asterisk users - Jul 2005 - Systems Admin; Telecom Newbie - What do I need?

Hi, folks. I am planning on implementing Asterisk in 2006, and need  
to budget for it now, so I need to know what I'll need to get. My  
company has about 50 users, and is currently languishing on a very  
old Comdial PBX. All of our client computers are Macs; our servers  
are mostly OS X, with a couple Debians and a Red Hat.

I am thoroughly experienced at systems administration, and can figure  
out most everything I need on the computer hardware and software  
side, but I am a complete telecom newbie and get lost when trying to  
figure out what else I will need.

Here's what I think I need:
- A server, running Debian Linux or OS X (our preferred operating  
systems here)
- A good network. We're on switched 100 Base-T, but will move to  
gigabit next year.
- A T1 or some dedicated channels of a T1
- Gateway PCI cards or devices (in the case of OS X, only devices I  
guess)
- VOIP phones or phone software (I'd like to use software and USB  
handsets)

Here's what I don't get:

1. How do I route between the internet and the telco network? (I said  
I was a telecom newbie, right?) I mean, if someone dials a phone  
number, what tells it to route to my gateway device? Do I need  
service from a telecom company? I need to get the phone numbers from  
somewhere, right?

2. Does my network need to be VOIP capable? I see some network  
switches which route additional layers of ethernet, including in some  
cases VOIP. Do I really need that? Or will any gigabit switches do  
the trick? If so, what's up with those VOIP switches? Is that just  
marketing? They sure cost a lot more.

3. What do I need in a T1? I currently have one T1 from Sprint, going  
into a Cisco router, which then goes to my firewall, then to my  
network. If I want, say 30 channels of another T1 for VOIP... can I  
just buy another Sprint T1? And where does additional hardware fit  
into that route in order to split out the VOIP channels from the data  
channels?

4. Do I pretty much need a vendor for implementation help, if this is  
all new to me? Or is there a path I can follow that will help me get  
through this?

5. What am I not asking that I should be? :)

Any help, input, suggestions, etc. would be welcome. (But please no  
vendor calls yet... I'm in early budgeting, and will just ignore  
vendor input until I know more.)

Thanks!

inline

On 7/12/2005, "Ed Pastore" <EPastore@ascp.com> wrote:
>Hi, folks. I am planning on implementing Asterisk in 2006, and need
>to budget for it now, so I need to know what I'll need to get. My
>company has about 50 users, and is currently languishing on a very
>old Comdial PBX. All of our client computers are Macs; our servers
>are mostly OS X, with a couple Debians and a Red Hat.
>
>I am thoroughly experienced at systems administration, and can figure
>out most everything I need on the computer hardware and software
>side, but I am a complete telecom newbie and get lost when trying to
>figure out what else I will need.
>
>Here's what I think I need:
>- A server, running Debian Linux or OS X (our preferred operating
>systems here)
>- A good network. We're on switched 100 Base-T, but will move to
>gigabit next year.
>- A T1 or some dedicated channels of a T1
>- Gateway PCI cards or devices (in the case of OS X, only devices I
>guess)
>- VOIP phones or phone software (I'd like to use software and USB
>handsets)
>
>Here's what I don't get:
>
>1. How do I route between the internet and the telco network? (I said
>I was a telecom newbie, right?) I mean, if someone dials a phone
>number, what tells it to route to my gateway device? Do I need
>service from a telecom company? I need to get the phone numbers from
>somewhere, right?
need itsp, someone who can handle sip/h323/iax traffic lots of them
about, then take ur traffic which u send out on IP and do the
termination. You can setup your own gateways in countries where u may
have alot of traffic..but in ur case I think thats overkill
>
>2. Does my network need to be VOIP capable? I see some network
>switches which route additional layers of ethernet, including in some
>cases VOIP. Do I really need that? Or will any gigabit switches do
>the trick? If so, what's up with those VOIP switches? Is that just
>marketing? They sure cost a lot more.
>
Nope, as long as it can do IP it shouldnt really need nething else. You
might want to look at routers which can do QoS so that ur voip packets
can get priority
>3. What do I need in a T1? I currently have one T1 from Sprint, going
>into a Cisco router, which then goes to my firewall, then to my
>network. If I want, say 30 channels of another T1 for VOIP... can I
>just buy another Sprint T1? And where does additional hardware fit
>into that route in order to split out the VOIP channels from the data
>channels?
USA setup not aware of, but in short all you need is something to replace
you inbound "pstn" lines, this can be analogue or digital, which one
itr is wil determine the cards you have in your asterisk
box
>
>4. Do I pretty much need a vendor for implementation help, if this is
>all new to me? Or is there a path I can follow that will help me get
>through this?
get urself asterisk@home, get a card from digium (or the other
providers), get a analogue telephone line, play with it for a few weeks,
and then look at rolling out ur full setup
>
>5. What am I not asking that I should be? :)
>
probably lots, but set up the basics and then the questions will follow
like a ranging flood.


Iqbal

Hello and welcome...

Most of what you want to know is available on the wiki located here...
http://voip-info.org/tiki-index.php

Just scroll down to the "All Things Voip" section.

Cheers,
Wiley



-----Original Message-----
From: asterisk-users-bounces@lists.digium.com
[mailto:asterisk-users-bounces@lists.digium.com] On Behalf Of Ed Pastore
Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2005 2:33 PM
To: asterisk-users@lists.digium.com
Subject: [Asterisk-Users] Systems Admin; Telecom Newbie - What do I
need?

Hi, folks. I am planning on implementing Asterisk in 2006, and need  
to budget for it now, so I need to know what I'll need to get. My  
company has about 50 users, and is currently languishing on a very  
old Comdial PBX. All of our client computers are Macs; our servers  
are mostly OS X, with a couple Debians and a Red Hat.

I am thoroughly experienced at systems administration, and can figure  
out most everything I need on the computer hardware and software  
side, but I am a complete telecom newbie and get lost when trying to  
figure out what else I will need.

Here's what I think I need:
- A server, running Debian Linux or OS X (our preferred operating  
systems here)
- A good network. We're on switched 100 Base-T, but will move to  
gigabit next year.
- A T1 or some dedicated channels of a T1
- Gateway PCI cards or devices (in the case of OS X, only devices I  
guess)
- VOIP phones or phone software (I'd like to use software and USB  
handsets)

Here's what I don't get:

1. How do I route between the internet and the telco network? (I said  
I was a telecom newbie, right?) I mean, if someone dials a phone  
number, what tells it to route to my gateway device? Do I need  
service from a telecom company? I need to get the phone numbers from  
somewhere, right?

2. Does my network need to be VOIP capable? I see some network  
switches which route additional layers of ethernet, including in some  
cases VOIP. Do I really need that? Or will any gigabit switches do  
the trick? If so, what's up with those VOIP switches? Is that just  
marketing? They sure cost a lot more.

3. What do I need in a T1? I currently have one T1 from Sprint, going  
into a Cisco router, which then goes to my firewall, then to my  
network. If I want, say 30 channels of another T1 for VOIP... can I  
just buy another Sprint T1? And where does additional hardware fit  
into that route in order to split out the VOIP channels from the data  
channels?

4. Do I pretty much need a vendor for implementation help, if this is  
all new to me? Or is there a path I can follow that will help me get  
through this?

5. What am I not asking that I should be? :)

Any help, input, suggestions, etc. would be welcome. (But please no  
vendor calls yet... I'm in early budgeting, and will just ignore  
vendor input until I know more.)

Thanks!
_______________________________________________
Asterisk-Users mailing list
Asterisk-Users@lists.digium.com
http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users
To UNSUBSCRIBE or update options visit:
   http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users

Hi Newbie,

I wonder how you could find the mailing list but NOT the wiki
at http://www.voip-info.org/tiki-index.php?page=Asterisk, that
documents a huge area of how to use Asterisk in many
scenarios.

First of all, take a week or two to read the wiki and to set up
a testing environment and try to get basic things running with
Asterisk (which means os, Asterisk installation and basic calls
between softphones...) to get knowledge of what Asterisk can
do.

i suggest you use debian because i think there are more people
using debain than using os x and maybe you will need some
help ;-)

then try to get a BRI line (Basic Rate Interface, also known as ISDN),
put a BRI interface card like Longshine LCS-8051a, which has a
HFC chipset on it that enables you to use the ZAPTEL functionality.
(http://www.voip-info.org/tiki-index.php?page=zaptelBRI)

and then, read the wiki...

reguarding the costs for the testing:
1 PC: around USD 500,-
1 BRI interface: around USD 40,-

after testing you will have to deside what to do:

- take the T1 out of the cisco and put it into your Asterisk Server
  in a PRI interface (that acts like the BRI but has 23 channels and
  not 2)
- route your traffic to your cisco and let him to the translation to
  PSTN

i would prefer the first choice, i am currenty running several
HP ProLiant DL360 Servers with Fedora Core 3 Linux with Digium's
quad PRI cards TE410P with 4 E1s (30 voice channels each). These
servers are single Xeon 2.8 GHz with 2GB of RAM which is more than
enough. in austria each of these servers is aroung USD 2400,- and
the Digium PRI card is around USD 1600,-.

reguarding your network: at worst case you will need 64kbit of
bandwidth so you can run your voice infrastructure using your
network easily without buying expensive switches from cisco
that are "VoIP capable".

this and everything else can be found by experiencing the search
button on the wiki-site...

best regards,
roland
-----Original Message-----
From: asterisk-users-bounces@lists.digium.com
[mailto:asterisk-users-bounces@lists.digium.com] On Behalf Of Ed Pastore
Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2005 11:33 PM
To: asterisk-users@lists.digium.com
Subject: [Asterisk-Users] Systems Admin; Telecom Newbie - What do I
need?

Hi, folks. I am planning on implementing Asterisk in 2006, and need  
to budget for it now, so I need to know what I'll need to get. My  
company has about 50 users, and is currently languishing on a very  
old Comdial PBX. All of our client computers are Macs; our servers  
are mostly OS X, with a couple Debians and a Red Hat.

I am thoroughly experienced at systems administration, and can figure  
out most everything I need on the computer hardware and software  
side, but I am a complete telecom newbie and get lost when trying to  
figure out what else I will need.

Here's what I think I need:
- A server, running Debian Linux or OS X (our preferred operating  
systems here)
- A good network. We're on switched 100 Base-T, but will move to  
gigabit next year.
- A T1 or some dedicated channels of a T1
- Gateway PCI cards or devices (in the case of OS X, only devices I  
guess)
- VOIP phones or phone software (I'd like to use software and USB  
handsets)

Here's what I don't get:

1. How do I route between the internet and the telco network? (I said  
I was a telecom newbie, right?) I mean, if someone dials a phone  
number, what tells it to route to my gateway device? Do I need  
service from a telecom company? I need to get the phone numbers from  
somewhere, right?

2. Does my network need to be VOIP capable? I see some network  
switches which route additional layers of ethernet, including in some  
cases VOIP. Do I really need that? Or will any gigabit switches do  
the trick? If so, what's up with those VOIP switches? Is that just  
marketing? They sure cost a lot more.

3. What do I need in a T1? I currently have one T1 from Sprint, going  
into a Cisco router, which then goes to my firewall, then to my  
network. If I want, say 30 channels of another T1 for VOIP... can I  
just buy another Sprint T1? And where does additional hardware fit  
into that route in order to split out the VOIP channels from the data  
channels?

4. Do I pretty much need a vendor for implementation help, if this is  
all new to me? Or is there a path I can follow that will help me get  
through this?

5. What am I not asking that I should be? :)

Any help, input, suggestions, etc. would be welcome. (But please no  
vendor calls yet... I'm in early budgeting, and will just ignore  
vendor input until I know more.)

Thanks!
_______________________________________________
Asterisk-Users mailing list
Asterisk-Users@lists.digium.com
http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users
To UNSUBSCRIBE or update options visit:
   http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users

You clipped the original so there are some other things that need to be
known.

How many users are being supported again?
The biggest hits to servers seems to be due to transcoding in most
cases.
Look on the wiki for an explanation of server sizing and decide based
upon how you will connect your users to dial tone.
A good bet is to figure on a dual processor machine with 1 GB (or 2 is
better at current RAM costs) of RAM, and at least 80GB HDD.  You may
want something that has drive redundancy via RAID (most would I think)
so factor that into the cost.  

How many phones do you need?
What features?  Great phones can be had for $150-200.
Do you need one line LED only?  Get the Polycom IP300.
Need multi-line?  Get the Polycom IP501. (best value in my opinion but
others are great too)

How many ports for your Gigabit network?  How many replacement NICs?
How many switches at what size?  I assume you can price that yourself?
Do you really even need this?  I think moving to Gigibit is great but
you may want to make sure you focus more on QoS enabled switches.
Plenty come in Gigabit capable and with high port density.  Linksys has
some nice managed switch at 24 ports with gigabit and QoS.

How many lines do you need to have dialing at once?
Do you need 40 hard lines?  Do you need 23 (PRI T1)?
Figure a PRI T1 at $600-800 per month (may be different in your region)

Software phones are pretty much free at this point.  USB Headsets are
around $50 for good ones from Logitech or Plantronics (my fave).

PCI cards are pretty much decided like this.  From what I have seen,
Sangoma cards require more technical savvy than Digium cards so plan on
getting some Digium cards unless you want to deal with the learning
curve.  Others may disagree but that is my opinion.  Examples of the
card costs can be seen at voipsupply.com and other places.  They make
multiport cards that support up to 4 T1s on one card if you need more
than 23 channels of voice. 

I think most of the pricing is really something you can do yourself if
you just answer the questions above and go from there.  I don't think
anyone here will be able to give you a budget number.  You will need to
start a tally sheet and go from there.  Post your numbers when you are
done and I bet someone will double check them for you.  Until then, you
need do a little more of the calculation on your own.  You don't need to
understand telecom to get this budget completed.  You just need to know
what your basic requirements are.  Answer the questions above and you
will know all of your hardware and line provisioning.  Factor in an
additional 10% for cost overrun and you should be good.  Don't forget to
add any consulting fees you feel you may need (figure a couple grand at
worst).

Hope that helps!

Cheers,
Wiley







-----Original Message-----
From: asterisk-users-bounces@lists.digium.com
[mailto:asterisk-users-bounces@lists.digium.com] On Behalf Of Ed Pastore
Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2005 10:07 AM
To: Asterisk Users Mailing List - Non-Commercial Discussion
Subject: Re: [Asterisk-Users] Systems Admin; Telecom Newbie - What do I
need?

Thanks for all the great replies. I guess I over-asked my question  
(since so many kept popping up).

For now, what I really need to determine is what I need to budget for  
a full implementation. Unfortunately, I don't have time now to do  
testing and analysis... I just need to get my budget submitted. So  
I'm trying to figure out what all I'll need to buy and budget for.  
Obviously this is pretty hard, since I understand so little about  
telecom.

So that said... Can anyone help me in determining what all I will  
need? The only thing I really need is one ballpark figure for a grand  
total cash outlay. However, it it is too low, I may be hosed. If it  
is too big, the project may be cut out of the budget. So I'd like to  
get within, say $5K of the actual expected cost.

The items I had identified in my original post were:
- A server, running Debian Linux or OS X (our preferred operating  
systems here)
- A good network. We're on switched 100 Base-T, but will move to  
gigabit next year.
- A T1 or some dedicated channels of a T1
- Gateway PCI cards or devices (in the case of OS X, only devices I  
guess)
- VOIP phones or phone software (I'd like to use software and USB  
handsets)

Are there more things I need? Or does someone have a rough estimate  
of what it costs to implement an Asterisk system in a small business?  
We have about 50 users and currently have something like 20 POTS  
lines coming into our PBX.

Thanks again.
_______________________________________________
Asterisk-Users mailing list
Asterisk-Users@lists.digium.com
http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users
To UNSUBSCRIBE or update options visit:
   http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users

Ed,

1.) I would suggest that you purchase a system from a Vendor, or that  
you use Asterisk@Home. That would allow you a much less steep  
learning curve before you get to a working system, and it would  
provide you with all of the features that you are likely to ever want.
2.) I suggest that you use the existing incoming PSTN lines for your  
asterisk system. However, you might want to work with someone who  
really understands telecom to make sure that you aren't wasting money  
on your phone/data service.
3.) You are mostly right with your assumptions on what you will need.  
You will need a server, correctly sized for your call volume, a good  
network, incoming PSTN service and an interface device to make it work.
4.) VOIP phones or software. Most people on the list seriously  
recommend using hardphones instead of softphones in an office  
environment. There have been numerous complaints about softphones and  
sound quality, etc. on this list.

As for your questions:
- Asterisk is what routes between the PSTN and the internet. However,  
to receive calls from the internet without an incoming phone line,  
you will need an internet phone provider.
- Your network does not need to be VOIP capable, but implementing QOS  
is a good idea, and  POE for hardphones is often a good idea, too.
- For a T1, your needs are very much going to depend on your call  
volume. Your Telco should privide the equipment that will split your  
voice channels from your data channels.
- using an experienced vendor might very well be a good idea, but it  
all depends on your desire to climb the learning curve and deal with  
the mishaps that will inevitably arise. Also, it depends on how  
essential your phone system is and how much you can afford to have  
"Oops" moments, etc.
- you seem to be asking the right questions. For budgeting purposes,  
I would suggest that you seriously plan on using hardphones, and  
budget accordingly. They are far superior when compared to softphones  
(in general), and remember that you most likely will get what you pay  
for. I suggest Cisco 7940G if you can afford them, they are  
excellent. Polycom is good, too, and Snom.

Please drop me a line off-list if you want to chat, I'd be happy to  
provide input.

Tom Rymes

On Jul 12, 2005, at 5:33 PM, Ed Pastore wrote:
> Hi, folks. I am planning on implementing Asterisk in 2006, and need  
> to budget for it now, so I need to know what I'll need to get. My  
> company has about 50 users, and is currently languishing on a very  
> old Comdial PBX. All of our client computers are Macs; our servers  
> are mostly OS X, with a couple Debians and a Red Hat.
>
> I am thoroughly experienced at systems administration, and can  
> figure out most everything I need on the computer hardware and  
> software side, but I am a complete telecom newbie and get lost when  
> trying to figure out what else I will need.
>
> Here's what I think I need:
> - A server, running Debian Linux or OS X (our preferred operating  
> systems here)
> - A good network. We're on switched 100 Base-T, but will move to  
> gigabit next year.
> - A T1 or some dedicated channels of a T1
> - Gateway PCI cards or devices (in the case of OS X, only devices I  
> guess)
> - VOIP phones or phone software (I'd like to use software and USB  
> handsets)
>
> Here's what I don't get:
>
> 1. How do I route between the internet and the telco network? (I  
> said I was a telecom newbie, right?) I mean, if someone dials a  
> phone number, what tells it to route to my gateway device? Do I  
> need service from a telecom company? I need to get the phone  
> numbers from somewhere, right?
>
> 2. Does my network need to be VOIP capable? I see some network  
> switches which route additional layers of ethernet, including in  
> some cases VOIP. Do I really need that? Or will any gigabit  
> switches do the trick? If so, what's up with those VOIP switches?  
> Is that just marketing? They sure cost a lot more.
>
> 3. What do I need in a T1? I currently have one T1 from Sprint,  
> going into a Cisco router, which then goes to my firewall, then to  
> my network. If I want, say 30 channels of another T1 for VOIP...  
> can I just buy another Sprint T1? And where does additional  
> hardware fit into that route in order to split out the VOIP  
> channels from the data channels?
>
> 4. Do I pretty much need a vendor for implementation help, if this  
> is all new to me? Or is there a path I can follow that will help me  
> get through this?
>
> 5. What am I not asking that I should be? :)
>
> Any help, input, suggestions, etc. would be welcome. (But please no  
> vendor calls yet... I'm in early budgeting, and will just ignore  
> vendor input until I know more.)
>
> Thanks!
> _______________________________________________
> Asterisk-Users mailing list
> Asterisk-Users@lists.digium.com
> http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users
> To UNSUBSCRIBE or update options visit:
>   http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users
>

I think one thing you may want to remember is that porting numbers to a
VoIP provider can make them EXTREMELY hard to ever port back to a normal
telco provider.  Also, if there is ever a problem with the VoIP provider
(which has been common lately) then you are in deep trouble.  For a
mission critical install, it is highly recommended that you get land
lines pulled in via whatever means meets your needs and that you use
VoIP providers only as a backup to your hardwired system.  Saving bucks
on long distance is great but betting the farm on a zystem that provides
dial tone from purely VoIP can be highly dangerous.  

My $0.02 would be to get a PRI (or 3 or whatever you need) and use VoIP
for cost savings on LD as applicable and as a backup to PRI failure.  

If you want a purely VoIP solution, you should go to an Avaya or other
hosted VoIP PBX solution because the model for Asterisk doesn't really
support hosted services.  Asterisk IS the host of your services.  You
just need to connect it to all the correct systems.

Again, just my $0.02.

W


-----Original Message-----
From: asterisk-users-bounces@lists.digium.com
[mailto:asterisk-users-bounces@lists.digium.com] On Behalf Of Sahil
Gupta
Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2005 11:38 AM
To: Asterisk Users Mailing List - Non-Commercial Discussion
Subject: Re: [Asterisk-Users] Systems Admin; Telecom Newbie - What do I
need?

Why not look at getting a provider that can port your numbers to their 
network and buying the DID's off them over VoIP?

Regards,


Sahil Gupta
VoiceValley

On Wed, 13 Jul 2005, Ed Pastore wrote:
> Thanks for all the great replies. I guess I over-asked my question
(since so 
> many kept popping up).
>
> For now, what I really need to determine is what I need to budget for
a full 
> implementation. Unfortunately, I don't have time now to do testing and
> analysis... I just need to get my budget submitted. So I'm trying to
figure 
> out what all I'll need to buy and budget for. Obviously this is pretty
hard, 
> since I understand so little about telecom.
>
> So that said... Can anyone help me in determining what all I will
need? The 
> only thing I really need is one ballpark figure for a grand total cash
> outlay. However, it it is too low, I may be hosed. If it is too big,
the 
> project may be cut out of the budget. So I'd like to get within, say
$5K of 
> the actual expected cost.
>
> The items I had identified in my original post were:
> - A server, running Debian Linux or OS X (our preferred operating
systems 
> here)
> - A good network. We're on switched 100 Base-T, but will move to
gigabit next 
> year.
> - A T1 or some dedicated channels of a T1
> - Gateway PCI cards or devices (in the case of OS X, only devices I
guess)
> - VOIP phones or phone software (I'd like to use software and USB
handsets)
>
> Are there more things I need? Or does someone have a rough estimate of
what 
> it costs to implement an Asterisk system in a small business? We have
about 
> 50 users and currently have something like 20 POTS lines coming into
our PBX.
>
> Thanks again.
> _______________________________________________
> Asterisk-Users mailing list
> Asterisk-Users@lists.digium.com
> http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users
> To UNSUBSCRIBE or update options visit:
>  http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users
>
_______________________________________________
Asterisk-Users mailing list
Asterisk-Users@lists.digium.com
http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users
To UNSUBSCRIBE or update options visit:
   http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users

Hi there,

can't resist to add a few thoughts as well...
> Hi, folks. I am planning on implementing Asterisk in 2006, and need 
> to budget for it now, so I need to know what I'll need to get. My 
> company has about 50 users, and is currently languishing on a very 
> old Comdial PBX. 
Wiley is right, don't rely fully on VoIP, keep at least some lines as 
backup. For reliable fax operation you anyway need to have the fax 
machines on PSTN/PRI. Go digitial on those telephones lines wherever you 
can, so avoid PSTN and go for ISDN PRI if you have the choice.

As others have pointed out you'll need some redundancy either by an 
entire backup server incl. T1 card, or at least by having another T1 card 
on the shelf and RAID 1 plus redundant power supply on your single 
server. A Sangoma A101 or A102 is fine, personally I'd prefer that 
compared to the Digium hardware when it comes to T1/E1 - by the way 
Digium doesn't have a 2-port card, Sangoma does (that would give you a 
little bit of headroom while you surely don't need a 4-port T1 card).

Correct me if I am wrong, but if you move to Gigabit then you can't do 
power-over-ethernet, right? Not that this is a must, but it can reduce 
your cable mess nicely and do away with them bricks.

If security is a concern for you then get some hardware phones that can 
do SRTP and SIPS (encryption). Asterisk isn't there yet, but it won't 
hurt to have phones that are. Others recommend that you run different 
networks for workstations and phones (or look at VLANs), which could give 
you the option to go for 100 Mbit/s with Pover-over-Ethernet for your 
phones (using your existing infrastructure), and Gigabit for your 
workstations. 
By the way, your Asterisk server needs a public IP address if you want to 
do VoIP over the Internet (don't place it behind NAT or sth alike). Use 
Debian, not OS-X so that you can work with Asterisk compatible PCI 
hardware.

SNOM phones are a good choice, imho these have a nicer design than the 
polycom devices. Check if you want phones that support Power-over-
Ethernet - if yes then you'll also need to get a switch with PoE or some 
kind of power injector. Don't go for softphones, neither USB phones.

Finally decide if you can live with manual PBX administration, or if you 
want/need a shiny GUI for admin and/or users. If yes, then go evaluate 
the open sourced "AMP", and if that doesn't suit you, then go for
a
commercial GUI with Asterisk behind. That will most likely bind you to 
its manufacturer also for what concerns Asterisk patches & upgrades and 
of course consulting & licensing fees.

Cheers, Philipp

Sounds like a PRI T1 will be fine for you to start with.  It offers you
23 voice channels (one channel is used for signaling).

That means you can get a single Digium T1 card for around $600 or you
can get a quad T1 card for around $220 (with echo cancellation).  If
there is no move to expand, then get the regular T1 card and save some
cash.  New equipment is always coming out so by the time you are ready
to expand there may be something new out.
Example:
http://www.voipsupply.com/product_info.php?cPath=99_103&products_id=415

The Voice T1 card is and isn't like a normal T1.  I am sure you are
thinking T1 = Internet.  Well, T1 can equal phone channels to.  In this
case, your PRI is delivering voice channels so the card will be your
server's interface to the telco side.  Once the card is connected to the
PRI T1, Asterisk will take care of routing any calls it receives from
your internal users.  It will receive the calls from the internal users
via the NIC in the server.  The NIC acts as the <user> side of this
whole shebang.  Phones or SIP/IAX devices on the same LAN as the NIC of
the server will be able to connect to the NIC via standard TC/IP address
you assign when you build the server.  Protocols are taken care of
automatically, just config the box accordingly.  Dial plans allow users
connected to your PBX to route without the user knowing squat.  The
system knows that number 18001234567 should go to the PRI and it routes
it such.  In essence, aside from being an application server (voicemail,
IVR, etc) Asterisk is also a router.  That being said, it also means
that an * box can split data and voice if configured properly.  Some T1
providers will offer you a split T1 that has 512K data for instance
along with 15 voice channels (1 channel for signaling) or whatever
permutation of the bandwidth you choose.  For ease of use, I would
recommend you stick to just voice over your T1.

So the path of a call looks like this....

User Handset --> Your Network --> NIC on * PBX --> Dial Plan on PBX
Parses --> Sends Call Out of the PRI via the T1 Card

Regarding remote access, there are several ways.  You can allow VPN into
your network then your users can connect just like they were local.  You
can use IAX protocol devices like the IAXy to connect them with an
adapter and a hard phone.  Generally speaking, if you expose a SIP port
to the internet (security caution BTW) then you can have your users
connect from anywhere.  Just remember that there are security issues.
VPN is the best method for security.  

Your numbers will come from whomever your get your PRI from.  MCI or
anyone like that can offer you something.  DIDs are really really cheap
so don't worry too much about that.  Just tell your salesman how many
you want.

T1 lines are Digital.  That says it all.  Better quality of sound
(usually) and more features with more control.  Keeping your 20 lines is
an option of course.  You would need a channel bank and a T1 card.  The
channel bank would accept the analog POTS lines and allow you to connect
your * server to it via a T1 interface.  So that would be.....

POTS Lines --> Channel Bank --> T1 Card on Asterisk Box
Example: http://www.voipsupply.com/product_info.php?products_id=922

There are PCI cards for POTS but they only support 4 lines per card.  By
the time you get to 20 lines your server will be in IRQ hell.  Better
not to deal with it.  The channel bank is a viable solution but like all
other solutions it comes at a cost for hardware.  Ease of setup and the
fact that you do not have to wait 30 days for a T1 install make it a
nice option for some though.

You can have as many DIDs as you want on a digital system line the PRI.
It works like so.  There are 23 channels.  No channel is tied to any one
particular phone number.  The information on what number is being called
is passed to the PRI which passes it along to the T1 card.  So the
channel number in use is irrelevant.  All we need to know is who is
calling and for what number.  The T1 card passes the data to Asterisk
which uses its dialing rules to decide who gets the call.  Maybe the
number in question is support so you send it to a queue.  Maybe it is
for someone's direct line so you sent it to their desk.  The options are
pretty endless.  The only catch is this....  50 DIDs does not equal 50
calls at once.  Something to remember.  Only 23 of the 50 DIDs could
ever possibly be in use at once.  Equally important, how you set your
hunt groups upstream will matter when it comes to line usage.  If you
get a lot of calls on an 800 number, setting all 23 lines as huntable
would leave you with no outward dialing if you got really busy.  That
being the case, you would set a hunt of 20 for the 800 number for
instance and leave 3 out.  That way 3 lines would be available for your
DID pool or for someone to make an outgoing call.   

BTW - I am in no way a telco expert so if I made a mistake, someone on
the list is sure to jump on it and correct me.  They always do... 8)

Cheers,
Wiley

PS.  Since this is getting quite long winded, please feel free to
contact me off list for any clarification or recommendations.  I left
this one on list some anyone could correct any errors I may have made.

Depends on what you mean by expanding your network.  Do you need a bunch
of new routers?  Probably not.  Do you need to consider port count at
every station?  Absolutely.  However, there is good news and bad news.
The good news is that most of the phones that are being recommended to
you actually have a pass through port on them so you can connect your PC
right to the phone.  So, in a situation where there is one port and one
user, you have no problem adding the phone to the scenario.  You just
connect the phone to the wall and connect the PC to the switch port on
the phone.  The bad news is that is does create a small amount of cable
clutter and it does limit the speed of the PC in question to 100Mbit. So
if you go this route, don't run out and get all new Gigi NICs for those
PCs.  They would just get pushed back down to 100Mbit once you connect
them to the phone port.  In situations where you have many users in a
room and limited ports, the cost effective method will be to just add a
switch in that room.  Make sure it is a real switch though.  Hubs are
VoIP performance killers.  If you can get new pulls in place then do so,
the benefit long term is there.  You might frame it as an upgrade to the
4 wire Cat-3 stuff you were asking about.  Cat5 is sufficient for most
cases and supports up to 100Mbit.  Go to Cat5E (Cat Five Big E as it is
known) which has a 350MHz frequency and you can support Gigi over
copper.

I would check around for bids on the cabling.  $60 a drop is very
reasonable and would put you at $3600 in cabling.  A worthwhile endeavor
if you can slide it into the budget.  If not, cautious use of local
switches can accomplish the task.  Again, look for QoS capable switches
or at the minimum CoS (Class of Service).

I doubt your Cat-3 will be of any practical use to you going into the
future.  I would have them pull it out when they install the new drops
or tuck it out of the way.

I assume your comdial phones are proprietary and connected to your
Comdial PBX.  That being the case, they probably would not be reusable
(see the Wiki).  However, you may be able to sell them off to get s few
dollars back on your upgrade.

Cheers,
Wiley

No idea on the phone ports but I doubt it as 100Mbit is sufficient and
the parts are cheap for the makers of the phones.

Not a bad switch but since you get 4 ports (one is used for connect to
wall) you may want to just up for the 8 port unless you know only two
people will use each switch.  You won't regret it.  I also prefer
Linksys for most small switches but that decision is mostly a matter of
preference and features.  Look out for duplex issues, make sure you get
FULL.  Also beware the hub as stated before.  For most Gigabit parts it
seems to be a non-worry but just to throw that out there.

Adding switches like that only offer a problem if you consider backplane
speed.  The backplane of a Netgear 5 port is not going to be as high as
that of a 24 or 40 port HP.  As example, I have a 100baseT HP 40 port
that has a 9 gig backplane so you can see how port count is important
compared to backplane bandwidth.  But since the port count is lower on
those switches, there really is less contention for the bandwidth in
most cases.  The fact that you picked a switch that honors packet
priority seems like a good step.  Other than that, as long as you are
not daisy chaining these (serial) then all should be well.  Connect one
port of you main switch to one end user switch and only one switch.
Never string one room to the next room to the next room, etc, etc.  You
may get a little bottle neck if two users on an end switch were both
pulling from an internal resource but I doubt your users will notice.

Sorry if any of that is just way to obvious and you already knew them.
I just like to throw those things out there just in case.

Cheers,
Wiley




_______________________________________________
Asterisk-Users mailing list
Asterisk-Users@lists.digium.com
http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users
To UNSUBSCRIBE or update options visit:
   http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users