[Asterisk-Users] Systems Admin; Telecom Newbie - What do I need?

[John Novack]

Ed Pastore wrote:

> Thanks for all the great help! I finally feel a little grounded when  
> thinking about this stuff... at least enough to put a ballpark figure  
> on my budget, anyway.
>
> But as I think about it a little more, one huge question appears to  
> me... do I need to massively expand my network?
>
You MAY want to also consider a gradual transition away from your 
Comdial, rather than a full cutover.

> I had suggested that I would like to use soft phones on my Macs, and  
> several people here (and elsewhere) have mentioned that that  
> technology isn't really ready for primetime... not for serious  
> business applications anyway.
>
And some would argue that also applies to Asterisk. Many features that 
are taken for granted on business telephone systems do not yet exist or 
are difficult to configure in Asterisk, along with a less than optimum 
POTS line interface. Faxing should bypass it as well.

> But currently, I only have one ethernet jack per office. Routing  
> another 60 or so ports would add a very substantial expense in both  
> cabling and backbone expansion (what category ethernet is required,  
> BTW?).
>
> My ComDial routes over what appears to be 4-wire phone wire RJ- 
> whatever... 11? 45? I get those confused. Anyway, are those wires  
> acceptable? What do you folks do in a situation like mine?
>
Depends.
Telephone system wiring , depending on when it was installed and by 
whom, could be 4 wires with no twist, level 1, level 3 or  higher wiring.
AFAIK, most of the hard IP phones will work on Level 3, but you will 
need to change the 6 position modular jack out to an 8 position one.
( RJ designations are frequently misused, and refer to wiring patterns 
defined in Part 68 of the FCC rules ( in the US ))
Some later Comdial systems could also use only one pair, and moves and 
changes over the years could have left LOTS of little "gotchas" in the 
wiring.

What you really want is a hardphone with a CAt 5 input and a passthrough 
so you can continue to use your existing wiring, but I don't know if 
they are made ( yet )

> And is there any chance in hell I could use my ComDial DigiTech 7700  
> phones with Asterisk? I assume that's right out, but might as well  
> ask....

No chance, unless you retain the Comdial cabinet

John Novack