[Asterisk-Users] IVR only system with scalibility with asterisk???

[wasim at convergence.com.pk]

On Thu, 4 Sep 2003, PJ Welsh wrote:

> 	Thank you for taking the time to read this post. 

you're very welcome, welcome to the community, its extremely helpful

> Background:

> I am a new user to IVR systems and asterisk. I have been tasked with
> helping to set up a system that will only handle IVR (eg no PBX
> functions) incomming calls for 45 or so people that will call in 3 or 4
> time each day during (approx) normal business hours. We have started to
> look at the Ivrs perl module from http://search.cpan.org/author/MUKUND/.
> We are having limited success. I found the asterisk software and have
> trugded through the last several months looking for IVR specific
> comments with minimal success.

you've found "a" right solution...

> Issues:

> 1.  We need to have a working system by "yesterday" (since we were told
> yesterday ;) my problem not yours). Realy, how easy is asterisk to
> develop for in a IVR message -> response -> authorize/validate ->
> contiune scenario? We will need to do database lookups.

i'd go as far as to say that developing IVR through * is a dream. simple 
to a fault almost at times... db integration, hell, any type of 
integration is as simple as it can get, with a little help (get on 
#asterisk) you'll have your IVR up "yesterday"

> 2. We expect that we will end up greater than 100 users that will call
> in 3 or 4 time each day during (approx) normal business hours in the
> next couple of months. We also have the possibility that the next step
> may involve several hundred users. How can I provide something now and
> scale UP from a "commidity" PC (running GNU/Linux of course)? The
> Wildcard X100P only has 1 port. Are there other higher density options
> that "just work"? I've seen mentioned an Intel/Dialogic card that looks
> high density and expensive and interesting. I don't mind having a farm
> of these things on commidity hardware... within reason. Again, I'm a
> newbe trying to get myself up to speed on this topic.

digium makes single and quad port E/T1 cards too, very economical, and 
scale wonderfully well..
 
> 3. I need to provide a working model very soon. What is cheapest way to
> put together a system with AVAILIBLE parts? There seems to be a shortage
> of some of the cards on the yahoo store front.

depends on the number of lines, you can setup all the IVR functionality 
and test it though VoIP while youre waiting for the cards, and as soon as 
they arrive, go live on tdm circuits as well...

--
Mirza Wasim Baig | Principal Consultant | Convergence Business Systems PK
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