# Asterisk as Voicemail Server?

**URL:** <https://community.asterisk.org/t/asterisk-as-voicemail-server/20114>\
**Category:** Asterisk Support\
**Created:** [April 2, 2008, 3:27pm UTC](https://community.asterisk.org/t/asterisk-as-voicemail-server/20114 "2008-04-02T15:27:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![necouchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e274bd/32.png) [@necouchman](https://community.asterisk.org/u/necouchman)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 3:27pm UTC](https://community.asterisk.org/t/asterisk-as-voicemail-server/20114/1 "2008-04-02T15:27:48Z")

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I’m looking to implement Asterisk across my Organization, and I’d like to start by using it as just a voicemail and MeetMe server. So, I have a few questions about that, one of which I think I already know the answer to, but I’ll ask, anyway:

1. Is there any way at all to use Asterisk with external voice modems? Here’s why I ask: I’d like to run Asterisk (at least initially) in a Virtual Machine, and the only way to make that VM hardware-independent (so that I can run it on whichever host I want) is to use Digi’s Serial-over-Network devices and external voice modems. I know Asterisk is pretty limited to Digium’s hardware in terms of what cards it supports, but I wanted to ask, anyway.
2. Is Asterisk capable of doing any sort of voice mail waiting signaling? My current phone system, a Comdial FX-II, uses a serial port to get signals from the voice mail system (currently VVP) that the voice mail system is present and also receives signals over this port when a mailbox has a message waiting so that the phones will light their message waiting indicators. Is it possible to do this in Asterisk? Unfortunately I don’t know exactly what type of signaling is used, but if there’s any support for any serial-port based protocols, I’d like to give them a try.
3. If I don’t use an external modem and need to get the PCI-based cards, do the analog cards support DID and/or DTMF signalling?

Thanks!

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**Author:** ![necouchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e274bd/32.png) [@necouchman](https://community.asterisk.org/u/necouchman)\
**Post date:** [April 7, 2008, 11:56am UTC](https://community.asterisk.org/t/asterisk-as-voicemail-server/20114/2 "2008-04-07T11:56:18Z")

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Bump…any ideas, anyone? Anyone know the signaling mechanisms out there used by Comdial?

Thanks…