[asterisk-users] Limitations of IAX

[Douglas Garstang]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Joshua Colp [mailto:jcolp at digium.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, August 02, 2006 7:42 AM
> To: Asterisk Users Mailing List - Non-Commercial Discussion
> Subject: Re: [asterisk-users] Limitations of IAX
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Douglas Garstang
> [mailto:dgarstang at oneeighty.com]
> To: Asterisk Users Mailing List -
> Non-Commercial Discussion [mailto:asterisk-users at lists.digium.com]
> Sent:
> Wed, 02 Aug 2006 13:50:56 -0300
> Subject: [asterisk-users] Limitations of
> IAX
> 
> 
> > I'm about ready to give up on IAX2. It seems to have some SERIOUS
> > limitations.
> 
> You may have run into these limitations in your deployment 
> but others are using IAX2 fine for what it was designed to 
> do. No software out there can anticipate everyone's needs. 
> Those who do run into issues end up working around the 
> limitations or modifying it to their needs. You will probably 
> need to do the same or seek an alternate solution.
How many CLEC's are you aware of that are using Asterisk to provide not just enterprise features, but carrier grade features?

> 
> > Incoming PSTN call comes into to user A on pbx1. We look 
> for user A locally,
> > and don't find them. We then do a DUNDi lookup, get a path, 
> and dial user A
> > on pbx2 with IAX2. User A picks up the call.
> > 
> > When IAX passes the call from pbx1 to pbx2, it does not 
> pass some of the
> > dial plan variables. Namely dnid, which is set to 
> 'unknown'. Consequently
> > (for reasons I don't yet understand) when user A on pbx2 
> tries to do a blind
> > transfer, the dnid is not set, and as a result, we _must_ 
> fail the call
> > because we have no source number on our network. 
> 
> Have you reported a bug on this DNID not being passed?
No... last time I opened a bug I got told it wasn't a bug, the bug was closed, and I was given bad feedback.

>  
> > Also, the account code is not picked up on pbx2 as well.
> 
> As previously pointed out transporting the account code may 
> be a security risk as well. If you really need it why don't 
> you encode it into the dialed number or something?
Yeah well, I know if the account code isn't passed, we can't bill the call. How is passing the account code in the dialled string any less insecure than passing it somewhere else in the IAX protocol?