[alexdds]

I installed asterisk@home successfully.
But all I have is an empty box.
Just browsing through the web interface it looks very complicated yet powerful.
I had no idea that asterisk takes over the whole pc and you could not use linux on it for other stuff. I am new to linux as well.
Anyway how does one set this thing up?
ie does it need static ip or dhcp is ok does it need to be IMZ in the router?
What I want to use it for is the following.
At work I have a simple analog PBX. (Voodavi) I would really like to cut down the expenses on my phone bill and add some extra features available in asterisk. Currently I have 3 PSTN lines 1 DSL 2 business lines with a hunt between the two which gets forwarded to another number supplied by SBC for voicemail. I've meanwhile added a broadvoice account that I carry from home to work which I plug into the PBX so that I can make outbound calls. I've instructed my staff to use this number for outgoing calls except 411 and 911.
What I would like to do is dump the voicemail service and 1 of the PSTN lines from the phone company leaving the dsl for credit card processing, outbound fax, dsl/VOIP, and 1 main PSTN line for incoming calls.
I would like asterisk to pick this line up with automated attendant and other FWD lines do a hunt outputing to my sipura 2100 which is connected to my PBX CO1, CO2 and if not answered forward to asterisk voicemail.
For outbound calls I want to use BV and the PSTN line from the analog PSTN.
The last part is kind of flexible and I may need additional hardware or rearange the set-up. Problem is I am so new to Asterisk that it is hard to work out the details.
If I could get some pointers and sample instructions to try it will help in getting me more familiar with asterisk.
Your help is very much appreciated.

[iltaraho]

Originally Posted by alexdds

I had no idea that asterisk takes over the whole pc and you could not use linux on it for other stuff. I am new to linux as well.

I am new to Asterisk myself so I can't address most of your questions. I have not dealt with the pre-roled Asterisk@home but in my setup I still get to the linux command line. The distribution you installed probably only installs the minimal Linux packages. So you probably do not have KDE or Gnome interface. If the console is locked in an Asterisk administration mode then use a virtual console to get a login prompt. Press Ctrl-Alt-F1 (or F1 to F6) to get a virtual console. This will take you to a command line login prompt. Press Ctrl-Alt-F7 to return to the main console screen.

[MillsapsPE]

It is the belief of most Asterisk users (that I've read about) that your Asterisk box should only be doing Asterisk and nothing else... Particularly for a business. Call quality is typically a big deal when in a business environment. If your * box is peforming double duties as web server, file server, whatever, that increases your chances of poor call quality.

I highly recommend you read the Asterisk@Home Handbook found at http://asteriskathome.sourceforge.net/

It is best to at least assign it an internal static IP address, or if available, assign it a public IP address. Yes, you may have to have your router forward certain ports (i.e. 5060) to your Asterisk IP address.

If all your calls come into your * box, then you won't need the SBC voicemail service. Unless, you exceed your call capacity. i.e. If you have 2 lines that are being used and 3rd call tries to come in, the 3rd call will never reach your * box, but it should go to the SBC voicemail.

I'm a little confused about your existing setup (3 PSTN lines 1 DSL 2 business lines) so I can't comment on possible alternative solutions.

[alexdds]

these do not do much
after the computer turns on it is expecting an asterisk username and password.
I really like to get something working so I can learn more.
I tried setting up a trunk and extension for FWD and configuring x-ten
but I am not having much luck. the x-ten is not registering says contact administrator which is me. I do not even know what is a trunk.
I would hardly say that asterisk could be setup by a newbee in a few hours. It's 2 days already and I am still experimenting. The instructions are not very clear in the handbook perhaps the handbook I have is for a different version I do not know it came with the package. Also the instructions on the FWD site are different and require editing various files. I found the place where I can get access to these filed but I am not finding the sections that need editing. Also it is not clear which set of instructions I should follow. I have no idea how some people here know so much about asterisk, its almost like you need to take a class in it to get it running.

[pauldy]

You have a lot going on there. First processing voice for phone calls is meant for more of a real time processing environment where operations complete in a set amount of time. In a multithreaded environment such as linux you can use it for much more than just asterisk. However, using an * box for anything other than * is not recommended as it slows the machine down adding what can amount to significant lag to the calls. You should dedicate a box to your asterisk setup for this reason as even fast machines can suffer from various device io slowdowns that will effect the overall performance. This is the methodology adopted by AAH as well.

You would be better off using a static ip address as it will eliminate many issues that I'm not going into here. A dynamic IP will work but is not proffered.

A good place to start would be www.voip-info.org they have a lot of resources dedicated to asterisk configurations and a lot of sample config files. Asterisk at home greatly simplifies the process using a nice graphical interface but having at the least a rudimentary understanding of what is under the hood will help you out a lot. If all else fails you can always outsource the planning and configuration of your setup and the investment will pay for itself by reducing office expenses in a very short period of time.

[alexdds]

can I have asterisk use a different port other that 5060? since I also have a sipura adaptor that I believe is using the same port.
also how do I change these ports in asterisk?

[pauldy]

You can change it in /etc/asterisk/sip.conf although I'm not sure if that would be causing you issues.

[alexdds]

OK I got the x-ten to register and it shows logged in but when I dial it says call not accepted.
(I switched via netconfig to local static IP and entered my dsl provider's name server IP. )
Looks like I'm getting closer and the rest of the config problem is in asterisk.
Also on the x-ten do I need to have anything in the outbound proxy or is it supposed to be blank?

[mberlant]

You're already starting to make progress. You still may not believe it, but the handbooks, forums, and lists are the best paths to success.

First, about ports. As a rule, if you have a router that is not Symmetric NAT the only reason to ever manually forward ports through that router is to properly router unsolicited inbound packets. Registrations come in unsolicited from your various extensions to your Asterisk, so this must be provided for. Your Sipura, on the other hand, only has outbound sessions, registering and interacting with the service provider(s) it is configured for. Incoming calls to your Sipura are, in the eyes of your router, responses from your conversation with your service provider, and are negotiated automatically by the vast majority of NAT routers.

You are smart to get your X-Lite working first. Get it registering reliably and get it making calls to the demo IVR. Then, get a second computer working with X-Lite and start making calls between the two computers. Then, a free service like FWD or SIPphone, and then on to the real world.

As for outbound proxy on your X-Lite, it should not make a difference if it is present or absent. Asterisk is flexible, if nothing else.

Good luck.