In the realm of SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) troubleshooting and server testing, having a reliable and versatile tool at your disposal is indispensable. Sipsak is one such utility that stands out for its ability to perform various tests on SIP servers and user agents. This open-source command-line tool is designed to send SIP requests to a server and examine the received responses, making it a valuable asset for administrators and developers alike.
Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to utilize Sipsak for SIP diagnostics and testing:
Installation
Sipsak is available in the repositories of most Linux distributions. You can install it using the package manager of your distribution. For instance, on Ubuntu or Debian, you can use the following command:
sudo apt-get install -y sipsak
Basic Usage
The basic usage of Sipsak involves sending a SIP request to a server and observing the reply status. By default, it sends an OPTIONS message, but you can specify other types of messages using a file.
sipsak -s sip:username@10.1.1.1
Sipsak supports UDP and TCP transport protocols. By default it uses UDP protocol. To use TCP you can use the -E switch.
sipsak -E tcp -s sip:username@10.1.1.1
To send multiple SIP requests, use the -A option followed by the number of requests you want to send.This option also prints the timing values of the test run in min/ total/max format. For example the below command will send 10 OPTIONS requests.
sipsak -A 10 -s sip:username@10.1.1.1
To get a verbose output use the -v option.
sipsak -A 10 -v -s sip:username@10.1.1.1
File Input
Use a file to specify the SIP request to be sent. This is useful for testing different types of requests like Invite. You need to create a file and paste the SIP request to send. In the below example Sipsak will read the contents of request.sip file and send it to the SIP URI specified after -s option.
sipsak -f request.sip -s sip:username@10.1.1.1
You can use the -A option with -f option to send multiple requests. The below command will send 10 SIP requests.
sipsak -A 10 -f request.sip -s sip:username@10.1.1.1
Traceroute Mode
To discover the path a request takes through the network, use the traceroute mode. This mode operates similarly to the IP-layer utility traceroute.
sipsak -T -s sip:username@10.1.1.1
Limitation:
Many servers may decide not to include SIP “Warning” header fields. Unfortunately, this makes displaying IP addresses of SIP servers in traceroute mode impossible.
Usrloc Mode
Test registration by sending a SIP Register request to a SIP server. Make sure to use -u option so that Sipsak identifies the username correctly.
sipsak -U -a password -u username -s sip:username@10.1.1.1
Randtrash Mode
Test the resilience of a SIP server’s parser by sending randomly corrupted messages.
sipsak -R -s sip:username@10.1.1.1
Flood Mode
Evaluate the performance of SIP servers under high load by sending requests at a high pace. This mode sends a huge amount of requests so be careful when using this mode.
sipsak -F -s sip:username@10.1.1.1
Authentication
Perform authentication tests by specifying a password for received ‘401 Unauthorized’ responses.
sipsak -a PASSWORD -s sip:username@10.1.1.1
Note: the password still can be read from the memory if other users have access to it.
Verbose Output
Increase output verbosity to get more detailed information about the sent and received packets.
sipsak -vv -s sip:username@10.1.1.1
Other options
Sipsak has many more options, you can read about them in the man page by typing the following command.
man sipsak
You can also visit the following web page to learn more about Sipsak
https://linux.die.net/man/1/sipsak
Conclusion
Sipsak is a powerful utility that provides a wide array of functionalities for SIP diagnostics and stress testing. Its various modes and options allow for thorough examination and testing of SIP servers and user agents, making it an essential tool for anyone working with SIP protocols.
Whether you are troubleshooting a SIP issue or evaluating the performance of your SIP infrastructure, Sipsak is a tool that can provide the insights you need to ensure optimal operation of your VoIP services.
Akash Gupta
Senior VoIP Engineer and AI Enthusiast
AI and VoIP Blog
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