X Call Example Analysis - How to determine if packet loss is coming from the carrier or the local network.

1. Example of packet loss coming from the carrier:

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2. Example of packet loss coming from the client/user site:

Once you've found the call example in OCOM, double click it to pull up the Call Info window.

In the first tab (Segments), the call looks fine. But to find packet loss, we'll need to move on over to the Media Summary tab.

Here on the Media Summary tab, we can see a packet loss rate of 21.72% for this leg of the call, which is enough to cause static/noise.  For particularly bad calls, you might see upwards of 98-99% packet loss.

In this example, we can see the packet loss occurring between the two IP addresses 199.66.103.41 and 4.55.18.134.  Note that 199.66.103.41 (SD7/SD8_W) is one of our gateways that we send traffic from, destined to one of our underlying carriers. Given that, 4.55.18.134 in this example is going to be the carrier's IP address. For a case such as this, you can use Palladion to identify the ingress / egress carrier (Which, for this example would be Level 3 / Centurylink). Once the carrier is determined, a ticket should be opened with that carrier to investigate the packet loss.

Note: Multiple sections of the Media Summary may show packet loss. While packet loss may occur in multiple places, one leg will typically be the main source source and be repeated on subsequent hops. 

Jitter is another measure of instability that may coincide with packet loss.  An ideal jitter total is less than 100.  Click here for more information about jitter.

Verbiage for Client in matching scenarios:

We see a possible source of the behavior you have reported.  We will be opening a case with our underlying carrier for further investigation.  We will provide you with an update once they have completed their review.

In the Media Summary for this example, we can see the packet loss occurring between IP 50.205.85.186 and 64.27.39.177. Normally, when dealing with packet loss from the local site, you will see it between the user's gateway and one of our VoIP gateways. In this case, our gateway is 64.27.39.177 and the user/customer gateway is 50.205.85.186. Examples of gateways you'll see here include Edgewaters and User's home routers (like the router you'd get from an ISP such as xfinity). Take the IP address identified as the user gateway and search it in Nagios to determine if this is a gateway that's managed by Evolve IP (such as an Edgewater).

If this user is remote or at a location not behind an Edgewater, they will need to contact their ISP.  Provide the firewall guide.

Verbiage for Client in matching scenarios:

Presently, we see packet loss originating from your connection.  It is recommended that you open a case with your internet service provider for further investigation.  Enclosed, for added assistance, we have provided our recommended firewall guide.  At this time, we will be placing this case into a resolved status as we are unable to provided further assistance with the unmanaged connection.  

Analyzing Packet Loss from Behind an Edgewater

An Edgewater gives us visibility into a local network.  If static/noise is reported from behind an Edgewater, we can use OCOM and Nagios to identify packet loss.  If an issue with the local network is found, this may require a ticket with the carrier:

1. For On-net circuits (managed by us), open a ticket with the carrier and keep our ticket open.
   1. You can go to the Edgewater in Nagios and Click on the Performance Graph at the Bottom of the Page to show the connection's Performance.
   2. On the left side is an example of how graphs will show Latency on the WAN connection to an Edgewater. In this case, just before 12pm there was a spike in packet loss. Ping times (top graph) were high earlier in the day but seemed to settle down by noon.
2. For Off-net circuits (managed by the customer), advise the customer to contact their ISP, then close our ticket.
   • Verbiage for Client in matching scenarios:

     • Presently, we see packet loss originating from your connection.  It is recommended that you open a case with your internet service provider for further investigation.  At this time, we will be placing this case into a resolved status as we are unable to provided further assistance with the unmanaged connection.  Please do not hesitate to contact us should you need anything further.