Courseware:IT Advanced - 01 innovaphone overall Product Design
This book describes the overall design that is shared by all innovaphone devices.
What innovaphone products are all about
innovaphone products serve to implement IP telephony. To build up an IP telephony system, there are few types of products required:IP Phone
IP Phones are just like traditional telephone sets. They interface to the end user and let them talk to each other. They take the voice, convert it to an IP data stream and send it to the destination, where the voice stream is recreated from the data received.
Like you would expect, there are 
fixed line phones and wireless phones, using WLAN technologies to carry the IP data stream over the air.
phones and 
, using WLAN technologies to carry the IP data stream And as before, wireless phones can use DECT over the air. However, as DECT was designed to carry voice only and cannot practically carry IP data, a gateway is required that converts the IP data stream back to pure voice and sends it via the DECT protocol to the DECT handset.
is required that converts the IP data stream back to pure voice and sends it via the DECT protocol to the 
. innovaphone offers a pretty wide range of fixed line and wireless phones.
Gateway
Unfortunately, not all telephones you will want to call are IP phones 
. Some of them are actually analog (a.k.a POTS) or even old-style digital (a.k.a. ISDN) ones. To be able to call those, you will need a gateway. In general, a gateways role is to convert the IP data stream carrying your voice and your signalling data to a physical media of certain type and vice versa. Commonly used media are analog, ISDN and DECT. An obvious example for the use of a gateway is the connection to the old-style digital PSTN. A slightly less obvious scenario is the integration of a traditional fax device.
. In general, a gateways role is to convert the IP data stream carrying your voice and your signalling data to a physical media of certain type and vice versa. Commonly used media are analog, ISDN and DECT. An 
for the use of a gateway is the connection to the old-style digital PSTN. A slightly less obvious scenario is the 
device. In innovaphone speak, a gateway can host a PBX (see below). Devices that are gateways technically, but cannot host a PBX are either called adapter (if they connect to terminal equipment) or media-gateway (if they connect to things like a trunk line).
Gateways can also host conferencing resources. These allow for multi-party voice, video and application-sharing conferences.
SBC
A special case of a gateway is an SBC. An SBC is used to connect to an IP based (usually SIP) trunk provider (a.k.a. SIP provider). Although an SBC does not connect to a different physical medium, it provides a controlled interface between your PBX system and the SIP provider's network. In the innovaphone system, an SBC behaves much like a gateway interface and is thus found where the other interfaces (TEL->analog, BRI/PRI->ISDN) are located too.
Call Server
When an IP phone tries to place a call, someone needs to determine the other end to call. If the called party (which may be identified by a number as in the PSTN or by a name) is an IP phone in the same system, its IP address needs to be determined and the call forwarded to the destination. If it is an external call destination (e.g. a PSTN subscriber), a proper gateway must be identified and the call forwarded accordingly. For the call server to be able to manage the calls, all IP phones and gateways must be made known to it, a process called registration.
With innovaphone, the call server is known as the PBX. Although this is a product which you can (and actually need to 
) buy separately, it is not a device. Instead, it is a software that is present on the gateways and is enabled by adding a proper license.
myApps
myApps is innovaphone's UC client (which runs on Windows, Android, iOS and MacOS).
However, it's much more than a UC client: it is an App ecosystem which allows the user to run arbitrary Apps provided by innovaphone or 3rd Party vendors. myApps comes with out-of-the-box Apps with which end users can chat, make phone calls, share their screen contents, make video conferences, fax, operate and listen to their voicemails and check the Presence status of their colleagues calendars. Even more, Apps for administrators help to install, configure and monitor the whole system.
The myApps client is based on a modular design and provides all tools to comfortably complete daily work tasks. New innovaphone apps, apps developed by our app partners and even self-developed apps continuously extend and complement the innovaphone myApps platform. Therefore, myApps can be dynamically adjusted for each individual user and according to current business needs at any time.
App Platform
The App Platform is an additional component that provides various services (known as App Services). App Services in turn provide user interfaces (known as Apps) that allow both administrators and end users to use the services.
Apps
An example for an App Service and an App provided by the service would be a contact database that provides contact information to telephony endpoints so that users can dial from a directory and incoming calls are resolved to the names of the callers. Like with the PBX, the App Platform is not a device. Instead, it is a software that is present on the gateways and runs on a separate processor so that it can work in parallel to the PBX even if it runs on the same gateway platform.
However, Apps are not limited to telephony functions. Apps like Working are pure business Apps. Also, Apps do not need to be created by innovaphone. There is a variety of Apps available which were created by our App partners.
Virtual Appliances
IPVA
VMware (both Player, Workstation and vSphere), HyperV and n Proxmox VE (and hence KVM) are supported as virtualization platforms. Also, Docker support (for use with Kubernetes e.g.) is being developed (and may even be released at the time you will read this). App Platform
Software Building Blocks
So let's look at the various building blocks more closely.
Advanced Admin User Interface
ISDN gateway, a 
, a telephone or a 
or a DECT gateway does not change things really. Some devices will have more entries in the menu, some less. This may be due to different functionality (an ISDN gateway will have no DECT section as the DECT gateway has). 
does not change things really. Some devices will have more entries in the menu, some less. This may be due to different functionality (an Most of the user interface pages use XSL instead of plain HTML. So they are XML pages with accompanying XSLT and CSS files that control the design presented to the user.
This approach allows us to implement OEM versions of the user interface just by providing appropriate XSLT/CSS files. But apart from that, it allows 3rd party software integrators to
access any information presented by the user interface by just retrieving and parsing the raw, clean XML data structures. 
any information presented by the user interface by just retrieving and parsing the raw, clean XML data structures. Multiple administrative accounts may be defined and 
may be defined and fine grained access levels assigned to individual administrators. 
assigned to individual administrators. 
Note that these access rights currently do work also through the Devices App when using the PBX's advanced UI. However, on the gateway level all users have full admin rights (only if they have access to the Devices App of course). Web Server
Web Client
Consider a voicemail on a PBX. The HTTP client gives you the free choice to store voicemails on the PBX's local SSD card, another innovaphone device with SSD card or on external web servers such as IIS or Apache. The web client is used to:
- retrieve audio (music on hold, announcements) files
- store audio for call recording
- retrieve voice xml scripts including external web application integration and remote file storage/retrieval
- firmware mass deployment
- configuration deployment (provisioning)
- automated configuration backups (incl. personal user directories)
- sending call detail records to external billing applications
- system log, event and alarm message concentration
- and more
It is a fundamental design principle for innovaphone devices to always implement access to resources using standard protocol interfaces. For example, when a voicemail records a call, it will open a WebDAV session to a web server and store the audio in a file. In a very simple installation, the web server used might be
the box running the PBX itself. However, in a more complicated scenario, the web server used may be 
itself. However, in a more complicated scenario, the web server used may be a different box (this might be the SSD again but much more likely an Application platform running the Files App) or a 
(this might be the SSD again but much more likely an Application platform running the Files App) or a 3rd party web server. This provides for a high flexibility in designing solutions.
. This provides for a high flexibility in designing solutions.Router
PPP over DSL (PPPoE)
PPP over IP (PPTP)
corporate network integration without the need for any extra equipment.
without the need for any extra equipment.PPP over RTP (RTPTP)
RTPTP. Although this is also based on IP (and therefore is available on all devices with an Ethernet interface), it treats data traffic like a call between two parties. Both parties (the calling CPE router as well as the central router) register with the PBX in the exact same way as telephony endpoints would do. However, during the call, IP data is transported transparently as opposed to audio/video data when phones are calling each other. NAT
PBX
Registrations
Registration
As said before, the PBX component provides for the management of all VoIP endpoints (that is, phones, gateways and adapters). For this to work, all VoIP endpoints
need to register with the PBX. Once endpoints are registered, calls can be placed between them.
with the PBX. Once endpoints are registered, calls can be placed between them.It is important to understand that the PBX only knows about VoIP endpoints! Non-VoIP entities such as analog phones, PSTN trunk lines etc. are not known to the PBX. Instead, the respective gateways and adapters stand in and
register on behalf of such entities.
.Even if the non-VoIP entity (e.g. a trunk line) is handled by the same device that is also running the PBX (as all
gateway platforms have the ability to run a PBX), the PBX itself will only know about a stand-in registration of the local gateway for that trunk line.
of the local gateway for that trunk line.Objects
PBX Objects
The PBX maintains a number of objects of
different types to implement the call processing requirements. The most obvious of these 
to implement the call processing requirements. The most obvious of these object types is the User object. It represents an extension of the PBX. When a VoIP endpoint (e.g. an IP phone) registers with the PBX, it can supply the name of an user object (and possibly some credentials). When registration is successful, calls to the users extension will be forwarded to the registered phone. Likewise, when the VoIP endpoint initiates a call, the PBX will forward the call to the destination using the user objects properties (e.g. it will send the users extension number as calling line ID).
There are a number of
common object properties, such as Name and Number (extension), which are shared by all objects. Others are specific to the respective object type. Registration Objects
Some of the PBX objects (such as the aforementioned User object) require a VoIP endpoint to register with. With no endpoint registered, they do little or nothing. There main purpose is to pass calls to and from endpoints registered with this object.
These object types mainly differ by the call handling strategies. For example, the
Executive object will refuse to pass calls destined to the executives extension to the executives phone (as the User object would do). Instead, the call is sent to a secretary.Generally, for registration objects, calls destined to the object are passed to VoIP endpoints registered on that object.
To place a call through the PBX, any VoIP endpoint must be registered.
Multiple Registrations
Generally, when a single VoIP endpoint can register with a PBX object, multiple endpoints can do too. Depending on the object type, call handling may differ then.
If for example, multiple endpoints register with a User object, all calls placed by those endpoints are performed equally (e.g. the same calling line id is used). Calls destined to the User object's extension, will be forked, so that
each registered endpoint will receive a call setup.
.In contrast to that, when calls are placed to a
Trunk object (which implements access to a trunk line bundle), each call may be presented to one of the registered endpoints in a round robin fashion (see 
(see Self-containing Objects
However, there are other objects which fully or partly implement endpoints for a call. These objects do not necessarily require a registered endpoint to function.
For example, the
Voicemail object does not require any registration (in fact, you must not register with a voice mail object!). Instead, any call destined to the voice mail objects extension is terminated within the PBX the object is configured on itself. It can be useful to consider this when networked PBXs are designed.Protocols
During registration, each VoIP endpoint informs the PBX of the VoIP protocol it intends to use. Even multiple registrations on the same PBX object can be done using different protocols at the same time. This allows users for example, to register with H.323 and SIP phones simultaneously.
Interworking
When a SIP-endpoint calls an H.323 endpoint or vice versa, the PBX will translate the two signaling protocols used. Both endpoints are unaware of the protocol the other end is using.
Relay
maintain individual registrations to the PBX for each interface. This way, the interfaces are seen as standard VoIP endpoints from the PBX.
for each interface. This way, the interfaces are seen as standard VoIP endpoints from the PBX.Routing Table
routing table provides a very powerful mechanism to configure the call routing depending on the called and calling party numbers, as well as the interfaces involved. Many call properties, such as calling and called party numbers can be manipulated as well. Call alternatives can be implemented, for example to fall back to an emergency trunk line when your standard trunk line is not available. Special Interfaces
Session Border Controller/SIP Trunk Access
2 parallel VoIP registrations, one to the 
, one to the SIP provider and one to the PBX. The SIP provider registration is then treated just like any physical interface.Virtual Interfaces
virtual interfaces. Calls to these will be terminated locally in the relay. TEST, ECHO, TONE
Webmedia
retrieve the media stream played to the caller from a (possibly remote) web server. Custom music on hold or announced played in IVR type situations can thus be provided by customers on a web server (either an innovaphone gateway with CF card or a standard web server such as IIS or Apache).
played to the caller from a (possibly remote) web server. Custom music on hold or announced played in IVR type situations can thus be provided by customers on a web server (either an innovaphone gateway with CF card or a standard web server such as IIS or Apache).Conferencing Engine
conferencing engine (CONF) that provides voice mixing and video switching capabilities for a number of calls (currently up to 60, depending on the gateway used). Fax
fax interfaces. It works similar to the Webmedia interface, it retrieves/stores a file via HTTP and converts it to a T.38 fax call. Audio FAX support.TEXT
IBM Watson. If you need to know which gateway platform has which features, you can either look at the data sheets in DHCP
Client
standard and vendor specific options are understood. This allows for a very convenient way of specifying site specific configuration options, especially to telephones. Those would be specified as DHCP (vendor) options in the local DHCP servers configuration.Server
DHCP options. This is usually much easier to configure. support only innovaphone devices. This allows an innovaphone DHCP server to coexist with an existing DHCP server infrastructure.Reverse Proxy
separated from the PBX and moved to the DMZ or 
and moved to the DMZ or running on the PBX device itself. 
device itself. Application Platform
IP0013 (in this case it runs on the second processor core available in these gateways) or as a virtual machine on VMware, Hyper-V or Proxmox/KVM.