24 Dec
2023
24 Dec
'23
8:04 a.m.
Hello Osmocom community,
I have a question about TCP port number assignment for programs using
libosmovty. Every Osmo-official server program gets official port
number assignments listed in the wiki, in PDF manuals etc - so far, so
good. But what about non-Osmo-official 3rd-party programs that wish
to use common Osmocom libraries, including the vty facility? Suppose
that an operator of an Osmocom-based cellular network needs to develop
some additional programs to satisfy some operational need, and some of
these additional programs are long-lived server processes for which an
Osmocom-style vty interface would be very useful. But implementing
such a telnet vty i/f requires a TCP port number...
Has anyone thought about designating an official range of TCP port
numbers which would be recommended for vty/ctrl/etc ports of processes
that use Osmocom libraries and extend Osmocom CNI in various ways, but
aren't official Osmocom projects?
M~
25 Dec
25 Dec
1:44 a.m.
Has anyone thought about designating an official range
of TCP port
numbers which would be recommended for vty/ctrl/etc ports of processes
that use Osmocom libraries and extend Osmocom CNI in various ways, but
aren't official Osmocom projects?
No such idea exists, but it remains valid that you can choose any port number.
For example, in Osmocom we hand out port numbers "around" 4242, the definitive
list being:
https://osmocom.org/projects/cellular-infrastructure/wiki/Port_Numbers
If you'd like to run alongside Osmocom (without cfg), then you probably want to
stay clear of 4000 to 4500. So you can just pick 5000 or whatever.
Even if you have a collision of default port numbers, you can always
reconfigure the VTY port or IP address to listen on. For example, in our test
setups, we often have multiple osmo-mgw running, and bind one to 127.0.0.1 and
the other to 127.0.0.2. So even if you overload a used port number, the user
will have ways to fix it.
line vty
bind 127.0.0.7
ctrl
bind 127.0.0.7
If we have agreement on it, we can also designate a port number or range on
above wiki page as "used by project XYZ" and then hopefully future Osmocom
programs will see that and choose a different port.
It does not make sense to officially designate a given port range as
non-Osmocom, because each program or program-family should make their own port
choices. They should not *all* use the same port range.
~N
9:43 a.m.
Hi Neels,
If you'd like to run alongside Osmocom (without
cfg), then you probably
want to stay clear of 4000 to 4500.
OK, this part is a given...
So you can just pick 5000 or whatever.
The table in the wiki page already lists 5000 as A/IP for osmo-bsc_nat.
I am now thinking about 5100 to 5199 range.
If we have agreement on it, we can also designate a
port number or range on
above wiki page as "used by project XYZ" and then hopefully future Osmocom
programs will see that and choose a different port.
Would it be acceptable to add a note to the Port_Numbers wiki page
along the lines of:
"Port numbers 5100 through 5199 are reserved for deployment-specific
programs that may be developed locally by administrators of individual
Osmocom-based cellular networks, as may be needed for unique custom
requirements of individual deployments."
?
It does not make sense to officially designate a given
port range as
non-Osmocom, because each program or program-family should make their own port
choices. They should not *all* use the same port range.
Please note the "deployment-specific" language I propose above. If I
develop custom add-ons to Osmocom CNI that are highly specific to USA
telecom environment and to the problem of interconnecting an Osmocom
network with this national telephone+SMS environment, and someone else
develops their own custom add-ons that are specific to local needs in
a very different world region with different needs, those two different
program-families will never run together. Hence my idea of reserving
a range of port numbers for "deployment-specific" applications,
whatever they may be in a given deployment.
M~
3 Jan
3 Jan
1:38 a.m.
I'm not blocking really, just fail to understand the need to "reserve" a
port
range in Osmocom. We're not going to fork iana.org. It is far too easy to just
pick some random port range that is unlikely to ever collide with Osmocom.
I think I don't really grasp the "deployment-specific" part yet.
On Mon, Dec 25, 2023 at 12:43:50AM -0800, Mychaela Falconia wrote:
The table in the wiki page already lists 5000 as A/IP
for osmo-bsc_nat.
I am now thinking about 5100 to 5199 range.
or 6000 or 10001. There will always be some program or some service out there
that picked a port in the same range. Ultimately it's up to each individual
site to avoid conflicts. Same with picking RTP port ranges for osmo-mgw.
When we designate a port range for use by sites, that may *encourage*
developers from various third party projects to create port collisions between
their projects, because we sort of ask them to stay within that range.
Please note the "deployment-specific"
language I propose above. If I
deployment-specific == site-specific?
When your applications are site specific, then you can adjust the ports to your
site?
~N
136
days inactive
146
days old
3 comments
2 participants
participants (2)
-
Mychaela Falconia -
Neels Hofmeyr