Asterisk Manager Interface (AMI) Overview

The Asterisk Manager Interface (AMI) is a monitoring and management channel built into Asterisk. Cloud Voice exposes AMI so that an external client can connect to your phone system and interact with it programmatically.

What AMI does

AMI follows a client/server model that runs over TCP. A client program opens a connection to the server and then exchanges data across the TCP/IP stream: it can send commands and read a stream of events as they happen. Through this interface you can drive your phone system (its PBX, short for Private Branch Exchange) in a number of ways, including:

• Placing (originating) calls
• Checking voicemail (mailbox) status
• Monitoring extensions
• Managing other aspects of the PBX

Connect a client to Cloud Voice over AMI

Connecting involves two parts: turning on AMI in the management portal and defining who may reach it, then pointing your client at the details Cloud Voice generates.

Step 1: Enable AMI

1. Sign in to the management portal and go to Integrations > AMI.

2. Turn on AMI.

3. Under the AMI section, set the credentials a third party will use to authenticate:

   • Username: the account name the external client presents to reach AMI.
   • Password: the secret that pairs with the username.

   Caution

   AMI can control your phone system: it can place calls, read mailbox and extension status, and manage the PBX. Anyone who knows these credentials and can reach the AMI port effectively controls your system, which is a toll-fraud risk. Use a long, unique username and password, and keep the Permitted IP list (Step 4) as narrow as possible.

4. Under the Permitted IP section, restrict which clients are allowed to connect:

   1. In the IP Address field, click Add.

   2. Enter a single address or a range that should have access, using the format XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX.

      For example, IP address 216.207.245.47 with subnet mask 255.255.255.255 permits only the host at 216.207.245.47 to reach the phone system through AMI.

      Note

      You can define up to 4 permitted IP addresses.

5. Click Save, then Apply.

   Cloud Voice now shows the Server Address and Port on the page. These values are assigned by the system and cannot be changed.

   

Step 2: Configure the AMI client

Enter the username, password, server address, and port from the previous step into your AMI client, then connect it to the phone system.