asterisk users - Apr 2006 - confused about iax and voip providers termination

Hey guys, 
I'm actively trying to get the "big" picture on how all this works
and
relates to each other.
I've gone through some basic examples from the book and from the sample
files just fine.
Now, I've setup an account with a VOIP provider which does IAX termination
(exgn.net)

After getting an account and following their steps, I can make calls out
using my IAX (cubix) and Sip (Xlite) phones.
However, I'm a bit confused on the purpose on how my box asterisk box is
involved. I completely turned off my Asterisk box, and made a call out using
either of my softphones and I was successful. So I gathered that the entire
point of "iax termination" is solely for INBOUND calls TO ME (such if
I have
a DID). Otherwise I'm just using them as a proxy to forward my sip traffic
to them directly from my desktop.

I got confused because all references I have seen regarding "iax
termination" and such involved editing your local asterisk box configs as
well as the client, but really no clear mention that your config changes
only apply to INBOUND calls, and not needed if you want to just make
OUTBOUND 
Sip calls. I want to do BOTH eventually, but since I still have this
learning curve, it was just another stumble for me.

Do I have the correct picture now?
Thanks!

Terrelle Shaw

The VOIP provider does not actually care if you are making your calls
from a simple SoftPhone, or a complete PBX. Im not going to explain
all the possible combinations of connecting, but i guess your
confusion comes because you still dont get to the part where some one
explains to you what "Native Transfer" means. IAX is a very nice
protocol working behind firewalls, so, unless you configure Asterisk
properly, asterisk is going to make the initial connection from your
softphone to the VoIP provider, and then will transfer the call
directly, so youre phone and the provider talk without intervention of
Asterisk. However thats not a good thing if you want to to some
billing (because Asterisk wont realize when the call ends), so in
iax.conf you can configure the phone with "notransfer=yes" (please
check the name of the parameter, im not sure) so Asterisk will stay in
the middle of the call.

Best Regards

On 4/21/06, T. Shaw <xytek@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Hey guys,
> I'm actively trying to get the "big" picture on how all this
works and
> relates to each other.
> I've gone through some basic examples from the book and from the sample
> files just fine.
> Now, I've setup an account with a VOIP provider which does IAX
termination
> (exgn.net)
>
> After getting an account and following their steps, I can make calls out
> using my IAX (cubix) and Sip (Xlite) phones.
> However, I'm a bit confused on the purpose on how my box asterisk box
is
> involved. I completely turned off my Asterisk box, and made a call out
using
> either of my softphones and I was successful. So I gathered that the entire
> point of "iax termination" is solely for INBOUND calls TO ME
(such if I have
> a DID). Otherwise I'm just using them as a proxy to forward my sip
traffic
> to them directly from my desktop.
>
> I got confused because all references I have seen regarding "iax
> termination" and such involved editing your local asterisk box configs
as
> well as the client, but really no clear mention that your config changes
> only apply to INBOUND calls, and not needed if you want to just make
> OUTBOUND
> Sip calls. I want to do BOTH eventually, but since I still have this
> learning curve, it was just another stumble for me.
>
> Do I have the correct picture now?
> Thanks!
>
> Terrelle Shaw
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On Friday 21 April 2006 16:29, T. Shaw wrote:
> After getting an account and following their steps, I can make calls out
> using my IAX (cubix) and Sip (Xlite) phones.
> However, I'm a bit confused on the purpose on how my box asterisk box
is
> involved. I completely turned off my Asterisk box, and made a call out
> using either of my softphones and I was successful. So I gathered that the
> entire point of "iax termination" is solely for INBOUND calls TO
ME (such
> if I have a DID). Otherwise I'm just using them as a proxy to forward
my
> sip traffic to them directly from my desktop.
If you configure your phone to use your provider directly you do not need 
Asterisk at all.

Termination means that the provider is terminating calls you place through 
them.  In effect, you send calls to them so they can "originate" them
on the
PSTN.  Origination providers send calls to you that they are
"terminating"
for the PSTN.

That's not the best description, no, but essentially it comes down to this:
you send calls to a termination provider, and an origination provider sends 
calls to you.

Asterisk is a PBX.  It can route calls, handle voicemail, do IVR, make your 
coffee and mow your lawn if you're willing to put the time and equipment to 
the job.  If all you want to do is send all of your calls out to ONE provider 
and not worry about anything else, you don't necessarily need Asterisk at 
all.

-A.