Telo and network configuration

[Golgotha]

I have a DSL line going from a DSL dumb/bridging modem to a GNU/Linux box. The GNU/Linux box does the login/authentication for PPP and is assigned a public/valid IP address to its network card.

This is a requirement for me. The GNU/Linux box has to be reachable via its public IP address from the Internet.

If I attach the Telo to the DSL modem and put the GNU/Linux box on the Telo's Home Network (as per the Setup Guide's "Alternative Setup Options" Option A or B), ooma will "work" -- I get a dialtone can make a call. However, in this configuration, the GNU/Linux box is assigned a private 10.*.*.* IP address. This is a show-stopper for me since the GNU/Linux box needs to be accessible via the DSL line's public IP address from the Internet.

If I attach the Telo to a network switch inside the firewall, the Telo just blinks a continuous red light (not surprising since there is no DHCP server to assign it an address and no incoming ports open for the Telo on the firewall).

My questions:

Overall my question is: How can I make the Telo work in this network? (Again, the GNU/Linux box must get a valid/public IP address and be reachable from the Internet.)

• Is it possible to set a static private IP address (and netmask and gateway) on the Telo?
  Could the Telo be convinced to work inside the firewall by having a DHCP server assign it a private IP address?
  What incoming ports will the Telo need open to receive phone calls?

I'm guessing this cannot be an uncommon problem. Any advice would be greatly appreciated; thanks.

[thunderbird]

Connect Modem-Router Ooma per current connection guide step 2, at https://www.ooma.com/sites/default/file ... G_2011.pdf

[Golgotha]

Thanks for the response. I've done all 3 of the setup/quick start guide's suggested installation configurations.

When I set the Telo up as per the default ("non-alternative") setup instructions (described as "inside the firewall" in my previous post), the Telo's logo just blinks red.

Questions:

• Is it possible to set a static private IP address (and netmask and gateway) on the Telo?
  Could the Telo be convinced to work inside the firewall by having a DHCP server assign it a private IP address?
  What incoming ports will the Telo need open to receive phone calls?

[rpiotro]

Yes, you can set a static IP address. It is on the first page. Connection type. Too obvious.

Yes, you could assign an address via DHCP. See above.

As for the ports, Google is your friend;

https://www.ooma.com/app/support/advanc ... s#anchor-0

[Golgotha]

Thanks much. When browsing the site previously, I did not see any information about network configuration and any details about how the Telo operates in terms of its networking. I've now stumbled onto a couple of pages of information.

FWIW, I'll post a summary post to this thread of both my own solution and genically how to configure the Telo. Hopefully that will save others some work/hunting/searching and asking/answering silly question in the future.

[EX Bell]

Can't read setup instructions right now on mobile. I don't remember if they say anything about changing Telo MAC address setting. If not, this may be the reason Telo just blinks in that configuration and can't get an ip. If you change the Telo MAC address setting to "Use Built-In" instead of "Automatic", it should be able to get an IP and connect as long as there's a host in front of it distributing IPs.

[Golgotha]

Okay, here's the solution of my problem: The Telo needed a DHCP server. Once I dropped a DHCP server inside of the firewall on the LAN, the Telo worked with its setup/quick start guide's default configuration.

IMO a lot of this is due to terminology. The term "router" has a specific meaning in networking. But in today's dumbed down world of home wireless networking, a "router" often performs several functions (e.g. a router, DHCP server, NAT/IP masquerading and Wireless Access Point).

Thanks to rpiotro's whack with a clue-bat, I went ahead and found the information I needed.

First, a big disclaimer: I know nothing about the Telo or Ooma and only have used it for a matter of hours. What I say could be wrong, and if it is, do not hesitate to correct me.

Second, use your head. If you are going to configure the Telo in a non-standard manner, don't screw things up. Don't play with what you don't know about or are not sure of. Do not cause Ooma support a bunch of hassles with endless questions. Every time they have to answer questions their support costs go up and according to Economics 101, it creates additional pressures for them to charge more money to offet those support costs.

But with that said...

The key web page I found is here. That page details how to access the Telo's local setup/configuration web page and allows you to do all sorts of nifty configurations and to screw the device up in a multitude of ways.

With that page I could easily set up my Telo for a static IP address. It now sits happily in my DMZ and works like I want it to.

The page on ports that rpiotro gave me was semi-informative. I gather (sure?) that the Telo requires only "outgoing" ports. I was curious about how it got incoming phone calls, and my guess is that it maintains an open connection and uses an outgoing port and a tunnel to handle the incoming calls.

To any Ooma folks reading this, a suggestion: Collect all this techie info up, add a bunch of details and such, and then put it on one big web page (most geeks can handle reading more than one or two paragraphs of text). Add a big, blinking warning/disclaimer at the top telling people not to break things and to proceed at their own risk (and if they break it, tell them how to reset the device back default/factory configuration).