AsteriskNOW for Linux (64-bit)

User Reviews

• it works, if you understand Linux and VOIP telephony

  wfairleyJuly 18, 2010

  Pros

  1. FREE 2. Complex, business-oriented 3. Reliable 4. popular free-ware, familiar, a de-facto standard 5. extensible frameworks, adding functionality is a matter of desire 6. SIP compliant 7. its evolution has added elegance 8. few limits 9. FREE

  Cons

  1. Complex, business-oriented 2. requires in-depth knowledge of VOIP telephony 3. actually, configuration and maintenance is not that bad, just do your research, make friends in the VOIP telephony world

  Summary

  With AsteriskNOW, the Asterisk team has made it easier than ever to create your own VOIP telephony platform for business or pleasure. Providing a complex and robust platform for VOIP telephony, this is quickly becoming the de-facto standard for small to medium business' IT staff members looking to bypass the high purchase and maintenance costs of installing a phone system. With 1.7, the team really showcases the power of community and standards by maintaining a common extensible framework while providing innovative features on a robust platform. Once you finally figure it out, your staff members will love you for providing them with a feature-rich telephony platform to take them into the 21st century, with no chains and no cages. However, a fundamental skill set in Linux as well as a background in telephony are both required to make it work. If you have more than 10 or 15 endpoints, you should assess your network infrastructure to ensure it will handle the VOIP traffic in addition to the regular business traffic. I set this up on a virtual machine with 4 endpoints with no problems, YMMV (your mileage may vary). Compared to other VOIP softswitches, the AsteriskNOW system is on par with other free systems and lays the foundation for growing your VOIP service via scalability. If you have experience with Linux, experience with telephony, a craving for knowledge, and some free time, I highly recommend downloading the ISO file, buying some IP phones, and creating a VOIP system.

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