[Mac-telephony-list] LinuxPPC & * or OpenPBX?

[Amanda Walker via List]

On Dec 22, 2006, at 9:41 AM, Tom Rymes via List wrote:
> I would caution against running a PBX on a server shared with other
> services, such as file sharing, etc.  It will indeed work, but it is
> not a good idea, IMNSHO. Also, I would also be reluctant to have your
> PBX located off-site, as your phone service is then only as reliable
> as your internet connection.

My phone service is already only as reliable as my Internet  
connection.  Since that connection's downtime is measured in  
milliseconds per year (over 7+ years at this point), this is not a  
huge concern in my particular situation.  However, that connection is  
only a DS1.  My XServe is sitting at the other end, a gigabit hop  
away from most major tier 1 carriers--it's in a much better position  
to handle things like multiparty audio & video conferences, for  
example.  It has power even when regional power goes out, has  
connectivity I can't afford to bring to my office, and so on.

> The additional hardware and power costs are not sufficiently large to
> merit taking any shortcuts with your PBX. Phone service is simply too
> important to nearly every business.

Sure.  If I needed a high-volume PBX, absolutely.  I'd rent another  
1U or 2U and throw a dedicated machine in there.

In my case, I have an intermittent need for things like conference  
bridging, IVR, etc.  For my needs ("a mac user who sometimes needs  
more than a SIP ATA"), a telephony server running on a shared server  
that's underutilized is perfect--it gives me a PBX "for free" when I  
need it, at a zero marginal cost.

"Replacing a traditional business PBX" is not the only reason for  
being interested in this stuff.  If that's the problem at hand, a  
single-purpose server is a great solution.


Amanda Walker