
11	The process <~110~> has malfunctioned on recorder <~1~>. The system is attempting to recover. Recent Data may have been lost	ERROR
14	The recorder was not properly shut down. This can cause serious loss of data. The shutdown time was approximately <~110~>.	WARNING
15	Recorder Shutdown	INFO
16	An error occurred while shutting down the system. Current archived data may be damaged.	WARNING
18	The system has detected a time change on the recorder. The time has changed from <~110~> to <~111~> in the elapsed time of <~112~> seconds. This may be normal.	INFO
21	Recorder time is not synchronized to any configured time source.	INFO
22	At least one configured time source is not currently reachable.	INFO
23	The process <~110~> has been manually terminated	INFO
24	<~110~><~111~><~112~><~113~>	INFO
25	This is a test email sent from recorder <~1~> at facility <~2~>	INFO
26	The system temperature of recorder <~1~> has exceeded the normal operating range. The system temperature is <~110~> C.	ERROR
27	Network cable unplugged	INFO
27	Network cable unplugged	INFO
28	Unable to contact ntpd.	INFO
50	Initial version <~110~> installed at <~111~>	INFO
51	Upgrade to version <~110~> from version <~111~> completed at <~112~>	INFO
52	The recorder does not have a valid license key. You are currently on day <~110~> of your 7 day grace period.	WARNING
53	The recorder does not have a valid license key. After a 7 day grace period, certain recorder functionality will be blocked until a valid license key is entered.	ERROR
54	The recorder has recorded calls that are later than the current recorder time. These calls will not get archived and may cause problems when you attempt to display them. Check the system clock and time zone. Contact Eventide for further info.	INFO
55	A valid license key has been entered.	INFO
56	An Integrated Metadata feed went <~110~> minutes without providing data.	WARNING
57	Configured Feature Add-on “<~110~>” exceeds the capabilities licensed	WARNING
58	Push upgrades to previous versions are not supported. Current version is “<~110~>” and an upgrade was attempted to version “<~111~>”	WARNING
59	The Metadata feed for channel <~110~> appears to be missing. <~111~> calls were recorded without providing metadata.	ERROR
60	Local RTP Engine Config Issue: <~110~>	ERROR
61	Recorder running inside VMWare, but no Keylok Dongle Found or No License key allowing Virtualization installed on Recorder.	SEVERE
62	The system hardware is not in the configuration database. The hardware has been identified as <~110~>	ERROR
63	Configured Feature Add-on “<~110~>” exceeds the capabilities licensed	WARNING
64	The operating system detected a fault and needed to be restarted.	ERROR
65	Remote vocoder is not responding: host <~110~>’	INFO
66	Remote vocoder encounterd an error: <~110~>’	INFO
67	The Recorder is contains an expired temporary addon license key	INFO
100	Kernel stopped process <~110~> : <~111~>	SEVERE
100	Kernel stopped process <~110~> : <~111~>	SEVERE
101	Initialization Error for Component: <~110~> : <~111~>	ERROR
102	The CPU temperature of recorder <~1~> has exceeded the normal operating range. The CPU temperature is <~110~> C.	ERROR
1002	A database record event failed. This is likely the result of a misconfigured integration. Please contact your dealer for assistance. Type: <~111~> ,Error: <~110~><~112~><~113~>	WARNING
1003	Calls are being removed from the hard disk without ever having being archived. The calls currently being deleted started on <~110~>	INFO
1004	Space used on hard disk has reached an upper limit. Normal operation continues, with new recordings now replacing the oldest recordings on disk, starting with <~110~>	INFO
1005	A small amount of data may have been lost from channel <~110~> on the call that started at <~111~>. This data loss may not be noticeable.	WARNING
1006	Calls are not being recorded due to a recording problem. Error:<~110~>	WARNING
1007	Failed to read configuration from the database. A possible corruption exists. Please contact Eventide. Error:<~110~>	SEVERE
1008	Data inconsistent on channel <~110~>. This may have occured because of process restart or delayed read of data. Last block read was <~111~> but found <~112~>.	ERROR
1009	Failed to upgrade the database. The system will continue to run with an older version of the database. Please contact Eventide to resolve this issue. Error:<~110~>	WARNING
1010	The system has pending database activity that has been queued for more than two minutes. Recordings may not appear in real time but are being recorded.	INFO
1011	The system has pending database activity that has been queued for more than two hours. Recordings may not appear in real time but are being recorded.	INFO
1012	A processing timeout has occured while recording data.	ERROR
1013	Recordings that are scheduled for preservation are close to being deleted.	WARNING
1014	The user storage partion for <~110~> is full. This must be resolved by either deleting stored items or increasing storage settings via the Configuration Manager->Recording->Retention Settings. You will not be able to <~111~> until this is resolved. This issue does not affect recording.	WARNING
2001	The media in the <~111~> archive drive is almost full	INFO
2002	The media with id <~110~> in the <~111~> archive drive of recorder <~1~> is full	INFO
2004	Warning: the operation of <~110~> was performed when the drive was in a bad state. Please retry the operation	INFO
2005	System configuration saved to the <~110~> archive drive	INFO
2006	System configuration was NOT saved to the <~110~> archive drive: <~111~>	WARNING
2006	System configuration was NOT saved to the <~110~> archive drive: <~111~>	WARNING
2007	System Logs have been successfully saved to the <~110~> archive drive	INFO
2008	System Logs were NOT saved to the <~110~> archive drive: <~111~>	WARNING
2009	System configuration was restored.	INFO
2010	System configuration was NOT loaded from the <~110~> archive drive because of the error: <~111~>	WARNING
2011	Metadata backup failed for backup type <~110~>. Error: <~111~><~112~>.	WARNING
2014	Writing archive to the <~110~> archive drive failed. Please dismiss this message by hitting the ‘OK’ soft key, insert new media into the <~110~> archive drive and then hit the ‘resume’ soft key to retry.	INFO
2016	The current archive time has been changed on the recorder from <~110~> to <~111~>.	INFO
2017	<~110~> archive drive action: <~111~>.	INFO
2019	Call Meta Information saved to the <~110~> archive drive	INFO
2020	Call Meta Information was NOT saved to the <~110~> archive drive: <~111~>	WARNING
2021	Call Meta Information was loaded from the <~110~> archive drive.	INFO
2022	Call Meta Information was NOT loaded from the <~110~> archive drive because of the error: <~111~>	WARNING
2024	The <~110~> archive drive medium was improperly removed and may be damaged. The recorder will attempt to recover but some data loss is possible. In the future please use the Eject soft key and wait for the drive status to read “Safe To Remove Media”.	ERROR
2025	The recorder <~1~> is not archiving.	INFO
2026	The recorder <~1~> does not appear to be archiving properly. The recorder is recording calls, but they do not appear to be archived. This may be because of a time change on the system or other normal activity. If you believe this is a problem, please stop archiving and restart it.	WARNING
2027	All media on the recorder <~1~> is either full or in the wrong state to continue archiving	INFO
2030	The media loaded in the <~110~> archive drive is damaged. Error: <~111~>	INFO
2031	The media in the <~110~> archive drive with the start time of <~111~> and the end time of <~112~> has encountered a problem while saving data. The archive media may be faulty or damaged. Please insert new media and archive again. The system archive time has not been changed.	WARNING
2032	Archive media format failed on the <~110~> archive drive. Please check that the media is not write protected or damaged. Error: <~111~>	INFO
2033	A media error was encountered while loading the <~110~> archive drive to browse mode. The archive media may be damaged and have missing or incomplete calls. This error could be caused by defective media or an improper system shutdown. The archive has the start time <~111~> and end time <~112~>	INFO
2033	A media error was encountered while loading the <~110~> archive drive to browse mode. The archive media may be damaged and have missing or incomplete calls. This error could be caused by defective media or an improper system shutdown. The archive has the start time <~111~> and end time <~112~>	INFO
2200	Failsafe is not active for the recorder group <~110~>.	WARNING
2201	Archive Failsafe is armed for the recorder group <~110~>	INFO
2202	Archive Failsafe has been triggered on the recorder group <~110~> at archive position <~111~>. Error: <~112~>	WARNING
2203	The recorder <~1~> has been placed in standby mode for the group <~110~>.	INFO
2204	Archive Restore complete on the <~110~> drive of recorder <~1~>	INFO
2300	Network Archive connected to address <~110~>, share <~111~>	INFO
2301	Network Archive to address: <~110~>, share: <~111~> is NOT active. <~112~><~113~>	WARNING
2302	Network Archiving connection to address: <~110~>, share: <~111~> is not active. Error: <~112~><~113~>	WARNING
2400	Centralized Archiving is not connected to <~110~>. Error: <~111~>	ERROR
2401	The recorder at <~110~> is transferring duplicate calls. This may be because the archive pointer was reset.	ERROR
2402	The Centralized Archive source with serial number <~110~> is not connected	ERROR
3001	Channel <~110~> was active for more than <~111~> seconds.	INFO
3002	Channel <~110~> was inactive for more than <~111~> seconds.	INFO
5000	Communications with the UPS backup power supply has been lost on the recorder <~1~> in facility <~2~>. Please ensure that the UPS is properly connected to the recorder	WARNING
5002	Power has been lost on the recorder <~1~> in the facility <~2~>. The UPS is currently providing power	WARNING
5005	Power has not been restored on the recorder <~1~> in the facility <~2~> and will be shut down shortly	WARNING
5008	The battery on UPS <~110~> has been exhausted. Recorder <~1~> is being shut down.	WARNING
5010	The UPS on recorder <~1~> was found but is not functioning properly	ERROR
5013	UPS is attached and functioning normally	INFO
5014	UPS is not attached to the recorder or not working properly	INFO
5014	UPS is not attached to the recorder or not working properly	INFO
5015	UPS battery is not functioning properly. Please test battery to ensure proper functionality.	INFO
6000	The hard disk <~110~> has failed on the recorder <~1~>. Please fix it	SEVERE
6001	RAID on recorder <~1~> is degraded. Replace the failed drive to correct the issue.	SEVERE
6002	The RAID has been changed: <~110~>	INFO
6003	The recorder <~1~> has a storage partition(<~110~>) that is dangerously close to being full(<~111~>). This is not a normal condition and should be resolved immediately to prevent possible data loss.	WARNING
6004	Primary RAID mount failed, and the recorder recovered when secondary mount succeeded.	WARNING
6005	The recorder <~1~> had a bad file system journal on volume group <~110~>. The problem was automatically fixed, but this condition is not normal and may have resulted in data loss.	WARNING
6006	The hard disk <~110~> is close to failure on <~1~>. Please replace it as soon as possible.	ERROR
6007	The hard disk <~110~> has timed out responding to the RAID controller on <~1~>. Please replace it as soon as possible.	ERROR
6008	The RAID Controller Write Cache is Disabled.	ERROR
6009	The RAID Controller Battery Backup for recorder <~1~> is reporting excessive heat.	ERROR
6010	The RAID Controller Battery Backup voltage is low.	ERROR
6011	The RAID Controller Battery Backup is offline and not providing backup to the RAID.	ERROR
6012	The RAID Controller Battery Backup is reporting a bad status.	ERROR
7000	A problem occurred while sending email. Error <~110~>: <~111~>	INFO
7001	An unknown error code of <~110~> was received	INFO
7002	An email has been sent to <~110~><~111~> with the subject “<~112~>”	INFO
7003	The alert <~110~> has been acknowledged by user <~111~>	INFO
8001	The user <~110~> has requested a system shutdown	INFO
8002	The user <~110~> has been automatically logged out	INFO
8002	The user <~110~> has been automatically logged out	INFO
8003	Client login with username <~110~>, version <~111~>, client string <~112~>	INFO
8004	Client has logged out with username <~110~>	INFO
8005	Client login has failed with username <~110~>	INFO
8006	The system time has been changed on recorder <~1~> by user <~110~>. The old time was <~111~>. The new time is <~112~>	INFO
8007	Configuration change by user <~110~>: <~111~>	INFO
8008	Shutdown requested via key. Please wait.	INFO
8009	Archive Failsafe Mode Canceled by user <~110~>.	INFO
8010	One or more PC Workstations configured for monitoring are not responding to network requests. <~110~>	WARNING
8011	One or more PC Workstations has an outdated screen capture service. This may result in service instability and loss of data on <~110~>	WARNING
9000	The board of type <~110~> has failed on recorder <~1~>. The failed board is board number <~111~>. It has failed <~112~> times	SEVERE
9001	A recording board has been removed or is missing from the system	SEVERE
9002	Failed to open the board of type <~110~> in position <~111~>. Error: <~112~>	SEVERE
9003	Failed to configure the board of type <~110~> in position <~111~>. Error <~112~>	SEVERE
9004	DSP sync Error on the board of type <~110~> in position <~111~>. Sync error count is <~112~>. Over run count is <~113~>	WARNING
9005	Failed to configure port <~112~> on the board of type <~110~> in position <~111~>. Error <~113~>	SEVERE
9006	Signal lost on port <~112~> on the board of type <~110~> in position <~111~>	ERROR
9007	Frames lost on port <~112~> on the board of type <~110~> in position <~111~>	ERROR
9008	AIS alarm on port <~112~> on the board of type <~110~> in position <~111~>	WARNING
9009	Yellow alarm on port <~112~> on the board of type <~110~> in position <~111~>	WARNING
9010	LOSMF alarm on port <~112~> on the board of type <~110~> in position <~111~>	WARNING
9010	LOSMF alarm on port <~112~> on the board of type <~110~> in position <~111~>	WARNING
9011	LOCRC4MF alarm on port <~112~> on the board of type <~110~> in position <~111~>	WARNING
9012	TS16RAI alarm on port <~112~> on the board of type <~110~> in position <~111~>	WARNING
9013	Failed to open channel <~111~> on the board of type <~110~>. Error: <~112~>	WARNING
9014	Failed to configure channel <~111~> on the board of type <~110~>. Error: <~112~>	WARNING
9016	No signal present on channel <~111~> on the board of type <~110~>.	WARNING
9017	Recording could not be started on channel <~111~> on the board of type <~110~>.	WARNING
9018	Recording could not be stopped on channel <~111~> on the board of type <~110~>.	WARNING
9019	Read timeout on channel <~111~> on the board of type <~110~>.	ERROR
9020	Read fail on channel <~111~> on the board of type <~110~>.	ERROR
9021	Continuity check error on channel <~110~>.	ERROR
9022	The continuity number is not being updated on channel <~110~>.	SEVERE
9023	<~110~>(<~111~>) has not been heard from in <~112~> seconds. The recorder may not be recording.	SEVERE
9024	Analog Telephony Board <~110~> has malfunctioned and has been disabled	SEVERE
9025	Recording Interface is configured as disabled and not recording. Enable the device to begin recording	SEVERE
9026	One or More Digital PBX Channels are receiving a large number of line errors. Please check your wiring and phonesets	WARNING
9100	The recorder is experiencing a connection error with the remote gateway at address <~110~>. Error: <~111~>	ERROR
9101	The recorder lost the connection to the remote gateway at address <~110~>.	ERROR
9102	The Remote Gateway at address <~110~> contains a backlog of data that is <~111~> minutes old. The data is currently being uploaded	ERROR
9103	The time on the Remote Gateway at address <~110~> differs from the recorder time by <~111~> seconds. Please insure that NTP is running on the Remote Gateway and recorder	ERROR
9104	The screen channel with name “<~110~>”:<~111~> at address <~112~> is not connected. Error: <~113~>	ERROR
9104	The screen channel with name “<~110~>”:<~111~> at address <~112~> is not connected. Error: <~113~>	ERROR
9105	Screen Agent @<~110~>: <~111~>	WARNING
9110	The recorder is experiencing a connection error to the bridged recorder at address <~110~>. Error: <~111~>	ERROR
9150	Info from CT Gateway: <~110~>	INFO
9151	Error from CT Gateway: <~110~>	ERROR
9152	Fatal Error from CT Gateway: <~110~>	SEVERE
9160	Harris Connection Warning: <~110~>	INFO
9161	Harris Connection Error: <~110~>	ERROR
9170	MOTOTRBO Connection Warning: <~110~>	INFO
9171	MOTOTRBO Connection Error: <~110~>	ERROR
9172	RFSS has not acknowleged all ISSI Group Registration Requests	WARNING
9200	The local RTP Engine is receiving inconsistent data. <~110~> channels received inconsistent data. First channel is <~111~>, Error: <~112~>	INFO
9201	More simultaneous calls occurred than channels are configured. Excess calls are not being recorded.	ERROR
9202	More G.729 encoded calls in progress than recorder is licensed for. Excess calls are not being recorded.	ERROR
9203	Unable to Decrypt P25 Call with key <~110~>	ERROR
9204	OTAR Registration Unsuccessful: <~110~>	ERROR
9205	Recorder Received An Error Condition from KMF: <~110~>	WARNING
9206	OTAR Info: <~110~>	INFO
9207	TCP Connection to <~110~> failed to connect	ERROR
9208	Recorder has sent a certificate to the Mitel system at <~110~>. Recording can not begin until the administrator approves the certificate on the Mitel system.	ERROR
9209	Error: <~110~>	ERROR
9209	Error: <~110~>	ERROR
9300	AIS could not provide audio stream for transmissions. Reason is <~110~>	ERROR
9301	AIS Proxy has entered an error state: <~110~>	ERROR
9302	AIS Proxy received an error condition from AIS: <~110~>	WARNING
9303	AIS Proxy Info: <~110~>	INFO
9305	Recorder has not received Heartbeats from AIS Proxy for at least 30 seconds	ERROR
9306	AIS Proxy version is less than 2.7.0. Recommend upgrading.	ERROR
9307	AIS Proxy version does not match the authorized version - Contact your Eventide Reseller.	ERROR
10000	This Recorder, which is currently acting as the Cluster Master, is experiencing a failure to contact the Cluster Node at ip <~110~>. Error: <~111~>	ERROR
10001	This Recorder, which is currently acting as the Cluster Master, has lost its connection to the recorder at ip <~110~>.	INFO
10002	This Recorder is currently unable to synchronize to the cluster master at <~110~>.	INFO

11. Recording VoIP or RoIP Calls¶

11.1. Introduction to Recording VoIP or RoIP Calls¶

This topic describes information related to recording Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) data.

Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls
Radio Over Internet Protocol (RoIP) calls

Eventide NexLog DX-Series™ recorders support both VoIP and RoIP, but this topic mainly describes VoIP. However, because RoIP is similar to VoIP, much of the information applies equally to both.

Cisco 7 through 10.5 are supported under the Local VoIP/RTP recording.
SIP Endpoints are also supported by Local VoIP/RTP Recording.
NG9-1-1 “SIP Invite” recording uses the Local VoIP/RTP feature on Eventide NexLog DX-Series™ recorders.
RoIP recording and IP Dispatch Console recording uses the Local VoIP/RTP feature on Eventide NexLog DX-Series™ recorders.

11.1.1. What is VoIP?¶

VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is a technology that allows telephone calls to be made over local area networks (LAN) or the Internet. VoIP systems convert analog voice signals into digital data packets and supports real-time, two-way transmission of conversations using the Internet Protocol (IP).

VoIP calls can be made on the Internet using a VoIP service provider and standard computer audio systems. Alternatively, some service providers support VoIP through ordinary telephones that use special adapters to connect to a home computer network.
VoIP services convert voice or audio data into a digital signal that travels over a computer network such as a company intranet or the Internet. If you are calling a regular phone number, the signal is converted to a regular telephone signal before it reaches the destination. VoIP can allow you to make a call directly from a computer, a special VoIP phone, or a traditional phone connected to a special adapter.

11.1.2. The Advantages VoIP Provides¶

With traditional telephone service, also known as Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS), a telephone call is made on an analog telephone line through a pair of copper wires connected between the caller and the called party. This creates a physical connection dedicated for a single call, so the conversation is transmitted using a single, static pathway over the telephone network. It uses the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), which is a circuit-switched network, meaning the connection between the endpoints (telephones) is made through switches that connect the lines together.

On the other hand, VoIP transmits the call using a packet-switched network. With VoIP, the audio signal of the telephone call is digitized and encapsulated into data packets that are sent over the network to the other party. The packets may take one or more paths over the network to reach the called party. At the other end of the line, the packets are reassembled and converted back into analog voice signals. This network can be used at the same time by other communications, which may include other VoIP telephone calls as well as a variety of packetized information such as data and video.

Because the VoIP network can carry many conversations at the same time and because it can also transmit other types of information, VoIP is a more efficient and flexible method for transporting voice. It can also produce a richer experience for the user if it is combined with other features, such as video. In addition, it can be cost-effective to implement because you may be able to add VoIP telephony services to an existing network infrastructure.

VoIP systems can interconnect and co-exist with existing PBX systems as well the traditional circuit-switched network. Of course, power sources are a consideration when implementing any VoIP system, because VoIP phones do not derive power from a PBX or from the telephone company Central Office. So, to protect against loss of telephone service due to power outages, it is necessary to install uninterruptible or back-up power supplies for both the LAN equipment and VoIP telephones.

11.1.3. Technical Considerations¶

The handling of audio data in VoIP differs significantly from how it is done on a conventional, circuit-switched network. On the latter, once a connection is established, it is defined between two fixed points, and both the upstream and downstream data are handled by the same pair of wires. The digital architecture of VoIP separates upstream and downstream data, and the transmission path across the network can vary. Audio is carried through RTP (Real Time Protocol) packets, which can be routed along different paths. As a result, data packets of audio data can become unsynchronized and be delivered out of their original sequence.

To address this, VoIP uses a buffering system that synchronizes delayed packets. The inherent delay caused by packet buffering should never exceed 500 ms.

Networks are by no means limited to carrying only voice data. As such, a packet filtering mechanism is used to detect and isolate RTP audio data packets from other data types carried across the network.

11.2. Network Requirements¶

The following requirements apply to recording VoIP calls:

Unlike a PBX phone system, which has a centralized switch from which to tap the telephone calls, a VoIP system transmits the calls over a distributed intranet, which also carries other data traffic. To capture and record VoIP calls from the intranet, you must configure your intranet topology to mirror or send a copy of the VoIP packets to a single Ethernet port, which is connected either to the Eventide NexLog Recorder (for Local VoIP) or, in now rare cases, to an Eventide VoIP Gateway. For example, this can be accomplished using a Cisco Systems Ethernet switch that supports Switched Port Analyzer (SPAN) technology or Remote Switched Port Analyzer (RSPAN) technology. These components create copies of the audio packets being sent across the network and send them to another designated port for network analysis. In the case of RSPAN, it places audio traffic on a SPAN port from different network switches.

For detailed information on SPAN and RSPAN, go to the following page on the Cisco Systems web site:

www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/lan/c3550/12113ea1/3550scg/swspan.htm

In addition to SPAN or RSPAN, some systems use direct unicast or multicast connections to the recorder.

When using the Local VoIP feature on an Eventide NexLog DX-Series™ recorder, the recorder must be equipped with two network interface cards (NICs) if you are using SPAN/RSPAN. (One port is used for the unidirectional VoIP traffic sent to the recorder, and one port for bidirectional traffic with clients.)

Both the gateway and recorder need a second NIC card to be able to capture from a SPAN port. Since the SPAN port is unidirectional and in the case of the gateway it needs to be able to have bidirectional access to the recorder. Or in the case of the recorder it needs to have bidirectional access to the client applications.
Eventide suggests implementing VoIP on a virtual local area network (VLAN). A VLAN is a logical group on the network that effectively prioritizes network traffic to ensure enough bandwidth. VLANs also greatly ease the configuration issues surrounding SPAN and RSPAN ports.
The MAC or IP addresses of all active phone sets must be designated. This information is entered in Configuration Files area of the NexLog Recorder Configuration program. Additionally, port ranges for both the signaling ports (the call’s attributes) and audio ports (the actual audio data packets) must be designated. Only calls that occur on ports in these designated ranges are recorded; all others are ignored.

11.3. Local VoIP and RoIP¶

Local VoIP and RoIP refer to the feature of Eventide NexLog DX-Series™ recorders that provides the capability to record VoIP and RoIP without using an Eventide . This local IP recording capability is also used for recording IP-based P25 radio systems (by EF Johnson and others).

The Eventide NexLog DX-Series™ recorders support capturing and recording voice or radio traffic appearing in RTP packets on an Ethernet network. The recorder is able to monitor and record Ethernet Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) or Radio over Internet Protocol (RoIP) traffic directly.

Fig. 11.1 IP Recording Virtual Interface Template Menu¶

To configure the recorder for VoIP (or RoIP) traffic, you must first add a virtual board of type Local IP and the required number of virtual channels to the system.

Fig. 11.2 IP Recording Virtual Interface Template Menu With Search Input¶

The text input field at the top of the menu allows you to filter the list on characters or a word; shown here restricting the menu to just templates with “Moto” in the name.

If your system is not in the list of templates, select No Template and see the Advanced Local VoIP Recorder configuration section below.

11.4. Local VoIP and RTP Templates¶

Local IP boards can be set up using a template that will automatically create a configuration based on the settings required for the type of board selected.

For example, for a Telex/Vega Console, which requires a multicast address, a TX port and an RX port for each channel, the template looks like this:

Fig. 11.3 Telex/Vega Console Template Example¶

On the other hand, an EFJohnson P25 system has different requirements: an IP address for the IMBE decoder and a default RTP port, with a multicast address, codec, and supergroup port configured for each channel.

Fig. 11.4 EFJohnson Template Example¶

Any IP board configured with a template can be re-configured using the same template; this will effectively recreate the board from scratch, so if you have made per-channel changes, those will be reset to defaults. As such, you may want to make any necessary edits manually instead.

The templates included with NexLog DX-Series™ are:

Aastra SIP-DECT Phones
Aastra MX-ONE H.323 Phones (SPAN
Aastra MX-ONE SIP Phones (SPAN)
Asterix Radar Data over UDP
Avaya H.323 protocol (SPAN)
Avtec Scout RTP Forwarding
C4i SwitchPlusIP Console
Catalyst Advanced Recording Interface
Cisco CallManager “Skinny” Protocol (SPAN)
Cisco CallManager Built-in-Bridge
CSS Mindshare Console Protocol
EFJohnson Console Protocol
ESCHAT
Eventide AIS Proxy (ASTRO25)
Eurocae ED-137B Part 4 RTSP Recording Interface
Eurocae ED-137C Part 4 RTSP Recording Interface
Generic Multicast RTP
Generic SIP Phones (SPAN)
Generic Unicast RTP (Recorder as Endpoint)
Generic Unicast RTP (SPAN)
Harris P25 Recording
ICOM IDAS Repeater (NXDN)
Intrado Position (SPAN)
Intrado Trunk (SPAN)
Kenwood NEXEDGE Trunked (1st Generation)
Kenwood NEXEDGE Trunked (2nd Generation)
Mitel Secure Recording Connector
Motorola Dimetra AIS Interface
Motorola Wave 5000 Multicast RTP
MOTOTRBO Capacity Max Recording Interface
MOTOTRBO Controller-less Recording Interface
NEC Univerge Phone Recording Proprietary SIP (SPAN)
Nortel Unistim Protocol (SPAN)
Omnitronics DRG / IPR / IPE Recording
Panasonic MGCP Phones (SPAN)
Raven M4X Site Device RTP Forwarding
RadioPro / TurboVUi Console Protocol
Sepura/Fylde MPT / DMR/ dPMR Recording Interface
Shoretel (Mitel) MGCP Phones (SPAN)
Shoretel (Mitel) VQMS Recording (SPAN)
Siemens (ATOS) H.323 Phones (SPAN)
SIPREC
SIP Trunk (SPAN or Recorder as Endpoint)
Smart PTT Console Recording
Solacom i3 SIP Trunk
Tait Radio DMR/MPT Recording Interface
Tait Radio Trunked P25 ISSI
Telex/Vega Console Protocol
Toshiba Megaco Protocol Phones (SPAN)
VESTA/Sentinel 4 Console (SPAN)
VESTA/Sentinel 4 Trunk (SPAN)
Zetron Logger
Zetron MAX CallTaking Consoles (SPAN)
Zetron MAX Dispatch

11.5. Cisco VoIP Template¶

Fig. 11.5 Cisco Callmanager “Skinny” Protocol (SPAN) Template¶

To configure Cisco Callmanager with Local VoIP recording, use the Cisco Callmanager “Skinny” Protocol (SPAN) template. Enter the SCCP and RTP ports in use, and then enter an IP address (xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx) or MAC address (xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx) for each phone line in the system.

11.6. Local VoIP and RTP Channel configuration¶

Like other board types, configuration of channels on local IP boards is done on the Recording->Boards page by opening the board and then clicking the gear on the channel you wish to edit. The channel edit page has three tabs. The first is the standard Edit Channel tab. The second and third are RTP and Diagnostics.

11.6.1. RTP¶

Fig. 11.6 Top Half of Local IP Channel RTP Tab¶

This tab allows you to configure all the RTP specific options detailed below in the Channel Parameters subsection of the Advanced Local VoIP Recorder configuration section of this chapter.

Fig. 11.7 Bottom Half of Local IP Channel RTP Tab¶

11.6.2. Diagnostics¶

The third tab is Diagnostics. It displays diagnostic information showing what data is arriving for the channel and can be used to help troubleshoot whether the channel is configured properly.

Fig. 11.8 IP Channel Diagnostics Example¶

Each channel has up to 4 RTP queues for incoming RTP queues and signaling queue. These queues show the number of packets that have arrived and been Enqueued, and the number that have been Dequeued and handled. The remaining columns (Source, Dest, Elapsed, Codec, SSRC, Seq) display data about the most recent packet to arrive for that queue.

Source: The ip address and port of the source of the packet.
Dest: The IP address and port of the destination of the packet.
Elapsed: How much time since the packet came in.
Codec: How the audio was encoded. (RTP only)
SSRC: Source Identifier. (RTP only)
Seq: Sequence number of the packet. (RTP only)

When MUX is NONE, there will only be one RTP queue all packets to go. If MUX is DIR (one RTP queue will be for incoming packets and one for outgoing packets (relative to the IP address configured for the channel). If MUX is Port or IP_Port, queue assignments are made per port.

The Refresh button, as expected, refreshes the data displayed to be current.

11.7. Advanced Local VoIP Recorder configuration¶

The following information describes low level configuration of the built-in recorder based VoIP/RTP configuration, which is used for recording RoIP, NG9-1-1 “SIP Invite”, and IP Dispatch Consoles.

11.7.1. VoIP: Edit Board¶

The board level parameters are accessible by clicking on the board name in the Recording Interfaces NexLog Configuration Manager page. The board is named “Local IP Recording.” On that page the board can be configured to capture RTP traffic in different ways.

The UDP section is for configuring the virtual board to capture UDP packets addressed directly to the NexLog recorder’s IP address.

The PCAP section is for configuring Promiscuous Mode Packet Capture. This capture method allows the recorder to capture traffic not addressed to its IP address.

11.7.2. Board Level Configuration Parameters¶

The following information lists the parameters and valid values that can be specified in board level configuration. (Boldface indicates a default value.) They are described in the sections that follow.

11.7.2.1. List of Board Level Parameters¶

UDP Ports: port-list
UDP Multicast Addresses: IP-address-list
UDP Multicast Interface IP: IP-address
SIP Endpoint Config: contact Eventide for usage
PCAP Devices: eth0, eth1, eth2, etc.
PCAP Ports: port-list
PCAP Vlan: unchecked (off), checked (on)
PCAP Defragment: unchecked (off), checked (on)
Packet Filtering: Bpf None, Bpf Port, Bpf Full
Channel Count: number-of-channels-on-virtual-board

11.8. Device Information¶

PCAP Ports and UDP Ports: Specifies a port list (port numbers and/or port ranges) for ports to record. All ports that are used by all channels must appear in the list. The ports should also be specified in the channels specific pages. Valid Range: 1-65535. Format: To specify multiple port numbers, separate them with commas; for example: 1,2,3,5,9. To specify a port range, separate it with a hyphen or dash; for example: 1-3. To specify multiple port ranges, separate the ranges with a comma; for example: 1-3,7-12. To specify multiple port numbers and port ranges, separate each type with a comma; for example: 1,2,5,9,12-15,19,22-25,29,30. For readability and maintenance (and to avoid duplications), it is recommended that you specify port numbers in numerical order.

Note

For PCAP Ports, the smaller the range, the better the performance, so it is a good practice to identify only those ports that will be used. The ports belong to VoIP devices such as IP phones, IP softphones, IP PBX ports, or other VoIP endpoints on the network that you wish to record. Any packet received by the recorder that uses ports in this list as either destination or source will make it past the filter and be processed by the recorder.

Important

For UDP Ports**, it is very important to specify only the ports that will be used, because opening these ports will consume resources on the recorder. For example, specify 3,5 rather than 3-5 if port 4 will not be used.

UDP Multicast Addresses: Specifies one or more IP multicast group addresses from which to record. [Join or subscribe to.] Format: to specify multiple IP multicast group addresses, separate them with a comma; for example: 239.1.1.1,239.1.1.9.

UDP Multicast Interface IP: Specifies the IP address of the NexLog Recorder’s network interface device which will be used to capture the multicast traffic.

SIP Endpoint Config: Specifies a special parameter to configure the NexLog Recorder as a SIP Trunk endpoint instead of its usual configuration as a “listen only” device. Contact Eventide Service for assistance in configuring this parameter.

PCAP Devices: Ethernet Device name. Specifies the NexLog Recorder’s network interface device (NIC) containing the Ethernet port that will be used to record RTP data. Valid Values: eth0, eth1, etc. Typically, one Ethernet port on the recorder is used to record the VoIP traffic sent to the recorder and one port is used for bidirectional traffic with recorder clients, such as a PC with Eventide MediaWorks that is used for playback or live monitoring.

PCAP Vlan: Virtual Local Area Network. Enables the Packet Pre-Filtering (BPF) for use on a VLAN, which is often used with SPAN and RSPAN setups. This setting is used because the port/IP address information appears in a different location in packets depending upon whether the traffic is from a VLAN or LAN. Valid values:

unchecked: Disabled (default), for use on a LAN.
checked: Enabled, for use on a VLAN.

PCAP Defragment: Enables IP defragmentation. When disabled, only the first fragment is processed and subsequent fragments are ignored. It is usually unnecessary to enable IP defragmentation, because voice packets are typically small enough to avoid fragmentation, or if they are sent in multiple fragments, the necessary data is usually in the first fragment, and the rest can be ignored. (Fragmentation occurs when the payload results in a data packet size that is greater than the maximum transmission unit of the sending switch.) Valid values:

unchecked: Disabled (default). No IP defragmentation is performed.
checked: Enabled. IP defragmentation is performed.

11.8.1. Packet Filtering and Handling¶

Because networks carry many types of data packets that are bound for different destinations, the recorder uses a /packet filtering/ mechanism to detect and isolate the desired RTP audio data packets from other data types forwarded by the network to the recorder’s Ethernet port.

Packet Filtering: Berkeley Packet Filtering. Specifies a source port pre-filtering method for capturing RTP packets. Packets are pre-filtered at the NexLog Recorder network interface. This can reduce the load on the recorder, which is especially important in saturated high-throughput networks. BPF is a method used to capture and filter packets from a network interface that is used in promiscuous mode. When the NexLog Recorder network interface is in promiscuous mode, it receives a copy of each RTP packet appearing on the port, which is then run through a filter, so that only packets of interest are passed to the recording application layer. This pre-filtering can reduce the traffic load on the recorder CPU (except when no filtering is used).

The following settings can be used:

Full: (default) Accepts traffic from all source ports identified in the configuration by IP or MAC address or port number.
Port: Accepts traffic from all source ports identified in the configuration independent of IP or MAC address. This setting is used when the IP addresses may change.
None: No pre-filtering is performed. Accepts traffic from all source ports.

Typically, it is either set to FULL or to a list of ports, except when using dynamic channel mapping, in which case, it should be set to NONE or a list of ports.

11.8.2. Channel Parameters¶

The channel level configuration is accomplished the same way as other boards. Click on the plus sign (+) next to the board name to open the list of channels for a board. From there clicking on the gear icon will show the channel specific configuration. On the channel page there is an RTP tab where VoIP specific parameters can be changed. The settings include channel mapping parameters, which direct RTP packets from a specific IP address, MAC address, or port number to record on the specified channel (or which specifies dynamic channel mapping).

When a virtual board is added the virtual channels are added to the recorder and are assigned recorder channel numbers based on the channel numbering sequence. The channel numbering sequence starts with hardware based channels, beginning with installed telephony boards, followed by the channels on virtual boards in the order they were added via NexLog Configuration Manager. For example, if the recorder has 8 hardware-based channels, then the first virtual channel (Channel 1 of the virtual board) will be assigned to recorder channel 9.

11.8.3. Channel Configuration Parameters¶

The following information lists the channel configuration parameters and valid values that can be specified.

11.8.4. List of Channel Parameters¶

IP Address: <IP-address>
MAC Address: <MAC-address>
RTP Ports: <port-list>
Signal Ports: <port-list>
RTP Mixing Mode: Rtp Mux None, Rtp Mux Dir, Rtp Mux Port, Rtp Mux Ip Port, Rtp Mux Ssrc
Signal Protocol: Rtp Sig None, Rtp Sig Sip Trunk, Rtp Sig Zetron Rds, Rtp Sig Cisco Forked, Rtp Sig Telex Ip223, Rtp Sig Telex Ip223 Trunked, Rtp Sig Efjohnson
RTCP Ports: Rtp Rtcp None, Rtp Rtcp Odd, Rtp Rtcp Even
Break on SSRC: Rtp Ssrc Nobreak, Rtp Ssrc Break, Rtp Ssrc Fuzzy
Jitter Buffer (uSec): <millionths-of-second>
CallID Field Name: <SIP-field>
IP Field Name: <optional name of metadata field>
Steal Oldest Channel: *unchecked (off)*, checked (on)
Break On Jitter: *unchecked (off)*, checked (on)
Custom Protocol Handling: *unchecked (off)*, checked (on)
RFC2833 Codec: -1, <codec-number>

11.8.5. Channel Mapping¶

VoIP calls can be mapped to NexLog Recorder channels using the following options:

IP Address: Map the IP address of a VoIP device to a recorder channel using static channel mapping. Mutually exclusive with MAC address. A specific IP address can be used or Dynamic which can map VoIP calls to a bank of channels using a dynamic assignment that is controlled by other means, such as call control or custom programming. Used when the port range or IP address is variable or floats, such as with VoIP trunking (e.g., SIP trunking, where negotiation of the SIP phone call includes ports to use), or when using custom scripts or programming from Eventide. When used with SIP trunking, set channel 1 to the IP address of the SIP source (for example, the SIP PBX or the local SIP trunk endpoint), and set the other channels to Dynamic.

MAC Address: Map the MAC address of a VoIP device to a recorder channel using static channel mapping. Mutually exclusive with IP address.

RTP Ports: Map a set of ports on a device to a recorder channel using static channel mapping.

Signal Ports: Specifies the signaling ports when signaling is used (when Signal Protocol is set to a value other than Rtp Sig None). Like traditional telephone calls, VoIP calls offer full-duplex communication, which allows the connected parties or devices to communicate with each other in both directions at the same time. However, with VoIP, the full-duplex call is composed of two halves: a stream of audio packets that are transported from party A to party B and a stream of audio packets that are transported from party B to party A.

It is typical to record the combined conversation rather than each side separately. Mixing options allow you to merge both halves of the conversation into one channel, or to record each party on separate channels.

Each channel is associated with a MAC or IP address (or is dynamically assigned). Traffic to this address is considered inbound and traffic from it is considered outbound.

RTP Mixing Mode: Specifies the type of audio stream mixing for the recording. Valid values include:

Rtp Mux None: (default) No mixing is performed. The channel must be set up to receive only a single RTP stream at any given time.
Rtp Mux Dir: Mix inbound and outbound audio streams belonging to a VoIP device (that is, mix traffic going in both directions). Direction mixing is typically used with the PCAP method, because the audio streams could be coming in from any port in the range.
Rtp Mux Port: Mix audio streams from multiple ports, where each port carries a separate audio stream. Port mixing is typically used with the UDP method.
Rtp Mux Ip Port: Mix audio streams from a destination IP address and port. IP Port mixing is used with the UDP method or SIP Trunk signaling.
Rtp Mux Ip Ssrc: Mix audio streams by detecting which stream a packet belongs to using the RTP packet’s SSRC field. Only recommended in case where IP_PORT cannot be used due to multiple streams received on the same port

Signal Protocol: Specifies the type of signaling used. We recommend leaving it as set by the template used.

RTP packets contain information in their headers identifying the sources of the RTP data stream. This includes the following identifiers:

Synchronization Source (SSRC): A unique numeric ID for a unidirectional stream of RTP packets. The synchronization source within the same RTP session is unique.
Contributing Source (CSRC): A unique numeric ID identifying a contributing source for a mixed stream of RTP packets (a stream that has been generated from multiple sources). In some situations, it is used to identify a previous origin of a stream of RTP packets (that is, a previous SSRC).

These data are used to identify audio streams, and hence, the audio that belongs to a VoIP call.

In addition, the SSRC is also used to aid in identifying call termination. When the SSRC changes, it is an indicator that the audio stream from one party has ended. However, there may be cases where the SSRC changes briefly but does not indicate a separate call. This can result in a call being broken inappropriately into two parts or in a spurious call with a very short call length (e.g., 0 seconds). The following parameter is used to control call breaks for these different situations.

Break on SSRC: Controls how to handle SSRC changes in determining call termination. Valid values are as follows:

Rtp Ssrc Nobreak: When the SSRC changes, do not “break” the call.

Rtp Ssrc Break: (default) When the SSRC changes, “break” the call (that is, treat it as a new call).

Rtp Ssrc Fuzzy: When the SSRC changes, “break” the call. However, if the new SSRC is numerically close to the current SSRC, do not break the call. This setting is used with some VoIP implementations that have atypical SSRC changes, such as with certain configurations of Cisco Call Manager.

Jitter Buffer: Jitter Buffer Size in microseconds. Default: 2000000 (2 seconds). Range: 0 to 5000000 (5 seconds). The recorder uses a jitter buffer to enable proper synchronization and a smoother flow of data. The larger the jitter buffer, the higher the recorder memory usage, as well as the higher the load on the recorder CPU when jitter is encountered.

CallID Field Name: If this value is set to the name of a text metadata field that has been added to the recorder’s database, and the signaling protocol from the PBX includes CallID information (a unique identifier assigned to the call by the PBX), then the CallID for the call will be attached to each call record by placing the CallID in this field.

RFC2833 Codec: Enables out-of-band digits when signaling is used.

-1: Disabled (default), no out-of-band digits.

<codec-number>: Enabled to receive out-of-band digits using the specified codec number used by the particular IP phone system (PBX and phones). Example: 128. The codec number is application-specific and can be obtained by checking with the manufacturer of the system or by analyzing the signaling data.

12. Archive Pairing¶

Archive Pairing is an archiving scheme created to put a focus on constant archiving to DVD-RAM. It takes advantage of two recorders to ensure all recorded data is archived. This appendix explains the requirements for Archive Pairing, how to set it up, and how it works.

12.1. Requirements¶

Archive Pairing requires two recorders. These recorders should have identical hardware profiles and software configurations, and must receive the same call input. Each recorder should have two DVD-RAM drives. The recorders should also be synced to the same time source, for example NTP, and be in the same network with the ability to communicate with each other. Additionally, an appropriate license is required for this functionality but this license is only needed on the “primary” recorder.

VoIP calls can be made on the Internet using a VoIP service provider and standard computer audio systems. Alternatively, some service providers support VoIP through ordinary telephones that use special adapters to connect to a home computer network.
VoIP services convert voice or audio data into a digital signal that travels over a computer network such as a company intranet or the Internet. If you are calling a regular phone number, the signal is converted to a regular telephone signal before it reaches the destination. VoIP can allow you to make a call directly from a computer, a special VoIP phone, or a traditional phone connected to a special adapter.

12.2. Operation¶

Archive Pairing enables the end-user to archive their data in a more streamlined way than traditional archiving with the benefits of system redundancy. With this feature enabled, recorded information will continue to archive on the next available DVD-RAM drive when a disc fills, the user manually stops archiving on a particular DVD-RAM drive, or if some external factor disrupts normal operation of one of the loggers (such as a power failure). Flow between drives is automatic. The end-user simply has to flip or change out the media as the drives fill for constant coverage.

The functionality works by creating a global archive pointer that both recorders will use to determine what recorded data they should be archiving. The two recorders are referred to as the “primary” recorder and the “secondary” recorder. The distinguishing feature between them is that the primary recorder is where the Archive Pairing license must be entered.

With Archive Pairing enabled, DVD-RAM drives with formatted media will enter a state called “Standby”. This means the drive is ready to archive as part of the Archive Pairing scheme. The first drive of the primary logger will automatically begin archiving at the point that is set to start at for that drive. This will establish the starting point for all archiving. The initial archive pointer should be set before any calls have occurred on the recorder but should also be no earlier than January 1^st, 1989. There is no need to set the archive pointer for each drive, just the first one.

When a DVD-RAM media fills, it will automatically begin archiving where it left off on the next drive that is in Standby. Typically, the flow is first drive on the primary recorder, then the second drive on the primary, followed by the first drive secondary, and finally the second drive secondary. If an archive is manually stopped, archiving will automatically resume on the next available Standby archive. In the event that all drives are full, Archive Pairing will wait until new media is inserted, formatted, and enters Standby.

In the event that maintenance is to be performed on one or both of the recorders, a recorder can be shut down and worked on while the other recorder continues archiving from the point that the first recorder is shutdown, and then once the first recorder is back up and running, the same procedure can be performed on the other recorder. This method should be employed when upgrading to future software releases or for any required hardware maintenance.

VoIP calls can be made on the Internet using a VoIP service provider and standard computer audio systems. Alternatively, some service providers support VoIP through ordinary telephones that use special adapters to connect to a home computer network.
VoIP services convert voice or audio data into a digital signal that travels over a computer network such as a company intranet or the Internet. If you are calling a regular phone number, the signal is converted to a regular telephone signal before it reaches the destination. VoIP can allow you to make a call directly from a computer, a special VoIP phone, or a traditional phone connected to a special adapter.

12.2.1. Pairing Setup¶

Prior to setting up the software, the following items are assumed:

Recorders are racked or placed with accordance to site specifications
The software on the recorders is the same version on both.
A valid license has been entered into the recorder
The recorders are networked in the same IP network
The recorders have the same call sources attached to both
Eventide approved Blu-ray or DVD-RAM media is available

After the above is satisfied, the recorder should be configured to have the dates and time synced to the same external clock. The channels for both recorders should be configured the same and be properly recording. After that has been setup, insert blank Blu-Ray or DVD-RAM discs into the drives. Format them if required.

Before enabling Archive Pairing, the archive pointer of the first drive should be checked to make sure it will catch all calls. To view and set the archive pointer, in Configuration Manager expand the menu item Archiving and click Archive Configuration. Select the DVD-RAM 1 device and select the Configure button. On the resulting screen, select the TIME tab and observe the Archive Time. Make sure the date is before any calls have occurred but after 1/1/89. After you have a date/time you are satisfied with, select Save.

After the archive time has been set, add a license for Archive Pairing. A new menu option will become available via Configuration Manager as seen in the following image. The options are also available via the Front Panel Setup menu.

After the archive time has been set, add a license for Archive Pairing. A new menu option will become available via Configuration Manager as can be seen in the following image. The options are also available via the Front Panel Setup menu.

The Host field should contain the IP address of the secondary recorder. The User and Pwd fields should contain information for a valid administrator on the secondary logger. Once that information has been entered, check the Enabled box and click the Save button. The primary recorder will communicate with the secondary recorder to make sure the system is in sync. Drives that are in the state “Idle, blank media” should become “Standby” on both recorders automatically. Archiving should also automatically begin on the first drive of the primary recorder.

Connect to Configuration Manager on the secondary recorder to set the remaining settings. Under Archiving and Archive Configuration, select the first DVD-RAM drive and click Configure. In the resulting window, check the Auto Start box then Save. Do the same for the second DVD-RAM drive.

After Auto Start has been enabled for both DVD-RAM drives, Archive Pairing configuration should be complete. The only thing that should require attention at this point is making sure media is flipped or replaced as needed to keep archived records up to date.

13. SSL Certificate Request & Application¶

13.1. Introduction to SSL Certificate Request & Application¶

SSL allows secure connections, and interactions with an Eventide system recorder using port 443 using the HTTPS protocol, for which a valid CSR (Certificate Signing Request) was generated. This procedure does not go into details of SSL (Secure Socket Layer) or recommendations on providers.

13.2. Requirements:¶

Network Interfaces: primary or secondary network interface must have accurate, and valid network IP addressing with working Gateway.

System Identification: Valid DNS IP addresses should be available for the recorder.

Licensing: The ability to enable SSL functionality in NexLog DX-Series™ recorders for recording SIP Trunks, Cisco BIB, and ED137C requires a free Eventide add-on license. (Eventide reserves the right to limit the availability of this enabler add-on license for export.) SSL for client connections such as MediaWorks DX™ do not require a license.

13.3. SSL Settings:¶

In Configuration Manager, under Users and Security: SSL: SSL Settings, you can configure database connections, web server connections, client service connections to unencrypted only, SSL only, or both.

13.4. Request procedure:¶

First open the Configuration Manager and log in with an Administrator account. Expand Users and Security, then click SSL.

Under the SSL Keys tab: Check the box for generating a new request, complete the form with the pertinent details
Common Name needs to be entered as it would be displayed in the browser; for example: name.domain.com
Save when completed. A message will flash on the screen to upload or self-sign the certificate.
Click the SSL Certificates tab and click on View CSR (SSL Certificate Signing Request.)

This is what your certificate authority will require to provide a certificate. Select all including the dashes in the CSR window. Copy to your certificate authority vendor. The certificate authority will sign your request, and provide the SSL certificates.

13.5. Set New Certificate:¶

After the request procedure has been completed, and a signed certificate is received from the vendor, it needs to be imported:

Click the option to Set New Certificate under the SSL Certificates tab.
The Certificate window opens with two windows to copy and paste.
On top, you will copy the Signed Certificate. (usually a file with the Common Name)
On the bottom you will copy the Intermediate Certificate. (Vendor signature file + Common name)
Close the window when the copy paste operation is completed.
Complete the process by clicking the Save button.

A message like the one below should flash on the page:

Successfully updated SSL settings. The new settings will not apply until after a reboot

13.6. Testing:¶

Reboot the recorder, and connect to the system using the web browser requesting SSL “https://name.domain.com”