OpenMCU-ru integration with FreePBX

I wrote the OpenMCU-ru Administrator’s Guide 2015 ver 1.00 with a section on integration to FreePBX. OpenMCU-ru is an open source software Multipoint Control Unit (MCU) for video conferencing rooms. If you want to create a video conference room and be able to access from FreePBX then this may fit the bill. The guide is availabe here.

1 Like

Ver 1.01 is now available.

Changes:

  • Minor changes and corrections
  • Added section on installing OpenMCU-ru on to existing FreePBX distrobution using interface eth0 (FreePBX) and a virtual interface eth0:0 (OpenMCU-ru) and binding protocols to appropriate interfaces
    .- Added security to Telnet server

What is important about this version is that it lists how to install on an existing FreePBX distribution. The major issue is that both OpenMCU-ru and FreePBX listen to the same port (5060) and IP address for SIP and other protocols. The standard thought was to change ports for OpenMCU-ru but that causes incompatibilities with the SIP standard.

The solution is to create a second virtual interface eth0:0, assign it a unique IP address for OpenMCU-ru and configure OpenMCU-ru to listen only to the eth0:0 IP address. Configure FreePBX to only listen to eth0’s IP address instead of any IP address 0.0.0.0. This allows the VoIP protocols SIP, H.323, RTP, IAX, etc… to still use standard port numbers.

OpenMCU-ru can be installed on FreePBX 12 and earlier distributions but breaks with FreePBX13. During SIP/SDP negotiations, the SIP "contact"information changes from OpenMCU-ru’s eth0:0 IP address to FreePBX’s eth0 IP address even though both services are bound (binded) to their respective IPs. Wireshark capture of 192.168.202.11 Linphone attempting to connect to OpenMCU-ru 192.168.204.254 (eth0:0) conference room 1001 but the contact info changes to FreePBX 192.168.204.253 (eth0):

Don’t know if this is due to PJSIP or what?

It looks like an OpenMCU-ru problem with RTP not following the binding to the IP address.

Problem fixed and documented on the OpenMCU-ru Administrators Guide