Re: Asterisk progress

["patricklidstone" <patrick@xxxxxxx>]

> I'm not a programmer but could control HV and/or ACE via DDE,
Command
> Line Arguments or writing to a text file. How easy is this AGI/EAGI
to
> use without a lot of programming?

Once I get asterisk up and running properly, I'll add xAP support.

> I know there's been a lot of talk about hardware - for a single
analogue
> line and a home highway line with two ports - what would I need to
use
> them all?

Do you want to use the analogue ports on HH? If not, the cheapest
thing to do is, I think:

- Switch from HH to Business Highway
- Port your analogue numbers to digital MSNs. Calls to those numbers
will now be routed only via the digital port
- Get an ISDN card for you asterisk PC. BT Speedway cards are
typically a tenner on E-Bay.
- Buy the developers kit from Asterisk/Digium. This will give you one
analogue in and one analogue out for USD 175 + import tax. Use the
analogue in to interface to your other analogue line. Connect the
analogue out to all existing extensions.

This will give you very limited PBX capabilities because you only
have one extension. You can upgrade the digium board to support up to
4 analogue extensions on a single board at a price. Probably more
flexible in the longer term would be to use SNOM phones for all your
extensions - in that case no extension board is required at all if
you can dispense with all your existing analogue equipment.

The config above (line in, line out + ISDN) requires 3 free PCI slots.

If you don't want to switch from HH to BH, you need a multiport FXO
card (three ports min for your config). This will cost you.... Again
Digium is as good a source as any - see the asteriskpbx hardware page
for alternative suppliers.

Patrick