IntroductionA.

B.

C.

Elastix

FreePBX

OpenCNAM Integrationwith Elastix 4.0

OpenCNAM provides a Caller ID Lookup service that adds Caller ID Name to

inbound calls on PBX systems easily and economically. When a phone service

provider sends calls to the PBX with only a number as Caller ID, the number

can be looked up using the OpenCNAM service to get the correct Caller ID

Name. The Caller ID Name is attached to the incoming call before it is routed

to its destination in the PBX, so that it displays on phone calls and in call logs.

Elastix is a PBX distribution that contains the Linux operating system, Asterisk

telephony engine, and the FreePBX web interface to configure it, among other

software. Elastix versions supported include 4.0 and all 2.X versions. Version

3.0 is not supported by OpenCNAM. The following instructions show images

of the 4.0 version, but the process is the same in 2.X.

Elastix contains an embedded version of FreePBX, which provides configuration

of the PBX functions of Asterisk. Throughout these instructions, FreePBX

refers to this portion of Elastix found under the PBX Configuration menu.

The step by step instructions and screenshots have been updated to match

Elastix.

D. Operation

Configuration

FreePBX has two configurations involved in managing incoming calls, the Trunk,

and the Inbound Route. A third configuration then also defines Caller ID Lookup Sources if that is configured by the Inbound Route. Calls flow from

the Trunk through the matching Inbound Route where the optional Caller ID

Name lookup happens, the new name replaces the original name value (only)

from the original call, and then is routed on to the destination specified in the

Inbound Route.

FreePBX has many types of configurable data, each on a pull down menu

from the FreePBX Administration page. The Trunk and Inbound Route

configurations are on the Connectivity pulldown menu. The Caller ID Lookup Sources configuration is on the Admin menu. For each configuration,

there can be multiple records, each with different data.

TRUNK DESTINATIONINBOUND

ROUTECALL

LOOKUP

CALL

Editing Records The list of existing records are shown in a list on the right side,

along with an empty form to create a new record. When editing

existing information, be sure to select the original record from the

list on the right side rather than accidentally creating a new record.

When changes are complete, the Submit button at the end of the

page must be pressed to store the changes. In most cases, pressing

enter after changing a field will also activate the Submit button as a

convenient shortcut.

Quick-Start Guide

With Elastix installed and operating normally, where inbound calls from a Trunk

are matched to one or more Inbound Routes and sent on to a destination,

these few simple steps will add OpenCNAM lookups to your calls.

Applying configuration

changes

When any record is saved, the menu bar shows a red Apply Config

button. This indicates that changes to the configuration have been

saved to the database storage, but not made active on the PBX as

yet. When a set of changes is complete, press the Apply Config

button to make the changes live before checking that the PBX now

operates as desired.

A. OpenCNAM Account

1

2

Log into an existing

http://www.opencnam.com

account or create a new one.

Then select the DASHBOARD to

view your account SID and Auth

Token. Both these values will be

needed later to enable OpenCNAM

lookups.

B. Caller ID Lookup Source

1

2

From the PBX Configuration menu

of Elastix, select Caller ID Lookup

Sources on the FreePBX menu.

Then on the right side record

selector list, choose OpenCNAM.

4

5

6

Copy and paste the SID and Token

from your OpenCNAM dashboard.

Then press Submit to save the

record.

The apply config button does not

need to be pressed now, as there

are more changes to make. Select

the Inbound Routes section from the

FreePBX menu.

3 Next select the Professional Tier

checkbox.

9

10

Then press the Submit button.

Now press the Apply Configuration

bar to make these changes active.

8 With the record selected, change the

CID Lookup Source to be OpenCNAM.

7 If you already have an Incoming

Route created, select it from the

list of records on the right side.

Each one that you want to use

with OpenCNAM will need to be

changed this same way. If you do

not already have a record, create

an “any DID / any CID” record

by selecting Add Incoming Route

and leaving both DID and Caller ID

numbers blank.

Trunk Context

Trunk Context

Trunk

With a SIP or IAX2 trunk, it is possible to assign a context in the Peer

Details section (may be in a settings tab) of the Trunk configuration.

The context value controls how the incoming call is handled, and this

can be changed from the default value to enable the use of custom

call processing logic. It is best to not set the context and let FreePBX

use it’s default behavior, as a different context can prevent the

Caller ID lookup subroutine from functioning. However, if it is set, it

must be from-pstn, from-trunk, a custom context that includes

the ext-did context, or a custom context that calls the Caller ID

lookup subroutine directly. Those that understand Asterisk dialplan

configuration can consult the /etc/asterisk/extensions_additional.conf

file for details on contexts and cidlookup subroutine.

The Trunk is a definition of the connection between FreePBX and the phone

service provider of choice. This can be a SIP connection, IAX2, or DAHDi (used

for PRI and analog POTS hardware interfaces). There can be one or many

Trunks defined on a FreePBX system. The only requirement is that the Caller

ID Number is provided with each call. All inbound calls received over any

Trunk are then passed to the Inbound Route to determine which destination

they should be sent to, and optionally if Caller ID Name Lookup is to be

performed first.

A.

OpenCNAM Integration Reference

At this point, the OpenCNAM service should be used to lookup CNAM for your

inbound calls that match this Inbound Route configuration. Refer to the

remainder of this documentation for further understanding and to resolve any

problems.

Caller ID Lookup Source selection in

Inbound Route

One of the configuration options in the Inbound Route is the CID

Lookup Source. This selects which one of the Caller ID Lookup

Sources (if any) will be used to lookup Caller ID Name from the

Caller ID Number. It may be located on the Other tab. This value

defaults to None, and must be changed to OpenCNAM (or a

different Caller ID Lookup Source record as needed) to enable

OpenCNAM. Make certain that each Inbound Route that OpenCNAM

is to be used with has the correct source selected.

Inbound Route

The Inbound Route contains many configurable options, but three in particular

are necessary to understand for OpenCNAM operation. The CID and DID

numbers are used to match to incoming calls. The CID number is the Caller ID

Number that the call came from, and the DID is the Direct Inward Dial number

that the caller dialed - i.e. your phone number.

The most common configurations are:

• A single default route (DID: ANY, CID: ANY) that matches all incoming calls

• A separate inbound route (DID: 1234567890, CID: ANY) for each DID

• A separate inbound route for some DIDs, and a default route for all others

Note that if route has both a DID and a CID number, both numbers must

match for that route to be used (this is not common and not recommended).

Also, be aware that if an incoming call does not match any inbound routes, the

call is refused.

B.

Review and Apply

At this point, it’s a good idea to go through the Inbound Routes and make sure

that all (or all that need OpenCNAM service) are set to use the OpenCNAM

record as the Caller ID Lookup Source. Then press the red Apply Changes button to cause these changes to be applied to the live running system.

D.

Configuring OpenCNAM with

Authorization

A single Caller ID Lookup source named “OpenCNAM” most likely

already exists. If not, use the Admin Module as shown above to

Remove, and then reinstall the Caller ID Lookup Module to recreate

it (Note: this will erase other Caller ID Lookup configurations). If the

record already exists, press the pencil icon to edit the record.

The Source type must be set to OpenCNAM. The ability to Cache Results is not supported with OpenCNAM and will be ignored even

if set. The Account SID and Auth Token values must be copied

exactly from the OpenCNAM website dashboard (the Auth Token will

not be **** as in the screenshot above, but will show your real token

string). Once these settings are correct, press the Submit button.

Caller ID Lookup Sources

Caller ID Lookup Sources configures what source(s) can be used for lookups,

along with authorization codes and other configurable options as needed. Note

that defining a Caller ID Lookup Source alone does not cause it to be used.

The Caller ID Lookup Source must also be selected in the appropriate Inbound

Routes. When the system is installed, a single Caller ID Lookup Source with a

type of OpenCNAM should already be present, but must be edited to set the

account authorization for lookups.

C.

OpenCNAM Account

An account with OpenCNAM is required to perform Caller ID

Lookups, which is available for free by registering at https://www.opencnam.com/register. New registrations include over 100 free

queries.

Once registered, the dashboard shows the account balance, along

with the Account SID and Auth Token values that need to be

copied into the Caller ID Lookup Sources entry for OpenCNAM to

enable lookups. Press Show to view the Auth Token, but treat this

value like a password and don’t share it with anyone.

Troubleshooting

If OpenCNAM does not appear to be working (the number is showing, not a

name or an error), check the following:

1. Confirm that there is no context in the peer settings of the Trunk that the

call arrives on.

2. Which Inbound Route will match the call? Check both the Inbound Route

that should match, and the default (Any/Any) route if you have one just

to be sure. Do the inbound route(s) have OpenCNAM set as the Caller ID

Lookup Source?

3. In CallerID Lookup Sources, does the OpenCNAM record have a type of

OpenCNAM, and does it have an Account SID and Auth Token that match

the OpenCNAM Dashboard?

If the Caller ID Name is being changed to an Error or Unknown or similar

message for all numbers, check the following:

1. In the Inbound Route, temporarily change the Caller ID Lookup Source to

None and test again. If the Caller ID Name continues to show Unknown

or another message consistently, then the wrong name may actually be

coming from the service provider, and at the same time OpenCNAM is not

configured correctly to replace it. Refer to the troubleshooting checklist

above instead. Make certain to restore the Caller ID Source setting to

OpenCNAM.

2. In the Caller ID Source record for OpenCNAM, double check that the

Account SID and Auth Token values match exactly the values from the

OpenCNAM Dashboard.

3. In the OpenCNAM Dashboard, check that there is a positive balance.

If the issue persists, please contact OpenCNAM Support from the

OpenCNAM dashboard for further assistance. You may also call Support

during normal business hours at 1-888-315-TELO option 2 for support.

Finally, make some calls into the system to check that the correct name is

appearing.