asterisk users - Aug 2004 - Testing a channel's status

Hello,

I'd like to be able to see if a channel is use and handle the call 
differently if it is.  The best I can find is the command 
ChanIsAvail().  The problem is, I have an snom200 phone which does call 
waiting, so even if it is engaged in a call, a second channel is still 
available on it.  I would like to be able to differentiate between 
these two cases:  no calls engages,  or calls engaged.  Is there any 
way to do that?

Turning off call waiting on the snom200 is not an option.

Here's why I need this to work:

exten => 9,2,ChanIsAvail(SIP/6001)
exten => 9,3,Dial(SIP/6001,20)
exten => 9,103,Dial(SIP/6001&SIP/6002&SIP/6003)

So if 6001 isn't already on the phone, only their phone rings.
If 6001 is on the phone, then the call is sent to 2 other phones as 
well 6001.

Can this be done?  Is there a better way?  Thanks very much.

-Luke Cyca
Swift Current Public School Division #94

At 5:07 PM -0600 on 8/20/04, Luke Cyca wrote:
>Hello,
>
>I'd like to be able to see if a channel is use and handle the call 
>differently if it is.  The best I can find is the command 
>ChanIsAvail().  The problem is, I have an snom200 phone which does 
>call waiting, so even if it is engaged in a call, a second channel 
>is still available on it.  I would like to be able to differentiate 
>between these two cases:  no calls engages,  or calls engaged.  Is 
>there any way to do that?
>
>Turning off call waiting on the snom200 is not an option.
>
>Here's why I need this to work:
>
>exten => 9,2,ChanIsAvail(SIP/6001)
>exten => 9,3,Dial(SIP/6001,20)
>exten => 9,103,Dial(SIP/6001&SIP/6002&SIP/6003)
>
>So if 6001 isn't already on the phone, only their phone rings.
>If 6001 is on the phone, then the call is sent to 2 other phones as well
6001.
>
>Can this be done?  Is there a better way?  Thanks very much.
>
>-Luke Cyca
>Swift Current Public School Division #94
I'd suggest examining the "CheckGroup" and "SetGroup"
and
"GetGroupCount" applications, which have been discussed on this list 
before and are also on the Wiki.  I think that will do what you want 
after you think about it for a bit.

http://www.voip-info.org/tiki-index.php?page=Asterisk%20cmd%20SetGroup

JT