[asterisk-users] Is Asterisk ready for Prime-Time?

[Bill Andersen]

This is not a troll.  I've used my real email because I want this
taken seriously.  I'm not trying to make anyone mad, I just want
some real discussion on this issue.  Please bare with me...

I'm a USER of Asterisk.  We purchased 3 commercially available
"Asterisk Based" PBXs a little over a year ago. (I won't mention
which one at this point - I don't want to bad mouth them - yet!)
Two of the systems are very small (5 SIP lines/6 Polycom phones).
The third is on a PRI with 30 Polycom phones.

My smaller sites work pretty good.  I've only had to restart
Asterisk every month or so.  However, my 30 station system
is a continuous headache.  I average a restart at least once a
week.  Sometimes a couple of times in the week.  I'm always being
called to "fix" something that just stopped working.

I DON'T WANT TO GET INTO A "Well, don't just complain, tell us
your setup and we can help you get it working".  This list HAS
helped me figure out some of the issues.  THANK YOU!  But the
purpose of this post is more of a fact finding mission.

1) Was choosing Asterisk for our company the wrong decision...

   a) IF... I expect a phone system to just work.  Once it is
      configured, a phone system should just work with
      very little attention.  My previous system was a
      Comdial with external voice mail on a DOS based PC.
      I LITERALLY WENT OVER 4 YEARS WITHOUT HAVING TO REMOVE
      POWER TO THE COMDIAL CONTROL OR RE-BOOT THE VOICE MAIL PC.
 
   b) IF... I really only need a phone system that allows an operator
      to answer each call and transfer them to the appropriate
      person.  I need voice mail, but very little auto attendant
      features (mostly after hours).  All the bells and whistles
      that Asterisk offers are cool, but don't bring that much to
      the table for our purpose.

   c) IF... Stability is more of an issue than high end features?

2) Are there any users out there that really DO have an Asterisk
   system that just works like clockwork?  I'm saying, once setup,
   run for a year (or more) without any issues?

3) If SO, Should I simply consider a different vendor?

4) If NOT, and if my expectations are that a system SHOULD just
   run and run without any problems.  Is Asterisk simply not my
   solution.  Is Asterisk not REALLY ready for production.  Because
   in my mind (as a user of phone services), "dealing" with the
   phone system, even on a MONTHLY basis, means that the system
   is NOT really production ready...  Before we installed an
   Asterisk based PBX, I spent maybe 4 hours per YEAR with phone
   issues (setting up a new station?).  Since we moved to an
   Asterisk based PBX, I spend 4 hours (or more) every WEEK!

   Am I expecting too much?

Bill