trixbox having network difficulties and causing network disruptions - immediate assistance required!

bobgordon
Posts: 7
Member Since:
2010-02-04

Our office has been running a trixbox appliance for the last few months with absolutely no problems. The trixbox appliance is connected to our network and is accessed by 10 PC's placing phone calls using soft phones through a SIP gateway. It's an extremely simple setup and functioned perfectly from implementation until yesterday, when it abruptly stopped working.

After a lot of experimentation, we have encountered some extremely strange behavior and seem to have narrowed down the problem:

- When the trixbox appliance is NOT connected to the network, the entire network functions 100% (all systems can resolve IP and find the default gateway, they can all access the internet and communicate with the server, etc).

- When the trixbox appliance is connected to the network with DHCP enabled, it fails to resolve an IP address and access the network. Approximately 50% of the time, it takes down the other systems with it immediately. The other 50% of the time, the rest of the systems continue to work for a little while, until eventually each PC receives a "limited connectivity" message indicating that while the systems acknowledge that the cable isn't unplugged, they are unable to access the network's resources. Further investigation reveals that at this point, the PC's all show an IP address completely out of the range of our network, with the default gateway empty.

- When the trixbox appliance is connected to the network with a STATIC IP and all network settings are entered manually (the way we've always had it), it's usually up and running for a little while (anywhere from 5-30 minutes) until it inevitably brings down the entire network in a manner similar to the one described immediately above.

We initially contacted our ISP (who remotely maintains our entire network) prior to discovering any of the results mentioned above. After several hours of testing, they concluded that every aspect of our network is fine, and that there must be some sort of internal problem, which turned out to be the trixbox appliance. What this all boils down to is that when the trixbox appliance is NOT connected to our network, the network functions perfectly and indefinitely as it always has. When the trixbox appliance is connected using either DHCP or a static IP, it always ceases to function and brings down the entire network with it one way or another.

We need immediate assistance, as our office is completely dependent on the trixbox appliance. Remote support is fine as we have technologically capable people in the office who can assist in the process. We can also grant you both remote desktop and VPN access to our network.

If you are qualified to assist with this problem or able to recommend someone who is, please contact me via PM or at (561)337-8908.



Astrosmurfer
Posts: 643
Member Since:
2009-12-28
This problem sounds like you

This problem sounds like you have two DHCP servers on the network.

Have you recently made any network changes? Did you perhaps install a new/replacement router? Did you change the trixbox configuration or have a reload due to some other issue like a power failure?

If it is multiple DHCP servers, then one of them must be disabled. But, which one was originally serving as the DHCP server?



bobgordon
Posts: 7
Member Since:
2010-02-04
There have been absolutely

There have been absolutely no changes to the network, the network equipment, or the trixbox appliance in months. After months of usage, the entire network went down spontaneously in the middle of the work day. The only way we could get it back up and keep it up was by disconnecting the trixbox appliance. Like I said, the network only has problems when the trixbox appliance is connected. DHCP is handled solely by our Cisco router.



obeliks
Posts: 878
Member Since:
2010-03-14
start sniffing packets on

start sniffing packets on your PCs. Install wireshark and watch for DHCP packets. This will let you see where the other DHCP server is.
As the previous poster said this is 99% your trixbox, but wireshark will give you hard evidence.

Also, ....

.......do not forget to breathe ;-)



Astrosmurfer
Posts: 643
Member Since:
2009-12-28
It is possible that you have

It is possible that you have a bad NIC in the trixbox appliance. But, your description makes it sound like multiple DHCP servers.

Try this command on the trixbox

chkconfig --list | grep dhcpd

If the results indicate a DHCP server set to start at runlevel 3 and 5 then execute this command

chkconfig dhcpd off

Then go back to your statically configured IP address, reboot trixbox and try again.



obeliks
Posts: 878
Member Since:
2010-03-14
It looks like somebody

It looks like somebody hooked up the appliance using the wrong port.
The appliance has 5 Ethernet ports ( do not ask me why ) and you need to use the right one.
I am sure the people who sold you the box will be able to tell you ;-)



bobgordon
Posts: 7
Member Since:
2010-02-04
Ran it, results were as you

Ran it, results were as you predicted. I input chkconfig dhcpd off and it did what it was supposed to, but even after returning to the statically assigned IP address and rebooting trixbox, the problems still persist.



bobgordon
Posts: 7
Member Since:
2010-02-04
If I understand you

If I understand you correctly, you are referring to the on-board NIC, and the 4-port PCI switch. We removed the 4-port PCI switch when we first got the appliance, and it has been connected through the NIC from the beginning.



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