[Asterisk-Users] central voicemail with remote offices

Tue Feb 10 14:27:05 MST 2004

Darren,

To achieve voicemail on a central location I did the follow.

In a context I call 

exten => _[1-5]XX,1,Macro(stdexten,${EXTEN})

So extensions 100-500 are all routed thru a macro unless previously
defined

macro-stdexten contains:

[macro-stdexten]

exten => s,1,DBget(caller=EXTEN/${ARG1})

exten => s,2,DBget(dnd=DND/${ARG1})

exten => s,3,Voicemail(u${ARG1}) 

exten => s,4,Hangup

exten => s,102,Macro(invalid)

exten => s,103,Dial(${caller},30,Tti)

exten => s,104,Voicemail(b${ARG1})

exten => s,105,Hangup

In words this is how it works:

User Dials 222

Check Database Family EXTEN Key 222 For an entry

If found store result in caller

Else invalid extension

Assuming the extension is still Valid

It checks the DB again for Family DND Key 222

If that is set it goes straight to voicemail unavailable

otherwise tries to dial Caller

If caller doesn't answer goes to voicemail on central server

Hangs Up

I just used the asterisk DB to pull this off

Some example entries are below

/DND/101 : YES

/EXTEN/10 : SIP/10

/EXTEN/101 : IAX2/wsuff

/EXTEN/500 : IAX2/wsuff

If my iax2 client dials the voicemail extensions on the central server
they can retrieve their messages as well. If you are using Asterisk
servers in the remote offices you could set extensions on the central
server to IAX2/remoteofficea/directuserextension

You could even set an extension on each office pbx to connect to the
office and interface w/ the voicemail

If you need any specific help feel free to contact me off the list.

On Tue, 2004-02-10 at 14:36, Darren Martz wrote:
> Thanks for the email William.
> 
> I guess the main challenge is to setup the system in a way that's
> manageable. I didn't really understand your voicemail notification idea. So
> when vmail is left at the central server, you have the server call the
> remote office extension and leave a vmail there that they have a message on
> the central server?
> 
> You know what would be grand, extending the IAX protocol to allow remote
> voicemail checks. For example (maybe we can already do this), assigning a
> zap channel a mailbox like:
> 
> Mailbox=centraloffice/1234 at departmentA
> 
> So it builds on the virtual domains that are already part of the system but
> allows the check to be performed on another asterisk box. For that matter it
> would be even better to do the following in an extensions file:
> 
> Exten =>  700, 1, VoicemailMain(,centraloffice)
> Exten => 1234, 1, Dial(Zap/1,15,t)
> Exten => 1234, 2, Voicemail(1234 at departmentA,centraloffice)
> Exten => ...
> 
> Again where centraloffice is identified in the IAX config file. To me this
> would allow a separate box to handle all the voicemail calls. 
> 
> Internally I suppose that would require a transfer to the centralserver and
> possibly back again. Maybe someone that has worked closely with the vmail
> code can comment?
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: William Suffill [mailto:wsuff at comcast.net] 
> Sent: Monday, February 09, 2004 9:02 AM
> To: Darren Martz
> Subject: RE: [Asterisk-Users] central voicemail with remote offices
> 
> Darren,
> 
> I don't think it's crazy just very involved. I need to write the same idea
> into my dial plan since it's moving to  a central office tomorrow.
> 
> I would be curious to how your dialplan comes out but here's my thoughts on
> the issue
> 
> In your dial extensions set the dial timeout to 20 then fwd it to an
> extension on the central server using IAX2 that will put it into voice mail.
> 
> As far as the voice mail situation i'd keep it so all client calls are fwded
> by iax2 to the central voicemail system. Once a msg it left you can use a
> call file to ring user in office X to notify them. If they don't answer the
> central office callback that is set to VM running in that office. That way
> when they return they can check their msgs and see they have a notification
> that someone left them voicemail in the master office.
> 
> Same concept I have to approach as well since I'm a admin for a Webhost as
> well as a freelancer. I'm not going to be living on site so VOIP is my only
> link to the office incoming phone lines at the office etc.
> 
> 
> Anything further feel free to contact me off the least at wsuff at comcast.net
> 
> I tend to neglect my other account due to the sheer mailing list volume Hope
> that helps, William
> 
>  
> On Mon, 2004-02-09 at 11:22, Darren Martz wrote:
> > Is this a crazy idea? I thought this would be ideal for a failover plan.
> > 
> > Anyone with experience on this? 
> > 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: asterisk-users-admin at lists.digium.com
> > [mailto:asterisk-users-admin at lists.digium.com] On Behalf Of Darren 
> > Martz
> > Sent: Saturday, February 07, 2004 1:32 PM
> > To: asterisk-users at lists.digium.com
> > Subject: [Asterisk-Users] central voicemail with remote offices
> > 
> > I'm having trouble figuring this dialplan out. I have a central 
> > asterisk box that has voicemail and the auto attendant for incoming 
> > calls. Things get complex when I add three remote offices connected only
> through the Internet.
> > The locals seem easy enough to handle. Redirecting through _2[0-2]N to 
> > another office makes sense.
> > 
> > Where I'm having trouble is supporting a central voicemail system. 
> > 
> > If headoffice is where I want all the voicemail to reside, and an 
> > outside caller attempts a local. The voicemail statement is easy, its 
> > on the same server.
> > 
> > But when someone from office-a calls someone in office-b, unless the 
> > call is routed through headoffice I can't see an easy way of 
> > redirecting for voicemail.
> > 
> > Or if someone in office-a calls someone in the same office, how can I 
> > redirect the voicemail back to headoffice?
> > 
> > And to further the madness, if my phone is in office-a, is there a way 
> > to know I have voicemail waiting for me at headoffice?
> > 
> > I would like to do this because I expect the remote offices to have 
> > the occasional Internet connectivity troubles, but I don't expect our 
> > customers to care. They will still call the headoffice and attempt to 
> > contact local 1234.
> > 
> > Perhaps I'm looking at this problem the wrong way.
> > 
> > Has anyone been faced with a similar situation???
> > 
> > 
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