VoIP Toolbox Staging 02

3CX SIP OPTIONS Monitoring

Test and monitor connectivity for your self-hosted 3CX instance using SIP OPTIONS

VoIP Toolbox and 3CX Monitoring

VoIP Toolbox provides comprehensive SIP OPTIONS testing for your self-hosted 3CX instance. SIP OPTIONS is a lightweight method to verify connectivity and availability of your 3CX PBX without requiring authentication or affecting active calls.

This guide will walk you through setting up SIP OPTIONS monitoring for your 3CX system to verify connectivity and ensure your PBX is responding correctly.

  • SIP OPTIONS testing verifies that your 3CX PBX is responding to SIP requests, which is critical for ensuring your system is accessible and operational.
  • No authentication required: SIP OPTIONS requests don't require credentials, making them ideal for basic connectivity testing.
  • Non-intrusive: OPTIONS requests don't affect active calls or system performance.

Why SIP OPTIONS for 3CX?

  • Quick connectivity verification
  • No impact on active calls
  • Works with all transport protocols (UDP, TCP, TLS)
  • Ideal for monitoring self-hosted instances

Setting Up SIP OPTIONS Monitoring for 3CX

SIP OPTIONS monitoring is straightforward for 3CX systems. Since OPTIONS requests don't require authentication, you only need to know your 3CX server's SIP domain or IP address and the port your SIP service is listening on.

1

Identify Your 3CX SIP Endpoint

First, you need to identify the SIP endpoint for your 3CX instance. This is typically:

  • Your 3CX server's domain name (e.g., pbx.example.com)
  • Or the IP address of your 3CX server
  • The SIP port (default is 5060 for UDP/TCP, or 5061 for TLS)

Finding Your SIP Port: In your 3CX Management Console, navigate to Settings → Network → SIP to find the SIP port configuration. Common ports are 5060 (UDP/TCP) and 5061 (TLS).

2

Configure Monitoring in VoIP Toolbox

Now you'll configure the monitoring endpoint in VoIP Toolbox. Navigate to the VoIP Toolbox Pulse page and create a new endpoint with the following settings:

Recommended Settings:

  • Name: A descriptive name like "3CX PBX - Main"
  • SIP URI: Your 3CX domain or IP (e.g., pbx.example.com or 192.168.1.100:5060)
  • Scenario: SIP Options
  • Transport: Choose UDP, TCP, or TLS based on your 3CX configuration
  • Expected Response: 2xx (200 OK indicates the server is responding)
  • Check Interval: 5 minutes (300 seconds) is a good default

Note: SIP OPTIONS requests don't require authentication, so you can leave the authentication fields (SIP Auth Username, SIP Auth Password) empty. The SIP Username and SIP From Username fields are also optional for OPTIONS requests.

3

Verify Monitoring is Working

After creating the endpoint, VoIP Toolbox will immediately perform a test check. You should see:

  • A 200 OK response indicating your 3CX server is responding correctly
  • Response time information showing how quickly your server responds
  • Status showing as "Success" if everything is configured correctly

Monitoring Active: Once the first check completes successfully, monitoring will continue running at your specified interval. You'll receive email notifications if the endpoint fails to respond, helping you quickly identify connectivity issues with your 3CX instance.

Why SIP OPTIONS Testing Matters for 3CX

SIP OPTIONS testing provides a lightweight way to verify your 3CX system's availability and connectivity:

Benefits of SIP OPTIONS Monitoring

  • Quick Connectivity Verification: OPTIONS requests are fast and don't require authentication, making them ideal for basic availability checks
  • Early Problem Detection: Catch connectivity issues before they impact users or active calls
  • Service Availability: Verify that your 3CX SIP service is responding correctly
  • Network Troubleshooting: Identify network-level issues affecting your 3CX instance
  • Multi-Protocol Support: Test UDP, TCP, and TLS transports to ensure all protocols are working

Common Use Cases

  • Monitoring self-hosted 3CX instances for availability
  • Verifying firewall rules and network connectivity
  • Testing after 3CX updates or configuration changes
  • Ensuring remote 3CX instances remain accessible

Monitoring Best Practices for 3CX

For Your 3CX PBX

  • Monitor all SIP interfaces (UDP, TCP, TLS)
  • Configure appropriate check intervals (5-15 minutes recommended)
  • Set up email notifications for immediate alerts
  • Monitor both internal and external SIP interfaces if applicable

General Recommendations

  • Use descriptive names for your monitoring endpoints
  • Test after any network or firewall changes
  • Monitor during maintenance windows to verify service restoration
  • Review response times to identify performance degradation

Get Started

Ready to set up availability assurance for your self-hosted 3CX instance? Sign up for Pulse to access our infrastructure assurance tools and configure availability checks to verify connectivity for your 3CX PBX.

Start Your Pulse Trial