Configuring a T1/PRI circuit may seem like a daunting task, however, the Switchvox AA65, AA305 and AA355 platforms make it as easy as possible. Here is an excerpt from Digium Switchvox Knowledgebase on how to configure a T1/PRI:
Obtain Configuration Information
Before you begin configuring your T1 PRI interface in Switchvox, it is very important that you obtain all of the configuration information from your T1 provider. Throughout this document we will refer back to this information.
Installing your T1 Card
First make sure you machine is completely shut down and the power cord is removed from the machine’s power supply.
- Make sure the correct jumper setting is selected on your card (T1 or E1)
- Install necessary card(s) and line(s) to your PBX machine
- Start up your PBX
Configure the Card
To start configuring your T1 card, login to the Switchvox admin section (https://your.pbx.ip/admin) and go to System Setup –> Hardware Setup. Locate the T1 card you wish to configure and click Configure. Under Configure Span Options, enter in your T1 information exactly as it is specified by your provider. Click Save Settings and after the reload click Goto Channel Admin.
Configure the Channels
T1 lines consist of 23 Bearer Channels, and 1 Data Channel (channel 24).
E1 lines consist of 30 Bearer Channels and 1 Data Channel (channel 16).
The next step is to configure the channels of your T1 card. PRI T1s have two groups, the data and bearer channels. The data channel is a single channel, most often on channel 24 that provides signaling for the PRI line. Bearer channels are the channels that you use to place phone calls. For a full voice T1, channels 1-23 are all part of the bearer group. Partial T1 lines have some subset of this group.
Data Channel
To add the data channel, click Create New Channel Group. Select a name for your group, ‘data’ is a reasonable choice. For multi-span setups, you may want to specify the span in the group name (ex. Data Channels Span 1). Under Device Type select D (Data) Channel, Secondary Device Type should be set to No signaling (PRI D channel). You can leave the Callback Extension blank.
Scroll down and check the 24th channel on the card and click Save Channel Group Settings.
Bearer Channels
Next comes the bearer channel group. Click Create New Channel Group and fill in the Group Name (ex. T1 Voice Lines or T1 Voice Lines Span 1). Under Device Type, select B (Bearer) Channel. For Secondary Device type, select from the two PRI (Primary Rate Interface) options: CPE Side or Network Side. Your T1 provider should supply you with which setting to choose, but most providers use CPE Side. The Callback Extension is the default extension to ring for incoming calls on these lines. Ask your T1 provider about your settings for the PRI Switch Type, Overlap dial, and PRI Dialplan settings. (Note: For most North American PRI providers the default settings in Switchvox should work.) Next, fill in the caller id settings that you would like to appear on outbound calls through this t1.
Lastly, check the channels that apply to this T1. For full voice T1s, check channels 1 through 23. For partial T1s, check the appropriate subset of channels. Click Create Channel Group and your T1 should now be configured. Finally, check your System Status page to make sure your newly created channels are working properly when things are hooked up.
Multi-span users
For multi-span cards, you’ll see the full consecutive listing of channels. You’ll need to create multiple channel groups accordingly. Here is an example.
Group Name: T1 Voice Lines Span 1
-choose channels 1-23
Group Name: T1 Data Line Span 1
-choose channel 24
Group Name: T1 Voice Lines Span 2
-choose channels 25-47
Group Name: T1 Data Line Span 2
-choose channel 48
and so on…
Configure Outgoing Calls
You can now go to the System Setup –> Outgoing Calls section and configure outgoing call rules to use the bearer channel group you just created.
Incoming DIDs
You can also route incoming DIDs by adding rules to the Incoming Call Routing section under System Setup –> Incoming Calls. Please refer to the DID FAQ entry for more detail.
