DHCP

[idahomitel]

I have a SX200 AX controller with 8 IP sets on the switch (Hotel). I started receiving complaints about the voice mail seizing up, not answering. Maintenance logs show iPVM errors at exactly 2:08 in the morning, and wont allow the voice mail to work until I do a re-boot. Went on site to be sure no other devices were plugged into the layer 2 switch. Only the phones were. Form 47 DHCP lease showed and unusual line @ 192.168.1.14 "IP in use", not MAC address, but "SRVR RSRV" with an actual date and time 3 days in the future. I decided to delete all information in that sub-form and changed DHCP Enable to Disable. All phones re-booted without an issue. Any reason to keep DHCP Enabled in this type of environment? I know if the add phones we can have them set statically. I have never run into this problem before. I think I need a lesson from someone in the way servers work, and why do we need DHCP enabled?

Thanks!

 

[V3RTechNP]

The purpose of DHCP is to not have to configure IP parameters for each device manually. You don't specifically needs it for everything to work but it's kind of not a best practice to have no DHCP.

What is the address range of your DHCP server? Does the range include your SX-200 IP address?

Per example, if your SX-200 is at IP 192.168.1.14, make sure that IP isn't included in the DHCP range. When leases are getting renewed, the SX-200 IP could be leased to a device and it could lead to the kind of problems that you have.

 

[idahomitel]

The ICP is using the default IP address of 192.168.1.2. The DHCP range was set from 192.168.1.10 forward. Even with the Setting changed to disabled, the voice mail failed at 2 am again today. I did read a bunch of T-1 errors before that happened.

 

[idahomitel]

PRI provider had their clock as source. Set to release, so errors have ceased on the T-1. Found a rouge network connection to the customer's reservations server connected to the Mitel network hub. Disconnected that and re-set everything. Looks good until 2:08 am again, and voice mail seizes with the following: "iPVM_Exec 0x2b99740". I have 1 16 port (8 PoE) Linksys with 1 Netgear 8 port (4 PoE)connected together. There is 1 non-working port (1) on the Netgear switch. I am replacing that with another Linksys. Hope that resolves the problem. Ever had a bad switch (hub) cause such problems?

 

[V3RTechNP]

Sounds like your DHCP isn't at fault at all.
Do you think it would be possible to unplug completely the network about 10 min. before the VM stops? Since it occurs everyday at 2:08, if you unplug the network at 2:00 and it still stops you'll have proof that nothing on the network is at fault. You can test the VM with an analog or digital set or call from outside.
Otherwise, I'm sorry to say that I haven't seen your problem before. The good news is that it happens every night at the same hour so I'm sure you'll manage to find out. It's either something on the network or some kind of check on the controller itself that goes wrong every night.

 

[idahomitel]

DHCP is back to enable. Thanks, I will try the unplugging before 2am.

 

[idahomitel]

Ok, I had the PBX disconnected from the 10/100 base connection on the controller from 1:50am to 2:15am this morning. The maint logs show a Major Alarm was generated precisely at 2:08:30. So I must have a corrupt data base. I have an earlier Kermit download for the site. Do you think it wise to restore the data base with that?

 

[V3RTechNP]

I'm not savvy enough with SX-200 to recommend you to go ahead or not with the restore. Newer versions of MiVB have backup validity checks to make sure that you won't restore a bad backup but those didn't exist back in the day.
I suggest that someone more experienced with SX-200 chimes in to give you a proper advice about the restore.

However, now you know that it's something with the controller and that it's not caused by something else on your network.

 

[idahomitel]

I appreciate your input. Oh, "back in the day" was only 2 years ago

 

[V3RTechNP]

SX-200 is a very old platform. I think Mitel still sells the AX but there's no more technological advances with this type of controller since about a decade probably.
It's almost exclusively used in the hotel/motel industry nowadays.

 

[idahomitel]

The 200 ICP AX is actually a 3300 with 200 software. I install them exclusively for the hospitality industry. Some people like hardware, some like the cloud. Thanks again!

 

[V3RTechNP]

Ha yes, they put that out not long after the 3300 AX.
Nevertheless, I think that the 200 ICP software is pretty much frozen in time at this point. Still a very robust and efficient platform however.

Wish you luck with your problem. Please, keep us informed when you find the source of it.

 

[idahomitel]

It started after (someone)? plugged a patch cable from the layer 2 switch connected to the PBX to a port on a server used for (reservations, booking?) and the Mitel handed it an ip address that was assigned to another IP phone but was unplugged. Conflicts with addresses appeared. Anyway, I took apparently what was a corrupted data base ftp download and uploaded it onto the new controller and flash. OOps! Had to re-format and upload a boot disk with new software, and uploaded a kermit file I had taken, then re-programm all the mailboxes. No alarms! Thanks again!

 

[V3RTechNP]

Well that wasn't an easy one. So when you unplugged the network cable from the SX-200 before, there was still that server plugged in the controller I guess? I should have specified to remove all network cables from the SX-200. You would have found the problem faster, sorry.

Congratulations on resolving the issue!