Virtual SBC (vSBC) — the beroNet SBC as a virtual machine

The vSBC is the software from the beroNet hardware SBCs, packaged as a virtual machine. Same SBC software, same web interface, same dial plan — on a host that is already in the rack instead of on a box that has to be ordered, shipped and mounted. It does one job: transparent SIP-to-SIP sessions, between a phone system and a SIP trunk, or between two phone systems.

The vSBC does not replace hardware. A virtual machine has no DSP, so there is no transcoding and no T.38 fax relay, and it has no ports, so no ISDN, analogue or LTE line terminates on it. Every session is passed through unchanged, which means both sides have to agree on a codec between themselves. Where a call has to cross codecs, carry a fax or come off a physical line, the job belongs to a hardware SBC — the Enterprise SBC for a modular interface mix, the Small Business Line for a fixed port layout.

It is delivered in the format of the platform it runs on: an OVA for VMware ESXi, a qcow2 image for Proxmox and KVM, a VHDX for Microsoft Hyper-V, or a Docker image. The build is x86_64, and one virtual network interface is enough. The installations running in the field so far are on VMware — the other three formats are available, and we would rather hear which platform you run before handing over an image. Setup is done by beroNet over remote access, and the vSBC is activated through the beroNet Cloud.

Two transparent sessions are included. BNSBC-VM-TP licences take that to 8 and up to 128. There are no transcoding licences for the vSBC: without a DSP there is nothing to transcode with.

The first vSBC went into production because an appliance had died and replacement hardware would have taken days — that case is written up here. There is no shop listing for the vSBC, because every installation starts with a look at the platform. Get in touch with what you run and what has to talk to what.