[Fsf-friends] South Asia Quake Help - Asterisk Server needed

[Frederick Noronha (FN)]

Thanks to Irfan Khan <khania at super.net.pk> and Kris Dev for forwarding
this... FN 
       
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [LinuxPakistan] South Asia Quake Help - Asterisk Server needed

Date:   Fri, 14 Oct 2005 00:12:53 -0500
From:   Tariq <tariq at linuxpakistan.net>
To:     general at linuxpakistan.net
        
Request for help from quakehelp_AT_gmail_DOT_com. Please Help!!!
        
Hello,

As part of the South Asia Quake Help Blog
(http://quakehelp.blogspot.com) & Wiki efforts, we are trying to setup
a SMS2Web/Web2SMS system in Pakistan/India (affected areas). As has
been in other recent disasters, SMS seems to be the only available
communication means in the affected areas.

This system if setup could be used by relief workers, affected people
and other volunteers to exchange important information about their
relief needs, situation reports etc. Major Relief Agencies have shown
interest in such a system. We have been trying for the last 72 hours or
so with little success.

We are looking Asterisk (Open Source IP PBX) Linux Servers, some
Asterisk Hardware and a few phone lines in Pakistan or India.

More detailed information on what's needed is available here:

http://quakehelp.blogspot.com/2005/10/urgently-needed-asterisk-linux-servers.html

As an Asterisk/Lunx tech user in Pakistan, we thought you might be able
to help us with this relief effort. We found your contact information
here:

http://lists.chambana.net/mailman/archive/cu-wireless-dev/2005-May/000488.html

Looking forward to hearing back from you.

Thanks in advance,
Bala Pitchandi & Angelo Embuldeniya
--
The QuakeHelp Team 
http://quakehelp.blogspot.com
        
Our Other Online Projects:
http://tsunamihelp.blogspot.com
http://katrinahelp.blogspot.com
http://ritahelp.blogspot.com
        
http://quakehelp.asiaquake.org
http://www.tsunamihelp.info
http://www.katrinahelp.info
http://www.ritahelp.info
        
The World Wide Help Group
http://groups.google.com/group/WorldWideHelp
--
Linux Pakistan
4 - E - 1/6 Nazimabad
Karachi - 74600
        
Phone +92-21-6622134
Email tariq at linuxpakistan.net 
Web   http://www.linuxpakistan.net
        
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BACKGROUND: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asterisk_PBX

Asterisk PBX
>From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Asterisk official logo.
Enlarge
Asterisk official logo.

Asterisk is an open source software implementation of a telephone
private branch exchange (PBX). Like any PBX, it allows a number of
attached telephones to make calls to one another, and to connect to
other telephone services including the PSTN. "Its name comes from the
asterisk symbol, *, which in UNIX (including Linux) and DOS environments
represents a wildcard, matching any filename." [1]

Asterisk is free software, released under the GNU General Public License
(GPL). Mark Spencer of Digium originally created Asterisk and remains
its primary maintainer; dozens of other programmers have contributed
features and functionality. Originally designed for the Linux operating
system, Asterisk now also runs on OpenBSD, FreeBSD, Mac OS X, Sun
Solaris, and Microsoft Windows, although as the "native" platform, Linux
is the best-supported of these.

The basic Asterisk software includes many features previously only
available in expensive proprietary PBX systems -- voice mail, conference
calling, interactive voice response (phone menus), and automatic call
distribution. Users can create new functionality by writing dial plan
scripts in Asterisk's own language, by adding custom modules written in
C, or by writing Asterisk Gateway Interface scripts in Perl or other
languages.

To attach ordinary telephones to a Linux server running Asterisk, or to
connect to PSTN trunk lines, the server must be fitted with special
hardware. (An ordinary modem will not suffice.) Digium and a number of
other firms sell PCI cards to attach telephones, telephone lines, T1 and
E1 lines, and other analog and digital phone services to a server.

Perhaps of more interest to many deployers today, Asterisk also supports
a wide range of Voice over IP protocols, including SIP and H.323.
Asterisk can interoperate with most SIP telephones, acting both as
registrar and as a gateway between IP phones and the PSTN. Asterisk
developers have also designed a new protocol, IAX, for efficient
trunking of calls among Asterisk PBXes.

By supporting a mix of traditional and VoIP telephony services, Asterisk
allows deployers to build new telephone systems efficiently, or
gradually migrate existing systems to new technologies. Some sites are
using Asterisk servers to replace aging proprietary PBXes; others to
provide additional features (such as voice mail or phone menus) or to
cut costs by carrying long-distance calls over the Internet (toll
bypass).

VoIP Telephone Companies have begun to support Asterisk PBX's. A recent
article in the Geek Gazette, explains how to configure an Asterisk
system to work with BroadVoice. VoicePulse also offers support for
Asterisk.

[edit]


External links
      * Asterisk home page 
      * Asterisk Handbook, Version 2 
      * Asterisk Enterprise Edition 
      * Hardware-Oasis.com VoIP Distributor (4-Port card Sirrix.PCI4S0
        with Asterisk support) 
      * Asterisk Wiki 
      * Russian Asterisk Community 
      * Norwegian Asterisk Community 
      * Asterisk @ Home -- simplified Asterisk installation and
        administration for the home user 
      * Hardware components for Asterisk PBX building 
      * High Level white paper on the Asterisk PBX 
      * Book: Building Telephony Systems with Asterisk, by Packt
        Publishing ISBN: 1-904811-15-9.