TeamCall CSTAServer FAQ

Frequently asked questions about TeamCall CSTAServer

Last modified $Date: 2000/03/29 13:28:38 $


Introduction


What is the TeamCall CSTAServer ?

The TeamCall CSTAServer is a middleware for Computer Telephony Integration (CTI).


Which APIs does it support ?

There are two socket/stream-based APIs:

Simple TeLephony Interface (STLI)

It is inspired by ECMA's CSTA standard.

Telephony API (TAPI)

It is compliant to Microsoft's (R) TAPI (Version <=2.x)


Which Operating Systems does it support ?

Solaris/SunOs
Win9x/WinNT 4.x
MacOS X Server
Linux
UnixWare
NextSTEP


Which Switches,PBXs does it support ?

Alcatel A4200(Office E)
Alcatel A4400
Siemens Hicom 150
Siemens Hicom 300/330
Siemens A6/Telekom Octopus


Which Switch,PBX does support which CSTA Phase ?

Alcatel A4200(Office E) : Phase I
Alcatel A4400 : Phases I and II
Siemens Hicom 150 : Phase II
Siemens Hicom 300/330 : Phase I
Siemens A6/Telekom Octopus : Phase I


Where can I get more informations ?

Check www.ilink.de


STLI and TAPI Session


What is the last sign of a message in STLI/TAPI ?

Each message is terminated with a CR LF (``\r\n'') at the end.


Why are external calls sometimes signaled with a leading "+" ?

When an external incoming call (i.e. a call outside the PBX) is signaled, the dialing number of the calling party starts with a ``+'' (unless you specified a prefixPlan in your configuration file) for the following events:

Delivered
Established
Queued

In these events, the CSTA protocol (Phase I and II) identifies the calling party as exactly one of these types:

device : internal or external calling device
implicitPublic : external calling device
explicitPublic : external calling device
implicitPrivate : internal calling device
explicitPrivate : internal calling device
other : internal or external calling device (i.e. unspecified)

In order to identify external and internal devices within the events signaled via STLI/TAPI, we prepended a ``+'' to the calling device number if it's tyoe is either implicitPublic or explicitPublic.

Which type is used for signalisation depends on the PBX/Switch. Usually, external devices are of the type implicitPublic.

Please refer to ECMA-218 for more information.


Why is an external incoming call not signaled with a "+" in the Transferred event ?

The connection list, which is transmitted via the transfer, does not contain any information about the origin of the included devices. They are simply transmitted as DeviceID without further specification. There is no distinction of types as for example in the Delivered event (see also Why are external calls sometimes signaled with a leading "+" ?).

It may be configurable within your PBX if the dialing numbers are generally signalled with the whole information, i.e. country code, area code and phone number.

If the external incoming call would have been delivered (or queued) to an internal and monitored device, the Server could have had the knowledge about the calling device if it is internal or external. But if the external call is transferred from a non-monitored (or even external) device or first delivered to a non-monitored device, this knowledge does not exist. Thus we decided not to gather these informations as there are too much cases where the information would not have been transmitted.


Switchs,PBXs, Routers

This section treats questions concerning specific Switches,PBXs


Alcatel A4200 (Office E)


Alcatel A4400


Siemens Hicom 150

This PBX needs either the LinkISDN or the LinkV24.


Why are calls from external devices not signalled correctly ?

Contact your Siemens dealer and ask him to check your H150. The signalling of the trunkIds (usually 7801,7802, etc.) has to be activated in the H150-Configuration.


After starting LinkISDN/V24 and CSTAServer: why do I get a LinkOutOfService ?

Check your Configuration file. Usually, both LinkISDN/V24 and CSTAServer use the same file. If not, compare the entries

 cstaLinkAddress
 cstaLinkPort

Check the Configuration entries for the LinkISDN/V24 (LinkISDN, LinkV24).


Siemens Hicom 300/330


Siemens A6,Telekom Octopus

This PBX needs the ISDNRouter.


ISDNRouter

ISDN D-channel Router for Siemens A6,Telekom Octopus.

This version is only for Win32-plattforms.


LinkISDN

ISDN B-channel Router for Hicom 150.

This version is only for Win32-plattforms.


Why can't I establish a connection via my ISDN board to the PBX ?

Check your PBX-Configuration if the ISDN-Link is enabled. If not, contact your PBX-Dealer.

Check if your ISDN board supports User-to-User ISDN protocol.

Check if you entered the correct directory number for the CSTA Connection in your Configuration file (cstaLinkNumber). For Hicom150, this is usually 891.


LinkV24


Why can't I establish a connection via the serial device to the PBX ?

Check if you entered the correct serial device for the CSTA Connection in your Configuration file (serialDevice).

Check if the serial device for the CSTA Connection in your Configuration file (serialDevice) is available for reading/writing, i.e. if no other process blocks it.

Check if the baudRate in your Configuration file corresponds to the settings in the PBX. For Hicom150, the default setting usually is 9600.


Log files


What are these logfiles for ?

The main purpose is debugging and tracing. If you have a problem with your server, turn on the debugging (please refer to your manual) and send us the log files.


What is the format of the logfiles ?

The format may change from version to version without notice. As the logfiles are for internal use only, the format won't be described further. If you are really interested, please contact us, we can arrange a training for you.


Can I use the logfiles ?

Feel free to use it but read What is the format of the logfiles ? before.