Fonality outgoing caller ID

I have been using a fonality pbxtra box for about 5 years now. We are now reprovisioning the box for a new business. We have changed ALL of the settings, setup new sip trunks numbers, users and so forth. Everything seems setup properly. However, no mater what we do in terms of outgoing caller ID (using global caller ID or setting based on user session) they are being ignored and the box is sending out the old main phone number and business name. Even if we set the outgoing caller ID to BLOCKED, and then dial a number, it is still sending the old phone main phone number and business name. We have also reset the extensions (polycom IP 331 - i know theyre old, but they work) to back to defaults which doesnt change anything. I am not an expert with asterisk but I am looking to learn more now. I have only ever configured this box using the pbxtra GUI interface. From what I can tell, this data is somewhere deeply ingrained in this box that I dont have access to. As mentioned, I have checked every field for this old information and cant find it anywhere.

  1. My first question is, how do I login to the box directly, and is there a resource I could read for commands on how to operate asterisk? This is probably going to sound stupid, but do I telnet, use a terminal program of some sort? I just dont know, im a noob to asterisk, but I want to learn/explore. I know this is going to sound like such a silly question to the gearheads on this site.
  2. My second question is, do you have any idea where this caller id may be originating from? The user again is set to the global caller ID which is our new sip trunk which is installed and working perfectly. I also know that I could override the caller ID through my sip provider, but eventually I will have more than the one trunk I currently have installed and want to control the outgoing callerid based on user session like I used to. I REALLY do not want to deal with Fonality technical support, let alone pay for it. My experience is they have been pretty rude over there and also just from a principle standpoint, I don’t believe I should have to buy a support contract just to change the business name and phone number to use the box with a new business. I have had a lot of success configuring this box using the pbxtra control panel in the past and has never really given me too many problems, but I just cannot find where this data resides, and part of me is thinking that if I can learn how to get into the box itself, I may be able to find where this information is. But as I said, Id like to learn how to explore the box from behind the scenes instead of through the control panel, if that is even possible.

So I have been doing a lot of research on asterisk and I have learned how to login to my own fonality box (after creating a root password). I have read every file in the asterisk directory grepping for the caller ID number that is overriding my pbxtra settings and I cannot find it anywhere…again to reiterate, my extensions are not the problem, as even if i disconnect all extensions and dial from the HUD application the problematic CID is still being pushed out…so I KNOW somewhere in the box it is pushing this erroneous caller ID number… can anyone help me navigate asterisk and find where the caller id number is originating from and why my settings in the pbxtra control panel are not being respected?

You say you have configured new sip trunks with new numbers, did you erase the old one? The trunks are with the same provider? Did you change your outbound routes?

If the trunks are new then you couldn’t send the old cid to your provider. The provider gives you a number but he has to check if the cid that you send out is the right one or else you could fake that you are anyone in the world. Usually if it is wrong, he overwrites the cid value with your number.

Also, some have asked me why I continue to use Fonality…it seems there are a lot out there that are against Fonality…the reason is one reason and really one reason alone…I absolutely love their HUD application…It makes training new employees on a phone system very easy, its great for a corporation that is spread out over a large geographical area, with one click someone in california is as if they are sitting right next to someone in Florida, it integrates with MANY of our interoffice systems, managing calls is as easy as drag and drop,everyone always knows when anyone else is on the line, swapping between calls on their desktop screens is as easy as could be, and communicating betwixt staff members is great with the chat features built in…I just wish the standalone version (naturally I dont have their subscription based system I have their standalone box) had screenshare built in…I have evaluated some of the other presence based apps out there but nothing comes close on this matter…Its a great app and it really makes them stand apart

But lets not let this distract from the problem at hand…and if anyone would like me to provide them access to my box so they can look around, I am happy to do so…

Just out of curiosity did you try to register with a softphone to their service and make some calls. What cid shows up in your phone? Use xlite to test this. Before trying, unregister the trunk from the fonality box.

The issue with Fonality is that they abandoned support for Trxibox entirely, even closing down their own peer support forum. That has basically pushed support onto people who are not familiar with Trixbox.

For their commercial products, they are expected to support them themselves.

I have found it very difficult to figure out all of the credentialsand settings to make xlite work. You know what that means, more annual support contracts to get an answer out of them

Are you using Trixbox to refer to something else. I do not have a Trixbox. I have a standalone Fonality box running Asterisk.

Sounds like you have a commercial product, in which case you should get your support from Fonality. Trxibox was their open source offering that they turned into abandoneware.

The .xml files your grep is finding look like they are part of the Fonality provided code.

Although we no longer use Xlite, I don’t remember any problems setting up authentication for it.

Use zoiper, also if you can dial and have the proper cid from your phones then as @david551 says might be a HUD configuration.

So after speaking with them, I do have the availability to use their HUD Web which would allow me access to their screenshare ability, which is essentially a zoom integration