[asterisk-biz] General Asterisk Question

[Jim Houser]

Hi,

  Please accept my apologies in advance.  This question may be more suited
to the user list, but I would have to believe people deploying Asterisk
professionally have had to deal with this.  I manage an IT department in a
financial company and am trying to integrate Asterisk into it beside an
Avaya switch.

   I started playing with AAH and tried a few other GUIs.  Currently I have
been happiest with the Pound Key build and doing everything manually.  I
miss some of the GUI but have found this the most flexible for our needs.

  My question my be dumb but I just need to ask.  I've got past basic dial
plans and adding features.  I currently have Asterisk networked with our
Avaya S8300 via T1.  I am struggling with H323 but should get past it, (any
hints are welcome as I can't find much regarding Pound Key).

  My reason for writing is there is one item I would like to improve upon
but it may be something SIP based and not possible to change.  ???

  The standard "accepted and expected" operation of a PBX, (yes I'm an old
telecom guy), is for the PBX to collect digits and when it has enough digits
to fit into a route it selects it and outpulses.  From the end user they
dial 9, dial tone is not broke as the 9 is just an access code as the PBX is
waiting for digits, then upon the next digit dial tone is broke digits are
collected and it dials out when the dialed number fits a route.  Due to the
route patterns if it fits in 7 digits the dial starts immediately after the
7th digit, you already know this...

  On Asterisk, to call out you dial and press send, (for example on my
Grandstream 2000s - I can't get my Avaya 46XX phones to stay registered on
Asterisk).  My users see this as "cell phone" operation and somehow that
lowers their perceived value of Asterisk.  I know, stupid, but it is what it
is.  Has anyone built a dial plan that emulates the original PBX operation
at the deskset removing the need to push a send button at the phone?

Thanks, in advance, for any feedback.
Jim