Avaya QoS Settings

6 elements in how to setup QoS with Avaya equipment

In this post, Avaya QoS Settings, you get to understand ways to improve your network, and optimize it for best performance, as well as learn how Avaya QoS plays a big part in delivering the voice stream over the data traffic. With these six steps, you will be setting yourself for success when integrating both voice and data.

I learned the hard way how these six elements listed below were vital for a successful cut. While installing this solution for this customer, I discovered how they had un-managed switches, and poor CAT3 wiring terminated on 66 blocks. I immediately requested a change order from IP Phones to digital sets in order to fulfill the customer’s needs.

I have put together these elements to help you identify the essentials=

•  1.- Gatekeepers and MPs
• 2.- Switched Network – Duplex Settings and more
• 3.- Codec Set
• 4.- IP Network Regions
• 5.- Tagging your Interfaces 
• 6.- IP-Network Map

1.- Gatekeepers and MPs (Media Processors).

Either you are implementing Avaya Aura (G400s, S8XXs, and G700s) or IP Office (IP400 and IP500). Media Processors are responsible for encoding and decoding analog, digital, and IP calls, and you should be aware of which types your are using. They also help with Echo Cancelation, Silence Suppression, DTMF, and T.38 Fax transport capabilities.

Types of Media Processors and Gatekeepers

MP120 – These are the media processors most commonly used with the G430 Media Gateways. In order to find out the status, version, and amount of available resources, run the ‘show voip dsp, and show voip parameters commands. The MP80s, MP20s are also part of the Media Gateway family of Media Processors.

TN2312AP  or IPSI – This TN board acts as the gatekeeper between the IP Phones and Port Networks (PNs) instead of MGs. When administering the IPSI (TN2312 AP) you need to connect directly to the Board’s Services port located in the front of the board with a crossover cable and run a Telnet session to verify its settings by running the ‘show control interface’ and ‘show qos’. For more details on setting up the IPSI scroll to the reference section of this post.

2.- Switched Network – Duplex Settings and More

Before you start providing best practices to your Network Admins, you have to know what type of hardware has been deployed to conform their data infrastructure. Here are some pointers to look for=

Switch Type – Juniper, Extreme, HP Curves, and Cisco are the most utilized data switches. Ensure that these are running their most updated firmware and patches. Request a file displaying the switch configuration, software levels, etc. This will help you and the customer set the stage for the new VoIP deployment.

Cabling – Spot check some areas by testing with a CAT5 to find out the distance and cabling type. For IDFs closets, it is recommended to have fiber links between them and MDFs.

Duplex – Avaya keeps on changing this rule, but I would suggest locking your speed to 1g or 100 mb full duplex allowing for bidirectional communication; and Port Negotiation set ‘off”. These settings must be the same at both LAN Switch and Voice Equipment.

VLANs – It is recommended to keep both traffic in their own VLANs (Voice and Data). I wrote a post explaining in detail VLANs and QoS “Quality of Service – Why Do We Need It?”

3.- Codec-Set

 The Codec is the mechanism that encodes and decodes digital data streams, compressing it with the following modes= G.711, G.722, and for a higher compression mode you can also set it to G,729 and  G723. Another consideration that you can take is the locale or region ‘U-LAW and A-LAW’.

How do apply the codec-set to your devices – Once you have made the decision of which codec-set to use, you can then apply them to  IP Trunks and IP Telephones. For Avaya Aura the Codec-set is assigned to IP Network Region Forms. For IP Office the Codec-set can be assigned to H.323 Trunks, there is an option under the IP Endpoint Extension, but I am not sure if Avaya had this feature functional at the time I wrote this post.

4.- IP-Network-Regions Forms

For Avaya QoS NRs (Network Regions) are used to apply the compression size based on location, and IP Trunks. NR-1 (IP Network Network Region 1) is the default NR assigned by default unless manually assigned.

Once decided on the bandwidth and Codec rules, it is time to modify the IP-Network-Regions or NRs. Just like VLANs IP-Network-Regions will always default to NR 1. Grouping IP Endpoints and Devices to share the same characteristics and resources. For more on NRs follow this link 

5.- Tagging your Interfaces 

While sharing the same resources, it is important to differentiate the voice traffic by tagging it so the network switch understand which traffic should be prioritized. To do this, you should understand the following=

Diff-Serv and ToS Parameters – Avaya uses DiffServ value of 46 for both call control and audio; prioritizing the Ethernet Frames 802.1p with value of 6 by default. The priority could vary depending on your LAN Switch configuration. Talk to your network admin and have them do the same at the switch level. Here some examples.

6.- IP-Network-Map

With the IP Addresses and DCHP Scope configured, the next step on the Avaya QoS configuration procedure is to program the IP-Network-Map. This form associates the IP Address range with the IP Network Region. If you fail to assigned the range of IP Addresses to the IP-Network-Map, they will be defaulted to NR-1.

Reference

IPSI TN2312AP Initial setup

Type of other references