Vidicode V-tap voip User manual

V-Tap VoIP

1 &2 &3

Manual

v3.23

V-Tap VoIP Manual EN v3.23 Aug 2021 © 2017-2021 Vidicode 2 
 
 
 
Contents 
 
1Introduction....................................................................5 
2Getting started...............................................................6 
1 Hardware installation.......................................................6 
1.1 Connection at Home .............................................................. 7 
1.2 Connection at the Office........................................................ 7 
2 Software installation ........................................................8 
2.1 Call Recorder Apresa.............................................................. 8 
2.2 V-Archive software on a PC................................................... 9 
3 Checklist for Tunnel connection ....................................10 
3Web interface and Settings .........................................11 
1 Access & IP address .........................................................11 
2 Web interface..................................................................12 
3 Settings............................................................................14 
3.1 General Network settings.................................................... 14 
3.2 Tunnel settings..................................................................... 16 
3.3 Special Tunnel & Network settings..................................... 18 
3.4 Proxy settings (V-Tap VoIP-2/3 only) ................................. 21 
3.5 Login settings for Web access & FTP................................... 29 
3.6 NTP and Date+Time settings ............................................... 30 
3.7 Button Mode setting............................................................ 31 
3.8 Special Settings & Commands ............................................. 32 
3.9 Licenses & Versions .............................................................. 34 
4LED’s .............................................................................35 
1 Red Error LED ..................................................................35 

V-Tap VoIP Manual EN v3.23 Aug 2021 © 2017-2021 Vidicode 3 
 
2 Green Link LED ................................................................36 
3 Blue Data LED..................................................................37 
4 Amber SD-Power LED .....................................................37 
5Button functions ..........................................................38 
1 Start & Stop recording....................................................38 
2 Remove SD card safely ...................................................38 
3 Disable DHCP temporary................................................39 
4 Show IP address ..............................................................39 
5 Copy Settings from SD card ...........................................40 
6 Factory settings...............................................................40 
7 Format SD card................................................................40 
8 Default IP address...........................................................40 
9 Firmware update ............................................................41 
6SD card usage...............................................................42 
1 Special SD card settings .................................................43 
7Special Modes of Operation ........................................46 
1 Default Switch mode......................................................46 
2 Split Ports modes ............................................................47 
3 Mirror/SPAN Input mode ...............................................49 
4 Mirror Ports modes (no recording)................................50 
5 Single-Proxy mode..........................................................52 
6 Multi-Proxy mode ...........................................................52 
7 Proxy Public Access .........................................................53 
8 FRITZ!Box recording with the V-Tap VoIP-2/3..............54 
8Telnet connection.........................................................64 

9Technical Specifications ...............................................65

10 Revision History .......................................................66

11 Acknowledgements.................................................68

11.1 Privacy..............................................................................68

11.2 Liability ............................................................................68

1Introduction

The V-Tap VoIP is a hardware and software solution for the recording of

telephone calls that are transported over an IP network. The supplied

hardware unit filters the network traffic, wraps the sniffed data into a

special tunnel-format and stores it onto an SD card. The V-Tap VoIP can

operate therefore stand-alone. The captured data can then be sent back

over the network to an external server, which can be a Call Recorder

Apresa (running on Linux) or the V-Archive software (running on a

Windows PC). The Apresa recorder or V-Archive software can both

interpret the tunnel-format and make playable audio files from it,

together with the original date, time and call number information.

By default, the V-Tap VoIP functions as a normal switch that allows 4

Ethernet connections. This makes it possible to connect 3 VoIP phones

directly and use one port for connection to the network. It is also

possible to connect the output of another switch, when more than 3

phones must be recorded. A VoIP phone can also be a softphone

running on a PC; recording is then achieved by simply wiring the PC’s

network through the V-Tap VoIP. Port mirroring is done internally.

In the case that no SD card is inserted, the sniffed data is sent live over

the network to the Apresa recorder or V-Archive software (streaming).

With an SD card inserted, the sniffed data is stored as files on the card.

Depending on whether a Tunnel has been defined or not, the files are

sent over the network or can be read later by the V-Archive software.

By using the SD card (FAT32 formatted), the V-Tap VoIP can operate

completely stand-alone and can store data for weeks or even months,

depending on the capacity of the card.

The internal settings of the V-Tap can be accessed through a web

interface by any browser.

There are three models, the V-Tap VoIP-1/2/3. The VoIP-1 and VoIP-2

have 100 Mbps Ethernet ports, the VoIP-3 has 1000 Mbps (Gigabit) ports.

The VoIP-2 and VoIP-3 further have extra “Proxy modes”for recording.

The V-Tap VoIP is a member of a family of compatible products that can

be used to create all sorts of Call Recording solutions. There are V-Taps

for VoIP, Analog, Audio and ISDN telephony and there is a V-App for

mobile recording. All of these products will communicate with the

Apresa Corporate or Apresa Cloud-based recording solutions.

NOTE: The V-Tap VoIP needs to be powered through USB with at least 300 mA.

2Getting started

2.1 Hardware installation

The V-Tap VoIP is easy to setup. The following steps are involved:

•Connect the local network to any port on the V-Tap VoIP.

•Connect the IP phone(s) to any other port on the V-Tap VoIP.

•Connect the USB to the V-Tap VoIP for power.

•Insert an SD card (optional but recommended).

•Access the settings in the web interface by using a browser.

Any port on the V-Tap can be used to connect the local network and the

IP phones, because in default configuration, the V-Tap VoIP functions as

a normal 4-port switch.

Different configurations are possible, see Special Modes of Operation.

NOTE: Only ports PHONE2 and PHONE3 are suitable to connect a Power over

Ethernet (PoE) loop. The V-Tap VoIP itself does not generate PoE.

2.1.1 Connection at Home

2.1.2 Connection at the Office

2.2 Software installation

External software is needed to extract the recorded calls from the

Tunnel data that is produced by the V-Tap VoIP. Also, when the data is

first stored on an SD card, external software is needed to interpret this

data from the card, especially when the data is encrypted.

The Tunnel data stream, coming directly from the V-Tap, can be send to

the Call Recorder Apresa or the V-Archive software.

NOTE:

The V-Tap needs at least one Apresa or PC channel license, before the

Apresa or V-Archive software can record your calls. Recording multiple

calls simultaneously needs more licenses.

2.2.1 Call Recorder Apresa

The Call Recorder Apresa is recorder software running on the Linux

Debian operating system. The Apresa can receive Tunnel data from the

V-Tap, convert this data into audio files and store the files into its own

database.

The Apresa can receive multiple data streams from many V-Tap units

simultaneously. In that case the recordings of different locations are

centrally stored in one database.

To setup the Apresa to act as a Tunnel server for a V-Tap, go to

System settings, Network tab and enable “V-Tap” as is shown below:

NOTE1: Apresa’s IP address is the “Tunnel Server Address” in the V-Tap.

NOTE2: Be sure the Encryption password is the same as in the V-Tap unit.

2.2.2 V-Archive software on a PC

The V-Archive software for the PC can, just as the Apresa, receive Tunnel

data from the V-Tap VoIP, convert this data into audio files and store

the files into its own database. The V-Archive software can also receive

multiple data streams from different V-Tap units simultaneously.

To setup the V-Archive software to accept connections from a V-Tap, go

to Options, Setup, Recording tab and enable as is shown below:

NOTE1: The PC’s IP address is the “Tunnel Server Address” in the V-Tap.

NOTE2: Be sure that the PC’s firewall is open for TCP port 2016, the

default “Tunnel Destination Port” in the V-Tap. During

installation, V-Archive tries to open port 2016 in Windows.

NOTE3: Be sure the Encryption password is the same as the

“Encryption Password” in the V-Tap.

NOTE4: The V-Archive software itself does not need licenses to receive

from the V-Tap. Licenses are inside the V-Tap.

The V-Archive software for the PC is further not described in this

manual; see for more details the V-Archive manual.

V-Tap VoIP Manual EN v3.23 Aug 2021 © 2017-2021 Vidicode 10 
 
2.3 Checklist for Tunnel connection 
 
A connection between V-Tap and Apresa or PC software is needed to get the recorded 
data into a user accessible database. This checklist can be used to setup the Tunnel: 
 
1) Install the Hardware and be sure that the VoIP data passes the V-Tap. 
 
2) Install Apresa or V-Archive PC software and enable V-Tap connections. 
 
3) Open the Settings page of the V-Tap in a browser by entering http://vtapXXXX.local , in which 
XXXX are the last 4 digits of the MAC address, found on the bottom of the unit. 
It may take up to a minute after first connect, before this local name is known to the PC.
 
4) The IP address of Apresa or PC with V-Archive must be entered as the “Tunnel Server Address”. 
 
5) Any firewall must be open for TCP port 2016, the default “Tunnel Destination Port”. 
During installation of V-Archive this port is automatically opened, if permitted by the PC.
 
6) The Tunnel connection is stable when the GREEN LED is steady, not blinking! 
When using V-Archive, the V-Tap must be shown with its MAC address in the status line.
 
7) For first tests, better turn off “Tunnel Encryption”. 
Otherwise, be sure that the Encryption password is the same in both V-Tap and Tunnel server.
 
8) The V-Tap stores only data that passes the “Tunnel TCP/SIP Port Filter”. 
In case of an unknown port or for test, this filter can be set to zero to store all TCP/IP traffic.
 
9) When data is stored during a call, the BLUE LED blinks fast. 
 
10) To see if the Apresa or PC receives something from the V-Tap, it is possible to make a network 
trace for test. In V-Archive, go to menu Actions and select ‘Network trace’, press Start, make a 
call, press Stop and then Save. From the zip, ‘tunneltrace.pcap’ can be analyzed with Wireshark. 
 
11) The SD card in the V-Tap should contain “.TUN” files when data is captured. 
The SD card can be read by the V-Archive PC software in menu File and ‘Import from V-Tap’. 
 
12) When the V-Tap is connected to a trunk, then it sees all calls that are passing. The V-Tap can 
only filter those calls on IP address, set with the “Tunnel IP Address Filter”.

3Web interface and Settings

The first step to access the web interface of the V-Tap VoIP is to connect

a network cable to any of the 4 LAN ports on the unit. The other side of

the cable can be connected to a LAN switch or directly to a PC.

3.1 Access & IP address

By default, the V-Tap has DHCP enabled and can be accessed with any

browser by entering the address http://vtapXXXX.local , in which XXXX

are the last 4 digits of the MAC address, found on the bottom:

For this V-Tap:

Default address: http://vtap019e.local

Default Username: admin

Default Password: admin

If no DHCP is available, it can be disabled temporary by pressing the

button for 1 second. The LED’s will flash shortly and the V-Tap can be

accessed on the IP address 192.168.55.66

See also Disable DHCP temporary and Show IP address.

It is also possible to set a new fixed IP address by using an SD card:

Defining a fixed IP address with an SD card:

. Create the text file “IP”on your PC.

. The first line in this file must hold the IP address.

. The second line is optional and can hold the IP mask.

. Copy “IP.TXT”to the root directory of an SD card.

. Insert the SD card into the V-Tap unit.

. The IP address has now changed and can be accessed.

. The file “IP.TXT” is deleted from the card by the V-Tap.

. Note: The IP address 0.0.0.0 enables DHCP on the V-Tap.

3.2 Web interface

Entering the address in your browser will show the following screen:

Now enter “admin” for the Username and “admin” for the Password,

then press the Login button and the Settings page appears.

The Settings pages for the V-Tap VoIP-1 and VoIP-2/3 are different,

because the VoIP-2/3 has some extra settings for the Proxy modes.

Both Settings pages are shown on the next page.

Putting the mouse cursor on the ‘i’behind a setting, will show extra

information about that setting.

By pressing the Save & Logout button on the Settings page, the settings

are sent to the V-Tap unit. Any ongoing recording is stopped, the file on

SD card is closed, and after a few seconds the new settings are activated.

(The settings on the next page are not the default settings, but just an example.)

3.3 Settings

The settings are divided into groups that are described in the following

paragraphs.

3.3.1 General Network settings

Name of this V-Tap

This field can be filled in with any name you like and is used for

remote recognition of the V-Tap unit. The name is shown in the web

interface and after connecting with ftp or telnet. The name is not

used in the Tunnel protocol. The maximum length is 30 characters.

The single and double quotation marks (‘ and “) cannot be used !

DHCP Server

Default, DHCP is enabled and the V-Tap can be accessed with a

browser by entering the address http://vtapXXXX.local , in which

XXXX are the last 4 digits of the MAC address, found on the bottom.

When a DHCP server is available on the network, the IP address,

Subnet mask, Gateway address and DNS address are automatically

assigned. Without DHCP, they must all be entered manually.

With default settings, DHCP can be disabled temporary by pressing

the button for 1 second, see Disable DHCP temporary.

V-Tap IP Address

As part of the local network, the V-Tap VoIP needs an IP address.

In case DHCP is used, the DHCP server will assign the V-Tap an IP

address. In case DHCP is not used, a static IP address must be filled in.

The default address is 192.168.55.66 , see also Access & IP Address.

See the next page to setup for VLAN usage.

Subnet Mask

The subnet mask is used for so called ‘subnetting’, a way to logically

divide one network into more networks. The logical AND of the IP

address with the mask must be the same for the V-Tap and the

computer connecting to it. The default mask is 255.255.255.0.

In case DHCP is used, the mask is automatically obtained.

Gateway Address

The Gateway address is used by the V-Tap VoIP unit when access

outside the local network (LAN) is required. This sort of access can be

needed by the Tunnel protocol for streaming to a remote computer

and/or by the NTP feature for obtaining the current date and time.

In case DHCP is active, the gateway is automatically obtained.

DNS Server Address

The Domain Name Service (DNS) is needed in case a name is entered

instead of an IP address for the Tunnel server and/or the NTP server.

The default DNS address 8.8.8.8 is the Google Public DNS, but the

Gateway must be defined also before this address is reachable.

In case DHCP is used, the DNS address is automatically obtained.

___________________________________________________________________

Setup for VLAN tagging (IEEE 802.1Q)

To setup the V-Tap to take part of a Virtual LAN, the network cable

must be connected to port 4, marked ‘LAN’.

Also, the following option must be added to the IP Address:

/VLAN<0-4095> : Set the VID field and enable VLAN tagging.

/PRIO<0-7> : Set the Priority field inside the send tags (optional).

The IP Address is then for example: 192.168.0.12 /VLAN256 /PRIO1

All web access and the Tunnel connection on port 4 are then sent with

VLAN tags inserted, and the system only answers to packets with the

same VID inside their tags.

The other 3 ports can still be used to access the V-Tap without tags.

In VLAN mode, all network ports will still pass unchanged packets with

or without VLAN tags between each other, as a switch normally does.

VoIP packets are stored for recording with the VLAN tags included.

To remove the VLAN tags from the packets for storage, add “.RT“to the

Special Settings & Commands field.

___________________________________________________________________

3.3.2 Tunnel settings

Tunnel Server Address

Here you fill in the IP address or hostname of the Tunnel server that

is going to receive the recordings coming from the V-Tap VoIP.

Leaving this field empty will disable the Tunnel function all together,

in which case the V-Tap unit can only store data onto an SD card.

The receiving server can be an Apresa recorder or a PC running the

V-Archive software. In both cases, the V-Tap needs a license to allow

Tunnel data to be uploaded/streamed to the Tunnel server.

It is also possible to send the recordings to two servers, by entering

two addresses with a plus sign in between. For example:

192.168.0.38 + recording.vidicode.com

This is only possible with an SD card inserted, because recordings are

sent to one server at the time; when finished with a file, it is sent to

the other server.

Without a license, the receiving server will discard the Tunnel data.

Tunnel Destination Port

The Tunnel protocol is based on the TCP protocol and that involves a

Destination Port and a Source Port. Both are numbers from 0 till

65535 that are included in each packet and are very important for

the receiving end of the Tunnel data. The receiving Tunnel server

must be setup to look for the same port number as is installed in this

Tunnel Destination Port.

Not all TCP port numbers are available for tunnelling, because some

are officially used by other protocols. For example, port 80 is used for

HTTP in all browsers to communicate over the World Wide Web. A

list of known port numbers can be found on the internet.

The default port number 2016 is not an official port and can be used

safely for this Tunnel protocol. The only drawback that comes by

using an unknown port is, that a firewall will block this port. For that

reason, it is important that any firewall that is passed by the Tunnel

stream must be setup right.

Firewalls must have a rule to let through TCP port 2016.

Tunnel Encryption

The data inside the Tunnel protocol is sent encrypted over the

network. The used method is AES with a 256-bit Cryptographic Key.

For privacy reasons it is advised to leave the encryption enabled.

Encryption Password

This parameter is also used for the encryption of the Tunnel data.

The receiving side of the Tunnel data, the Apresa or V-Archive

software, must use the same password. Leaving the password empty

is still doing the encryption but is less secure.

Comma’s and single and double quotation marks cannot be used !

Tunnel IP Address Filter

This filter acts as a whitelist for IP addresses. Maximum 16 IP

addresses and/or IP ranges can be entered, separated by a plus sign.

An IP range can be set by defining a mask with the “/bits” notation

behind the address. Examples:

192.168.0.0/24 : Take all IP addresses that start with 192.168.0.x

10.247.0.0/16 : Take all IP addresses that start with 10.247.x.x

192.168.1.12+192.168.1.177 : Take these two IP addresses only.

192.168.33.66+10.0.0.0/8 : Take an IP address and IP range 10.x.x.x

When left empty, the filter is disabled and all IP addresses are stored.

In the V-Tap VoIP-3, the IP filtering is done in hardware!

Tunnel TCP/SIP Port Filter

The VoIP protocol packets that are recorded (sniffed) from the local

network must pass this filter, else they are discarded.

The TCP/SIP Port Filter set to 0 (zero) disables the filter function. Then

all TCP over IP packets are recorded, including most internet traffic,

downloads and streaming media. The receiving Tunnel server can still

pick out the VoIP calls, but on a busy local network this is not advised

to do, because the V-Tap VoIP probably gets overloaded.

Disabling the filter is therefore only useful when the V-Tap is

connected to one or more VoIP phones, not a trunk or network with

other data traffic.

To store the SIP protocol only, the port filter must be set to 5060.

The Unify HFA protocol uses port 4060. Cisco SCCP uses port 2000.

It is also possible to enter two ports; for example “5060+2000”.

Tunnel UDP/RTP Port Filter

UDP packets, coming from the local network, can be filtered in the

same way as TCP packets. The SIP protocol uses most of the time UDP

with a random higher port number to transport the voice data, the

so called RTP stream.

With standard SIP on the local network, this filter can be set to 0

(zero) to allow the V-Tap unit to take all UDP packets.

When the RTP stream is known, it is possible to enter a range of

ports; for example “40000-44000” or “8000-12000”.

Note: All UDP packets that have the same port number as the

entered “Tunnel TCP/SIP Port Filter” are also stored.

3.3.3 Special Tunnel & Network settings

Next follows a description of some settings for the Tunnel and network,

which must be entered in Special Settings & Commands.

.TS<port> = Tunnel Source Port (default 0 = random)

The Source Port also has an important role in the Tunnel protocol.

The default number 0 selects randomly a port number between

49152 and 65535. This range of port numbers is recommended by

IANA to be used for dynamic ports.

Once a connection has been established between the V-Tap and the

receiving Tunnel server, the chosen port number is kept active for

the duration of the communication session. When connection is lost

for some reason, a new source port is chosen for the next

connection. This ensures fast reconnection, because the TCP protocol

does not allow the same source port to be used again within a short

time. After an OS specific timeout of normally a few minutes, the

port numbers become available again for reuse.

It is therefore not recommended to select a fixed number for the

Tunnel Source Port in cases where live streaming is done without

using an SD card.

.TC<sec> = Tunnel Connect Timeout (default 22 seconds)

This timeout is used when the V-Tap VoIP tries to connect to the

Tunnel server. The default 22 seconds is enough to send 4 requests. If

no reply comes from the remote side within the timeout, the V-Tap

starts trying again after a few seconds with a new source port

number (see above). Storage onto SD card just continues and is not

interrupted by any connection or disconnection of the Tunnel.

.TI<sec> = Tunnel Idle Timeout (def 0 = always connected)

This timeout is used to disconnect the active tunnel connection, only

when no packets are received (sniffed) anymore from the local

connected network. Default, the idle timeout is disabled and the

tunnel stays connected forever.

The timeout is added for (yet) unknown situations where it is not

allowed to have an open TCP connection for a long time.

.TK<sec> = Tunnel Keep-alive Timer (default 60 seconds)

This timer is used to keep the connection alive between the V-Tap

and the Tunnel server. Default, a dummy TCP packet is sent every 60

seconds by the V-Tap to the server.

.TL<leng> = Tunnel Minimum Packet Length (default 60)

Tunnel Packets are network packets sniffed by the V-Tap VoIP. These

are the wanted VoIP packets coming from your phone and local

network. After they passed the internal filters and match the

minimum size, they are sent with the Tunnel protocol to the server

or stored onto SD card.

The default minimum size of 60 bytes is also the minimum standard

Ethernet packet size. This means that packets of all sizes are taken.

There may be situations where it is handy to increase the size, to

minimize the overhead of stored packets. For example, when the size

is set to 61 all ACK-packets from the TCP protocol are discarded.

.DB = Disable Tunnel Filter for Broadcast & ARP packets

This filter sees that not too much packets are taken from the local

network for storage. Many LAN’s at the office have a lot of overhead

from packets that are not relevant for recording VoIP calls.

Therefore, all Broadcast and ARP packets are standard discarded,

reducing the size of the stored Tunnel data.

.DF = Disable Type Filter (default IP & ARP packets only)

This hardware filter is very fast and looks at two bytes in all Ethernet

packets, called the EtherType. Active by default, only two protocols

are let through, namely Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) and the

Address Resolution Protocol (ARP). Both are always needed for

normal operation. All other protocols from the Internet Layer are not

needed when recording normal VoIP calls.

Disabling this filter will increase the amount of stored redundant

data a lot, when the V-Tap is connected to a PC LAN or trunk.

.LX<size> = Maximum Data Size in packets (default 1024)

This sets the maximum length of the data portion inside all

communicated packets on the network for Tunnel, FTP and Web.

The length excludes the Ethernet, IP and TCP headers, which are 54

bytes together. The maximum length of any packet on the network

can be 1514 bytes, so that leaves max 1460 bytes for the data part.

The default length is based on optimal performance when sending

data from an SD card.

There is probably no need to ever change this parameter when the

Tunnel is sending on a normal LAN, but when sending directly on a

WAN or very busy LAN, the length might be decreased for better

performance (try .LX512).

.LS<num> = LAN System Service Timer (default 18 = fastest)

The default value is for fastest network speed. When a lot of V-Tap

units are sending to the same Tunnel server, it might be better to

lower the speed to prevent an overload of streams.

The values 65 and 1 can be used for slow and slower sending.

The values 50 and 18 (same as 0) can be used for faster sending.

.LH = Force Half Duplex on all ports

.LM = Force 10 Mbps on all ports

.LG = Force 100 Mbps on all ports (VoIP-3 only)

These settings will result in much slower network operation. It may

be used for test purposes.

Default, the ports are on Full Duplex operation with 100 Mbps speed

(1000 Mbps for the VoIP-3).

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