Hi All
I’m a hands-on developer (as well as owner) of a small software and consultancy business with around 25 years experience in IT across most areas (except of course Telecoms and/or VOIP). I’ve got > 10 years experience with 'nix and am not afraid to get my hands dirty (and do on a daily basis).
I want to start to get familiar with Asterisk and thought I would start with setting up a machine in our office.
I’d like to achieve the following:
We have three lines coming into the office, two separate lines/numbers for voice and one for fax (currently answered by HylaFAX). I want to have both of our incoming voice lines (and the fax line??) go into an Asterisk server. I’d like the box to intercept all calls with a voice menu, possibly checking caller id (rejecting those with CID withheld) and forwarding the calls to the selected extension, showing the CID. Outgoing calls would either go out via the POTS or via a VOIP provider (we do not have one yet).
I’d like to provide full voice mail facilities for all staff.
I’d like to have a number of extensions (wired or wireless) dotted around the 7 or 8 rooms in the place.
I’d like all numbers to be maintained in a central repository that can be accessed by any handset.
I would also like the fax line (if possible) be used as an outgoing (and incoming??) voice line if it’s not in use for faxing at the time the call is made.
I am sure I read a white paper some time ago that outlines setting up a home Asterisk system that dealt with all these issues, including rejecting CID withheld calls and asking them to enter a phone number for verification but (of course) I cannot find this white paper anywhere now.
I have downloaded the O’Reilly book and am about to immerse myself in it but before I start I thought I would ask the following:
[ul]
[li]Is anything I have talked about here not possible?[/li]
[li]Does the white paper I mentioned sound familiar to anyone?[/li]
[li]Am I starting in the right place with the O’Reilly book or could anyone suggest a better starting place?[/li]
[li]Given my location, can anyone suggest a supplier and/or recommendations for any necessary cards, phone etc for this project.[/li][/ul]
Apologies if this is a FAQ - I have trawled the forums but didn’t find any answers for the questions I want to ask.
Any and all suggestions (short of taxidermy) gratefully accepted.
Rgds and Antipodean TIA
Nigel