PSOM 1.1 Accounts

1.1.1 Accounts Management

Once you have almost one group you can fulfill it with SIP Accounts. In the Group List (PSOM 1.0 Groups) click on the Accounts icon on the right of each group's row. 

You have three way for create new users:

1. the plain way: manual creation 

2. the wizard way: automatic activation

3. tha batch way: massive creation

figure 1. The Sip Users Table

1.1.1.1 Create a new account, the plain way

The "plain way" is a completely manual creation of the account. In this way you control any feature of the account, but you also need to configure the user's client manually. This way is the opposite of the automatic activation.

In the Account List page (figure 1. The Sip Users Table) you can see an empty list of accounts. To create a new Sip User you have to click on the New Account button in the top of the page.

You can create both PGSM (PrivateGSM) or SNOM accounts and they do differ a while.

1.1.1.1.1 PGSM

figure 2. Sip Account creation form

The Create Account page will show a form with many fields. Mandatory ones are:

• Username

• Password/Repeat Password

• Virtual Phone Number

• Account Type

• Security Model

• Obfuscation Mode

• Obfuscation Key

• Keep-alive Enabled

Username/Password

Fill the Username with a numeric value as suggested by the default value into the field. Type in a password and repeat it in the proper fields.

Virtual Phone Number

Set a Virtual Phone number as a numeric value of your choice. Please consider that the Virtual Phone Number is the number to be dialed to call the Account (and also the number shown as the caller, when the Account places a call). We suggest a three character number such as "111" or "123" for testing purpose. For production please insert the real phone number.

Account Type

• To configure a PrivateGSM account select "PGSM" by the drop down menu in "Account Type".

• To configure a SNOM account select "SNOM" by the drop down menu in "Account Type".

Security Models

• To configure a PrivateGSM Enterprise account the security model must be "SDES" in the "Security Model".

• To configure a PrivateGSM Professional account the security model must be "ZRTP".

• To configure a Snom account the security model must be "SDES".

Obfuscation Mode

The Obfuscation mode is a simple but quite efficient trick to let the VoIP pass without being recognised by router that could perform Quality of Service degrading the call.

It's not known to be a perfect mask and it aims not to be one, still it works fine until now and our suggestion is to keep it enabled as by default,

Obfuscation Key

The key used by the obfuscator can be an arbitrary one, still "9" is the default value. It doesn't matter which number you put in here as long as it is the very same one you set up on the client side.

To be reachable the client must set up a stable socket to the server. Each client sends a "keep alive" request to the server it's connected to in order to keep up the socket. This is necessary as the TCP socket has an idle timeout after which the socket is closed. Some aggressive network devices can short the standard timeout under 10 minutes, making impossible for the client to send the "keep alive" request because it would always be late (the client sends its request every 10 minutes or so). 

In order to avoid the socket break caused by such aggressive network devices, you can set up a server side "keep alive" request that is going to be performed every 3 minutes. In this way you can be sure that the socket and thus the connection would remain up and stable under every circumstances.

The actual default value for the keep-alive interval is 60 seconds. You can configure the general keep-alive timeout in the NAT configuration form. Please read PSAM 2.4 Asterisk advanced configurations to get informations about it.

1.1.1.1.2 SNOM

In the Account List page (figure 1. The Sip Users Table) you can see an empty list of accounts. To create a new Sip User you have to click on the New Account button in the top of the page.

figure 3. Sip SNOM Account creation form

There are some few but still important differences between the figure 3. Sip SNOM Account creation form and the figure 2. Sip Account creation form: security model, obfuscation Mode and Obfuscation Key fields are gone and instead you can read Mac, Deny and Permit. Due to the type of hardware underlying the SNOM account, we do assume that the hardware would be wired connected on a desktop. Also no obfuscation is possible because the device doesn't allow it. Instead the wired channel can provide us an easy to go access list, based on the LAN IP addresses. We can create both one White-List and one Black-List in order to bind the user's access to one specific device which can be identified by the LAN IP address. The different option shown are:

• Mac
• Deny
• Permit 

Mac

The Mac is for putting in the MAC Address of the SNOM in order to bind the user to a specific hardware.

Deny

Deny represent the blacklist based on the IP address and the net mask we want to deny when associated to the current user. You have to write this in the form: <ipaddress>/<network mask>

Examples:

• 192.168.0.38/255.255.255.255 : Denies traffic from this IP address
• 0.0.0.0/0.0.0.0 : Denies every address

Permit

Permit is the exact opposite of the Deny option. It represent the whitelist based on the IP address and the net mask we want to have access. You have to write this in the form: <ipaddress>/<network mask>

Example:

• 192.168.0.38/255.255.255.0 : Allows traffic from this Network

1.1.1.1.3 Actually create the Account

After you filled in the form (either the PGSM or the SNOM one), please click on the Create icon at the page's bottom. 

figure 4. new SIP account

You'll get back the Account List page and the table shows now your new user (figure 4. new SIP account).

To use the automatic activation even in the plain way go reading the 1.1.4 Automatic Activation.

1.1.1.2 Create a new account, the wizard way

The "wizard way" is the new method for creating accounts. It's made for easing the load on the service manager's shoulder, letting him/her focusing on the service configuration without having to bother about the installation and configuration of the client.

In the Account List page (figure 1. The Sip Users Table) you can see an empty list of accounts. To create a new Sip User you have to click on the New Account (Activation Wizard) button in the top of the page.

figure 5. new account by wizard

You'll see the "Edit Account page" with a precompiled, non-editable username  as in figure 5. new account by wizard.

Please set a Virtual Phone Number and choose a Provisioning Profile.

If not differently configured, the default values for the Obfuscation are fine. The other fields are optional.

Compile all necessary fields of the new account, select a Provisioning Profile and click on "Create". Now jump to paragraph 1.0.3.6 for activate the user.

1.1.1.3 Create a new account, the batch way

The "batch way" is an account creation mode designed specifically for large number of users to be created quickly.

Starting from Account List page figure 1. The Sip Users Tableclick on the Create batch account action to open Create batch account page:

figure 6. create batch account

Prepare a .csv file with some account. The file must be formatted as the example below.

fullName,gsmNumber,email,securityModel,description Alessandro Bergamaschi,+391234567890,alessandro.bergamaschi@privatewave.com,end-to-site,Personal account Luigi Rossi,+3932456753,luigi.rossi@privatewave.com,end-to-site,Personal account Marco Bianchi,+39432242342,mbianchi@gmail.com,end-to-site,Personal account Mario Colombo,+394325346546,colombo.mario@privatewave.com,end-to-site,Personal account

Select the default provisioning profile and a group for the newly account created. Upload the file and click create: you'll be leaded to the Group list page

1.1.2 Update

To change the SIP Account values you must first select it from the Accounts List: just click on the Username and the Edit Account form is shown (figure 2. Sip Account creation form).
Change the values you need to and then click on the Update button at the bottom of the form to save the changes. The new values are shown into the Accounts' table back in the "Account List" page.

figure 7. The Account has been updated

A line will warn you about the update.

1.1.3 Delete

Select the Account from the Account List and get the Edit Account page. Click on the Delete button at the bottom of the page to delete the SIP Account. A warning pop up window will be shown.

Just select the "Ok" button or press Enter to confirm. The Account List page will show up without the Account.

figure 8. The Account has been deleted

1.1.4 Automatic Activation

 After you created your new account(s) you have to configure the customer's client application PrivateGSM. In the wizard way it's MANDATORY to use the automatic activation in order to enable the account. In the plain way it's optional, though useful.

When you have just finished creating the new account (as in figure 4. new SIP account) or picking up the account from the account list ( see figure 7. The Account has been updated) you can send to the customer both a download SMS and a configuration SMS so that he/she would proceed with the installation of the client without any other human help. Click on the "Send installation SMS" to send the link for downloading the application.

figure 9. confirm sms

Confirm as in the above picture and the PrivateServer advices the operation has been completed:

figure 10. installation sms sent

Getting back to the account list you can read the exact status and the time of its change:

figure 11. account status

So what's happened is that the status has changed from "Created" to "Installation SMS sent" and the "Last Status date" has been updated to the time the SMS has been sent to the customer.

After the customer has downloaded and installed the application, the "Last status" changes to "Installed" but the "Enabled" is still "False". "Last Status date" is updated as well.

Next step is to send the "Activation SMS" in order to enable the user to place and receive calls.

Just click on the related link at the end of the customer's row in the Account list table. As for the "Installation SMS" you are requested to confirm the action (refer to figure 9. confirm sms).

Note the change in the "Last Status" and in the "Last Status date": the former is now "Activation SMS sent", the latter is updated to the new time the action was performed. 

You can know for sure that the user has configured his/her PrivateGSM application because after the action has been performed the account's "Last Status" becomes "Activated" and the "Last Status date" is updated as in the former cases.

Now the "Enabled" fields is changed to "true" meaning that the customer is ready to go.

If the customer actually goes on line with the PrivateGSM application, than the "Last Status" becomes "Connected".