[asterisk-users] [POTS/BRI] Neutral comparisons of PCI vs. box?

[klitzing at pool.informatik.rwth-aachen.de]

Hi!

> Thanks for the input. Has someone in this ng tried a PCI card and then
> an appliance of the same grade, and could provide some feedback? 

Yes, and IMHO the external gateway/appliance is usually - but not always (see fax) - the 
better choice because you save yourself many headaches caused by all kinds of upgrades: 
kernel, OS/distribution, Asterisk version, card firmware, and then there's also the mainboard 
compatibility issue). Search this list for "dahdi" and "zaptel" and you'll see what I mean. In fact 
for Digium it wouldn't be a dumb move to start offering gateways.

PCI cards can keep you from doing an upgrade and might even cause you to create a 
separate Gateway Asterisk box that you won't touch and an Application Asterisk box that only 
speaks SIP to the outside. Even though an external gateway is a single point of failure it can 
be much more easily be shared by more than one Asterisk (in the case of a PCI card you 
might even have to keep a spare one on the shelf).

Philipp