[Asterisk-Users] New PBX Help

[Nik Martin]

Bisker, Scott (7805) wrote:
> 
> Depending on your familiarity with linux, the learning curve could be
> steep and prove frustrating considering everything else you'll be
> dealing with (new network infrastructure, new computers, new servers,
> new telco/data circuits).  Less expensive components does not always
> equal cheaper.  Before I installed my system I knew tip/ring and some
> T-1 stuff on the telco side.  It took me 3-4 months to get completely
> comfortable with asterisk and all the other telco things before I
> deployed my asterisk system, which replaced a working legacy pbx. 
> The most difficult thing was the telco side.  There are many ways to
> get dialtone, and telco engineers aren't always forthcoming with
> information.  They are used to dealing with vendors that know what
> they know.           
> 
> my $0.02
> 
> -sb

I found my learning curve pretty short (< 2 weeks) with asterisk, and I am a
relatively new Linux user.  My biggest challenge was also different
terminology with the voice provider.  They are a "softswitch" provider, and
use different terminology than I or Digium, and users on the message board
were accustomed to.  For example, they can't even provide a PRI T-1 circuit
without bringing in a channel bank and several other pieces of gear.  What
ended up working for us was a "TDM T-1"  Digium called that a "standard
non-pri T-1 line".  After getting the voice/data provider on a
teleconference call with Digium, we hashed out what would work.  I now have
a full T-1 with 4 channels broken out of an ADTran box that provides a T-1 /
Ethernet breakout.  This splits a T-1 into an Ethernet line for my business
network (channels 5-23 are data) and a T-1 signaled line for a Digium T100P
card (channels 1-4 are voice channels with hunting and caller ID)  You need
to plan ahead for asterisk, unless you can make arrangements for your users'
phones until you get up to speed on it.

Also, I never regret choosing asterisk as my PBX.   We're a remote office
and our home office is using Cisco CM provided by a third party provider and
they hate how inflexible it is, because of all the crap they have to go
through just to get changes made to the CM config.

HTH,

Nik