<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Hello all. I am new to the list and
after doing some research on "Asterisk" this</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">week I would like to get started testing.</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">I am a 15 year "Unix" veteran
and "Open Source User". I was wondering</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">what you guys would suggest I use to
start testing with regards to the Telephone</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Interface?</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">I am the IT Manager for a firm that
is moving next year. I have decided to go with</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">VoIP for our new Phone System. After
discovering Asterisk last week, I have</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">decided to "test" it and get
some practical experience using the software.</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">I currently have an unused ISDN (BRI)
line that I was thinking about cancelling until I</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">learned of Asterisk. I thought about
buying one of the BRI PCI cards (listed on</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">the Digium website) to use in a test
server. Although, I see that they can be rather</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">expensive for something that I most
likely will have to just "throw away" when we</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">move (I assume we will have a T1 or
fractional T1 in the new building.). My question</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">is, "What would you guys recommend
I use to get started testing/looking at this</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">software?" I only see these two
("affordable") options for testing:</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Buy an ISDN BRI interface board, use
it and test it then "throw it away".</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif"> (This option wouldl
give me two lines to test with, which would be nice.)</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Buy an analog board and use a dedicated
line.</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif"> (I think we only have one incoming
line that I could use for testing. OR, could I</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif"> use the two POTS ports
from our ISDN router and in effect just use the two</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif"> ISDN data lines as POTS
lines?0</font>
<br>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Thanks to all!</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Shayne</font>