Question on Queues for Outbound Calls

I am using Asterisk 11 on CentOS 6.3 minimal install.
This is a plain install. Most of the conf files are default. We are using the system to make outbound calls over third party SIP Trunk lines. So I have a custom sip.conf and an extension.conf. We have a custom coded scheduler that adds calls to the outbound directory at the appropriate scheduled time. These are automated surveys that are delivered based on a schedule.

Because of an error in our code a number of calls were dumped into the outbound directory. Seeing that I had a problem I stopped Asterisk (core stop now). I cleared the directory and my external files. BTW I only had one phone line spun up.

However, when I restarted Asterisk, a number of calls were in the “queue” and were attempted.

I am not able to determine how to turn off this feature. I have made a number of searches. Many sites explain what the parms of queue.conf are. The feature seems to be oriented towards holding inbound calls until an agent is available. I understand that. But that is not what I am doing.

My queue.conf contains a lot of comments and:
[general]
persistentmembers = yes
monitor-type = MixMonitor

What I was hoping for is the calls to stay in the outbound folder until the line was free. That way if the calls need to be stopped and cleared, it is simply a file delete function.

One of the things I looked for is a way to empty the queue before restaring Asterisk. I was not able to find a command, file or database to use or delete.

So… Is there a way to turn off the queue feature for outbound calls?
Can the queue be cleared while Asterisk is stopped? Is there a different method of pausing the calls across the board until issues are corrected?
If the queue is required, is there a way to limit the queue to one call per line?

This is a non-critical issue. I want to give the user the ability to stop and clear the calls if a disaster occurs. (the disaster may be a scheduling issue that they could work out without my assistance).
But, if they need to call me (because of a disaster) then I’ll deal with it. (they could stop Asterisk and it would remain stopped until I restart it).

Thanks
Donald

The Queue application and queues.conf have nothing to do with call files.

I guess that by using the term “queue” you refer to the spool dir where call-files are held. You can safely delete them when Asterisk is down.

It would not be simple to delete callfiles from the spool if you decide to cancel a campaign in mid-flight. It would be easier to use AMI so that you have exact control of what you are doing or a dialer solution that wraps the problem for you.