Worldexhange + Asterisk

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PANiCnz

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Topic # 32117 13-Apr-2009 15:46

Hey Guys,

Just got a couple of questions about setting up a Asterisk/trixbox setup with Worldexhange.

I've read the following article:
http://voipusers.org.nz/wiki/Trixbox_2.0_install_guide_for_dummies

All seems fairly straight foward however the SIP trunk for the VFX connection is a little bit confusing.

Is there no way to use the VFX connection natively with trixbox, without a trunk? I've seen a few forum posts/article that mention "be sure to ask for an Asterisk account when signing up", whats the point of this?

If trixbox simply treat the ATA as a phoneline why does Worldexchange need to support Asterisk, the ATA would be doing all the work?

I was looking at these:
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Computers/Networking-modems/Modems/auction-212559526.htm

And was hoping I could use them instead of a Linksys PAP2T to connect my analogue phones to the VOIP connection?

Thanks

sbiddle

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Reply # 206680 13-Apr-2009 16:01

The PCI card on Trademe is a FXO card. This is for hooking an analogue POTS line (ie a regular Telecom phoneline) into an Asterisk machine.

To run an analogue phone off an Asterisk box you need an ATA such as the PAP2T or a PCi card that has an FXS port. FXO = for connecting phoneline and FXS = for connecting phone.

Asterisk is not directly supported on a regular VFX account which is tied to the MAC address of your ATA. To use Asterisk you need to contact WxC and ask for an Asterisk account to be created before you can use Asterisk with a VFX account.

PANiCnz

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Reply # 206681 13-Apr-2009 16:13

sbiddle: The PCI card on Trademe is a FXO card. This is for hooking an analogue POTS line (ie a regular Telecom phoneline) into an Asterisk machine.

To run an analogue phone off an Asterisk box you need an ATA such as the PAP2T or a PCi card that has an FXS port. FXO = for connecting phoneline and FXS = for connecting phone.

Asterisk is not directly supported on a regular VFX account which is tied to the MAC address of your ATA. To use Asterisk you need to contact WxC and ask for an Asterisk account to be created before you can use Asterisk with a VFX account.

Great thanks for the reply.

Ok once I contact WxC and get switched over to an Asterisk account would I still need to create a SIP trunk between an ATA? Or could I potentially get away with an Asterisk box and a softphone (not that I would)?

Based on what i've read so far I'd still need one FXO card to connect the VFX connection (via an ATA) into the Asterisk box? Thus i'd lose one of the RJ11 ports on the ATA.

Is it possible to connect an ATA (PAP2T) to the Asterisk box via Ethernet and simply use it as a means of connecting 2 analogue phones? and have the Asterisk box provide the VFX connection?

Cheers

sbiddle

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Reply # 206689 13-Apr-2009 16:46

PANiCnz: Ok once I contact WxC and get switched over to an Asterisk account would I still need to create a SIP trunk between an ATA? Or could I potentially get away with an Asterisk box and a softphone (not that I would)?

Based on what i've read so far I'd still need one FXO card to connect the VFX connection (via an ATA) into the Asterisk box? Thus i'd lose one of the RJ11 ports on the ATA.

Is it possible to connect an ATA (PAP2T) to the Asterisk box via Ethernet and simply use it as a means of connecting 2 analogue phones? and have the Asterisk box provide the VFX connection?

Cheers

The ATA connects to Asterisk via ethernet. You don't use an FXO card to connect an ATA to Asterisk.

I'm a little confused by what you mean in the first parapraph.

When you set up an Asterisk system that connects to the VFX server. Any ATA or softphone you use then connects to your Asterisk box and does not connect back to VFX.

PANiCnz

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Reply # 206698 13-Apr-2009 17:51

sbiddle:
PANiCnz: Ok once I contact WxC and get switched over to an Asterisk account would I still need to create a SIP trunk between an ATA? Or could I potentially get away with an Asterisk box and a softphone (not that I would)?

Based on what i've read so far I'd still need one FXO card to connect the VFX connection (via an ATA) into the Asterisk box? Thus i'd lose one of the RJ11 ports on the ATA.

Is it possible to connect an ATA (PAP2T) to the Asterisk box via Ethernet and simply use it as a means of connecting 2 analogue phones? and have the Asterisk box provide the VFX connection?

Cheers

The ATA connects to Asterisk via ethernet. You don't use an FXO card to connect an ATA to Asterisk.

I'm a little confused by what you mean in the first parapraph.

When you set up an Asterisk system that connects to the VFX server. Any ATA or softphone you use then connects to your Asterisk box and does not connect back to VFX.

Arh thats what i was hoping to hear.

Based on the voipusers.org.nz guide I've read and was planning to follow the only way to get VFX to work with Asterisk was as a SIP trunk and using the ATA to make the connection to the VFX server. However based on what you saying it looks like WxC now supports Asterisk and it can be used to make the connection directly to the VFX server.

Thanks alot your replies have clarified alot of lingering questions i had.

sbiddle

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Reply # 206706 13-Apr-2009 18:32

Ahh.. that guide will be very old.

VFX didn't offially support Asterisk for some time in part because of the large number of security implications in doing this. Tony wrote a guide detailing how to use an ATA registered directly do VFX and then bridge this to Asterisk using an FXO card.

This is no longer needed and was very much a "hack" anyway that was certainly no no means suitable for a production enviroment.