[Asterisk-Users] Port density: DS3 cards?

[Bob Knight]

John Todd wrote:

> At 11:04 AM -0800 12/5/03, Bob Knight wrote:
>
>> Greg Boehnlein wrote:
>>
>>> On Thu, 4 Dec 2003, Bob Knight wrote:
>>>
>>>> Steve Dolloff wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> I would be seriously wary of putting a DS3's worth of voice 
>>>>> traffic on a
>>>>> TNT.  I don't believe they are rated to handle that much voice.  The
>>>>> APX1000 would be a much better platform, but I don't know if you can
>>>>> find one used.
>>>>>
>>>> Skip the TNT's.  They are really a joke.
>>>> I will admit, I am a bitter X-Livingston employee.
>>>> First Lucent bought us for our cool gear, then they bought
>>>> Ascend for sales and marketing......
>>>> I still can't believe they kept the TNT alive and killed PM4.
>>>
>>>
>>> The PM3 LIVES ON DUDE! :) I'm all about Livingson, and have refused 
>>> to put the Asscend stuff in my data center. Seriously, Jake over at 
>>> portmasters.com is doing some good stuff with the PM3. Now that 
>>> we've got control of ComOS, it is just a matter of time before new 
>>> ComOS releases start coming out for the unit. Several people have 
>>> already rolled their own and added a few niggling fixes to the 
>>> 3.9.1c1 code branch.
>>>
>>> It would be great if we could find a way to use the PM3 as an 
>>> inbound channel bank for Asterisk though. I have like 7 of them 
>>> sitting in the back doing nothing..
>>>
>> I like that idea.
>> I wrote all the drivers for the PM3 and it would fairly easy to do.
>> Looking at the prices on portmasters.com, you could have a 2 t1 inbound
>> channel bank for about $350.  Add another $150 for an extra t1.
>> I think we used the same Dallas framers that Digium uses.
>>
>> I am a very big * fan and I am feeling a little guilty that I am 
>> using an ethernet
>> only solution.  No Digium cards.  I would really like to support 
>> Digium, but
>> I do not want to start pluggin any PCI cards into the box other than 
>> an extra
>> ethernet or 2.  I would love to see Digium come out with a t1/e1 to 
>> ethernet
>> channel bank.  Compared to when we made the PM3 there are some way cool
>> processors with built in TDM and ethernet.
>>
>> Yo Digium,  I am hanging out here in CA with nothing better to do 
>> than play
>> with *.  Why don't you contract out and let me and a few of my 
>> unemployed
>> friends build a little channel bank for you.
>>
>> -- 
>> Bob Knight
>> [-w] the work option
>> bk at minusw.com
>> 925-449-9163
>
>
>
> Bob -
>    You make two good points:
>
> 1) The PM3 might be an interesting and inexpensive TDMoE Device, or 
> maybe even a "stupid" IAX2 channelizer.  I suspect that Digium will 
> not help you with this unless you allow them to be the "exclusive" 
> reseller, since this takes away from their core business of selling 
> cards.  However, even with a bit of a markup, this would still be a 
> pretty decently priced multi-T1 solution, as long as the used market 
> can reliably offer these devices at good pricing.
>
> 2) On the larger discussion, a separate device that provides T1 
> termination in a more dense footprint than a PC is obviously showing 
> some interest, as judged by the number of followup posts on this list 
> to my original question.  There are two devices that I see as useful:
>
>   - an FXO and FXS selectable solution, via RJ11 or Centronics-style 
> bus connector, in a 1u package that delivers IAX2 out (or, 
> sub-optimally, TDMoE)  Options for this would be built-in codecs. 
> Pricepoint: <$1100 (the cost of a T100P and a well-equipped channel 
> bank.)  To be successful, this device _must_ support FXO and FXS. 
> Fail-over dialplans for 911 or other "failsafe" dialing methods would 
> be good (typical in such devices.)  There exist already devices that 
> fit this description, though they are only SIP or H.323, and they tend 
> to be wayyyyy too expensive.
>
>   - a high-density T1 termination system that can handle >8 T1's in a 
> very small amount of rackspace.  DS3 de-muxing onboard would be 
> optimal, since anyone with >8 T1's is probably getting a DS3 delivery 
> method, and removing the M13 mux from the rack would be great. 
> Optimally, a 1u rackmount with T3/E3 coax _and_ 28 RJ-45 connections 
> (only 17 of which would be used for E3/E1 muxing)  Out of this unit 
> would come IAX2 or (sub-optimally) TDMoE packets to Asterisk peer(s).
>    This solution quickly gets into the discussion of "why you might 
> need SS7 for large installations", but I will not address that here, 
> and we'll assume this is all PRI delivery.
>
>
> JT

I would really like to see both of these devices.
I would buy both of these devices.
I do not want to build and sell these devices.
I want Digium to build and sell these devices.
I want Digium to contract out to me to help them bring these
to market in a timely fashion. OK, I am just looking for a way
to make a little money, ie unemployed nerd.

This would be so much easier to build with todays processors compared
to what we had to work with when we built Portmasters.

-- 
Bob Knight
[-w] the work option
bk at minusw.com
925-449-9163