Firewall and nat issues – Polycom ViewStation EX4000 User Manual

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Chapter 4 - Installing Videoconferencing Systems

Firewall and NAT Issues

A firewall protects an organization’s network by controlling data
traffic from outside the network. Different types of firewalls use
different techniques to provide network security, but unless the
firewall is designed to work with H.323 videoconferencing
equipment, it will prevent successful videoconferencing because it
is designed to prevent unsolicited data from entering the network.
From a functional perspective, it blocks incoming calls, and it
prevents outgoing calls by blocking the call signalling from the
external endpoint when the two endpoints begin the signal
transaction required to set up the call.

Network Address Translation (NAT) network environments use
internal IP addresses for the devices within the network, while
using one external IP address to communicate with the outside
world (Wide Area Network). The NAT router accepts incoming data
and forwards it to the appropriate endpoint. This provides a degree
of network security, as the internal IP addresses do not provide
access from outside the network.

Firewalls and NAT are often used together.

Configuring the System to Operate Behind a Firewall

To make calls through a firewall, you must open the following ports
and assign them to the videoconferencing system:

Table 4-1. Firewall Ports to Open for Videoconferencing

Port

Used for

389 (TCP)

ILS registration

1503 (TCP)

Microsoft NetMeeting T.120 data sharing

1718 (UDP)

Gatekeeper discovery

1719 (UDP)

Gatekeeper RAS (must be bidirectional)

1720 (TCP)

H.323 call set-up (must be bidirectional)

1731 (TCP)

Audio call control (must be bidirectional)

3230-3235
(TCP/UDP)

Signalling and control for audio, call, video, and
data/FECC

3603 (TCP)

Web interface