[Asterisk-doc] docs/volume-one vm1chp1-introduction.xml,1.6,1.7
jimvanm
cvs at sohoskyway.net
Tue Oct 12 02:54:38 CDT 2004
Comments:
Update of /cvsroot/asterisk/docs/volume-one
In directory sc8-pr-cvs1.sourceforge.net:/tmp/cvs-serv25241/volume-one
Modified Files:
vm1chp1-introduction.xml
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Sorting out some DocBook stuff
Index: vm1chp1-introduction.xml
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvsroot/asterisk/docs/volume-one/vm1chp1-introduction.xml,v
retrieving revision 1.6
retrieving revision 1.7
diff -C2 -d -r1.6 -r1.7
*** vm1chp1-introduction.xml 11 Oct 2004 19:48:01 -0000 1.6
--- vm1chp1-introduction.xml 12 Oct 2004 07:54:31 -0000 1.7
***************
*** 1,262 ****
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
! <chapter>
! <title>Introduction</title>
!
! <para></para>
!
! <sect1>
! <title>General Concept of Asterisk</title>
!
! <sect2>
! <title>Asterisk: The Swiss Army Knife of Telephony</title>
!
! <para>Welcome to the wonderful world of Asterisk. You are about to
! discover the most powerful and popular open source PBX available.</para>
!
! <para>Asterisk allows you to craft a telephony system to address your
! specific requirements. It does this by providing a library of basic
! telephony functions which you then use as script building-blocks. Calls
! into the system trigger these functions through digit patterns (referred
! to as extensions), giving you complete control of complex call routing
! concepts with relative ease. Common PBX functionality such as voicemail,
! call queuing, conferencing, music on hold and others are all included.
! But that's just the beginning. Asterisk is one of the few PBXs in
! existence that connects legacy telephony technologies such as PRI or
! Analog trunks through the same switching logic as state of the art VoIP
! interfaces such as IAX2, H.323 or SIP. This powerful yet simple core
! allows complex concepts in other systems to be deployed with ease in
! Asterisk. For example, building an IVR application or deploying CTI
! functionality can be done more inexpensively than with any other system.
! Why? Because with Asterisk, it's all built right in!</para>
!
! <para>Perhaps Asterisk's most valuable asset is the open nature of the
! system. As with any open-source application, Asterisk can be further
! enhanced by the community of people who use it. This powerful concept
! ensures that Asterisk is prepared to mature in keeping with the demands
! of the industry. Go ahead and modify the source code to fit your needs,
! or, better still, contribute to an active and growing development
! community.</para>
!
! <para>Because Asterisk is so powerful and flexible, in this book we can
! only begin to cover all the possible uses and configurations. We will
! therefore focus on the most commonly used features of the system and
! answer the most frequently asked questions. If you can work through the
! material we present here, you will be well on your way to becoming a
! competent Asterisk solutions developer.</para>
!
! <para>We have also included appendices that will serve as excellent
! reference material, covering subjects such as application programming in
! C, configuration of various types of hardware, and many samples of
! configuration files. Also, there is a glossary included to help you find
! definitions for terms and acronyms used in this book.</para>
! </sect2>
!
! <sect2>
! <title>The goals of this document</title>
!
! <para>Asterisk has evolved beyond its roots as an open source
! experiment. A core of users, led by Mark Spencer, who were both
! enthusiasts and developers have provided a platform that has suddenly
! become very interesting to a much wider audience. People who appreciate
! the incredible potential of this platform are using it to solve a
! diverse and fascinating plethora of problems.</para>
!
! <para>What new users seem to have the most trouble with, however, is
! getting a basic system up and running.</para>
!
! <para>In this document, we will walk you through the process of
! selecting a platform, installing hardware, obtaining Asterisk, compiling
! it, configuring it, and starting it.</para>
!
! <para>When we are done, you should have a basic but fully-functional
! Asterisk PBX, with working FXO, FXS, IAX and SIP connections, as well as
! functioning examples of the various things that Asterisk can do.</para>
!
! <para>Will this solve the particular challenge you require Asterisk to
! solve for you? Probably not. But you <emphasis> will</emphasis> have a
! system from which you can begin your journey of discovery.</para>
!
! <para>Learning Asterisk is much like learning a new programming
! language. Once you get the hang of the basics, the rest comes easy, with
! time.</para>
! </sect2>
!
! <sect2>
! <title>Prerequisite Knowledge and Skills</title>
!
! <para>Because of the nearly limitless flexibility of Asterisk,
! successfully configuring a system requires more than a passing
! familiarity with several technical concepts; most notably Linux
! Installation and Administration, as well as an understanding of
! Telephony. In this document, we will only be scraping the surface of
! these complex technologies as we discuss concepts relevant to Asterisk
! design, installation and administration. If you desire more knowledge on
! either of the aforementioned subjects, we have suggested several sources
! which will set you on the path towards the required knowledge.</para>
!
! <sect3>
! <title>Telephony</title>
!
! <para>Asterisk is a PBX, and that means that the more
! Telecommunications knowledge you have, the easier Asterisk will be to
! learn. If you plan to use legacy PSTN circuits and telephones, you
! will want to understand the difference between FXS and FXO interfaces.
! Digital trunks will require you to be conversant with technologies
! such as ISDN-PRI (including wiring of T1s). Terms such as PSTN or VoIP
! should be familiar to you, and you'd do well to obtain an
! understanding of the concept of analog to digital conversion, and what
! codecs are.</para>
!
! <para>Before you get overwhelmed, please understand that many
! excellent references exist to help you obtain this knowledge. A good
! introductory work is <citetitle pubwork="book"> Noll's Introduction to
! Telephones and Telephone Systems</citetitle> , published by Artech
! House Publishers. The definitive encyclopaedia of all things Telecom
! is <citetitle pubwork="book"> Newton's Telecom Dictionary</citetitle>
! , published by CMP Books - this book should be on any
! telecommunication professional's bookshelf.</para>
! </sect3>
!
! <sect3>
! <title>Linux Installation and Administration</title>
!
! <para>You will need an i386-compatible system with Linux installed
! before you can install and use Asterisk. If you do not have a solid
! grasp of Linux administration concepts you will want to focus on
! honing those skills before attempting an Asterisk install. Everyone
! has to crawl before we can walk, no? On the Internet, <ulink
! type="http" url="http://www.tldp.org"> The Linux Documentation
! Project</ulink> (http://www.tldp.org) provides many great resources
! for beginners. In the bookstore, Frisch's <citetitle pubwork="book">
! Essential System Administration</citetitle> along with Nemeth, et
! al.'s <citetitle pubwork="book"> Linux Administration
! Handbook</citetitle> and <citetitle pubwork="book"> Unix System
! Administration Handbook</citetitle> are recommended. <citetitle
! pubwork="book"> Running Linux</citetitle> by Matt Welch, Lar Kaufman
! et al. is still one of the all-time most successful Linux
! introductions. Reading one or two of these books can save a lot of
! headaches down the road.</para>
!
! <note>
! <title>About Non-Linux Platforms</title>
!
! <para>Asterisk works on many operating systems, however the main
! development and the PSTN hardware support is focused on the Linux
! i386 platform. On other platforms, you are mostly limited to the use
! of VoIP protocols in your PBX. Some applications will not run
! without a timer that currently is implemented only on Linux systems.
! The FreeBSD operating system has recently got a lot of attention by
! Asterisk developers and Asterisk is running smoothly on that
! platform with the above mentioned limitations.</para>
!
! <para>Digium's Asterisk server runs on FreeBSD, OpenBSD and OS X,
! but the hardware drivers do not yet support these platforms.
! FreeBSD's 'ports' provides drivers for the most recent stable
! release of Asterisk, and work is progressing on integrating those
! drivers into Digium's releases.</para>
!
! <para>Support for non-linux platforms is provided by third-parties,
! and as a result there are various limitations on features, drivers
! or release dates versus Asterisk on Linux. As that support becomes
! integrated into Digium's releases, these limitations will go
! away.</para>
! </note>
! </sect3>
! </sect2>
!
! <sect2>
! <title>What to expect</title>
!
! <sect3>
! <title>Asterisk is not a turnkey system</title>
!
! <para>The Asterisk PBX system is a complex piece of software. The
! learning curve is very steep and simply reading any single resource
! will not teach you everything that Asterisk is capable of. It's a safe
! bet that not even Mark Spencer knows all of the things his creation is
! capable of.</para>
!
! <para>This book will attempt to address some of the most common issues
! that newcomers to Asterisk encounter, using step-by-step processes,
! ultimately resulting in the creation of a functioning Asterisk PBX
! system.</para>
!
! <para>Learning how Asterisk works is very much like learning a new
! programming language. Many hours need to be spent with Asterisk in
! order to grasp how all the configuration files work with each other to
! control the many interfaces. We will be glossing over many of these
! topics in pursuit of our more simple goal, but some things will need
! to be discussed and understood.</para>
!
! <para>Comprehending the dialplan is a fundamental concept that those
! new to Asterisk must grasp. The configuration of the different types
! of channels Asterisk uses to communicate with ultimately are brought
! together in the dialplan. It is the heart of the Asterisk
! system.</para>
!
! <para>Many people experience much pain and frustration when attempting
! their first Asterisk installation because they envision having a
! production-quality system in a couple of hours. This may be possible
! once all the concepts are learned, but few are able to do it their
! first time out. The intension of this book is to get you up to speed
! as quickly as possible, but we recommend you take your time and enjoy
! the process. You'll feel much happier with Asterisk if you give
! yourself proper time to fall in love with it (and make no mistake;
! fall in love you will).</para>
! </sect3>
!
! <sect3>
! <title>Don't like it? You can change it!</title>
!
! <para>Asterisk is open source software. The ability to read the source
! code is its power. Most other PBX systems are entirely closed-source,
! limiting you to the features the designers decided you could have. In
! Asterisk, if something does not work quite the way you want it to, you
! can change it! Naturally you will not be able to do that yourself
! without sufficient programming skills, but then again, such skills are
! easily hired from within the very same community that developed the
! product. Try THAT with a proprietary system.</para>
!
! <para>The source code is also an excellent debugging and learning
! resource in itself. Reading through the many text and code files in
! the Asterisk source directory can teach you much about the intricate
! workings of the system.</para>
! </sect3>
!
! <sect3>
! <title>Free and Open Source Software: GPL and LGPL Licensing</title>
!
! <para>The Gnu Public License is an exciting concept, and much has been
! written about it. <ulink url="???"> The Free Software
! Foundation</ulink> (<ulink url="???"> www.fsf.org</ulink> ), would
! probably be the best place to begin researching the GPL.</para>
!
! <para>The concept of the GPL with respect to Asterisk works something
! like this: With most PBXs, you need to pay huge licencing fees, merely
! to install the software. With Asterisk, all you need to pay is
! attention to the obligations the GPL places on you. Stated simply, if
! you are not willing to abide by the terms of the GPL, then you will
! have to either a) cease using Asterisk, or b) negotiate a separate
! licencing agreement with Digium, the holders of the copyright on
! Asterisk.</para>
!
! <para>Feel free to download and use Asterisk as you want; the GPL is
! all about freedom. But be aware that by using any GPL software, you
! are agreeing to be bound by the terms of the GPL.</para>
! </sect3>
!
! <sect3>
! <title>Test Section</title>
!
! <para>This section can safely be removed. It is here to determine
! wheter Jim Van Meggelen's current favourite XML editor (XMLMind) has
! to be destroyed or not, due to some strange formatting choices it has
! been making.</para>
!
! <para>. . . </para>
!
! <para></para>
! </sect3>
! </sect2>
! </sect1>
! </chapter>
\ No newline at end of file
--- 1,156 ----
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
! <chapter><para>Introduction</para>
! <para></para>
! <sect1><title>General Concept of Asterisk</title>
! <sect2><title>Asterisk: The Future Of Telephony</title>
! <para>Welcome to the wonderful world of Asterisk. You are about
! to discover the most powerful and popular open source PBX available.</para>
! <para>Asterisk allows you to craft a telephony system to address
! your specific requirements. It does this by providing a library
! of basic telephony functions which you then use as script building-blocks. Calls
! into the system trigger these functions through digit patterns (referred
! to as extensions), giving you complete control of complex call routing
! concepts with relative ease. Common PBX functionality such as voicemail,
! call queuing, conferencing, music on hold and others are all included.
! But that's just the beginning. Asterisk is one of the few PBXs in
! existence that connects legacy telephony technologies such as PRI
! or Analog trunks through the same switching logic as state of the
! art VoIP interfaces such as IAX2, H.323 or SIP. This powerful yet
! simple core allows complex concepts in other systems to be deployed
! with ease in Asterisk. For example, building an IVR application
! or deploying CTI functionality can be done more inexpensively than
! with any other system. Why? Because with Asterisk, it's all built
! right in!</para>
! <para>Perhaps Asterisk's most valuable asset is the open nature
! of the system. As with any open-source application, Asterisk can
! be further enhanced by the community of people who use it. This
! powerful concept ensures that Asterisk is prepared to mature in
! keeping with the demands of the industry. Go ahead and modify the
! source code to fit your needs, or, better still, contribute to an
! active and growing development community.</para>
! <para>Because Asterisk is so powerful and flexible, in this book
! we can only begin to cover all the possible uses and configurations.
! We will therefore focus on the most commonly used features of the system
! and answer the most frequently asked questions. If you can work
! through the material we present here, you will be well on your way
! to becoming a competent Asterisk solutions developer.</para></sect2>
! <sect2><title>The goals of this document</title>
! <para>Asterisk has evolved beyond its roots as an open source experiment.
! A community of enthusiasts and developers, led by Mark Spencer,
! have provided a platform that has recently become very interesting
! to a much wider audience. People who appreciate the incredible potential
! of this platform are using it to solve a diverse and fascinating
! plethora of problems.</para>
! <para>What new users seem to have the most trouble with, however,
! is getting a basic system up and running.</para>
! <para>In this document, we will walk you through the process of
! selecting a platform, installing hardware, obtaining Asterisk, compiling
! it, configuring it, and starting it.</para>
! <para>When we are done, you should have a basic but fully-functional
! Asterisk PBX, with working FXO, FXS, IAX and SIP connections, as
! well as functioning examples of the various things that Asterisk
! can do.</para>
! <para>Will this solve the particular challenge you require Asterisk
! to solve for you? Probably not. But you <emphasis>will</emphasis> have
! a system from which you can begin your journey of discovery.</para>
! <para>Learning Asterisk is much like learning a new programming
! language. Once you get the hang of the basics, the rest comes easy,
! with practice, and time.</para></sect2>
! <sect2><title>Prerequisite Knowledge and Skills</title>
! <para>Because of the nearly limitless flexibility of Asterisk, successfully
! configuring a system requires more than a passing familiarity with
! several technical concepts; most notably Linux Installation and
! Administration, as well as an understanding of Telephony. In this
! document, we will only be scraping the surface of these complex
! technologies as we discuss concepts relevant to Asterisk design,
! installation and administration. If you desire more knowledge on
! either of the aforementioned subjects, we have suggested several
! sources which will set you on the path towards enlightenment</para>
! <sect3><title>Telephony</title>
! <para>Asterisk is a PBX, and that means that the more Telecommunications
! knowledge you have, the easier Asterisk will be to learn. If you
! plan to use legacy PSTN circuits and telephones, you will want to
! understand the difference between FXS and FXO interfaces. Digital
! trunks will require you to be conversant with technologies such
! as ISDN-PRI (including wiring of T1s). Terms such as PSTN or VoIP
! should be familiar to you, and you'd do well to obtain an understanding
! of the concept of analog to digital conversion, and what codecs
! are.</para>
! <para>Before you get overwhelmed, please understand that many excellent
! references exist to help you obtain this knowledge. A good introductory
! work is Noll's Introduction to Telephones and Telephone Systems
! , published by Artech House Publishers. The definitive encyclopaedia
! of all things Telecom is Newton's Telecom Dictionary , published
! by CMP Books - this book should be on any telecommunication professional's
! bookshelf.</para></sect3>
! <sect3><title>Linux Installation and Administration</title>
! <para>You will need an i386-compatible system with Linux installed
! before you can install and use Asterisk. If you do not have a solid
! grasp of Linux administration concepts you will want to focus on
! honing those skills before attempting an Asterisk install. Everyone
! has to crawl before we can walk, no? On the Internet, The Linux
! Documentation Project (http://www.tldp.org) provides many
! great resources for beginners. In the bookstore, Frisch's Essential
! System Administration along with Nemeth, et al.'s Linux Administration
! Handbook and Unix System Administration Handbook are recommended.
! Running Linux by Matt Welch, Lar Kaufman et al. is still one of
! the all-time most successful Linux introductions. Reading one or
! two of these books can save a lot of headaches down the road.</para></sect3></sect2>
! <sect2><title>What to expect</title>
! <sect3><title>Asterisk is not a turnkey system</title>
! <para>The Asterisk PBX system is a complex piece of software. The
! learning curve is very steep and simply reading any single resource
! will not teach you everything that Asterisk is capable of. It's
! a safe bet that not even Mark Spencer knows all of the things his
! creation is capable of.</para>
! <para>This book will attempt to address some of the most common
! issues that newcomers to Asterisk encounter, using step-by-step
! processes, ultimately resulting in the creation of a functioning Asterisk
! PBX system.</para>
! <para>Learning how Asterisk works is very much like learning a new
! programming language. Many hours need to be spent with Asterisk
! in order to grasp how all the configuration files work with each
! other to control the many interfaces. We will be glossing over many
! of these topics in pursuit of our more simple goal, but some things
! will need to be discussed and understood.</para>
! <para>Comprehending the dialplan is a fundamental concept that those
! new to Asterisk must grasp. The configuration of the different types
! of channels Asterisk uses to communicate with ultimately are brought
! together in the dialplan. It is the heart of the Asterisk system.</para>
! <para>Many people experience much pain and frustration when attempting
! their first Asterisk installation because they envision having a
! production-quality system in a couple of hours. This may be possible
! once all the concepts are learned, but few are able to do it their
! first time out. The intension of this book is to get you up to speed
! as quickly as possible, but we recommend you take your time and
! enjoy the process. You'll feel much happier with Asterisk if you
! give yourself proper time to fall in love with it (and make no mistake;
! fall in love you will).</para></sect3>
! <sect3><title>Don't like it? You can change it!</title>
! <para>Asterisk is open source software. The ability to read the
! source code is its power. Most other PBX systems are entirely closed-source,
! limiting you to the features the designers decided you could have.
! In Asterisk, if something does not work quite the way you want it
! to, you can change it! Naturally you will not be able to do that
! yourself without sufficient programming skills, but then again,
! such skills are easily hired from within the very same community
! that developed the product. Try THAT with a proprietary system.</para>
! <para>The source code is also an excellent debugging and learning
! resource in itself. Reading through the many text and code files
! in the Asterisk source directory can teach you much about the intricate
! workings of the system.</para></sect3>
! <sect3><title>Free and Open Source Software: GPL and LGPL Licensing</title>
! <para>The Gnu Public License is an exciting concept, and much has
! been written about it. The Free Software Foundation (www.fsf.org),
! would probably be the best place to begin researching the GPL.</para>
! <para>The concept of the GPL with respect to Asterisk works something
! like this: With most PBXs, you need to pay huge licencing fees,
! merely to install the software. With Asterisk, all you need to pay is
! attention to the obligations the GPL places on you. Stated simply,
! if you are not willing to abide by the terms of the GPL, then you
! will have to either a) cease using Asterisk, or b) negotiate a separate
! licencing agreement with Digium, the holders of the copyright on
! Asterisk.</para>
! <para>Feel free to download and use Asterisk as you want; the GPL
! is all about freedom. But be aware that by using any GPL software,
! you are agreeing to be bound by the terms of the GPL.</para></sect3></sect2></sect1></chapter>
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