asterisk users - Oct 2003 - SER versus Asterisk for WAN SIP Phones

I have researched the topic and would be interested to see the "theory
versus practice" of using Asterisk versus Asterisk with SER to handle SIP
to
SIP and SIP to PSTN calls.
Config:
1) SIP  ---- NAT -----  Internet ------ SER -----   Internet ----- NAT ----
SIP   (i.e. no Asterisk in the picture for SIP to SIP calls)
2) PSTN (phone call) ----  Asterisk (via SIP) ------ SER   (i.e. any time
traffic is to be sent/received to/from PSTN, use Asterisk as GW)

Both SER and ASTERISK are in the same LAN.
Anybody with experience in this type of set up willing to share war stories?
Would this configuration help those members of this list complaining
Asterisk is dropping registered Budgetone/SIP phones?

Regards,
Uriel
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL:
http://lists.digium.com/pipermail/asterisk-users/attachments/20031008/b11ff90c/attachment.htm