IP 500 cannot see voicemail Pro - Voicemail not working. 6

[Skibotech]

Hi,

I am a support Analyst for an IT support company. I have been looking into an issue with one of our clients who use an Avaya IP Office IP500 system. This was noticed at the tail end of last week when they tried to change their night service message which is played by the voicemail client.

The problem is when they dial into their voicemail or use any voicemail service they will either get "user busy" or silence (they do not hear anything but the call has connected).

Their system uses the following:
Control Unit: IP500
Firmware: 5.0 (8)
1x VCM Module, 2x Analogue phone modules
Manager version: Version 7.0(8)
Voicemail Pro Client Version: 5.0 (21).

The voicemail Pro server is installed on a Windows server 2008 FE box (small company so this is their only server) and updates where installed on the 8th and 12th of May, I believe the fault started on the 11th.

The control unit has an Embedded voicemail Card but i believe this was their old voicemail system and is now redundant. The system has worked fine with this configuration up until last Friday. Removing the card and rebooting the system makes no difference.

I have checked the Voicemail Pro Server IP address in manager and it is correct. The services are running on the server and the Voicemail Pro License is showing as valid.

I have tried soft and hard reboots of the base unit, with the CF card removed and inserted and with the voicemail pro services stopped, application closed etc. Nothing seems to make a difference.

The specific symptoms are:
When monitering the system status the voicmail type alternates between "None" and "Voicemail lite" every 30 seconds or so.
When the type is shown as "none", when voicemail is dialed the phone display shows "user Busy" and an error is logged in System Status
When the type is shown as "Voicemail Lite", when voicemail is dialled the call connects, the port shows as active in system status but the call is silent.
The error logged in System status is: "The following system resources are al in use: Voicemail Channels" and a port allocation failure is logged.
In System Status - Voicemail, the licence is seen and showing 0 in use.

I have now run out of idea's, short of rebuilding the voicemail server onto another box or upgrading the firmware. Can anyone Please advise on what the problem could be?

I hope this post has enough info and is easy to understand. Thanks in Advance for any Help.

 

[amriddle01]

Updates nearly always turn windows firewall back on, it needs to be off or the relevant exeptions adding to allow the VM connection through, this issue does sound firweall related. Just loading VM Pro onto another pc/laptop with the firewal and AV off etc ...just to test will prove if it's the server at fault

 

[Skibotech]

Many thanks for your Responce. I have just checked the server and the Firewall is switched off and i believe it always has been switched off.

The server has McAfee Virus scan enterprise 8.5 installed but the on access scanning is turned off and it does not provide a firewall.

Regards,

 

[amriddle01]

Something is blocking the connection between the server and systen though (assuming IP's are all still correct etc), McAfee can be troublesome. Did you try to test with another pc with nothing on at all, no firewall and no AV, you need to to narrow the issue down and that's the quickest way

 

[amriddle01]

Also if that server issues DHCP out, then windows DHCP server (and other services) use random ports to issue addresses from and often can steal/act on the ports VM uses, this can knock the connection off, this is why you shouldn't use SBS or FE or Domain controller servers for VM Pro. Check what ports are in use on the server and make sure they aren't the same as the VM uses

 

[amriddle01]

May be DNS (not DHCP) in fact, one way to test this is to shutdown the MS DNS server, restart VM Pro and then restart MS DNS. If your server IS then working you need to reserve the IP office ports so Microsoft DNS can't grab them:

Start Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).
Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters

On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click Multi-string Value. There may be an entry already there, just modify it.

Right-click the new value, click Rename, type ReservedPorts, and then press ENTER.

Double-click the ReservedPorts value, type the range of ports that you want to reserve, and then click OK.

Add 50790-50801

Click OK.

Quit Registry Editor.

Restart your voicemail pro system (full reboot)... now your MS DNS will not try to grab ports that VM PRO needs to operate.

But in reality... Avaya tell you not to use the server you are for this very reason

 

[Skibotech]

Unfortunately as they are quite a small company they don't have many resources so they don't have a spare pc I can use. We inherited this system from a previous support company and I have noticed a fair few "best Practices" have not been followed.

I will give the DNS Port Reservation a try when I am able to reboot the server. I will also look at the possibility of moving it to another machine. What operating systems/Role servers do Avaya advise against?

Many thanks for your help so far.

 

[yesterdaysman]

I have this issue at least once a month where the client refuses to change the pc its running on so leaves it on the server I run a port trace see what's stolen 50791 disable it restart the server/then switch this should then make it see the switch then restart the service that was stealing that port. assuming its relevant.

 

[IPGuru]

Yesterdayman
I hope you charge them when you have to do this

A Maintenance contract is essential, not a Luxury.
Do things on the cheap & it will cost you dear

 

[Skibotech]

I Ran a Netstat and all ports 50790 to 50800 where in use by UDP (0.0.0.0:50790 etc) but not by TCP/IP. so I have Reserved the ports using amriddle01's instructions. I am just about to reboot the server so my fingers are crossed.

 

[Skibotech]

Complete success. The Voicemail type is now showing as Pro and all services are resumed!

Thanks very much for your helpeveryone, particularly amriddle01!

 

[amriddle01]

Cool and the gang