asterisk users - Aug 2005 - Re: [Serusers] SER IP PBX for multiple clients

Waldo,

How do you let your customers manage 'their' PBX. I too have a setup
like you. However, I installed a * server for each customer, via
vserver. I'd like to now what kind of software/webbased package you use
for this.

I also have SER installed as a front-end server for the * servers. But,
as I'm still not very into SER, don't know exactly how this fits in.
Should I use SER only as proxy, or also as a registrar server (with the
same problems as you describe)?

Hope someone at this list is able to help us! 

Regards,
Ronald

-----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
Van: asterisk-users-bounces@lists.digium.com
[mailto:asterisk-users-bounces@lists.digium.com] Namens Waldo Rubinstein
Verzonden: woensdag 24 augustus 2005 17:28
Aan: Iqbal
CC: SER User Mailing List Mailing List; Asterisk Users Mailing List -
Non-Commercial Discussion
Onderwerp: [Asterisk-Users] Re: [Serusers] SER IP PBX for multiple
clients

lqbal,

I do plan on having alot of users. Two markets I'm trying to get some
volume users from are: residential consumers and business users.  
Residential consumers should get basic line services such as their own
DID, voicemail, caller-id, call-waiting, three-way calling, and
basically, all the standard features you get from companies like Vonage,
etc. This particular market base will have a higher volume than business
users.

Business users will get everything residential consumers get, plus
additional features. Features such as, automated attendant, extension-
to-extension calling, company directories, etc.

I guess I would need to have SER and Asterisk work in tandem. Now, what
should be the correct approach in assigning responsibilities to both SER
and Asterisk respectively? Should SER be used strictly as proxy to
Asterisk, may be also registrar, and NAT helper, and then have Asterisk
handle all the calling plans, features, enhanced services and SER will
simply forward everything to Asterisk? Can you or someone advise as to
what would be the more robust/scaleable architecture to deploy this?
Needless to say, it is imperative that I get proper CDR from either one
or both systems in order for me to properly bill our users. I don't know
which of the two platforms has a more robust/customizable call logging
facility.

I took the liberty of cross-posting to the Asterisk list in order to get
some of their feedback as well.

Thanks,
Waldo

On Aug 23, 2005, at 6:49 AM, Iqbal wrote:
> Um..no actually I am saying you could combine both, but that will only
> help if you have alot of users. I guess you could direct calls to a 
> particular sip client, ut normally when ser and asterisk work in 
> tandem, all calls from SER hit one section of sip.conf, and hence can 
> only be pointed to one context, you can get around this by including 
> contexts from this default one, which is what I do, based upon a mysql
> lookup, but then you will have problems in call pickup, because all 
> pickup is not context based, again there is a solution to this, if you
> look at bristuff patch for asterisk.
>
> If you dont have many users stick with ust asterisk, if you want to 
> scale you may need to kludge something with ser and asterisk, and this
> might be easy or hard depending on exacly what you require, and call 
> scenarios.
>
> Iqbal
>
> Waldo Rubinstein wrote:
>
>
>> The way I manage this in Asterisk is every SIP UA has a unique login
>> but in different contexts. I suppose that if SER directs a call to  
>> Asterisk to the specific SIP client, Asterisk will recognize it  
>> belongs to a different context. The question is, I don't know if
SER
>> knows about multiple contexts under the premise of the Asterisk 
>> world.
>>
>> Also, I get the feeling you are pretty much telling me to stick to  
>> Asterisk :) Is that so?
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Waldo
>>
>> On Aug 22, 2005, at 3:26 PM, Iqbal wrote:
>>
>>
>>> Hi
>>>
>>> If you are already using multiple contexts within asterisk, then   
>>> your already half way there, the problem is if you stick in SER,   
>>> bcause then  your phones are not registered in asterisk, hence all
>>> fall into the same context in sip.conf, which means they all  will
>>> hit  one context in extensions.conf, hence you should look into 
>>> that.
>>>
>>> I am not sure if you can do the 101/102 extension thing in   
>>> asterisk, since aliases will be bound to a contact, whereas in   
>>> asterisk the context is also part of the dialing plan.
>>>
>>> DID can be done, as can forking and directing to voicemail on no   
>>> answer.
>>>
>>> Iqbal
>>>
>>> Waldo Rubinstein wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> Hello,
>>>>
>>>> I'm still trying to learn more about SER. I've been
using Asterisk
>>>> to  manage virtual PBX services for different companies by
using
>>>> multiple  contexts within Asterisk. However, since I only use  
>>>> Asterisk with SIP  UAs and to communicate with ITSPs, I
don't have
>>>> the need to have all  the fancy features Asterisk offers, plus
I
>>>> have the additional  advantage of having the built-in NAT
support
>>>> in SER.
>>>>
>>>> The question  I have is if someone can point me to the right   
>>>> place  where I can see some sample configs that do more or less
>>>> the things I  need or if someone would be willing to share some
of
>>>> those configs on  the list.
>>>>
>>>> Basically, I need to have the ability to manage any number of
>>>> virtual  PBX services where each virtual entity can manage
their
>>>> own extension  numbering, DIDs, outbound CLID. I would probably
>>>> just continue using  Asterisk for voicemail services since I
get
>>>> the feeling that SEMS is  still "unstable" to go into
production,
>>>> even for voicemail services  only (unless told otherwise).
>>>>
>>>> The idea is that even if two companies define two extensions
>>>> 101  and  two extensions 102, when each company calls ext 101
or
>>>> 102   internally, the call will be maintained within that  
>>>> company and  would  not cross over to the other company. Also, 
>>>> having features  like one  main number (DID) that could ring in
>>>> multiple  extensions  simultaneously (forking) and if no one 
>>>> answers, leave  a message in  the general mailbox, or that each
>>>> extension could  have, additionally,  a DID so that they can be
>>>> reached directly  from the outside.
>>>>
>>>> Any help would be greatly appreciated.
>>>>
>>>> Thanks,
>>>> Waldo
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> Serusers mailing list
>>>> Serusers@iptel.org
>>>> http://mail.iptel.org/mailman/listinfo/serusers
>>>>
>>>> .
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>> .
>>
>
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