[Asterisk-Users] Info on UK ISDN30e?

[Alastair Maw]

On 30/10/03 14:38, Gavin Hamill wrote:

> Has anyone used ISDN30e in the UK with the Digium E1 cards?

Many people.

> What options are there to stick on a couple of ISDN2's on top of that
> should we require some 'backup lines'.

It's more a question of how to implement the backup lines - they're fine 
for outbound calls, but it's backup for inbound lines that you really 
want. This is difficult to achieve, but you might be able to get BT to 
give you a hunt group that hits a pair of ISDN2s after looking through 
the E1 bank and failing to connect. It's only worth doing if you're 
going to route them directly to some other kit, though, so Asterisk 
support for ISDN2 hardware is largely irrelevant here.

> Do BT terminate the ISDN30e in a format that I can literally just plug
> into the Digium cards, or will I need some kind of adapter (whether
> electronics or even just a simple socket/plug changer)?

You will be able to just plug it straight in (standard RJ45 termination).

> I'm trying to gather some tangibility for the project - I see the first
> mailing list post in November 1999... when did the project start, and
> when was it first usable as a simple PBX?

Can't answer this one, others? Many people/organizations have 
successfully deployed it, though. Be aware that it's currently not as 
easy to configure as many commercial PBXs, but it tends to be cheaper 
and more flexible. FAX support is also coming soon. :)

> Finally, are my options for handsets limited to IP phones via Ethernet,
> or analogue phones via a channel bank (and then to another Digium E1/T1
> card), or is there the possibilty to re-use proprietary handsets from a
> previous PBX?

I doubt you can reuse proprietary handsets. Please provide more details 
(model/make).

-- 
Alastair Maw
MX Telecom
www.mxtelecom.com