School Environment - Bell scheduling system-Working Solution

danursuline · September 25, 2006, 4:21pm

I am wondering if anyone has done this? I have a Asterisk setup with around 90 polycom phones and want to do a bell system through the phones using something on th elines of the paging app.

I have the auto answer working on the phone and paging, but was wondering if there was an easy way to configure multiple schedules (8 to be exact) and then from a prompt select what schedule is active and then during certian times in the day page the phones (using a custom ringer on the polycoms as the bell ) and then hangup the channels.

I have a custom ringer on the phones that will play when a certian alert header is added. But need to figure out a way to schedule it

any help would be great, obviously this could be usefull for anyone in a school environment 8)

Bradrose · September 25, 2006, 6:31pm

The only thing I can think of is to use a kind of batch file along with cron jobs to setup the scheduling and ringing of phones.

If you configured an IVR with the choice of the 8 different schedules and each choice ran a different script which would remove any relevant existing cron jobs (deactivate) and then add new ones (activate) for the new schedule.

The job would run a script which could feed into the asterisk system and page the phones at the right times.

You might look at the paging applications as it shows how to ring a phone through a script in asterisk.

voip-info.org/wiki/view/Cisc … wer+config
-see callall application

An idea…

Brad

danursuline · September 25, 2006, 6:42pm

Yeah thats what Im working on

hrmm

I have the paging stuff working just trying to work out the logistics for the cron stuff I think it should be possible though -

I have the paging portion working fine.

If any one else has worked on something like this it would be cool

[b]

Is there any way to make a call from a script without using a phone?[/b]

Can I create a shell script that executes a call?

Bradrose · September 25, 2006, 7:03pm

Yes - the callall application is a shell script that you can run giving a few parameters and will call the different extensions.

The callall essentially passes the call information into a script that then gets chucked into a directory which asterisk automatically processes.

danursuline · September 25, 2006, 7:24pm

But that script and using the /var/spool/asterisk/outgoing/

requires an originating channel - how can I get around this, since everything will be handled within the dial plan?

I have tried this

test.call
Channel: SIP/2828
MaxRetries: 0
Context: classrooms
Extension: 4500
Priority: 1

and it calls channel SIP/2828 and then when I pick up it dial 4500.

I just want the sript to dial out on exten 4500 - is that possible?

whoiswes · September 25, 2006, 8:00pm

use a local channel that goes to a noop and then a wait or something…

[local-exten]
exten => 100,1,Answer
exten => 100,n,Wait(60)
exten => 100,n,Hangup

then call Local/100@local-exten instead of SIP/2828

danursuline · September 25, 2006, 8:09pm

yes, duh

thanks for that…

Ok now I have to create the cron job that will creat the outgoing call files at specific times

Another question - how can I play a sound file when I use the Page() ?

If I dial an individual phone I can run a macro in the dial context to play sounds, but not for a page.

Ok here is what I have - I can create a outgoing call file with the following format to create the “bell”

Channel: Local/0000@clock CallerID: 1st Bell MaxRetries: 0 Context: classrooms Extension: 4500 Priority: 1

and then I have an extension that does this:


[clock]
exten => 0000,1,Answer
exten => 0000,n,Playback(beep)
exten => 0000,n,Wait(1)
exten => 0000,n,Playback(beep)
exten => 0000,n,Wait(1)
exten => 0000,n,Playback(beep)
exten => 0000,n,Wait(1)
exten => 0000,n,Playback(beep)
exten => 0000,n,Wait(1)
exten => 0000,n,Hangup


exten => 4500,1,SIPAddHeader(Alert-Info: Ring Answer) ; 4 digit extensions
exten => 4500,2,Page(SIP/1700&SIP/2828&local)

Ok so that works - but now I noticed that if someone is on the phone when I mv the file to the “outgoing” it causes a 2nd line to appear on that phone, and then when they hang up their first line - it dumps them into an empty conference for all of eternity This is no good cause I know people wont pay attention to their phones…

I guess I am going to have to use hints and create hints for every phone…

Any suggestions?

danursuline · September 26, 2006, 3:17pm

Ok im now using the page.agi :
voip-info.org/wiki/view/Scri … CCP+system

To find the phones that are in use and not page them.

Everything seems to be working allright, now I need to get the cron stuff in order and all is well

What do you all think the best way to do the cron stuff?
Create tmp.call files and then move them into the /outgoing/ when bells need to be ran?

or create files with creation times in the future for all the bells for that day?

-----------EDIT------------

Ok here is what I am doing -

I am executing a shell script from crontab at specific times IE

SHELL=/bin/bash
PATH=/sbin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin
MAILTO=root
HOME=/

# run-parts
01 * * * * root run-parts /etc/cron.hourly
02 4 * * * root run-parts /etc/cron.daily
22 4 * * 0 root run-parts /etc/cron.weekly
42 4 1 * * root run-parts /etc/cron.monthly

#Bell System - Schedule 1
25 12 * * 1-5 root /clock-temp/bell.sh
30 12 * * 1-5 root /clock-temp/bell.sh
55 12 * * 1-5 root /clock-temp/bell.sh
00 13 * * 1-5 root /clock-temp/bell.sh
30 13 * * 1-5 root /clock-temp/bell.sh
10 14 * * 1-5 root /clock-temp/bell.sh
15 14 * * 1-5 root /clock-temp/bell.sh
55 14 * * 1-5 root /clock-temp/bell.sh
00 15 * * 1-5 root /clock-temp/bell.sh

shell.sh:

#!/bin/sh

# this file will create the bell.call file used for Asterisk Outgoing Spool
rm -f /clock-temp/temp01.call
cat >> temp01.call << EOF
Channel: Local/0000@clock
CallerID: Bell
MaxRetries: 0
Context: classrooms
Extension: 4500
Priority: 1
EOF

Now I am at work on creating a dialplan menu that will allow you to change the schedule and thus re-program the crontab with the correct bell schedule.

Things are moving along 8)

danursuline · September 27, 2006, 1:52pm

Now I have the entire system working with 3 schedules to choose from my dialplan.

when typing in an extension you can change what schedule is being used and its just a simple AGI bash script that re-writes /etc/crontab and reloads the config.

Here is the AGI:

#!/bin/sh

# Schedule 1 - Regular Schedule
# this file will create the Crontab file used for Regular Schedule
rm -f /etc/crontab
cat >> /etc/crontab << EOF
SHELL=/bin/bash
PATH=/sbin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin
MAILTO=root
HOME=/

# run-parts
01 * * * * root run-parts /etc/cron.hourly
02 4 * * * root run-parts /etc/cron.daily
22 4 * * 0 root run-parts /etc/cron.weekly
42 4 1 * * root run-parts /etc/cron.monthly

#Bell System - Schedule 1 - Regular Schedule
00 08 * * 1-5 root /clock-temp/bell.sh
57 08 * * 1-5 root /clock-temp/bell.sh
02 09 * * 1-5 root /clock-temp/bell.sh
59 09 * * 1-5 root /clock-temp/bell.sh
04 10 * * 1-5 root /clock-temp/bell.sh
19 10 * * 1-5 root /clock-temp/bell.sh
24 10 * * 1-5 root /clock-temp/bell.sh
21 11 * * 1-5 root /clock-temp/bell.sh
26 11 * * 1-5 root /clock-temp/bell.sh
51 11 * * 1-5 root /clock-temp/bell.sh
56 11 * * 1-5 root /clock-temp/bell.sh
21 12 * * 1-5 root /clock-temp/bell.sh
26 12 * * 1-5 root /clock-temp/bell.sh
51 12 * * 1-5 root /clock-temp/bell.sh
56 12 * * 1-5 root /clock-temp/bell.sh
53 13 * * 1-5 root /clock-temp/bell.sh
58 13 * * 1-5 root /clock-temp/bell.sh
55 14 * * 1-5 root /clock-temp/bell.sh
EOF
/etc/init.d/crond reload

as you can see the schedules are complex (many different times) and I havnt figured out a good way to make it so you can easily modify the shcedule from the dialplan - but changing it in a flat file isnt too bad

It works, and gets the job done!
8)