1. WIKI
2. Asterisk
3. Asterisk

Asterisk

A software based PBX, which is available for Linux, MacOSX and BSD, features all the whistles, bells and rings you can expect form a PBX. Asterisk is supporting some protocols of voice over IP, and it is also compatible with the most telephony standards and it does not require a high tech expensive hardware to run. A number of advantages and disadvantages are shown here below.

Asterisk? What it really is?

Asterisk is a full scale call processing server as well an open source toolkit for telephony applications and it can be easily added to an operating PBX and Asterisk VoIP system, or it can be setup as a separate system. Besides redirecting phone calls through IP, it can be connected to Time Division Multiplexing hardware. Actually, it is a Computerized Telephony Integration or simply CTI platform, with VoIP input and output channels.
Here are some of the advantages
• It is open source software and it is free to download, making its low cost one of the main advantages. • One can review all the features supported on its website. And it is worth to point out such features as call queuing, conference bridge, call monitoring, voice mails • The program has its own IAX protocol, and it also supports H.323, SIP, MGCP, and SCCP allowing you to use SIP phones and Cisco Skinny clients. • It also works with traditional telephone technologies. • Additionally, it can work with conventional analog phone systems, including the interfaces that deliver and receive regular PSTN services, such as Foreign Exchange Office and Foreign Exchange Station. • There is a number advantages setting up IAX protocol over SIP when connection must be reached using Network Access Translating (NAT) devices. For signaling and media IAX uses UDP, but not Real Time Transport Protocol (RTP), it results in reduced overhead and allows sending more calls via the link. And only one port is employed (4569)
Disadvantages
• A slight drawback is its complexity, which in theory can reduce the reliability of the telephone system. Nevertheless, some features, will make it reliable, and the system will not just crash because of one phone out of order. • One more drawback is the required time to apprehend the new procedures in order to route calls in-between phones. • And one more: Yet another: since Asterisk cannot make out which person the phone call is, the incoming calls don’t get redirected to the desired person. A probable solution might be a form of an interactive menu, though this it can be a drawback. The other way to solve it would be routing the caller to a specific caller id based extension.

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