Interconnect XiVO with a PBX via an ISDN link

The goal of this architecture can be one of:

• start a smooth migration between an old telephony system towards IP telephony with XiVO
• bring new features to the PBX like voicemail, conference, IVR etc.

First, XiVO is to be integrated transparently between the operator and the PBX. Then users or features are to be migrated from the PBX to the XiVO.

Warning

It requires a special call routing configuration on both the XiVO and the PBX.

Interconnect XiVO with a PBX

Hardware

General uses

You must have an ISDN card able to support both the provider and PBX ISDN links.

Example : If you have two provider links towards the PBX, XiVO should have a 4 spans card : two towards the provider, and two towards the PBX.

If you use two cards

If you use two cards, you have to :

• Use a cable for clock synchronization between the cards
• Configure the wheel to define the cards order in the system.

Please refer to the section Sync cable

Configuration

You have now to configure two files :

1. /etc/dahdi/system.conf
2. /etc/asterisk/dahdi-channels.conf

system.conf

You mainly need to configure the timing parameter on each span. As a general rule :

• Provider span - XiVO will get the clock from the provider : the timing value is to be different from 0 (see /etc/dahdi/system.conf section)
• PBX span - XiVO will provide the clock to the PBX : the timing value is to be set to 0 (see /etc/dahdi/system.conf section)

Below is an example with two provider links and two PBX links:

# Span 1: TE4/0/1 "TE4XXP (PCI) Card 0 Span 1" (MASTER)
span=1,1,0,ccs,hdb3         # Span towards Provider
bchan=1-15,17-31
dchan=16
echocanceller=mg2,1-15,17-31

# Span 2: TE4/0/2 "TE4XXP (PCI) Card 0 Span 2"
span=2,2,0,ccs,hdb3         # Span towards Provider
bchan=32-46,48-62
dchan=47
echocanceller=mg2,32-46,48-62

# Span 3: TE4/0/3 "TE4XXP (PCI) Card 0 Span 3"
span=3,0,0,ccs,hdb3         # Span towards PBX
bchan=63-77,79-93
dchan=78
echocanceller=mg2,63-77,79-93

# Span 4: TE4/0/4 "TE4XXP (PCI) Card 0 Span 4"
span=4,0,0,ccs,hdb3         # Span towards PBX
bchan=94-108,110-124
dchan=109
echocanceller=mg2,94-108,110-124

dahdi-channels.conf

In the file /etc/asterisk/dahdi-channels.conf you need to adjust, for each span :

• group : the group number (e.g. 0 for provider links, 2 for PBX links),
• context : the context (e.g. from-extern for provider links, from-pabx for PBX links)
• signalling : pri_cpe for provider links, pri_net for PBX side

Warning

most of the PBX uses overlap dialing for some destination (digits are sent one by one instead of by block). In this case, the overlapdial parameter has to be activated on the PBX spans:

overlapdial = incoming

Below an example of /etc/asterisk/dahdi-channels.conf:

; Span 1: TE4/0/1 "TE4XXP (PCI) Card 0 Span 1" (MASTER)
group=0,11
context=from-extern
switchtype = euroisdn
signalling = pri_cpe
channel => 1-15,17-31

; Span 2: TE4/0/2 "TE4XXP (PCI) Card 0 Span 2"
group=0,12
context=from-extern
switchtype = euroisdn
signalling = pri_cpe
channel => 32-46,48-62

; PBX link #1
; Span 3: TE4/0/3 "TE2XXP (PCI) Card 0 Span 3"
group=2,13
context=from-pabx     ; special context for PBX incoming calls
overlapdial=incoming  ; overlapdial activation
switchtype = euroisdn
signalling = pri_net  ; behave as the NET termination
channel => 63-77,79-93

; PBX link #2
; Span 4: TE4/0/4 "T4XXP (PCI) Card 0 Span 4"
group=2,14
context=from-pabx     ; special context for PBX incoming calls
overlapdial=incoming  ; overlapdial activation
switchtype = euroisdn
signalling = pri_net  ; behave as the NET termination
channel => 94-108,110-124

Passthru function

Route PBX incoming calls

We first need to create a route for calls coming from the PBX

# Create a file named pbx.conf in the directory /etc/asterisk/extensions_extra.d/, # Add the following lines in the file:

[from-pabx]
exten = _X.,1,NoOp(### Call from PBX ${CARLLERID(num)} towards ${EXTEN} ###)
exten = _X.,n,Goto(default,${EXTEN},1)

This dialplan routes incoming calls from the PBX in the default context of XiVO. It enables call from the PBX : * towards a SIP phone (in default context) * towards outgoing destniation (via the to-extern context included in default context)

Create the to-pabx context

In the webi, create a context named to-pabx:

• Name : to-pabx
• Display Name : TO PBX
• Context type : Outcall
• Include sub-contexts : No context inclusion

This context will permit to route incoming calls from the XiVO to the PBX.

Route incoming calls to PBX

In our example, incoming calls on spans 1 and 2 (spans pluged to the provider) are routed by from-extern context. We are going to create a default route to redirect incoming calls to the PBX.

Create an incoming call as below :

• DID : XXXX (according to the number of digits sent by the provider)
• Context : Incoming calls
• Destination : Customized
• Command : Goto(to-pabx,${XIVO_DSTNUM},1)

Create the interconnections

You have to create two interconnections :

• provider side : dahdi/g0
• PBX side : dahdi/g2

In the menu Services ‣ IPBX ‣ Trunk management ‣ Customized page :

• Name : t2-operateur
• Interface : dahdi/g0
• Context : to-extern

The second interconnection :

• Name : t2-pabx
• Interface : dahdi/g2
• Context : to-pabx

Create outgoing calls

You must create two rules of outgoing calls in the menu Services ‣ IPBX ‣ Call management ‣ Outgoing calls page :

1. Redirect calls to the PBX :

• Name : fsc-pabx
• Extension : XXXX
• Context : to-pabx
• Trunks : choose the t2-pabx interconnection

2. Create a rule “fsc-operateur”:

• Name : fsc-operateur
• Extension = X.
• Context : to-extern
• Trunks : choose the “t2-operateur” interconnection