About the H.323-ALG

If you use Voice-over-IP (VoIP) in your organization, you can add an H.323 or SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) ALG (Application Layer Gateway) to open the ports necessary to enable VoIP through your Firebox. An ALG is created in the same way as a proxy policy and offers similar configuration options. These ALGs have been created to work in a NAT environment to maintain security for privately addressed conferencing equipment protected by your Firebox.

H.323 is commonly used on videoconferencing equipment. SIP is commonly used with IP phones. You can use both H.323 and SIP ALGs at the same time, if necessary. To determine which ALG to add, consult the documentation for your VoIP devices or applications.

VoIP Components

It is important to understand that you usually implement VoIP by using either:

Peer-to-peer connections

In a peer-to-peer connection, each of the two devices knows the IP address of the other device and connects to the other directly, without the use of a proxy server to route their calls.

Host-based connections

Connections managed by a call management system (PBX). The call management system can be self-hosted, or hosted by a third-party service provider.

With H.323, the key component of call management is known as a gatekeeper. A gatekeeper manages VoIP calls for a group of users, and can be located on a network protected by your Firebox or at an external location. For example, some VoIP providers host a gatekeeper on their network that you must connect to before you can place a VoIP call. Other solutions require you to set up and maintain a gatekeeper on your network.

Coordination of the many components of a VoIP installation can be a difficult task. We recommend you make sure that VoIP connections work successfully before you add an H.323 or SIP ALG. This can help you to troubleshoot any problems.

ALG Functions

When you use an H.323-ALG, your Firebox:

  • Routes traffic for VoIP applications
  • Opens the ports necessary to make and receive calls, and to exchange audio and video media
  • Makes sure that VoIP connections use standard H.323 protocols
  • Generates log messages for auditing purposes

Many VoIP devices and servers use NAT (Network Address Translation) to open and close ports automatically. The H.323 and SIP ALGs also perform this function. You must disable NAT on your VoIP devices if you configure an H.323 or SIP ALG.

For more information on how to add a proxy to your configuration, go to Add a Proxy Policy to Your Configuration.

Configure the H.323-ALG

Settings Tab

On the Settings tab, you can set basic information about a proxy policy, such as whether it allows or denies traffic, create access rules for a policy, or configure static NAT or server load balancing. The Settings tab also shows the port and protocol for the policy, as well as an optional description of the policy. You can use the settings on this tab to set logging, notification, automatic blocking, and timeout preferences.

SD-WAN Tab

On the SD-WAN tab, you can select to apply an SD-WAN action to the policy. You can also add a new SD-WAN action. For more information about SD-WAN routing, go to About SD-WAN.

SD-WAN replaces policy-based routing in Fireware v12.3 or higher.

Application Control Tab

If Application Control is enabled on your Firebox, you can set the action this proxy uses for Application Control.

  1. Select the Application Control tab.
  2. From the Application Control Action drop-down list, select an application control action to use for this policy, or create a new action.
  3. (Optional) Edit the Application Control settings for the selected action.
  4. Click Save.

For more information, go to Enable Application Control in a Policy.

Geolocation Tab

If Geolocation is enabled on your Firebox, on the Geolocation tab, you can select the Geolocation action for this proxy. You can also add a new Geolocation action. For more information about Geolocation, go to Configure Geolocation.

To apply a Geolocation action in a policy:

  1. Select the Geolocation tab.
  2. From the Geolocation Control Action drop-down list, select a Geolocation action.
    Or, to create a new Geolocation action, click Add.
  3. Click Save.

The Geolocation tab is available in Fireware 12.3 or higher.

Traffic Management Tab

On the Traffic Management tab, you can select the Traffic Management action for the policy. You can also create a new Traffic Management action. For more information about Traffic Management actions, go to Define a Traffic Management Action and Add Traffic Management Actions to a Policy.

To apply a Traffic Management action in a policy:

  1. Select the Traffic Management tab.
  2. From the Traffic Management Action drop-down list, select a Traffic Management action.
    Or, to create a new Traffic Management action, select Create new and configure the settings as described in the topic Define a Traffic Management Action.
  3. Click Save.

Proxy Action Tab

You can choose a predefined proxy action or configure a user-defined proxy action for this proxy. For more information about how to configure proxy actions, go to About Proxy Actions.

To configure the proxy action:

  1. Select the Proxy Action tab.
  2. From the Proxy Action drop-down list, select the proxy action to use for this policy.
    For information about proxy actions, go to About Proxy Actions.
  3. Click Save.

For the H.323-ALG, you can configure these categories of settings for a proxy action:

Scheduling Tab

On the Scheduling tab, you can specify an operating schedule for the policy. You can select an existing schedule or create a new schedule.

  1. Select the Scheduling tab.
  2. From the Schedule Action drop-down list, select a schedule.
    Or, to create a new schedule, select Create New and configure the settings as described in the topics Create Schedules for Firebox Actions and Set an Operating Schedule.
  3. Click Save.

Advanced Tab

The Advanced tab includes settings for NAT, QoS, multi-WAN, and ICMP options.

To edit or add a comment to this proxy policy configuration, type the comment in the Comment text box.

For more information on the options for this tab, go to:

Policy Tab

To set access rules and other options, select the Policy tab.

Properties Tab

On the Properties tab, you can configure these options:

  • To edit or add a comment to this policy configuration, type the comment in the Comment text box.
  • To define the logging settings for the policy, click Logging.
    For more information, go toSet Logging and Notification Preferences.
  • If you set the H.323-ALG connections are drop-down list (on the Policy tab) to Denied or Denied (send reset), you can block sites that try to use H.323.
    For more information, go to Block Sites Temporarily with Policy Settings.
  • To change the idle timeout that is set by the Firebox or authentication server, go to Set a Custom Idle Timeout.

Advanced Tab

 You can also configure these options in your proxy definition:

Configure the Proxy Action

You can choose a predefined proxy action or configure a user-defined proxy action for this proxy. For more information about how to configure proxy actions, go to About Proxy Actions.

For the H.323-ALG, you can configure these categories of settings for a proxy action:

Related Topics

About Proxy Policies and ALGs

About the SIP-ALG