Here are a few advanced topics covering some things that can be done to any FreePBX or strictly Asterisk distribution.  These would be things one might be interested in doing beyond the standard Linux-Asterisk-Freepbx installation.

In previous posts I showed how to auto-provision and configure Aastra phones by manually installing XML scripts.  Aastra has released RPM packages for Trixbox that combines everything and adds new features as well as mDNS so the phones can find the TFTP server even if you don't have a DHCP server capable of assigning it.  The script won't

Just got back from the Open Telephony Training seminar in Las Vegas.

This is a general overview of some of the more common mile high mistakes people make when doing an open source VoIP PBX project.  I won't be going into details about hardware dimensioning or software configuration.  I will just be providing a general overview of some of the system level common sense mistakes people make in terms of a typical consultant/client type of project.

There is an interesting new VoIP PBX product that has caught my attention.  I even felt compelled enough to get off my lazy butt and write a little review about it.  What caught my attention was that it's from one of my favorite hardware manufacturers.  I make no secret of my love for Aastra SIP phones so when I heard about the AastraLink Pro 160 PBX I had to find out more.  It's not actually shipping till late May 2008 and I’m not enough of a big shot to get any special love from Aastra so I haven't held one in my hands much less take

The following is an update to a case study of a VoIP PBX phone system I installed back in October 2006 using this guide.  I feel it is time for an update to see how things have worked out long term.

I needed a PoE switch for doing VoIP demos and for use in my office with my SIP VoIP phones. After searching high and low for the lowest cost solution I settled on the Netgear FS108P.

Setting up your Asterisk PBX for XML auto provisioning has 2 primary advantages.  It allows non-technical people to install phones and speeds up the process of adding a large number of phones.

XML auto provisioning is installed as follows. This assumes you already have the other XML scripts installed on the server end as discussed previously.

So you got a brand spanking new Aastra 5xi phone that you want to connect to your Asterisk PBX. Implementing XML on your phones opens up a whole world of possibilities. I'll show you how to do it.

These have all been tested on my Aastra 57i phone. It should work on the 55i as well. I am not sure what will work on other phones. Some things will and some things won't.