[Asterisk-Users] Multiple AGI Issues

[Douglas Garstang]

I've got several issues with AGI/FastAGI

1. When an AGI script sends a command to Asterisk via stdin, why does Asterisk block and not return a result until the command is complete? Specifically, the dial command. If I send a Dial command to Asterisk, I don't get a return result until AFTER the call is HUNG UP. Not when it's ringing, not when the call is connected, but when it's DISCONNECTED. Why is that? How are you supposed to use commands like CHANNEL STATUS if you have to wait until the call is hung up, to check it's status?

2. Why do AGI scripts stay in memory until a call is complete? Is there any way to have the script terminate when a call is connected? With this scenario, you have a script for every single call in place, and that's really bad from a system resource perspective.

3. Seems that no scripting language is up to the task of FastAGI. Perl's threads aren't thread-safe with DBI and Python's aren't completely thread safe either. Don't know about Ruby, and I ain't no C programmer. What have people implemented? I also don't like the threading approach, because if something goes wrong with the script/server, you lose the ability to place ANY calls.

Doug