SV: [Asterisk-Users] Newbie questions.....

[Dave Packham]

Check to see if you can get a IOS code leverl that supports SIP on the
6500.  then maybe you can use your E1 card directly.  you can also get a
SIP version of the code for the 7960's etc

Dave

>>> jwi at weball.csis.dk 6/28/2003 2:56:12 PM >>>
Hi Chris


I've done a lot of things with Cisco AVVID solutions in the past.

> CallManager).....am I right in saying that Cisco phones using 
> Skinny will 
> not work with asterisk? Is it ever likely too?

Cisco own Skinny Protocol is not supported directly. But Cisco SE
always
told me that Skinny is a subset of H.323. But I would'nt count on it to
be
functioning correctly.
 
> * We have an 8 port E1 card in a Cisco 6509 which takes our 
> main phone trunk to the public network. Can we connect an
> Asterisk PBX server with an E1 card to this? If so, could
> we then connect the Asterisk PBX to the callmanager? 
> (Perhaps with another extension range).....and if so, how?

Yes, it's possible. I've done it to trombone calls through a
Operator system (Trio) and to interconnect with both Ericsson,
Nortel PBXs and iPBXs.

On CM you set it up as a trunk line, create a route map which
forward all calls to that specific E1 / T1 port on the 6608,
which are connected to the Asterisk Pri port.

On the Asterisk you do the same. Beware that top-down, bottom-up
is opposite on the 2 system. Then you should be able to get it
working. There could be a few minor adjustments which needs
to be done on the CCM - but trying to recall the configuration
Page from memory is'nt that easy :-) But it was actually very few
steps in getting it to interconnect with Nortel Meridians and
Ericsson MD-110 through PRI trunks.

But you actually dont need it. You can specify H.323 
trunks/endpoints/zones in CCM where you can specify The IP address
and numbering plan of the Asterisk system. This way would be better
because you have to apply codecs (involve DSP) four times using
the 6608 board. This would probably give very long delays more than
300 ms depending on the payload.


> * .....or could we connect Asterisk to the 6509 over IP and 
> so make it part of the main phone system?

Already answered - But asterisk can not directly communicate with
6608 on the 6509. All out going calls using the 6608 has to go
through the Callmanager.

> * We have a Nortel Meridian PBX on our other campus which is 
> connected to 
> our IP telephony system via an E1 link to a Cisco Vg200 voice H.323 
> gateway.......would there be any way to point asterisk at 
> this gateway and 
> make it part of our main phone system that way? ....again if so how?

Hm.... This one is a bit difficult to answer. As I recall vg200 is a
limited voice gateway which only can be used by Cisco Callmanager.
Which makes your scenario to be : 
Meridian -> PRI trunk -> VG200 -> Router > WAN/LAN -> Router -> 
Cisco Callmanger -> 6608 ->PSTN

Am I correct ?

The you can replace the Meridian and VG200 with Asterisk or
any of these with Asterisk. Or you can add it separately on the 
LAN on same location as the VG200, and specify asterisk as a H.323
Trunk/endpoint on the Cisco callmanager.

In general all solutions depends on the equipments ability to apply to
the standards. If some of it does'nt you would loose functionality.

But I would really think twice before connecting too many different
iPBX
Components in one VoIP solution. I can understand if you're going to
test
the asterisk project as an alternative to either Cisco AVVID solution
or
the PBX's in your campus network. But a working enviroment I would
really
be very careful. It would be almost impossible to troubleshoot.

It is very important to know your current setup in details, and what
you
hope to gain by using Asterisk.

If my English is to bad then I apologize ... :-)

Cheers, 

Johnny Witt
Netværksspecialist
CSIS - Combined Services & Integrated Solutions
Majsmarken 9 * DK2680 Solrød Strand * Denmark
Tlf : (+45) 56 13 11 83  * Mobil (+45) 28 66 28 48  * jwi at csis.dk