[Asterisk-Users] Re: Sipura 3000 FXO

[Joe Greco]

> > How does an employee make use of more than one multiline phone at a
> > desk?
> > What's the motivation for placing *two* (or *three*?) expensive
> > multiline phones on a desk?
> 
> you did not read benk's post.  they have less than one computer or
> phone per desk, often far less.  they might like more, but they
> gotta be *real* cheap.  and it can't take a lot of technology to
> set up.

Yes, I did read benk's post.  *You* did not, or did not understand
the significance.

A company that has 100 desks and 8 phones does indeed have 8 desks
with 8 phones, plus another 92 desks without phones.  I was not
interested in the 92 desks without phones, because the important
part was that there were 8 desks *with* phones...  and if there are
phones on desks, there are generally also computers around as well,
and so a company with 8 multiline phones is actually fairly likely
to have several computers hanging around, too (even if maybe they
aren't on those same desks).

Now, here in the backwards and technologically challenged USA, we
usually find those computers networked together, and this is where
benk made an interesting point, that apparently this isn't true in
Japan.  That seems kind of odd, especially given how much convenience
people associate with networking crummy Microsoft PC's, and how lots 
of DSL CPE typically encourages it by providing DHCP and NAT, or by
using "Internet connection sharing" in the latest Microsoft offerings.

Microsoft has pushed the "can't take a lot of technology to set up"
envelope by building crappiness into its products which in turn make
it easy for any dolt to plug a network cable into the back of their
PC, into a hub, repeat for each PC, and have some basic networking
with minimal configuration.  If you throw many kinds of trivial
Internet connection device on, you gain the DHCP and NAT, and suddenly
all your PC's are networked *and* Internet-capable.  I see this
happening with depressing regularity all over the place - it's not the
networking or the Internet connection that concerns me, but that it
was set up by a dolt (see for example wireless access points as a prime
example).

So, if they've got several PC's, I haven't seen networking them to be
unusual, and I haven't seen DHCP/NAT to be unusual.  This could be
different in Japan if, for example, NTT mandates the use of their own 
NAT/DHCP-less DSL adapter and forbids any sort of add-on firewall/NAT-
router devices.  I really don't know about that, though I remain a bit
skeptical.  However, in lots of other places, DHCP is already a done
deal, or easily set up.  And once you have that, you have your Sipura 
device setting itself up to the point where it can receive configuration 
via a Web browser.

> i am running spa3ks, and working on making them deployable in scale
> in a first world environment.  the config system flat don't cut it.
> it was done with the telephant mentality of saving 50 cents per
> unit capex and spending five dollars more a year per year per unit
> in opex.

Correct.  That's the kind of tradeoffs that are made every day when
you're building devices that are intended for the mass market; sticking
in double the flash/RAM, adding a faster CPU, putting in that serial
port for OOB management, etc., all represent additional manufacturing
costs, and when you have competitors who are already undercutting you
(see for example the Sipura and the rebranded Linksys debacle), the
choices can be harsh.

I've already been bitten by (what I'm guessing is) a poor flash strategy
on the Sipura, and I've already found myself longing for a serial port.
You kind of have to take the device for what it is, and realize that if
you don't want to pay top dollar, that there will be some tradeoffs
involved.

I'm not sure where your operational expense figure comes from, though.

> i come from an automated ip backbone world where we generated
> configs automatically from sql data tied to the back office and
> sales systems.  i want to have a shipping person take a new spa3k
> out of the box, plug it into an ether, hit the 'Confirm' button on
> the customer order fulfillment screen, wait 30 seconds, and then
> stick the puppy in the outbound shipping box.

That would seem perfectly reasonable.  Why can't you do that?  If you
need help, I can recommend half a dozen people capable of setting you
up with such a system.  We could do it for you as well, but it wouldn't
be cost-effective for you, as we offer no discount for mundane projects.

> if i can't do that, i can't scale 'em.  and if i can't scale 'em,
> the spa3k will stay in the yuppie/geek-toy market.  perhaps folk
> here are not paying enough attention to Sonus, Acme Borders, etc.
> the telephants are at the outer garden.

... JG
-- 
Joe Greco - sol.net Network Services - Milwaukee, WI - http://www.sol.net
"We call it the 'one bite at the apple' rule. Give me one chance [and] then I
won't contact you again." - Direct Marketing Ass'n position on e-mail spam(CNN)
With 24 million small businesses in the US alone, that's way too many apples.