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Configuring the IVR Server

This chapter describes how to set up your IVR server. Do not install any software or hardware until you have read and understood all of the information in this chapter.

The configuration requirements differ depending on your phone system:

Configuring Asterisk® Software

Asterisk® is an open-source telephony solution which provides a wide variety of call management functionality. As a primarily Unix-based product, Asterisk® is best installed on a server separate from your Phone Password Manager server.

When using Asterisk® software, Phone Password Manager can be installed on a hardware machine or a virtual machine, and does not require a Dialogic® card or HMP software.

The Asterisk® module is included by default, and installs support for receiving calls from an Asterisk® server.

Phone Password Manager supports:

AsteriskNow

AsteriskNow is a complete Linux distribution with Asterisk, the DAHDI driver framework, and optionally, the FreePBX administrative GUI.

Download the AsteriskNow ISO from www.asterisk.org/downloads/asterisknow and install the operating system on either a new virtual machine or a hardware box.

Next:

Configure the Asterisk® server .

Asterisk package on a Linux environment

You can install the Asterisk® server in a Linux environment, either on a hardware machine or a virtual machine.

To install, use the system’s package manager to select the following packages, and apply the change:

  • asterisk

  • asterisk-core-sounds-en-gsm

  • asterisk-config

  • sox

    The sox package is required by Phone Password Manager to convert audio files.

    When using a source package to install Asterisk® , ensure that the make commands are run after all the libraries listed here have been installed and configured.

You may also need to allow access to the Asterisk audio file path, so that the "asterisk" user can create a new directory there; for example:

sudo chown asterisk:asterisk /usr/share/asterisk

The destination may vary between Asterisk versions and Linux environments; it can be found in the Phone Password Manager log, where it indicates that the directory creation failed due to permission issues.

Next:

Configure the Asterisk® server .

Asterisk package on a Windows environment

It is also possible to install the Asterisk® server in a Windows environment. Please note that Asterisk® for Windows is a 32-bit binary which is only supported on Windows 2000, XP, or 2003. You will need to install Cygwin on this server, in order to run the SoX binary required by Phone Password Manager.

Download the executable from www.asteriskwin32.com and install Asterisk in the default location.

The site requires the Adobe® Flash plugin.

Install the sox package from Cygwin. Cygwin is a Linux-like environment for Windows. The SoX package will allow Phone Password Manager to convert the ".wav" audio files to ".ulaw" audio files, which can be played back to end users. You can download and install Cygwin tools from:

http://www.cygwin.com/setup.exe

Using the Cygwin setup binary, search for the sox package and install it on the Asterisk installed directory (default c:\cygroot), or ensure the installation directory is in the system path.

Next:

Configure the Asterisk® server .

Configuring the Asterisk® server

Once installation is complete, configure the Asterisk® server:

  1. Start the Asterisk service by running the following command:

    sudo asterisk -vc
or, on Windows:
asterisk -vc

  2. If you are using a Linux system, connect to the Asterisk console:

    sudo asterisk -r

  3. Navigate to the /etc/asterisk directory on Linux, or C:\cygroot\asterisk\etc on a Windows system.

  4. Open sip.conf for editing.

  5. Modify the configuration file by adding one or more of the following tags to the end of the file:

    [777]
type=friend
username=777
secret=777
host=dynamic
disallow=all
allow=ulaw

    Write your changes and close the file.

  6. Run the sip reload command from the Asterisk console to reload the new SIP configuration.

  7. Open extensions.conf for editing.

  8. Add one or more of the following tags at the end of the configuration file:

    [HiTPM]
exten => 777,1,Ringing
exten => 777,n,AGI(agi://10.0.42.103)
exten => 777,n,Hangup

    Where:

    • 777 is the newly-added extension

    • Ringing will ring first when calling this extension

    • 10.0.42.103 is the IP address where the Phone Password Manager instance is installed

    • Hangup will hang up after connection to the instance is finished

  9. To include the newly-added tag (HiTPM), add include => HiTPM to the [default] tag section below include => demo . You may also need to add this tag to the [From-Local] section as well.

  10. Write your changes and close the file.

  11. If the Asterisk server has not already started, run asterisk start.

  12. Run the dialplan reload command from the Asterisk console to load the new configuration.

Next:

Configure a software phone .

Configuring Dialogic® PowerMedia Host Media Processing Software

Phone Password Manager Server requirements

In order to use VoIP or softphone technology with Phone Password Manager, your IVR server must be configured as follows:

  • Phone Password Manager requires Windows Server 2012 at current service packs.

  • Your IVR system should be installed on a designated server. This machine should be separate from the Bravura Pass server.

Installing the Host Media Processing software

If you want to configure Phone Password Manager to use VoIP or softphone systems instead of voice boards, then you must install Dialogic® PowerMedia Host Media Processing (HMP) 3.0+ for Windows.

The trial version of HMP and a demo license can be downloaded from the Dialogic® web site.

For more information about Dialogic® PowerMedia Host Media Processing, contact your vendor or visit:

http://www.dialogic.com/en/products/media-server-software/hmp-software.aspx

Caution

Dialogic® PowerMedia Host Media Processing is incompatible with several virtualization programs, and it is highly recommended that you install it on a physical machine.

Once the Dialogic® PowerMedia Host Media Processing software is installed, the Phone Password Manager will automatically perform any required configurations upon installation.

Next:

Set up the Bravura Pass Remote AP I.

Configuring Dialogic® voice boards

IVR server requirements

In order to work with Phone Password Manager, your IVR server must be configured as follows:

  • Phone Password Manager requires Microsoft Windows Server 2012 at current service packs.

  • You must install both the hardware and the Dialogic® System Release 6.0+ PCI for Windows, including the latest service update. This System Release software is available from your vendor, though an evaluation version is also available.

    For more information about the System Release contact your vendor or visit:

    https://www.dialogic.com/systemreleases

  • If you will be deploying biometric voice print verification on the IVR server, you must also purchase and install VoiceVantage software.

    For more information about VoiceVantage contact sales@bravurasecurity.com .

Calculating the number and size of voice boards

The number of boards to install and the size of each board depends on the following factors:

  • On average, how long does each call take to complete?

  • How many calls must be processed at one time?

  • How many users are in your organization?

  • What features will be provided?

  • What is the expiry interval for passwords?

  • How many calls per day does the help desk currently receive for forgotten passwords?

  • What percentage of those calls are expected to be offloaded to Phone Password Manager?

We can calculate the number of phone lines needed by taking the average call duration, which we determined to be two and a half minutes, and determining how many calls a single line can handle in an hour:

calls per line per hour (CALLSPERLINE) = 3600 sec/hr X 1 call/150 sec = 24 calls/hr

We can then calculate the minimum number of required lines:

number of lines needed (NLINES) = number of calls received per hour / CALLSPERLINE

This formula is illustrated in the following example.

Example

Global Enterprises has 80,000 users. Users are required to change their passwords every 30 days. We can estimate the number of calls received per hour based on the following assumptions:

  • If 10,000 users a month forget their passwords, and if the Phone Password Manager service handles all password change requests, a total of 90,000 calls will go through the Phone Password Manager service every month.

  • If there are 20 work days in the average month, there will be 4,500 password change requests every day.

  • If password change requests are distributed evenly throughout the 24-hour period, the Phone Password Manager service will receive approximately 188 password change requests every hour.

Using this example:

NLINES = 188 / 24 = 7.8 (round up to 8)

An 8-port board (or two 4-port boards) is the absolute minimum required to support 188 calls / hr. Keep in mind that this is the minimum requirement. To allow for growth within your organization, we recommend in this case that a 12-port board be used.

To make the example more applicable to the real world, the following facts must be taken into consideration:

  • Calls will not be evenly distributed throughout the day.

  • Users will also be performing other tasks (like unlocking accounts) at the same time.

  • Your organization will grow over time.

Your calculations can be made more realistic by changing the numbers in the formula to account for peak call times and adding in other requests that might have to be processed. For example, you might expect 50% of the calls in a single day to occur between 8:00 am and 10:00 am. That means you could receive up to 1,125 calls per hour. You might also receive 200 account unlock requests within an hour, thus bringing the number of potential calls in an hour to 1,325. In this case, you need to decide whether to buy the necessary hardware to support that volume of calls, or to allow users to be put on hold for a short time until a line becomes available.

Selecting a voice board

The Phone Password Manager service is able to interact with a number of Dialogic® boards. When selecting a voice board, you must consider the following factors:

  • The amount of load expected on the IVR server.

    See Calculating the number and size of voice boards for more help with this.

  • Existing phone lines.

    If you have a sufficient number of existing lines, you must purchase a board that matches your type of line (digital or analog) to avoid having to install new lines.

    Warning

    Using a digital line with an analog board, or an analog line with a digital board can permanently damage your telephony hardware.

  • The configuration of the PBX (private branch exchange) at your organization.

    A PBX integration board provides all of the basic voice and call processing capabilities of standard voice boards, and adds hardware and firmware that eases integration with supported PBXs.

    The PBX integration board connects directly to your PBX using a digital line. If you require this type of board, make sure to select one that is compatible with your PBX.

    The PBX integration board must be configured to assign a phone number to the Dialogic® card.

    Consult your PBX documentation for details.

    Note

    Bravura Security highly recommends that you install Dialogic® PowerMedia Host Media Processing (HMP) server on a physical machine rather than a virtual machine to avoid performance and inconsistency issues.

    Phone Password Manager does not support Dialogic® Diva® products.

Assigning phone lines

The type and number of line that you must install depends on your voice board. Check your vendor documentation to ensure that you are installing the correct type of phone line.

A phone technician should perform the following tasks:

  1. Ensure that the necessary number of phone lines are installed and tested for functionality.

  2. If required, configure the telephone lines as a sequential hunt group.

  3. If required, assign the lead line on the sequential hunt group a dedicated telephone number.

    Warning

    Plugging an analog line into a digital board and vice versa can damage the board.

Installing the hardware and IVR software

Once the physical lines are available, you can install the voice boards, drivers, and System Release software. Since some boards require the software to be installed first and other boards need to be installed before the software, it is recommended that you refer to the documentation included with the System Release before you install the voice board.

After you have completed the installation, test your system to ensure that it is functioning correctly and that the board is responding to external calls. Typically, the Dialogic® card drivers include software for testing that the card is picking up calls.

If you require drivers or troubleshooting information, contact your vendor.

If you will be deploying biometric voice print verification on the IVR server, you can install the VoiceVantage software after you have verified that your system is functioning correctly.

Next:

Set up the Bravura Pass Remote AP I.

Configuring a software phone

Installing a software phone (softphone) will allow you to place calls to the IVR software, and can be used to test that your configuration is running properly. Once the IVR server is configured, create a softphone account and activate it.

Placing a call with softphone

Depending on your IVR configuration, you may need to alter how you address the IVR server when placing a call.

Placing calls to Asterisk®

Once you have enabled your softphone profile, you only need to dial the extension configured in your extensions.conf file, then connect the call.

Placing calls to Dialogic®

When placing a call to a Dialogic® server, the call is directed to the IVR server using the dialling address, instead of being included in the user profile you created earlier. In order to place a call to a Dialogic® system, the address should be formatted as:

<Extension>@<Server IP>

Unlike Asterisk® , Dialogic will accept a call on any extension by default. Due to this behavior, call filtering and line-specific logic is largely done in the Phone Password Manager psynch.psl script.

In this section: