---
title: PBXs
section: features
updated: '2026-08-05'
summary: 'PBXs are private telephone systems managed through the partner portal, each belonging to a partner and containing its own users, extensions, and telephony settings.'
---

> A **PBX** is a private telephone system provisioned through the partner portal, scoped to a single partner and independently administered by its own admin user.

## Overview

Each PBX belongs to a partner (distributor or reseller) and holds its own users, extensions, and telephony configuration. Distributors see PBXs across all their resellers, resellers see only their own. Creating a PBX also sets up its initial admin user, and the sign-in action opens that PBX admin panel directly without needing the admin credentials.

## Activating Tempus

The **Tempus** tab on a PBX turns the time and attendance module on or off for that PBX. Activating it is two steps in one place: switch **Tempus activated** on, then pick the users who should be able to use it - the selected users receive the HR role, and only users with that role can open Tempus.

Switching Tempus off asks what should happen to the HR role: keep it on the users who have it (they simply lose access while Tempus is off), or remove it from every user of the PBX. Either way, the role alone never grants access while Tempus is deactivated.

## Linking existing PBXs

Resellers whose account is enabled for bulk linking get a **Find and link existing PBXes** button on
the PBX list. It opens a page with two ways to claim a PBX that already exists in the system.

**Search by instance name.** Paste or type at least two characters of an instance name. Every PBX
whose instance name contains that fragment is listed (up to 50), each with its current status:

- *Will assign* - the PBX belongs to no partner yet. The **Link** button assigns it to you.
- *Already on this reseller* - nothing to do.
- *Owned by another partner* - there is no Link button. The owning partner is not named, on either
  path. Taking a PBX away from another partner is only possible through the CSV path below, which
  asks you to confirm each reassignment individually.

**Bulk-link from a CSV.** Upload a comma-separated file whose header contains an `instance_name`
column. The preview screen groups every row by the same statuses, counts what will change, and lets
you tick the PBXs currently owned by another partner that you want reassigned. Nothing is written
until you confirm on that screen.

## See also

- [Resellers](partner_resellers.md) - distributors can assign a PBX to a specific reseller.
- [Customers](partner_customers.md) - optionally link a PBX to a customer record.
- [Team](partner_team.md) - the sign-into-PBX permission is managed on team member roles.

```yaml fields
name:
  label: Name
  tab: General
  hint: 'Display name of the PBX, shown in lists and the PBX admin panel.'
instance_name:
  label: 'Instance name'
  tab: General
  hint: 'Unique technical identifier for the PBX. Set during creation and cannot be changed afterwards.'
trunk_username:
  label: 'Trunk username'
  tab: General
  hint: 'SIP trunk username for this PBX. Defaults to the instance name if left empty.'
customer_id:
  label: Customer
  tab: General
  hint: 'Customer this PBX belongs to. Only customers in your organization are shown.'
partner_id:
  label: Reseller
  tab: General
  hint: 'Reseller this PBX is assigned to. Only visible for distributors.'
manual_server_selection:
  label: 'Manual server selection'
  tab: General
  hint: 'When on, you pick the deployment server. When off, the system assigns the least loaded server automatically.'
server_id:
  label: Server
  tab: General
  hint: 'Server to deploy this PBX on, showing current load (PBXs, users, devices). Leave empty to auto-assign.'
admin_first_name:
  label: 'Admin first name'
  tab: General
  hint: 'First name of the initial PBX admin user.'
admin_last_name:
  label: 'Admin last name'
  tab: General
  hint: 'Last name of the initial PBX admin user.'
admin_email:
  label: 'Admin email'
  tab: General
  hint: 'Email address for the initial PBX admin user. Used to log into the PBX admin panel.'
admin_password:
  label: 'Admin password'
  tab: General
  hint: 'Password for the initial PBX admin user. Minimum 8 characters.'
tempus_active:
  label: 'Tempus activated'
  tab: Tempus
  hint: 'Turns the Tempus time and attendance module on or off for this PBX. When off, nobody on this PBX can open Tempus.'
tempus_users:
  label: 'Choose users with HR role so they can access Tempus'
  tab: Tempus
  hint: 'The selected users receive the HR role. Without that role a user cannot access Tempus.'
tempus_deactivation_mode:
  label: 'What should happen to the HR role?'
  tab: Tempus
  hint: 'When deactivating Tempus, either keep the HR role on the users who have it, or remove it from every user of this PBX.'
```