[TriLUG] [Trilug-announce] And now from the get rid of Ma and PaBell for good department: how to set up your own Asterix server

[Glen Ford]

Jon Carnes wrote:

>>>>   
>>>>
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>I don't have Static IP at my house, but I'm willing to play from my home
>>>box - I'd have to share with you my current IP during your tests. 
>>>
>>>I'm very interested in playing with IAX trunking as well. I'm especially
>>>interested in how well the trunk works while staying inside RoadRunners
>>>cloud.
>>>
>>>Jon Carnes
>>>
>>> 
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>Jon,
>>
>>    Thank you very much! I too am in RR cloud.
>>I am just learning so set expectations accordingly.
>>Should we work out logistics outside of list?
>>    
>>
>
>Lets stay on list (so it goes into the archives) unless someone else
>complains. (I won't ship you my ip data on list - though that would be
>fairly easy to find).
>
>Most of your questions are answered in this old Linux Journal article"
>  http://www.linuxjournal.com/article.php?sid=6769
>
>(be sure to read the emailed notes at the bottom of the article as it
>has some corrections to the examples)
>
>  
>
>>My goal is to learn how to do the following:
>>1. Place call to POTS line of Asterisk#1
>>    
>>
>
>You'll need some hardware on your Linux box (with some drivers) to get
>this to work. You can buy the hardware from Digum ($175)
>  http://www.digium.com/index.php?menu=developerskit_tdm
>
>  
>
>>2. Authenticate myself. (pin code?)
>>    
>>
>
>There are a dazzling array of authentication techniques. Remember you
>are moving data around, so you can use any form of data authentication.
>
>You can definitely use the IVR functionality of Asterisk and have it use
>pin codes for access to any number of functions.
>
>  
>
>>3. Be dropped into voice menu that gives me choice of people to call.
>>    
>>
>
>This is pretty much the default mode of Asterisk. You would set it up in
>/etc/asterisk/extensions.conf ... and here is the example from that
>file:
>
>;[mainmenu]
>;
>; Example "main menu" context with submenu
>;
>;exten => s,1,Answer
>;exten => s,2,Background(thanks) 
>; ;     "Thanks for calling press 1 for sales, 2 for support, ..."
>
>;exten => 1,1,Goto(submenu,s,1)
>;exten => 2,1,Hangup
>;include => default
>;
>;[submenu]
>;exten => s,1,Ringing 
>; ;     Make them comfortable with 2 seconds of ringback
>
>;exten => s,2,Wait,2
>;exten => s,3,Background(submenuopts) 
>; ;  "Thanks for calling the sales depart.  Press 1 for steve, 2 for..."
>;exten => 1,1,Goto(default,steve,1)
>;exten => 2,1,Goto(default,mark,2)
>                                                                                                                    ; Real extensions would go here.  
>;  Generally you want real extensions to be 4 or 5
>;  digits long (although there is no such requirement)
>;  and start with a single
>;  digit that is fairly large (like 6 or 7) so that you
>;  have plenty of room to
>;  overlap extensions and menu options without conflict. 
>;  You can alias them with
>;  names, too and use global variables
> 
> 
>;exten => 6275,1,Macro(stdexten,6275,${MARK})
>; ;   assuming ${MARK} is something like Zap/2
>;exten => mark,1,Goto(6275|1)                                          
>; ;   alias mark to 6275
>;exten => 6236,1,Macro(stdexten,6236,${WIL}) 
>; ;   Ditto for wil
>;exten => wil,1,Goto(6236|1)
>;
>; Some other handy things are an extension for checking voicemail via
>; voicemailmain
>;
>;exten => 8500,1,VoicemailMain
>;exten => 8500,2,Hangup
>
>
>  
>
>>4. select who to call and have Asterisk#1 tell Asterisk#2 to place the 
>>call out its PSTN line.
>>    
>>
>
>If you are calling a known phone then this is setup as part of the
>phones definition. If you are simply dialing out to the public network,
>then the routing is setup in your dialplan (which is basically in
>extensions.conf):
>[trunkint]
>;
>; International long distance through trunk
>;
>exten => _9011.,1,Dial(${TRUNK}/${EXTEN:${TRUNKMSD}})
>exten => _9011.,2,Congestion
> 
>[trunkld]
>;
>; Long distance context accessed through trunk
>;
>exten => _91NXXNXXXXXX,1,Dial(${TRUNK}/${EXTEN:${TRUNKMSD}})
>exten => _91NXXNXXXXXX,2,Congestion
> 
>[trunklocal]
>;
>; Local seven-digit dialing accessed through trunk interface
>;
>exten => _9NXXXXXX,1,Dial(${TRUNK}/${EXTEN:${TRUNKMSD}})
>exten => _9NXXXXXX,2,Congestion
> 
>[trunktollfree]
>;
>; Long distance context accessed through trunk interface
>;
>exten => _91800NXXXXXX,1,Dial(${TRUNK}/${EXTEN:${TRUNKMSD}})
>exten => _91800NXXXXXX,2,Congestion
>exten => _91888NXXXXXX,1,Dial(${TRUNK}/${EXTEN:${TRUNKMSD}})
>exten => _91888NXXXXXX,2,Congestion
>exten => _91877NXXXXXX,1,Dial(${TRUNK}/${EXTEN:${TRUNKMSD}})
>exten => _91877NXXXXXX,2,Congestion
>exten => _91866NXXXXXX,1,Dial(${TRUNK}/${EXTEN:${TRUNKMSD}})
>exten => _91866NXXXXXX,2,Congestion
>
>
>  
>
>>-- 
>>Glen Ford
>>gford at idiom.com
>>
>>    
>>
>
>  
>
Jon thank you for the imformative response. I already bought the 
devlopers kit for Digium.  The simple stuff I can do now is:
1. Hook up my analog phone to Asterisk and dialout
2. I have setup two voice mail boxes (per the Digium guide)
3. I forward the voice mail to my email address as a wav file.

I will read the reference Linux journal article and try to incorporate 
your useful examples into my Asterisk configuration.
Once I get configs working, I will contact you about communicating with 
your Asterisk server.

My short term goal is to get relatives in California call me & wife via 
a phone number local to them.
Keeping in mind this is a self assigned learning exercise. I suspect 
there a plans already available to make calls to/from Raleigh over IP. 
It is not my goal to signup with a plan, but rather to have fun learning.
Thanks,
/Glen


-- 
Glen Ford
gford at idiom.com