Hi Chris, same here, convenience wins. I love the fact that the complete SmartNode configuration can be backed up as one readable configuration file. firmware up/downgrades and configuration backups are a matter of minutes and can always be safely rolled back or transferred. This is in contrast to Dialogic Diva BRI/PRI cards, which are pretty awesome but rely on a mess of packages, daemons and kernel modules compiled in place on the target system for the target kernel. So by just updating your server you could possibly break stuff and you also have to make sure that your OS is supported. Then there's things like the beroFix (never used them) which are self contained SIP/ISDN gateways on a PCI card. By buying "enterprise", you can migitate the possibility of your gateway/card going EOL. That's why Audiocodes' gateways are expensive compared to Linksys stuff. SmartNode development has always been active even for existing devices, i'm just a bit worried that there's no IPv6 support available or announced. On Thu, May 10, 2012 at 9:40 AM, Chris Mylonas <chris@opencsta.org> wrote:
Hi List,
The only thing against an external device is that they can become EOL - i.e. SIP stack does not get further updates. Take a Linksys SPA400 for example (4 port FXO). This has now been superseeded by a Cisco 8800 (4xFXO + 4xFXS) An internal card may get longer software updates. Network security for the external device nearly makes this a null point.
If the server that has the card dies, then it's a PITA to move the card to the back up box. Unless you have the backup box with an ISDN card as well. There are devices that do automatic switching on failure (I believe Xorcom had one that runs off USB).
That's something that is often overlooked. I would go the external device because of convenience - and if the EOL thing is a problem, buy another one in 5 years or whenever.
My 2 cents, CM
On 10/05/2012, at 5:26 PM, Markus Lindenberg wrote:
Hi,
On Thu, May 10, 2012 at 9:10 AM, Karsten Horsmann <khorsmann@gmail.com> wrote:
Btw. you can also buy an A102d with two PRI Ports. The "d" stands for echo-chancelation.
Or you get an Mediagateway like the Patton Inalp SmartNode 4960.
I would also recommend to use a SmartNode or PRI board with two ports. This way you can sync the internal (HiPath facing) port to the external (Telekom) port, which will help avoid all kinds of timing trouble. Some single port boards have proprietary interconnects to sync multiple boards of the same vendor, but by buying one card / gateway with two PRIs you can skip the complexity.
Using a standalone mediagateway like the Patton also makes it possible to put your server wherever you like and not worry about cabling the PRIs to the rack. You can route calls to multiple servers (e.g. send calls to server2 if server1 is down etc.) and don't depend on the FreeSWITCH machines to be up and running for the HiPath to work.
We're using this kind of migration setup quite often, starting with a "transparent" SmartNode looped in between PRI and "old" PBX, then gradually routing numbers to the SIP world.
Gruß, Markus
_________________________________________________________________________ Professional FreeSWITCH Consulting Services: consulting@freeswitch.org http://www.freeswitchsolutions.com
FreeSWITCH-powered IP PBX: The CudaTel Communication Server http://www.cudatel.com
Official FreeSWITCH Sites http://www.freeswitch.org http://wiki.freeswitch.org http://www.cluecon.com
FreeSWITCH-users mailing list FreeSWITCH-users@lists.freeswitch.org http://lists.freeswitch.org/mailman/listinfo/freeswitch-users UNSUBSCRIBE:http://lists.freeswitch.org/mailman/options/freeswitch-users http://www.freeswitch.org
_________________________________________________________________________ Professional FreeSWITCH Consulting Services: consulting@freeswitch.org http://www.freeswitchsolutions.com
FreeSWITCH-powered IP PBX: The CudaTel Communication Server http://www.cudatel.com
Official FreeSWITCH Sites http://www.freeswitch.org http://wiki.freeswitch.org http://www.cluecon.com
FreeSWITCH-users mailing list FreeSWITCH-users@lists.freeswitch.org http://lists.freeswitch.org/mailman/listinfo/freeswitch-users UNSUBSCRIBE:http://lists.freeswitch.org/mailman/options/freeswitch-users http://www.freeswitch.org