To create a Class of Service, you must first enter a Class of Service name. This name cannot contain spaces, but dashes and underscores are allowed. Next, enter a Description for easier search-ability.

Afterward, it is just a matter of selecting the Feature Category, Dial Restriction, and Route Selection you have created previously. Notice that it is not completely necessary to add the three of these to a Class of Service, as you also have the option to allow All Feature Categories, No Dialing Restrictions, and All Routes. In fact, the default All Permissions Class of Service or CoS has these unrestrictive permissions.

The last thing you can enable in a Class of Service is the Private option. With the Private option, you can restrict internal communication to only extensions and modules that use this Class of Service. So only if you have this Class of Service assigned, you will be able to dial other extensions or modules that use this same Class of Service. You can white-list other extensions or modules by adding other Classes of Service to the Allowed Calls By field.

So any extension or module that has a Class of Service declared in the allowed calls by field will be able to dial extensions or module that has this Class of Service. Remember to Save and Apply Changes.

You can now use this Class of Service in any extension or module that requires one. If you add this Class of Service now to a registered extension, you will notice that the rules we have applied will be effective.

Everything in the left column is what you have available, and everything on the right is what is enabled. You can create as many categories as you need. You can click on Add or Remove All to move everything in a column to the other side. There is also a search bar to search for specific features. Then, remember to Save and Apply Changes.

Dialing restriction rules can easily become very powerful and specific. First, you must enter a Description to identify the rule. Next, we have the Outbound Restriction Rules. These are rules for all calls going through a Trunk. To create the rule you can enter a Pattern and you can use the same variables as the ones we saw in the Outbound Routes lesson. Then, you can select if it is Allowed to dial the pattern.

Optionally, you can play back an Announcement when someone dials this pattern. This announcement is a custom audio you upload. We will see more on how you can do that later. You can enter a Max Duration in seconds for how long someone can call the dialed pattern, and whether or not you Play the Max Duration Time.

Finally, you can choose if the extension’s Feature Password is needed to be able to dial the rule’s pattern. You are able to add as many rules as you need to make the rule as specific as you need.

At the bottom, you get the Internal Restriction Rules. Here, you can add restrictions to internal numbering, like extension numbers, custom applications, or any code in the internal numbering plan. You can play an Announcement whenever someone with this rule in their Class of Service dials the restricted pattern. You can then Save and Apply Changes.

Additionally, if you understand Asterisk contexts, and have created a custom context that can help you with advanced dialing restrictions, you can declare the context in the Custom Rules Context field.

And with this, you now have a set of rules to control where anyone with these rules in the Class of Service is able to dial. You can restrict international calling or maybe long distance. Maybe you want to restrict the ability to dial the Boss extension completely. Maybe you have a Hotel that allows calling the front desk, but not other rooms. Or you might want to separate the Call Center agent and the management extensions so they cannot call each other. The rules you create will vary depending on how to wish to control the flow of the calls.

You can use authorization codes to change the class of service to a more permissive one. To create the authorization code, go to PBX > Class of Service > Authorization Codes.

First, enter what the Code will be. This can be comprised of numbers and the star (*) symbol.

Next, add an Alias, which can be anything of your liking. The alias is used for security reasons, where instead of the security code the alias will appear in the CDR (Call Detail Records.)

Afterward, add a Description to easily search for the authorization code, select the Class of Service this code will use, and Enable it. Save and Apply Changes.

To use the Authorization Code, from an extension that has a restrictive Class of Service applied dial the code *79. This will prompt you to enter the authorization code. Enter the code we have created. Now dial the number you wish to call, and you will notice that it will allow you based on the authorization code’s Class of Service.

Customer codes can be used to identify outgoing calls in the CDR reports. To create a customer code, you must go to PBX > Class of Service > Customer Codes.

The module is self-explanatory. You just need to enter the Customer Code you are going to use, a Description to identify the customer code, and whether or not the code is Enabled. Save and Apply Changes.

To use the customer code dial from a registered extension the code *78. This will prompt you to enter the customer code. Enter the customer code you just created. Next, you will be prompted to dial the number you wish to call. Once the call is finished, this will add the Customer Code to the CDR so you can easily search for these calls. We will see more about the CDR later, but for now, this is how you can use Customer codes.

This module is a very straightforward one. First, you must enter a Description to identify the route selection. Next, we have the Route Selection Members. These are the outbound routes you want to associate with this route selection, by selecting the Outbound Route from the dropdown menu. Next, you can select a Time Group to establish a schedule of when you are going to use this route. Finally, if you want to Enable or not this route for the route selection.

You can then click on Save and Apply Changes.

We will see more about Time Groups in the next lesson, but this helps you see how to select the specific routes for a Class of Service. You can create as many route selections as you need.