[Asterisk-biz] Multipoint VOIP Network

[Brian Mulligan]

This is a broad subject and reflects the confusion which exists when the two
worlds of IP and PSTN collide.
In theory, an IP phone is just the same as a PC connected to the Internet.
In order to find other users the PC employs DNS to convert names (e.g. web
sites, servers) to IP addresses. So, if you have an IP phone you can talk to
any other IP phone providing you know its address. The browser on your PC is
capable of storing hundreds of web site addresses as 'favourites', your
email client is likewise able to store thousands of email addresses. Finding
web sites is a case of knowing the web site name to begin with or more
likely 'googling' for the name.
So, if your IP phone has a lot of storage and can build a large directory of
other IP phone addresses then you do not need any form of central
repository. Some of the snags with this approach are;

1. How do you know if another user has his phone on?
2. How do you make sure that your directory is uptodate?
3. How do you ensure that everyone is using a compatible phone? (standards
in the IP phone world are still something of a moving target)
4. What do you do if you want to talk to someone who is not on the Internet?
5. How do you make sure that your conversations are secure, and that the
other person is verifiably who they say they are?

etc. etc.

This is where your central 'brain' comes in. You can manage without it of
course, after all, people have been using the Internet without 'brains' for
many years already ;-)

(Apologies in advance for some of the broad simplifications of complex
issues above}

Brian




> -----Original Message-----
> From: asterisk-biz-bounces at lists.digium.com
> [mailto:asterisk-biz-bounces at lists.digium.com]On Behalf Of Anton Krall
> Sent: 27 July 2005 16:59
> To: 'Commercial and Business-Oriented Asterisk Discussion'
> Subject: RE: [Asterisk-biz] Multipoint VOIP Network
>
>
> So in fact, all brach offices could be using ATA's or phones but
> you DO need
> a central brain like Asterisk to make it all connect to each other right?
> That’s how I have been using it but products like vodtel promote that they
> don’t need a central brain, that their boxes or atas can connect to each
> other via a propietary network, which I guess is something like dundi, but
> you still need somewhere to register each ata, even with dundi right?
> Somewhere where the ata actually authenticates its user and password and
> knows where to send each call to?
>
>
> |-----Original Message-----
> |From: asterisk-biz-bounces at lists.digium.com
> |[mailto:asterisk-biz-bounces at lists.digium.com] On Behalf Of
> |Jean-Michel Hiver
> |Sent: Miércoles, 27 de Julio de 2005 09:27 a.m.
> |To: Commercial and Business-Oriented Asterisk Discussion
> |Subject: Re: [Asterisk-biz] Multipoint VOIP Network
> |
> |Anton Krall wrote:
> |
> |>Guys.
> |>
> |>Maybe this is a very simple or "stupid" question but reading
> |about some
> |>systems like vodtel's get me thinking.
> |>
> |>In a scenario where you have a HQ offide and some branch
> |offices, most
> |>of the time you put an asterisk based server on the main
> |office and on
> |>the satellite or branch offices, you put ATA's, IP phones, mediatrix
> |>gateways, etc. that all connect to the main Asterisk server
> |thus giving
> |>you all the PBX functions, etc.
> |>
> |>But, is it possible to have the same scenario but without the
> |Asterisk
> |>based server and just install gateways on each office? How can they
> |>communicate between them then? Products like Vodtel claim you can
> |>install gateways on each office (FXS gateways and sometimes also FXO
> |>ports) and exchange calls between them and every share the FXO lines,
> |>but, don't you need a central "brain" like Asterisk to have a
> |dialplan
> |>and process the trunk and call exchange or know where all the
> |gateways are?
> |>
> |>
> |I think this is exactly the kind of stuff that 'dundi' is
> |supposed to do. Basically, you create a P2P network, and to
> |add a node, you sign a 'peering agreement' with another node
> |of the network.
> |
> | From then on, extensions (either e.164 or internal ones) can
> |be added by each node.
> |
> |However, for corporate type application, is it really worth
> |the trouble?
> |Seems to me that it would be simpler to maintain a central
> |extensions.conf and have each asterisk gateway periodically 'rsync'
> |against it and do a asterisk -rx 'restart when convenient' afterwards.
> |
> |Cheers,
> |Jean-Michel.
> |
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> |
> |
>
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