VPN Hello and welcome. In the VPN section we will cover the steps for enabling the VPN feature on the Allworx server and how to set up a VPN connection to the Allworx System from your PC. Page 1
VPN The Allworx Server Web Admin page can only be accessed from PCs residing on the server s local subnet, the LAN. This prevents tampering by hackers from the Internet but unfortunately also prevents direct remote administration and troubleshooting. However, the Allworx System includes a secure Virtual Private Network (or VPN) to provide remote access. PCs using the VPN can connect to the server s WAN port from the Internet and tunnel through to the LAN. However, if the Allworx server LAN port is connected to the Internet through a third party firewall, VPN access to the server must be enabled through that firewall rather than through the Allworx server. These configurations provide PCs with access to the server s Web Admin page as if they were physically connected on the server s LAN. This connection through the WAN to the LAN is called a VPN Tunnel. Page 2
VPN To enable the VPN feature on the server, select VPN under the Network section of the Admin page. Page 3
VPN There are several different VPN tunnel types that are commonly used on the Internet. The two most common types are PPTP and IPSec. The Allworx server supports only PPTP tunnels. It does not support IPSec. By default the VPN feature is disabled. Select the Modify link to enable it. Page 4
VPN Select the Enable VPN PPTP Server checkbox. Unless you are using custom settings for the VPN server, do not modify any of the settings except perhaps the Max Tunnels field. This value sets the limit for the number of VPN connections that can be made at any given time. Select the Update button to save the changes and return to the main VPN page. Page 5
VPN The yellow highlighted fields indicate that a server reboot is required for the changes to take effect. Page 6
VPN Here are a few tips for using the VPN. The Allworx System comes with the capability of a single VPN session. If additional VPN connections are desired, the VPN feature key is required. The feature key will enable up to 16 active VPN sessions. Note that VPN connections use Internet bandwidth. Having too many concurrent connections could affect the quality of calls that use SIP Trunks and remote VoIP phones. The Allworx VPN may not be needed when in LAN Host Mode. That is because with LAN Host Mode, connections from the Internet go through a site s existing Internet firewall rather than through the Allworx server WAN. In this mode, accessing the site s LAN through their existing gateway may require enabling a VPN on the site s firewall. This VPN would be a feature of the site s firewall and is completely separate from the Allworx VPN feature. Enabling the Allworx VPN is not required. To enable VPN access through the site s firewall, you must also forward the firewall s port 1723 to the Allworx server and enable the GRE protocol on the firewall, if it is disabled. Page 7
VPN For Allworx users to utilize the VPN feature, they must be given permission as part of their user settings. Navigate to Users under the Business section of the Admin page. Page 8
VPN Select the Modify link for any users who will be using the VPN. Page 9
VPN To enable remote administration or troubleshooting, you must do the following steps for at least one user. Scroll to the VPN Settings section at the bottom of the page. Click on the Allow VPN Access checkbox and then enter a user-specific password. This password must be exactly 14 characters long and must contain at least one letter and at least one digit. The user s Allworx login ID and the VPN password that you just entered will be required when setting up their PC to use the VPN. Select the Update button to save changes to the user page. Page 10
VPN On each computer using Allworx VPN, a network connection to the server must be added. The steps for doing this vary for different versions of Windows. For computers running Windows XP, select Start, Control Panel and then double click on the Network Connections icon. Page 11
VPN To open the new connections wizard, click on the Create a new connection link under the Network Tasks section to the left of the window. A new window will open for the connection wizard. Select the Next button to begin the setup process. Page 12
VPN Choose Connect to the network at my workplace Page 13
VPN and then click Virtual Private Network connection from the list of connection types and methods. Page 14
VPN In the company name field enter a description of the server being connected to, such as its location. Page 15
VPN In the Host name or IP address text box, enter the WAN IP address of the server and click Finish. Page 16
VPN The connect dialog will appear. This window is where the user s Allworx login ID and VPN password are entered. To access the Allworx server enter this user information and select the Connect button. Page 17
VPN The steps for computers running Windows Vista, are listed here. Page 18
Safemode Welcome to the section on Safe Mode. This section will show you how to access the Safe Mode page of the Allworx server and will familiarize you with some of its features. Page 19
Safemode The Allworx System has a Safe Mode that provides special options for the System Administrator. After booting into Safe Mode, you can restore a backup of the server, format the server s disk, or configure the disk. In the course of troubleshooting a system problem, if any of these operations are necessary, you must boot the server into Safe Mode. There are two ways to do this. One way is to use the power button. First, press the power button to turn off the server. After the power indicator goes dark, press and hold the power button for more than 1 second, until the power indicator lights amber. The other method is to initiate it from the Admin page. Page 20
Safemode Click Restart under the Maintenance section Page 21
Safemode and then select the Enter Safe Mode after restart option. The server will shut down and then power back up into Safe Mode. During this cycle, disconnect the server from the site s network. Connect a Cat 5e cable directly between the PC s network port and the server s LAN port. Then wait for the server to reboot. The Power indicator will light solid amber. Page 22
Safemode Once the server is in Safe Mode, its LAN IP address will be 192.168.2.254. You will need to release and renew the PC s IP address each time upon entering Safe Mode. This can be done from a Windows Command Prompt. If the PC is using static IP settings, these settings will have to be changed. To access the server s Safe Mode page, in a browser enter IP address 192.168.2.254:8080. Page 23
Safemode The most commonly used options on the Safe Mode page are covered in other sections, such as Backup/Restore and Software Update. *Discover for Yourself* Restore from OfficeSafe - Restores System backups using OfficeSafe Application. Convered in Backup & Restore section. Mount - Mounts server disk drives. Required before activating software updates or restarting in a different reboot mode. Format - Erases the entire disk of the Allworx System or prepares new disk for operation. Convert - Switches 6x system from Compact Flash to USB disk. Update - Activates software that has been copied to the server, typically after a format. More information in the Update section in the Basic Setup module. Reboot in Normal Mode - Shuts down server and reboots without changing user data or configuration. Reboot in Normal Mode with Factory Defaults restored - Replaces the current network configuration settings, such as LAN, WAN, and Gateway with default values. Reboot in Normal Mode with Factory Defaults restored AND all user settings and files erased - Removes all settings from the Allworx server as if the server was just received from the factory. Maintains current software. Reboot in Safe Mode - Reboots the server and returns to Safe Mode page. Page 24
Backup and Restore Welcome to the Backup and Restore section. This section will cover how to back up data that is stored on the Allworx system and how to restore a backup, should the need arise. Page 25
Backup and Restore It is a good practice to make backup copies of the data that is stored on any computer-based system. An installed Allworx system has data that would be impossible to replace or time-consuming to reproduce if it is lost. Valuable data includes user voicemail and system configuration information such as outside line characteristics and handset PFK programming. Allworx provides tools for performing system backups and restores. The server Admin page includes an interface for initiating both immediate and scheduled backups. A free PC-based backup application, called OfficeSafe, stores and manages the backups on your PC. OfficeSafe can be downloaded from the Allworx Reseller Portal. In order to use the program to back up and restore Allworx servers, the PC running OfficeSafe would normally be connected to the Allworx server LAN. Page 26
Backup and Restore To back up the system, steps must be performed in both the server Admin page and the OfficeSafe application on the PC. First, configure the server side. Select Backup under the Maintenance section. Page 27
Backup and Restore Backups can be scheduled or they can be done manually. In either case, configure the backup by clicking on the Modify link. Page 28
Backup and Restore Enter the IP address of the PC that will be receiving the backups. If you will be initiating the backup manually, no additional configuration on the server is required. If you would like to schedule backups to run automatically, set the Start Time and Frequency. Select the Update button and return to the main Backup page. Page 29
Backup and Restore After the PC has been configured, you can initiate a backup at any time by selecting the Backup Now button. Once the backup settings on the server have been configured, the next step is to configure the PC that is being used to store the backups. Page 30
Backup and Restore After the OfficeSafe application has been installed on the PC, its icon will appear on the Windows desktop. Double-click the icon. In the OfficeSafe window, the Current Settings box displays the IP address of the PC. This is a convenient way to find out the PC s IP address to use when configuring the backup information on the server. The Current Settings box also includes the TCP/IP port to use for communicating with the server and the storage location of the backup files. Select the Modify button to change the settings. Page 31
Backup and Restore The TCP/IP port must match the port that was configured on the server s Admin page. OfficeSafe will automatically create an OfficeSafeBackups folder on the C drive of the computer for storing the backups. If you wish to store the backups in a different location, use the Browse button to select a new drive and/or folder. Page 32
Backup and Restore In most cases, further PC setup is not required. However, additional settings can be found on the Backup options menu. Page 33
Backup and Restore If you are using the same PC to create backups of multiple servers, select the Server ID, also known as the server s MAC address, from the Allworx server drop down menu. Once a server is selected you will be able to view and change the current settings. These settings include overriding the server s incremental mode and forcing Full backups along with the ability to specify the number of backups to retain on the PC. Page 34
Backup and Restore Backups that are stored on one PC can be moved to different PC or storage location, if that is necessary. However, we do not recommend directly copying the backup files from the OfficeSafe directory. Instead, you should export the backup using the Export option on the Backup menu. To use the exported backup on another PC, use the Import option. OfficeSafe on the new PC will move the imported backup files into its library. When you are done configuring OfficeSafe, do not close the program. It must be running for backups to be created. Page 35
Backup and Restore Once the server and PC have been configured, backups can be initiated. This will either be done manually by selecting the Backup Now button on the Server Backup page or if scheduled backups have been configured, they will start automatically, at the scheduled time. Page 36
Backup and Restore Restores are initiated from the server Safe Mode page but first, you must configure OfficeSafe to select the desired backup. From the OfficeSafe application, select Restore from the toolbar and then select Restore Options. When the Auto Select option is checked, OfficeSafe will use the most recent backup from the same Allworx server that is being restored. To use a different backup, uncheck the Auto Select option and select a specific backup from the drop down list. Backups can be restored to the original server or to any Allworx server of the same model. For example, a backup from one 24x can be restored to a different 24x unit. This is typically done when a server is being replaced with a new one. Page 37
Backup and Restore To restore a backup onto an Allworx System, boot the server into Safe Mode. Under the OfficeSafe section of the Safe Mode page, enter the IP Address of the PC that is running OfficeSafe. Make sure the TCP/IP port on the Safe Mode page is the same port being used by OfficeSafe. Select the Restore from OfficeSafe button to start the restore process. The Status bar will provide information regarding the progress of restoring the backup. Page 38
Backup and Restore Once the restore is complete, reboot the server in Normal mode. Page 39