GabCast Update - Episode 8 - the ultimate VOIP experiance

Gabcast! The Ultimate VOIP Experiance #8 - Voip Discussion

Discussing VOIP, it being developed from PC to PC calling and other facts

How to deploy your own voicemail server!

First download Trixbox from trioxbox.org and you get your PBX up and running by either downloading the newest version off the net, or by upgrading, you can get simular results. I prefer the upgrade onsly since I already have several PBX's up, running and routing calls.

From within shell type trixbox-upgrade update
trixbox update -update is also the easist way to upgrade from version1.2.3 to 2.0.
and newer.

It should download a script and then just rerun the above command the box
should fly and brag all the upgrades.

Before you reboot, go into web sinterface with same username and password
and reactivate the modules you have previously. I ran upgrade all., twice.
The rebooted and reprogrammmed my menu to the meet the preprogramed
Intelegent Video Redirector (IVR) to grab as directed one item for 1 another for
2 and so on. I add i and t for lost or illegal digits.

Once your setup then you go into your trunk and add your ZAPtel device (
I added three seperate trunks) 1,2 ,3 . I setup trunk one to be used
for inbound calls. Hit my red reload config, and your in business with
voicemail service.

once done hook line into modem. Modem should pickup and menu should be
chosen for announcement. This will play the VI already choosen if you followed
the instructions.

I setup our Zaptel trunck first then routed calls in to the AVI.

Software: www.tribox.org
Zaptel Compatble PCI modem(s) Intel
1.5 ghz CPU: AMD
256 megs ram:
HD: 60 gig seagate
CDROM : 52x
ethernet 10/100 onboard

Thanks for the great bunch that helped concieve build and support the project.

Sipura 1000 and TrixBox PBX Setup.

Download recent distro. We use TrixBox for our primary distros. OS is Centos ,with AMP, Asterisk and Free PBX just to name a few . Best PBX port on the globe if you ask me. Once you have your creation stared dowloading gather tohether a few parts. 1 GHZ CPU with 256 megs ram. the bigger the HD the better. SCSI is even better. We grabbed a 1U system from a local shop and tossed on 1.23 and then upgraded to 2.0. We chose for speed and quality ultra fast and wide SCSI drives.

Once we were able to setup and routing calls, we then wanted to hook up phones and phone systems into our new beast. Heard Sipura was cheap but decent. Bought a couple off Ebay, and gave one to Andre to take snapshots once he setup his PBX connection on our wireless network.

All together he travels about 3-4 miles via wireless signal, then gets sent down to him to his home outside of town in a new suburb just west on 290 east of Elgin Texas. Thanks again Andre' , for the details and testing.

We then took the system for spin and used IAX softphone packages and tested AIX. We then created another PBX and gave it an outside local line,( going to offer free voicemail) and played with SIP.

Seems the world of programers seemed to have left out a few critical things, in developing your PBX. Our was the confusion primarily on the numbering sequences. So many different examples showed different results.

We had to first layour the network and check our the adapter. We tested the adapter inhouse and used a handy 900 mhz phone for calls. Simple and very easy to use once you get passed the configuration. Talk about 10,000 fields.

We picked a refurbished unit from our a co-developer, and started playing with all the simple things an ATA adapter can do. I now carry over 30 new phone systems, adapters, USB phone and gateway adapters. All have different features. The most simple to me was the first
the sipura 1000.

Once I had my sipura knowledge in hand, I then setup my VOIP phone system. I created
both, SIP and IAX setups. Only one protocol per extension. I then created Andre a SIP
account on a remote PBX. The PBX has a real world IP. Andre has a firewall at his house, that runs some ported linux version and then he plugs in the SIpura 1000, and configures away.

After spending who knows how many hours, he calls me (my headset is toast) and complains about my headset sounding like crap. Will do after we unfreeze. Called from my laptop and guess what. He was on the phone.

Guess he got it to work !

I call back later and get right through. He sends over the snapshots of the sipura setup and I do the cut and past web work and upload.

Visit our VOIP setup web site and see the results. I made a few notes for those using other SIP devices and AIX as well. Will do a couple of SIP-PBX configurations videos soon. Please visit our web site and download our toolbar to keep up to date on the network.

VOIP Soft Phones and notes

BOL SIP Phone - www.bol2000.com
Pros - Free - Easy to use
Cons - SIP only

NSIS iaxComm
Not tested -

My Phone -
Works Great for free Video Phone!

SJphone - http://www.sjlabs.com/sjp.html
Fantastic free SIP phone that works well
with any asterisk server.


SIPPhone - http://www.sipphone.com
Pro - Internation SIP Carrier
Free Gizmo Phone Project - http://www.sipphone.com/softphone/

Skype
Pro - Free
Cons- Not SIP or IAX compliant.


Zioper Beta
Pros -Interface worked but little working funtionality at this point.
Cons- Software not completed yet - Disappointing.

YakaSoftPhone - http://yakasoftware.com
Pros - Support IAX (works thru most simple firewalls)
C0ns - Lacks design aka looked like an egg, and needs more insructions and examples.
Overall the software showed good potential.

IdeFisk - http://www.asteriskguru.com/idefisk/
Pros - Support IAX (works thru most simple firewalls)
Cons -

BlueQuartz on CentOS

I have hosted web pages on the net since its conception. My first web servers ran on digital 128K connection and have expanded ever since to gigabit Fiber nationwide with redundant power, hardware and backbones.

I will be writing on my experiences on BQ on CentOS from a providers point of view.

Blue Quartz?

It all started when Cobalt Networks released its first 1 U complete hosting solution. Being one of the largest central Texas developers at the time, we became a Cobalt dealer, and moved hosting to it's platform.

Since those days , allot has happened. Cobalt sold to Sun who end of lifed but released the source code of the Cobalt OS. We built hundreds of different hosting solutions, and came news of OS's that will run on PC and looks and feels just like latest Cobalt OS.

Before we get started ( see next post) lets go over a few things that I think hampered the results. First do your research and development behind a firewall. Why ? Once you jump live onto the net your PC or box as we call them, can and will get taken over in a matter of weeks.

After trying several OS's one thing was centrain that each OS was dependant on security risks from PHP, MySQL, SSH, Bind, and on and on. Once a security risk apears anywhere in the "open source culture" you can expect it to be exploited to its fullest. The newer the network may buy you time, but once you start announcing traffic to the server, you better have it tighened down beast first.

The best free firewall I played with on CentOS was IPtables. if your remote be sure to add your SSH ports before activating the firewall rules and cutting off your connection.

Blue Quartz
Download BlueQuartz
CentOS
IPTables

As aways back up any data you want before playing with any new package. I recommend installing blue quartz on a least a 1 ghz PC with 40 gig hard drive, half a gig of ram with CDROM. 10/100 megabit ethernet card a must.

Dowload Cd from link above. RTFM. I can not emphasis the importance of reading the manual.
Boot from CD and OS will wipe off HD and setup CentOS, PHP, MySQL, Bind, Sendmail and then install Blue Quartz on top of it all. WARNING. OS load will wipe all existing data off drive.

TrixBox 2.0 Released

Downloaded and still playing with new version. Some things I like, some missing.
The use of Trixbox to setup a simple PBX for your home or office is simple, and
cand reduce your cost of phone services.

Visit http://trixbox.org for details.