Telephony card recommendations?

I just loaded up Asterisk Now Beta 5 x86 onto a dedicated linux server, and would like to coordinate 2 analog lines with 1 VOIP line (if there is such a card).

Ideally the card would be expandable, or come with at least 4 lines total.

Budget is a consideration and I would like to stay within the few hundred dollar range (even if used).

A friend has a stack of digium cards available, but I’m not sure which models to consider.

Any thoughtful suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

For what you need look at digium’s (digium.com) analog cards. The just released some new one.

As for the Analog to VoIP this is an Asterisk function.

Does the card need to be able to handle IVR, or (like VOIP), is this a feature contained within Asterisk as well?

Do I need echo cancellation?

Any other considerations in choosing a card? I looked at the T410 and would rather not pay ~$1000 if there are other options.

The card is an interface to the PSTN nothing more. As a general rule echo cancellation is not required for this application but it doesn’t hurt.

Asterisk is the core control and it does all the work for any functions that you require.

That is my read of your post. So it sounds like all I need is a basic card, right?

Yes but you need to have FXO ports on it to connect to the PSTN and/or FXS ports to connect to a standard phone.

TDM21B for my 2 analog lines.

Ok, that looks like enough to get me started. Thank you for your help.