[asterisk-users] dCAP Exam

[Jared Smith]

On Thu, 2009-09-17 at 15:12 -0400, jon pounder wrote:
> Not that I would ever consider taking an exam like that, but I have been 
> using/configuring asterisk since nearly the beginning of this mailing 
> list, and I have never touched dahdi or polycom. Someone should still be 
> able to pass an exam without knowing about specific hardware where there 
> is more than one alternative to use in real configurations.

Let me try to clarify things a bit here... The dCAP test is primary a
test of Asterisk skills, not your familiarity with the configuration of
a particular brand of phone or with the Digium line of hardware cards.  

Part of the test does require you to get an IP phone registered and
talking to Asterisk, but the instructor should be more than happy to
walk you through the web interface of the phone and say "Put the SIP
username here" and "Put the SIP password here" and "Put the IP address
of your Asterisk server here".  If you'd rather use a softphone on
Linux, you're free to use that instead of or in addition to the IP
phone.

Another part of the test asks you to get an analog phone connected to
Asterisk.  If you don't get this part working, it doesn't have a huge
effect on your score.  (Less than 5% of the total score comes from
configuring the analog phone correctly.)

In addition, you are also asked to connect Asterisk to a (emulated)
telco.  We do give you the choice, however, of using *either* PSTN or
VoIP connectivity to do so.

In a nutshell, you can pass the test without having any experience on
Polycom IP phones and Digium cards, as long as you know how to use
Asterisk itself.

-- 
Jared Smith
Training Manager
Digium, Inc.