8
Case Studies
Up to this point, we have worked through the setting up of a new phone system based on Asterisk. Our system is developed with our specific needs in mind and has configurations and features enabled to fit our particular purposes. Often we will find ourselves wondering if we're making full use of the magic of Asterisk, and perhaps the best way to find new tricks is to examine examples of working phone systems.
What follow in this chapter are typical examples of a few just such systems. Each section will be devoted to one type of system. First, we will give a brief overview of the type of customer involved before we mention some pointers to remember as we decide what they need and how best to accomplish our task. Finally, we will go through the configuration files, one at a time. Each configuration file will be annotated, and we will briefly discuss why some of the choices are particularly good for the given scenario.
Small Office/Home Office
This is a common setup for Asterisk. In very small installations, Asterisk can be used to give us the features we need from an expensive PBX system at small office prices. Using Asterisk as a phone system for a home office gives the small business a big-business sound and feel.
The Scenario
For our first example, we will join David in his home. An avid programmer and all-round geek, he's decided he wants to have his very own phone system in his house. Because he is too cheap to buy an answering machine, the system must have voicemail. He has recently moved into an older home and only has one incoming line from the telephone company.
David has a new baby in the home and is very concerned about safety. He lives out in the middle of nowhere, and loses power pretty regularly. He only has phones in the office, kitchen, and master bedroom.
Finally, David would like to have Music on Hold for people who call in. Since he is starting a new business, he wants to present a professional image to the callers he places on hold for hours on end while he finishes his Pot Noodle.