asterisk users - Dec 2013 - Convert Asterisk Appliance (AA50) to "Open" Asterisk?

Hi All, 

Thanks for all of the help I've been given in the past and info I've
picked up from this list over the years.

I have an "official" Asterisk appliance (the AA50) running my PBX at
home (we previously also had an AA50 in a satellite office-that one was recently
retired and replaced with Asterisk running on commodity server hardware).

Anyway - the AA50 software/Asterisk version is beyond outdated at this point,
and the GUI has done nothing but infuriate me. Has anyone - or does anyone know
if it's possible to - replace the "commercial" Linux/Asterisk
running on the AA50 with another Linux flavor (say Ubuntu) and current open
source Asterisk (ideally 11.something with Gareth's Cisco patch).

I don't need - or want - a pretty GUI... just something I can SSH into and
perhaps manhandle config files with Nano or something similar - worst case,
something I can FTP/TFTP configuration files to.

If that isn't feasible, anything low power/low profile/low cost that's
particularly popular these days [bonus points if it's wall mountable/about
the same size as the AA50]? My demands really aren't that severe -- one FXO,
two FXS, a SIP "trunk" to the office (via hardware VPN), and maybe a
half dozen Cisco 79xx phones.

If it's not already apparent, I'm a relative Linux newb, but I'm
farly well versed in patching and building Asterisk from source and generally
getting things done once I have the pointers.

Thanks in advance -- and happy new year!

--
Lincoln King-Cliby, CTS, DMC-D
Commercial Market Director
Sr. Systems Architect | Crestron Certified Master Programmer (Silver)
ControlWorks Consulting, LLC Crestron Services Provider
http://www.controlworks.com

May not be what you are looking for exactly but search Google for "Nerd
Vittles BeagleBone". I am not suggesting you use that exact solution but,
reading the article with give you all sorts if ideas about what you could use in
your situation.

The BeagleBone is a small form factor computer like the Raspberry Pi but more
powerful for not much more $$. They have a few builds you can out in it with
full instructions. For your analog lines you could just use a couple if cheap
SIP gateway devices which I think run $50-80/ea. USD.

In a small environment, this is what I would be using these days and I am
itching to build something on the BeagleBone boards.

Total solution with a few SIP gateway devices should not cost you much at all.
The boards are under $50 and a nice little case can be had for under $18 or
maybe way less.

You could likely use your existing device as a pass through for your analog
lines if you don't want to purchase the SIP gateways right away.

Let me know if you go down this road and what your results are. Good luck.



> On Dec 28, 2013, at 12:38 PM, "Lincoln King-Cliby" <lincoln at
controlworks.com> wrote:
> 
> Hi All, 
> 
> Thanks for all of the help I've been given in the past and info
I've picked up from this list over the years.
> 
> I have an "official" Asterisk appliance (the AA50) running my PBX
at home (we previously also had an AA50 in a satellite office-that one was
recently retired and replaced with Asterisk running on commodity server
hardware).
> 
> Anyway - the AA50 software/Asterisk version is beyond outdated at this
point, and the GUI has done nothing but infuriate me. Has anyone - or does
anyone know if it's possible to - replace the "commercial"
Linux/Asterisk running on the AA50 with another Linux flavor (say Ubuntu) and
current open source Asterisk (ideally 11.something with Gareth's Cisco
patch).
> 
> I don't need - or want - a pretty GUI... just something I can SSH into
and perhaps manhandle config files with Nano or something similar - worst case,
something I can FTP/TFTP configuration files to.
> 
> If that isn't feasible, anything low power/low profile/low cost
that's particularly popular these days [bonus points if it's wall
mountable/about the same size as the AA50]? My demands really aren't that
severe -- one FXO, two FXS, a SIP "trunk" to the office (via hardware
VPN), and maybe a half dozen Cisco 79xx phones.
> 
> If it's not already apparent, I'm a relative Linux newb, but
I'm farly well versed in patching and building Asterisk from source and
generally getting things done once I have the pointers.
> 
> Thanks in advance -- and happy new year!
> 
> --
> Lincoln King-Cliby, CTS, DMC-D
> Commercial Market Director
> Sr. Systems Architect | Crestron Certified Master Programmer (Silver)
ControlWorks Consulting, LLC Crestron Services Provider
http://www.controlworks.com
> 
> 
> -- 
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