Recording Solution - Need Guru Input

[FortKnox]

This is good stuff, I think you guys are gonna like my Call Recording idea.

OK, I'm all about doing stuff the effective and cheap way and I need some of you guys to help me out here.

Here is what I have done, and later I'll explain what I need.

I've built an Asterisk server with an 8-port analog card in it. Each port of course is a different extension. I created 8 analog lines on the Avaya that I feed into each port on the Asterisk server. I programmed each extension on the Asterisk server to pick up as soon as it rings and start recording, it then saves the file to a server. On my Avaya R11, I created a hunt group and put those 8 extensions in it. On the Avaya phones I programmed a Audix-rec button, and it points to the hunt group with the 8 extensions in it. This solution works great for the department that needed it! They love it, they can record, the files are ultra, ultra small, and they can retrieve them via web page.

The previous solution allows for user initiated recording, which meets the needs of that department.

OK, now here is what I need:

Now, a different department wants to record ALL calls for about 8 agents, the manager wants the record to be automatic and doesn't want the user to initiate the recording, she simply just wants all calls recorded on the 8 extensions. I'm perplexed as to how to accomplish this without installing one of those ugly in-line adapters and then feeding it to a recording device or back to the agents sound card and recording the line all the time. So here is what I am thinking and I need you guru's to tell me if you think this will work....

Build another Asterisk server with another 8-port analog card in it. Feed 8 analog stations from the Avaya to the 8-port analog card on the Asterisk server. Create 8 SIP extensions on the Asterisk server. Kick up 8 SIP softphones on a pc/server. From the SIP softphone, dial the service observe feature access code and the extension of the agent, and press record on the SIP softphone.

How does that sound? Makes sense in my brain, but I havent done a proof of concept yet.

Here are some things I'll need to determine:
(1) Are there any freeware SIP softphones that can record?
(2)How can I kick up 8 SIP softphones all with different extensions on the same computer?
(3) How can I avoid having to record 24/7? Automate the SIP softphone to kick up, dial, and record via Windows scheduler?
(4) How can I avoid having to record silence?


FYI, I have complete documentation on the first solution I created...hardware used, software used, and line-by-line procedures for installing Asterisk and setting up to accomplish the task. If you're interested in it, just send me a message and I'll provide it.

 

[busster]

Connect all incoming / outgoing lines to your Asterisk server, and then pass the call onto your Definity.

Connected a customers IPOffice to an Asterisk being used as a predictive dialer. Span was connected to Asterisk, once the call was ringing, it would transfer the call to IPOffice via a T-1 connection. Asterisk can be setup to record in/out/all/ondemand.

As for SIP softphones, X-Lite makes a nice one, but the recordings are kept local. I would recommend X-Lite and AstAssistant. This gives a record button on their desktop GUI.

 

[dufus2506]

You might try having the 8 ports service observe the stations.

Have the incoming call (by softphone?) trigger a call-file that includes the service observe feature access code, and the station that you want to record.

When the call ends, have the sip station trigger the asterisk box to end the service observe session.

Alternatively, (and this is how I'd do it) you could have the 8 stations come through the Asterisk box. Each analog station would be adapted to the user through a SIP station or ATA.

Using IP agent to control the individual Avaya PBX analog lines (that are the actual acd stations) have the Asterisk box record any audio that's passed to the agent stations associated with the incoming Asterisk channel.

If you can figure out how to trigger a call-file, you'd have a better solution. Your station users wouldn't have to learn anything new. And you could easily expand the system to record other calls on other stations too.

But the second option would be a lot easier to make work.

Carpe dialem! (Seize the line!)

 

[FortKnox]

It works!

I didn't need a SIP softphone with record capability afterall.

On the Asterisk extension I set it to "Record outgoing always"

From the SIP softphone I dial the service observe fac and the service observed station. The recording starts on the Asterisk server.

The only downside is that the recording will just grow and grow and grow. I need something that, at minimum, starts and stops the softphone and automatically dials the number between business hours. I am using X-Lite Beta 4.0 SIP softphone.

 

[busster]

The problem with this is you get one large file per observed station. If you were to have the incoming/out Asterisk trunk point toward stations on the Definity, and Definity point toward Asterisk for outgoing calls then recordings would automatically be generated. Easily sorted by date/time and station.

 

[FortKnox]

I tested Orecx using a sip phone on the pc...it worked great b/c I end up with a nice timestamped audio file on the pc for each individual call.

I think the next thing I will test is daisy chaining an Avaya IP phone off my pc and testing Orecx that way - supposedly it will work with H.323 phones. If that works, then I'll just install Orecx which runs as a service on all 8 pcs, switch their phones to IP and be done with it.

This seems like the most trouble-free route eh?

 

[busster]

It has been a while since I looked at Oreka. Last I looked this sits on the Asterisk server and runs, then provides a web interface for the end user to find recorded conversations.

I just never saw the benefit of using this over what is already in Trixbox/Asterisk? The user interface already allows the extension user to review recorded conversations and can be set to record all. I set up a IPOffice for a small law firm and they ended up putting USBRecorder on their sets. Sits between handset and phone base with a USB cable to PC. The advantage of this product is it allows the end user to add notes to the recorded conversation file, allowing it to be easier to be found in the future.

 

[FoneFun]

Hey CaNiBuS, I haven't been here for a while and stumbled onto this thread of yours. Do you have the Avaya CTI server?

If you do, with your CTI server, create an app that monitors the stations you want recorded. Once you detect that there is a call, initiate service observe or single step conference to the Avaya station that has the Asterisk port. On the Asterisk, use Record and record to a time-stamped file name. When the call is over, Avaya will hang up the line, and your recording will stop.

We are doing this now for a small number of agents as a pilot project. Before, our in house CTI app would record the agent call using the station's sound card, encoded to MP3 mono 16k to make it really really small.