On Monday 05 September 2005 13:18, Ray Payne wrote: > I need to start with the analog cards in the first location since it's a > two line office, one coming from Bell, one coming from Vonage. T1 won't be > optional until the first small office has a proven track record with the > Asterisk server. If I need to go with the 2 FXO / 2 FXS configuration is > Digium the best hardware to run with?
I find Asterisk works MUCH better with digital PSTN interfaces than analog; there's just far less to go wrong. I certainly don't forsee anything blindingly wrong with the TDM22B you'll need for two FXS, two FXO but don't expect ot be able to interface with the telco call waiting/answer/3way at all. (I'm not sure if you're planning on doing that, but a lot of people think * can, and it can't do it very well at all.) Asterisk is a PBX, not an answering machine; it expects to be providing those services. > The other thing I'm doing is running this as a voicemail system for a > Nortel 3x8 KSU. My planning has been on using services on the system > through an ATA adapter since I only had an analog modem on the PC for > testing. I can't find a digital adapter that would allow more complete > integration. Has anyone found a better way to integrate Asterisk for > voicemail since it won't be replacing the Meridian system at least in the > short term? Jim might have a quicker/better answer but I wasn't aware that the old 3x8 had a voicemail interface at all. (i.e. no real way to pass off a call or indicate message waiting). You can do MWI with a MICS and an ATA bu tit's not real great. > <snip> > What's wrong with whiteboxes? Seriously? > <snip> > As for why not white boxes, just not the one I bought for testing. I don't > mind branded servers or just branded components. I won't run a $250 > (complete minus monitor) bargain basement test system as a production > machine though. Call me paranoid. :) So have a second $250 bargain basement system on the shelf ready to replace it when something goes wrong. Seriously. :-) If * works well with the bargain-basement system it means that the bargain-basement system's PCI interface and general design work well with what the Asterisk hardware is expecting. That's a lot easier said than done, so generally speaking if you find a motherboard that works well with *, stick with it. -A.
