[Asterisk-Users] Features you'd like to see in a GUI?

[Sherwood McGowan]

Oh and, yes, we have the ability to manage multiple servers from one gui
site. We currently have multiple "switches" running on different machines
for regional control of customers in our VOIP system.

Thanks again,
Sherwood

->-----Original Message-----
->From: asterisk-users-bounces at lists.digium.com 
->[mailto:asterisk-users-bounces at lists.digium.com] On Behalf Of 
->Kanuri, Seshu (Company IT)
->Sent: Thursday, August 04, 2005 10:34 AM
->To: Asterisk Users Mailing List - Non-Commercial Discussion
->Subject: RE: [Asterisk-Users] Features you'd like to see in a GUI?
->
->Sherwood,
->
->Your intentions are noble and your desire to build this, 
->fullfills an immediate need for business.
->
->If your intention is just to build a GUI for Asterisk, read 
->no further.
->If your desire is to build something more purposeful, your 
->best bet would be to see the existing commercial 
->GUI/HostedPBX offerings like Pbxware and Switchware from 
->bicomsystems.com ( http://www.bicomsystems.com) and Thirdlane 
->Technologies (http://www.thirdlane.com/opensource.htm) and 
->the Open Source software like AMP and try to emulate (or 
->preferably improve upon) them.
->
->My suggestion is to create a "VOIP Business in a Box System" 
->that has inter-alia following list of modules:
->
->1) GUI To configure Administer Asterisk Extensions across many servers
->2) Postpaid and Prepaid Billing modules with realtime call 
->progress detection and call cut-off 3)CRM Module for 
->customers to register and provide their information for 
->recurring billing.
->4)Web based conference room management module 5)Web based 
->click to dial and callback module
->
->Many of these modules are already available on Open Source 
->like SugarCRM, AsreskiCC etc., and Asterisk at home CD contains 
->AMP and SugarCRM at this time, besides other Open Source 
->utilities like PhpMyAdmin.
->
->Here is the bottomline:
->----------------------
->The real need is for a commercially deployable solution that 
->can create a business, without too many additions to it.
->
->Bicom Systems has promised for too long that their Pbxware 
->and Switchware can fullfill this need to create a business, 
->but they never deliverd their promise. PBXware and Switchware 
->have been a total and expensive disappointment to me and for 
->the few who invested in them.
->
->The story is similar with Thirdlane Technologies who promised 
->a good Asterisk Management Interface but they have not been 
->able to deliver a mature GUI to manage Asterisk, let alone 
->deploying a Hosted PBX.
->
->AMP fullfills this promise partially and I am impressed with 
->it's richness of features, to create a Open Source Hosted PBX 
->where you don't need to bill the customer.
->
->AreskiCC Provides a module to run a Calling Card Business but 
->not as a Hosted PBX .
->
->AMP Gives a nice Gui and can be used as a Corporate PBX but 
->not as a Commercial Hosted PBX as it does not have a billing system.
->
->In summary a system that is a blend of AMP + AreskiCC + 
->SugarCRM would be a good mix of ingredients to build what I 
->would call a "Business in a Box" solution. There is money to 
->make in such solutions.
->
->The Business in a box solution could be any one of the 
->following, with the ingredient modules being varied.
->
->1)Asterisk Calling Card Business in a Box 2)Asterisk Call 
->Center Business in a Box 3)Asterisk Business Messaging 
->Business in a Box 4)Asterisk Hosted Telephone and PBX 
->business in a Box
->  Etc etc.
->
->My .02 cents on this.
->
->Seshu Kanuri
->
->-----Original Message-----
->From: asterisk-users-bounces at lists.digium.com
->[mailto:asterisk-users-bounces at lists.digium.com] On Behalf Of 
->Sherwood McGowan
->Sent: Thursday, August 04, 2005 9:02 AM
->To: 'Matt Florell'; 'Asterisk Users Mailing List - 
->Non-Commercial Discussion'
->Subject: RE: [Asterisk-Users] Features you'd like to see in a GUI?
->
->
->->Is this going to be a configuration utility or an end-user utility?
->
->Both, there will eventually be functionality for per-user 
->permissions, however right now this is for the administrator 
->to add/remove "accounts"
->in SIP and IAX, eventually other trunks, voicemail 
->configurations, per user configuration of options, 
->etc...think Asterisk @ Home's combination of tools, all in one place. 
->
->Perhaps it would be better to show what's going on already, 
->here's what I have currently working in my employer's system 
->(an ITSP):
->
->Editing of individual extensions/trunks in SIP and IAX 
->Voicemail Account / Option Editing CDR Searching Provisioning 
->File Editing for devices User configuration editing (extra 
->table setup for Account options) Account Management (Using 
->SIP for end user accounts, interface merges voicemail, sip, 
->provisioning, and user options on one page) System Statistics 
->(concurrent calls, channels, memory usage, load, etc...)
->
->Current future plans:
->Specific SIP/IAX Channel Information
->Allowing dropping of a channel (this is due to the occasional 
->need for dropping hung channels, which can really rack up 
->fees on a system) SIP PRUNE REALTIME PEER <number> SIP SHOW 
->PEER <number> [load] The above two options for IAX as well.
->Voicemail Greetings webinterface (not hard, just not finished 
->yet) Voicemail Webinterface (really fairly easy, just not 
->done) Extensions.conf editing Logging Interface Log viewing & 
->Management
->
->
->As you can see, this is a fairly indepth project. Until I 
->actually had to use Asterisk on a large scale (1000+ 
->concurrent users), I hadn't thought of a lot of these 
->features. The more I use it the more I come across little 
->things that would be really useful. Thanks to Digium for 
->offering the commandline option "asterisk -rx commandtoexecute"!
->
->Aside from these planned features, are there any other arcane 
->options that you'd like to see? I'm definitely trying to get 
->as many of the CLI commands implemented in one way or 
->another, as many users don't want to sit in the CLI and watch 
->verbose output, while admins such as myself need to be able 
->to watch progression of calls.
->
->Thanks again,
->Sherwood McGowan
->ARTCP Developer
->
->
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