[asterisk-biz] SIP to PSTN Hardware

[Steve Totaro]

Mark C wrote:
> Steve Totaro wrote:
>
>   
>> You do realize that the Cisco box is essentially a PC running IOS 
>> software, right?
>>
>>  
>>
>>     
> I seriously doubt you'll find a 250 MHz PC that can transcode +200 
> simultaneous phone calls and support T.38!
>
> Your standard "Off the Shelf" Cisco AS5350 will do it but Cisco Packs 
> the DSP chips in their access servers.  Granted it will set you back 
> $10K from eBay (Or more like +$20 - 30K from Cisco) but you do get what 
> you pay for.
>
>   
Doesn't Digium make a trancoding card now? 

I have built many servers that could handle well over 200 TDM <-> SIP 
calls although I was using the T1's native ulaw codec.  Top showed 50% 
CPU and very low load average and this was on a single core Pentium 4 
3something GHZ CPU.  I am sure with some of the multi-core systems that 
are out now, transcoding should not be an issue (except maybe H323.)

You have a point about T.38 but Asterisk will have it one day and 
CallWeaver will most likely have it stable real soon.

I am not sure what the Dialogic cards are capable of, but they are 
loaded with DSP chips.  I understand that these work with ABE (or at 
least there are plans for this).

Besides, who wants to pay all that money for what is essentially a 
250mhz pc?

Thanks,
Steve