[asterisk-dev] Celliax LiveCD Beta01RC1 released (lets Asterisk manage GSM and CDMA cellular phones, and Skype calls to/from cellphones, via chan_celliax)

Fri Sep 21 11:29:01 CDT 2007

Celliax is a channel driver for the Asterisk Free PBX that manages GSM
and CDMA cellular phones through an adapter, composed by a datacable
(for commands) and an audiocable (for the voice) interfacing the
computer soundcard. Runs on Linux and Windows (see below for more).

This is Beta software, please test it and report problems at:
http://www.celliax.org

Download Celliax Developer's LiveCD Beta 01 RC1 via bittorrent from:
http://www.celliax.org/downloads

Enjoy!

Giovanni Maruzzelli

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Major features in this release:

 * Skype support on Linux and Windows XP
 * Windows XP on USB pendrive (no install required)
 * Linux on LiveCD (Knoppix based, no install required)
 * SMS support
 * Astlinux 0.47 iso (no install required)
 * Configuration GUI
 * Asterisk 1.2.24
 * Skype for Linux 1.4.99
 * Directory imports Skype Contacts
 * Directory imports Cellphone Phonebook
 * Directory exports to Phonebook (so, you can
   call through Asterisk with just one click in
   the cellphone, like a normal cellphone call)

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Celliax is a channel driver for the Asterisk Free PBX that manages GSM
and CDMA cellular phones through an adapter, composed by a datacable
(for commands) and an audiocable (for the voice) interfacing the
computer soundcard.

chan_celliax is also capable of making and receiving Skype calls
through the cellphone, and has an app like app_directory that let you
choose which one of your Skype contacts you want to call.

Celliax runs on Asterisk 1.2 on Linux and Windows (with cygwin and a
little modification to the compilation of Asterisk to avoid the calls
to sigkill), and on Asterisk 1.4 only in Linux (because Asterisk 1.4
itself does not build on Windows, at date).

Together with chan_celliax is distributed the Celliax LiveCD, with a
working installation of Asterisk, chan_celliax, and configuration
utilities based on Knoppix. The Celliax LiveCD contains also all is
needed to run Celliax on Windows:the cygwin installer and the tgz with
the asterisk-celliax stuff to be untarred in a basic cygwin
installation.

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       o What is in this LiveCD
       o How to run the software directly from the LiveCD
       o How to run the software directly from USB pendrive on Windows XP
       o How to install and use Celliax from hard drive on Windows XP

This CD contains all you need to run and modify Celliax software on
Linux and Windows platforms.

 * On the CD you can find:
       o astlinux-61.iso (image of astlinux+celliax that you can
          burn and run)
       o celliax_xp_usb-61.zip (compressed archive to be
          uncompressed on an USB
          pendrive that will run on Windows XP without installing anything)
       o asterisk-61.tgz (compressed archive of the
          Asterisk-Celliax stuff to be
          uncompressed in a standard CygWin installation, on Windows XP)
       o drivers for Windows XP for most datacables (Linux do not need them)
       o the Celliax LiveCD itself, you can boot from the CD ;-)

For managing a cellphone, you will need a Celliax Hardware Adapter,
that you can build yourself or buy.
But you can test the Celliax software also without any hardware (just
with regular microphone and headset), setting the controldev_protocol
to "NO_SERIAL" in the celliax.conf file.

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Celliax LiveCD

To use and modify Celliax you don't have to install anything on your
hard disk, it runs entirely from the (live)CD. When you stop using it
and reboot the computer, nothing has been changed or modified.

This liveCD contains:

 * For normal usage:
       o Linux LiveCD based on a streamlined Knoppix 5.0.1, ready
          to run with a
          preconfigured installation of Celliax
       o Kernel 2.6.17.14, with working wireless ipw2200 and
          ark3116 module for new datacables!
       o Asterisk 1.2.24
       o Skype 1.4.99
 * For software development:
       o Complete development environment, with editors, compilers,
          tools, dev libraries,
          etc.
       o Script to download the most recent sources from the
          Celliax Development SVN
          repository (/usr/local/asterisk/usr/sbin/svn_celliax
       o All the tools needed to remaster the liveCD itself. For
          remastering, please see
          http://knoppix.net/wiki/Knoppix_Remastering_Howto

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To begin using Celliax LiveCD, just leave this CD in the CDrom drive
and reboot your computer

For managing a cellphone, you will need a Celliax Hardware Adapter,
that you can build yourself or buy.
But you can test the Celliax software also without any hardware (just
with regular microphone and headset), setting the controldev_protocol
to "NO_SERIAL" in the celliax.conf file.

 1. During the boot you will be asked to choose your language/keyboard
 2. The sound levels are automatically preset for interfacing
    cellphones. If you are using
    mic and headphones you probably need to raise the level of
    master, pcm, and capture
    with the Mixer you find in the Application menu (fourth item
    from top), or with
    "alsamixer -V all" from a terminal
 3. On boot, Skype and Celliax will start automatically
 4. First configure Skype to connect automatically at startup
 5. Make a skype test call to echo123 (it's important to make this call now)
 6. Then close skype from its menu (the little wheel bottom left),
    so it can save it's
    configuration
 7. Now relaunch skype
 8. Start to configure Celliax
 9. When skype ask your authorization, give it. Then close skype
    from its menu, so it can
    save its config
 10. close Celliax typing "stop now" in its CLI window
 11. At this point, you want to save ALL configurations, so all will
     work again next time you
     boot the LiveCD, without having to config it again. If you
     have one, put an USB pendrive
     in now. Then from the Application menu, choose Save ALL
     configs and follow the
     instructions. All configs will be automatically restored next
     time you boot
 12. Reboot
 13. Skype will automatically connect, and you just need to press
     enter at all celliax
     questions
 14. Using mic and headphones, the call is initiated by an incoming
     sound in the mic. You
     can then use the dial and hangup console commands to interact.
 15. The extensions.conf is the same of the default Asterisk
     distribution, with some
     extensions added (700, 777, 888, 889). Please see the
     /usr/local/asterisk/etc/asterisk/celliax.conf file for details
     on how to use those extensions

You can then open an xterm and use (from the knoppix home directory)
the script /usr/local/asterisk/usr/sbin/svn_celliax to download the
most recent sources, then go in the newly created "celliax" directory
and read the aptly named README file for instruction on compilation
and installation.

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Running the software directly from USB pendrive on Windows XP (no installation!)

For managing a cellphone, you will need a Celliax Hardware Adapter,
that you can build yourself or buy.
But you can test the Celliax software also without any hardware (just
with regular microphone and headset), setting the controldev_protocol
to "NO_SERIAL" in the celliax.conf file.

This is an EXPERIMENTAL Cygwin+Asterisk+Celliax distribution, meant to
be run on Windows XP from an USB stick.

 1. Uncompress the zip file and go into the directory that contains
    a README similar to
    this instructions
 2. From this directory, copy all contents (files and directories),
    in the root of an USB
    pendrive. I mean, only the contents, not this directory too.
    Eg: from Windows XP open
    this folder, from the menu Edit choose Select all (Ctrl+A),
    then from the menu Edit
    choose Copy (Ctrl+C). Then open the USB pendrive, and from its
    menu Edit choose
    Paste (Ctrl-V).
 3. When the copy is finished, wait a couple of seconds, then
    extract and reinsert the USB
    stick.
 4. You will be presented with a choice to start Celliax and Asterisk.
 5. That's all.
 6. If the choice is not presented to you, open the USB stick folder
    and double click on
    autorun.bat.
 7. Using mic and headphones, the call is initiated by an incoming
    sound in the mic. You
    can then use the dial and hangup console commands to interact.
 8. The extensions.conf is the same of the default Asterisk
    distribution, with some
    extensions added (700, 777, 888, 889). Please see the
    /usr/local/asterisk/etc/asterisk/celliax.conf file for details
    on how to use those
    extensions

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Installing and Using Celliax on Windows XP

For managing a cellphone, you will need a Celliax Hardware Adapter,
that you can build yourself or buy.
But you can test the Celliax software also without any hardware (just
with regular microphone and headset), setting the controldev_protocol
to "NO_SERIAL" in the celliax.conf file.

 1. If you have not previously installed CygWin, in the CD you will
    find the setup.exe
   CygWin installer. Click on it and follow the instructions to
    install a basic CygWin
   environment on your computer.
 2. Then install, using again the setup.exe CygWin installer, the
    following additional Libs
    packages needed by Celliax. You will find them in the Libs
    section of the installer:
       * libcurl3
       * libgettextpo0
       * mingw-runtime
       * minires
       * openssl
       * readline
 3. Copy from the CD the file asterisk-61.tgz on your /usr/local
    directory in CygWin.
 4. Now from within the CygWin environment, go to that directory (cd
    /usr/local), then
    extract the Celliax files (tar xzf asterisk-61.tgz)
 5. That's it!
 6. Be sure to have Skype running
 7. Then launch a cygwin shell
 8. Now from inside the CygWin environment you can run
    /usr/local/asterisk/usr/sbin/celliax
 9. Using mic and headphones, the call is initiated by an incoming
    sound in the mic. You
    can then use the dial and hangup console commands to interact.
 10. The extensions.conf is the same of the default Asterisk
    distribution, with some
     extensions added (700, 777, 888, 889). Please see the
     /usr/local/asterisk/etc/asterisk/celliax.conf file for details
    on how to use those
     extensions
 11. Copy from the CD the file celliax.bat on your Windows Desktop,
    so you can just
     double-click on it (without need to launch a cygwin shell and
    execute commands)

If you have a developer's installation of CygWin, you can then use
(from your home directory) the script
/usr/local/asterisk/usr/sbin/svn_celliax to download the most recent
sources, then go in the newly created "celliax" directory and read the
aptly named README file for instruction on compilation and
installation.

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