[asterisk-users] Microsoft launches first PABX

[Steve Totaro]

Christopher Chan wrote:
> Anselm Martin Hoffmeister wrote:
>> Am Donnerstag, den 22.03.2007, 22:17 -0700 schrieb shadowym:
>>> As far as I can tell, the phone system does not run on a 
>>> Desktop/Server OS
>>> on a standard PC.  Just the config clients run on the desktop.
>>>
>>> Then again they are using Dlink as one of the 3 manufacturers of the 
>>> Phone
>>> Server so I wouldn't expect commercial grade.
>>
>> Let us wait for the actual implementation before ranting too much - I
>> have certain, not the best, expectations of any new MS products, but
>> they might one day be proven untrue.
>
> I have yet to see anything that does turn into a mess from M$.
>
>>
>> I have to admin though that the combination of D-Link and MS does not
>> exactly stand for highest quality, reliable, bugfree products. But they
>> might once produce a great product.
>
> On the Mac OS X side of things...
>
>>
>> The most interesting of all this for me is which protocols they will
>> use, e.g. wether they will talk SIP, or rather "MS OpenIAX" or "Skype2.0
>> protocol", or something completely new and not just slightly
>> uncompatible.
>
> Given M$ history, it will probably be another embrace, extend and 
> extinguish the old.
>
>>
>> Let us see the facts: Telephone systems with more than a handful
>> telephones and more than just the ability to call (be it voicemail,
>> conferencing, queues, agents...) are complicated, and in most cases need
>> to be tailored to the customers' needs. As long as the "customer" is not
>> an IT-ish company, they will hopefully understand that getting all the
>> knowledge about this internally costs work hours (and thus, money) the
>> same - and experience is something that can not be learned in a few
>> hours of document study and point-and-clicking. High-quality solutions
>> need professional hands, pals, possibly yours.
>>
>> This will by no means be the death of the technical consulting around
>> telephone PABXs.
>
> Er...is not this what asterisk is about? telephone PABX guys sniff at 
> computer guys moving in their space.
>

By far the easiest "turnkey" system I have dealt with is the 3com 
V3000/NBX.  No IP addresses to worry about except for the NCP (typically 
the phones are MAC or layer two devices by default).  You just plug in a 
phone and it downloads the latest firmware from the NBX and gets 
assigned the next extension that is open.  The GUI is very simple.  A 
V3000 is about the price of a decent Asterisk box (off the shelf that 
is, it comes in a 1u chassis, four FXOs, one FXS, MOH minijack port for 
about $3,000).  The phones are great and have advanced button mappings 
that are done in the PBX.

That is for an entry level four FXO system.  If you add a T1 or need 
more analog FXS ports, you need to buy an NBX 100 chassis to populate 
with cards, the chassis is about $500 but the T1 boards are in the 
$3,000 - $5,000 range and only have one port.

It has been a while since I have was certified and worked on these 
systems, so pricing may have changed. 

I do not see MS coming out with a product that can beat the 3com system 
for ease of installation and 3com NBX (started by students from MIT who 
formed a company called "NBX Corporation" that was purchased by 3com 
~1997 or 1998, so they have had long enough to iron out bugs and 
implement advanced feature sets.  3com is large enough to resist MS and 
I seriously doubt they can "extinguish" asterisk or Cisco.

Obviously, Asterisk may be in the same "Market Space" of all other IP 
PBXs, but in reality it is apples to oranges.  Being able to explain and 
sell this concept to the customer is paramount in making the sale and 
often times, it makes more sense for 3com system or possibly an MS system.

Thanks,
Steve