Source: http://www.freeswitch.org/node/117

Author / Founder: Free Switch

Note: CudaTel a IP-PBX from Barracuda ( http://www.BarraGuard.com )

Visit: Virtual Graffiti for your Technology and Network Security Needs!  http://www.VirtualGraffiti.com

How does FreeSWITCH compare to Asterisk? Why did you start over with a new application? These are questions I’ve been hearing a lot lately so I decided to explain it for all of the telephony professionals and enthusiasts alike who are interested to know how the two applications compare and contrast to each other. I have a vast amount of experience with both applications with about 3 years of doing asterisk development under my belt and well, being the author of FreeSWITCH. First I will provide a little history and my experience with Asterisk, then I will try to explain the motivations and the different approach I took with FreeSWITCH.

I first tried Asterisk in 2003. It was still pre 1.0 and VoIP was still very new to me. I downloaded and installed it and in a few minutes I was tickled pink over the dial tone emitting from my phone plugged into the back of my computer. I spent the next few days playing with my dial plan and racking my brain to think of cool stuff I could do with a phone that was hooked up to a Linux PC. Since I had done an extensive amount of web development in my past life I had all sorts of nifty ideas like matching the caller id to the customer’s account number and trying to guess why they were calling etc. I also wanted to move on in my dial plan based on pattern matching and started hacking my first module. Before I knew it I had made the first cut of app_perl, now res_perl where I had embedded a Perl5 interpreter in Asterisk.

Now that I had that out of my system, I started developing an Asterisk-driven infrastructure to use for our inbound call Queues. I prototyped it using app_queue and the Manager Interface now proudly dubbed “AMI” (initials always make things sound cooler). It was indeed magnificent! You could call in from a PSTN number over a T1 and join a call queue where our agents who also called in could service the calls. “This rocks!” I thought to myself as I watched from my fancy web page showing all the queues and who was logged in. It even refreshed periodically by itself which was why I was surprised when the little icon in the corner of my browser was still spinning for quite some time. That’s when I first heard it. That word. The one I can never forget, deadlock.

That was the first time, but it wasn’t the last. I learned all about the GNU debugger that day and it was just the first of many incidents. Deadlock in the queue app. Deadlock in the manager, Avoiding Deadlock on my console. It was starting to get to me a little but I kept going. By this time I was also quite familiar with the term Segmentation Fault another foe to the computer developer. After about a year’s time wrestling with bugs I found myself a lot more well-versed in the C programming language than I even imagined and near Jedi caliber debugging skills. I had a working platform running several services on a DS3 worth of TDM channels spread over 7 asterisk boxes and I had given tons of code to the project including some entire files on which I hold the copyright. http://www.cluecon.com/anthm.html

By 2005, I had quite a reputation as an asterisk developer. They even thanked me in both the CREDITS file and in the book, Asterisk, The Future of Telephony. I not only had tons of applications for asterisk in tree, I had my own collection of code they did not need or want on my own site. (Still available today at http://www.freeswitch.org/node/50)
Despite all of this I could not completely escape the deadlocks and crashes. I hid the problem well with restart scripts and 7 machine clusters but I could not see a way to scale my platform much more. I had to abandon some features because they just would not work right based on the way Asterisk was designed.

Asterisk uses a modular design where a central core loads shared objects to extend the functionality with bits of code known as “modules”. Modules are used to implement specific protocols such as SIP, add applications such as custom IVRs and tie in other external interfaces such as the Manager Interface. The core of Asterisk is a threading model but a very conservative one. Only origination channels and channels executing an application have threads. The B leg of any call operate only within the same thread as the A leg and when something happens like a call transfer the channel must first be transferred to a threaded mode which often times includes a practice called channel masquerade, a process where all the internals of a channel are torn from one dynamic memory object and placed into another. A practice that was once described in the code comments as being “nasty”. The same went for the opposite operation the thread was discarded by cloning the channel and letting the original hang-up which also required hacking the cdr structure to avoid seeing it as a new call. One will often see 3 or 4 channels up for a single call during a call transfer because of this.

/* XXX This is a seriously wacked out operation. We’re essentially putting the guts of
the clone channel into the original channel. Start by killing off the original
channel’s backend. I’m not sure we’re going to keep this function, because
while the features are nice, the cost is very high in terms of pure nastiness. XXX */

This became the de facto way to pull a channel out of the grips of another thread and the source of many headaches for application developers. This uncertain threading scheme was one of the motivating factors for a rewrite.

Asterisk uses linked-lists to manage its open channels. A linked-list is a series of dynamic memory chained together by using a structure that has a pointer to its own type as one of the members allowing you to endlessly chain objects and keep track of them.
They are indeed a useful programming practice but when used in a threaded application become very difficult to manage. One must use mutexes, a kind of traffic light for threads to make sure only 1 thread ever has write access to the list or you risk one thread tearing a link out of a list while another is traversing it. This also leads to horrible situations where one thread may be destroying or masquerading a channel while another is accessing it which will result in a Segmentation Fault which is a fatal error in the program and causes it to instantly halt which, of course means in most cases all your calls will be lost. We’ve all seen the infamous “Avoiding initial deadlock” message which essentially is an attempt to lock a channel 10 times and if still won’t lock, just go ahead and forget about the lock.

The manager interface or AMI has a concept where the socket used to connect the client is passed down into the applications letting your module have direct access to it and essentially write any data you want to that socket in the form of Manager Events which are not very structured and thus the protocol is very difficult to parse.

Asterisk’s core has linking dependencies on some of it’s modules which means that the application will not start if a certain module is not present because the core is actually using some of the binary code from the module shared object directly. To make a call in asterisk in at least version 1.2 you have no choice but to use app_dial and res_features because the code actually lives in those modules. The logic to establish a call and to do things like a forked dial actually reside in app_dial not the core, and res_features actually contains the top level function that bridges the audio.

Asterisk has no protection of its API. The majority of the functions and data structures are public and can easily be misused or bypassed. The core is anarchy with assumptions about channels having a file descriptor, which is not always necessary in reality but is mandatory for any asterisk channel. Many algorithms are repeated throughout the code in completely different ways with every application doing something different on seemingly identical operations.

This is only a brief summary of the leading issues I had with Asterisk. I donated my time as a coder, my servers to host the CVS repository and served as a bug marshal and maintainer. I organized a weekly conference call to plan for the future and address some of the issues I have described above. The problem was, when one looks at this long list of fundamental changes then thinks about how much work it would take and how much code may have to be erased or rewritten, the motivation to address the issues begins to fade. I could tell not many people would be on board with my proposal to start a 2.0 branch and rewrite the code. That is why in the summer of 2005 I decided I would do it myself.

My primary focus on FreeSWITCH was to start from the core and trap all the common functionality under the hood and expose it in a pyramid to the higher levels of the application. Like Asterisk, the Apache Web Server heavily inspired me and I chose to use a modular design. From the first day the basic fundamentals I chose to adhere to were that every channel has it’s own thread no matter what it was doing and that thread would use a state machine function to navigate its way through the core. This would ensure that every channel would follow the same predictable path and state hooks and overrides could be placed into the machine to add important functionality very similar to how methods and class inheritance works in an object oriented programming language.

It hasn’t been easy. Let me tell you. I’ve had my fair share of Segmentation Faults and Deadlocks while coding FreeSWITCH , (a lot more of the former than the latter I must say). But I built the code from the core and went from there. Since all of the channels operate in their own thread and there are occasions where you need to interact with them, I use read/write locking so the channels can be located from a hashing algorithm rather than a linked list and there is an absolute guarantee that the channel cannot be accessed or go away while an outside thread has reference to it. This alone makes it much easier to sleep at night and obsoletes the need for “Channel Masquerades” and other such voodoo.

The majority of functions and objects supplied by the FreeSWITCH core are protected from the caller by forcing them to be used the way they were designed. Any concept that is extensible or provided by a module has a specific interface which is used to front end that functionality therefore the core has no linking dependency on any of its modules.
There is a clear cut layered API with the core functions being on the bottom and the amount of functions on each subsequent layer decreasing as the functionality increases.
For instance it’s possible to write a large function that uses an arbitrary file format module to open and play audio to a channel. But in the next layer of API there is simply a single function that will play a file to a channel that is then extended to the dial plan tools module as a tiny application interface function. So you can execute the playback from your dial plan, from your custom C application using the same function or you can write your own module that manually opens the file and plays it all using the services of the file format class of modules without ever divulging it’s code.

FreeSWITCH is broken into several module interfaces. Here is a list of them:

Dialplan:
Implement the ring state of a call, take the call data and make a routing decision.

Endpoint:
Protocol specific interface SIP, TDM etc.

ASR/TTS:
Speech recognition and synthesis.

Directory:
LDAP type database lookups.

Events:
Modules can fire existing core events as well as register their own custom events
Which can be parsed from an event consumer at a later time.

Event Handlers:
Remote access to events and CDR.

Formats:
File formats such as wav.

Loggers:
Console or file logging.

Languages:
Embedded languages such as Python and JavaScript.

Say:
Language specific modules to construct utterances from sound files.

Timers:
Reliable timers for packet interval timing.

Applications:
Applications you can execute on the call such as Voicemail.

FSAPI (FreeSWITCH API interface [see I use initials too!] )
Command line functions, XMLRPC functions, CGI type functions, Dialplan function variables exposed with a string in, string out prototype.

XML
There are hooks to the core XML registry that make it possible to do realtime
lookups and create XML based CDRs

All of the FreeSWITCH modules work together and communicate with each other only via the core API and the internal event system. Great care was taken to ensure this and avoid any unwanted behavior from outside modules.

The event system in FreeSWITCH was designed to keep track of as much as possible. I designed it under the assumption that most users of the software would be connecting to FreeSWITCH remotely or using a custom module to gather call data. Thus, every important thing that happens in FreeSWITCH results in an event firing. The events are very similar to an email format having headers and a body. Events can be serialized into either a standard text format or an XML representation. Any number of modules may be written to connect to the event subsystem and receive events about presence, call state and failures. The in-tree mod_event_socket provides a TCP connection on which events can be consumed as well as log data. In addition call control commands may be sent over this interface as well as bi-directional audio flow. The socket can be established by either an in-progress call as an outbound connection or from a remote machine as an inbound connection.

Another important concept in FreeSWITCH is the centralized XML registry. When FreeSWITCH loads it opens a top-level XML file which is fed into a pre-processor that parses special directives to include other smaller xml files and to set global variables which can be referenced from that point forward to template the configuration.
For instance you can set the preprocessor directive to set a global variable like this:

<X-PRE-PROCESS cmd=”set” data=”moh_uri=local_stream://moh”/>

now even on the next line in the file you can use $${moh_uri} and it will be replaced by local_stream://moh in the post processed output. The final post processed registry is loaded into memory and accessed by the modules and the core to provide several vital sections to the application:

Configuration
Configuration data to control the behaviour of the application.

Dialplan
An XML representation of a dialplan that can be used by mod_dialplan_xml to
route calls and execute applications.

Phrases
A markup of IVR phrase macros to use from IVRs and to speak multiple languages.

Directory
A collection of domains and users for registration and account management.

Using XML hook modules, you can bind your module to lookups in the XML registry and, in real time, gather the required information and return it to the caller in place of the static data in the file. This makes it possible to do purely dynamic SIP registrations and dynamic voice mailboxes and dynamic configuration of a cluster using the same model as a web browser and a CGI application.

With embedded languages such as JavaScript, Java, Python and Perl, it’s possible to write scripted application that can control the underlying power with a simple high-level interface.

The first phase of the FreeSWITCH project was to create a stable core on which to build scalable applications. I am happy to report that it will be completed on May 26th 2008 with the release of FreeSWITCH 1.0 “phoenix”. We have been able to out perform Asterisk by a factor of 10 in similar situations according to the accounts of two separate early adopters brave enough to go into production pre-1.0.

I hope this explanation is sufficient to outline the difference between FreeSWITCH and Asterisk and will shed some light on my decision to start the FreeSWITCH project. I will forever remain an Asterisk developer due to my vast involvement in the project and I wish them all the luck in the world with the future design of the application. I may even dig up some more of my long lost Asterisk code in my personal archives and release it to the public as a gesture of good will towards the project that gave me my start in telephony.

Asterisk is an open source PBX and FreeSWITCH is an open source soft switch. There is plenty of room for both applications among the other great open source Telephony applications such as Call Weaver, Bayonne, sipX, OpenSER and many many more. I look forward every year to presenting with and talking to all the developers of these projects at ClueCon in Chicago this summer. http://www.cluecon.com

We can all inspire each other to push the envelope on Telephony even farther. The most important question you can ask is. “Is it the right tool for the job?”

//

10 things you should know about moving from:

Windows XP to Windows 7

Greg Shultz

September 4, 2009

If you skipped Windows Vista and stuck with Windows XP, chances are good that you are now seriously considering moving to Windows 7 after it’s released on October 22. If so, there is much for you to do. Not only should you begin planning for your operating system migration, but you should begin learning as much as you can about Windows 7. Here are 10 things you can do to get ready for the switch.

1: Check your hardware

Windows 7 was designed to be lean in terms of hardware, so that it will be able to function satisfactorily on sub-powered netbooks. If you’re running Windows XP on a computer manufactured within the last three or four years, chances are good that Windows 7 will run fine on your system. However, you can make sure that your hardware is compatible by running Microsoft’s Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor.

The Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor will perform a detailed scan of your entire system, checking hardware, programs, and peripheral devices. Once the scan is complete, the Upgrade Advisor will display a report telling you whether your system meets the hardware requirements and idenfying are any known compatibility issues with your programs and devices. If it finds problems, the Upgrade Advisor will provide suggestions you can use to better analyze your upgrade options to Windows 7.

You can download the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor from the Microsoft Download Center. At the time of this writing, this tool is listed as being a Beta version. However, running it now will give you a good idea of what you will be facing as you prepare for your upgrade.

If you’re planning a much bigger Windows XP to Windows 7 migration, you’ll want to investigate the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit. This free toolkit, which runs across the network without having to install software on client systems, will allow you to investigate systems and compile reports on hardware and device compatibility.

2: Understand the Custom Install

If you’re running Windows XP on your computer and you want to use Windows 7 on that same computer, you’ll purchase an Upgrade license package of Windows 7. However, you won’t be able to perform an in-place upgrade. In other words, you won’t be able to upgrade to Windows 7 on top of XP and keep all your applications and settings “in place.” Instead, you’ll have to perform a Custom Install, which Microsoft describes as follows:

A custom (clean) installation gives you the option to either completely replace your current operating system or install Windows on a specific drive or partition that you select. You can also perform a custom installation if your computer does not have an operating system, or if you want to set up a multiboot system on your computer.

When you completely replace Windows XP, the installation procedure will not totally obliterate it. In fact, the installation procedure will create a folder on the hard disk called Windows.old and will place the Windows, Documents And Settings, and Program Files folders from your Windows XP installation in it. Your data files will be safe and accessible, but your applications will not be viable. (Even though the Custom Install saves your data in the Windows.old folder, you will want to have a separate backup on hand just in case!)

Regardless of whether you choose to completely replace Windows XP or set up a multiboot system, you are going to have to back up and transfer all of your data, reinstall all of your applications, and reconfigure all of your settings.

3: Consider a setting up a multiboot configuration

When pondering a Custom Install, you should consider setting up a multiboot configuration. That will place both Windows XP and Windows 7 at your disposal, which will be a big advantage as you begin migrating your settings, documents, and applications. More specifically, you can boot into Windows XP to check out how something is set up and then boot into Windows 7 to re-create the same configuration. Once you have everything in Windows 7 exactly the way you had it in Windows XP, you can remove the multiboot configuration set Windows 7 as the primary OS and then remove Windows XP.

To be able to perform this type of switch, both XP and 7 must be installed on the same hard disk but on separate partitions. (If you install Windows 7 on a second hard disk, the boot partition will exist on the first hard disk, so you won’t be able to remove that drive once you’re ready to get rid of XP.) As a result, you’ll need to repartition your hard disk to make room for Windows 7. To repartition your hard disk without destroying data, you can take advantage of partition management software, such as Norton PartitionMagic 8.0, which retails for about $70, or Easeus Partition Manager Home Edition 4.0.1, which is available for free and earned a 4.5 star rating in a recent CNET editors’ review.

4: Plan your backup and restore strategy

Before you move from one operating system to another, you’ll want to back up all your data – at least once and maybe twice, just in case. While it may sound like overkill, having an extra backup will give you peace of mind.

If you’re using a third-party backup program, you will need to check the manufacturer’s Web site to see whether the program will be upgraded to work in Windows 7. If you aren’t using a third-party backup program, you’re probably using Windows XP’s native Backup Utility. As you may have heard, the file format used for this tool isn’t compatible with Windows Vista’s Backup And Restore Center. To provide for that, Microsoft released a special version of the XP Backup Utility, called the Windows NT Backup – Restore Utility. It’s designed specifically for restoring backups made on Windows XP to computers running Windows Vista. While I was unable to get official confirmation, it is a safe bet that this special version will work in Windows 7 or will be adapted to do so.

If you aren’t willing to take that bet or you are not sure whether your third-party backup program will be upgraded to work in Windows 7, you can simply make copies of all your data files on CD/DVD or on an external hard disk.

5: Plan your data transfer strategy

To move from one operating system to another, you’ll probably want to use a transfer program that will scan your XP system, pull out all your data and settings, and then transfer them to Windows 7. Fortunately, the Windows 7 Easy Transfer utility can provide this service for you. However, before you perform this transfer operation, it will be in your best interest to have a separate back up copy of your data (see #4).

The new operating system will come with two copies of the Windows 7 Easy Transfer. One copy will be on the DVD and the other will be installed with the operating system. Before you install Windows 7, you will run Windows 7 Easy Transfer from the DVD and back up all your files and settings. Then, once you have Windows 7 installed, you’ll use it to move all your files and settings to the new operating system. You can learn more about the Windows 7 Easy Transfer by reading the article Step-by-Step: Windows 7 Upgrade and Migration on the Microsoft TechNet site.

6: Inventory your applications and gather your CDs

Since you won’t be able to perform an in-place upgrade when you move from Windows XP to Windows 7, you’ll have to reinstall all your applications that passed the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor compatibility tests (see #1). It will be helpful to have an inventory of all the installed applications so that you can track down all your CDs or compile a list of Web sites for those applications you downloaded.

While the report generated by the Upgrade Advisor will be helpful as you create an inventory, it won’t be comprehensive. To create a detailed inventory, you can use something like the Belarc Advisor. For more details, see the article Gather detailed system information with Belarc Advisor.

7: Become familiar with the new UI

The UI in Windows 7 is quite different from the UI in Windows XP, and it offers a lot of new features. As a result, you may encounter what I call “UI Shock.” You’ll know what you want to do, but you’ll experience a momentary lapse of composure as you strive to adapt what you know about XP’s UI to what you’re seeing and experiencing in Windows 7.

To ease the level of UI shock, you’ll want to become as familiar as possible with the features of the new Windows 7 UI. One starting point is Microsoft’s Windows 7 page. While a lot of the content here is essentially marketing related, it will give you a good idea of what to look for when you actually move into the Windows 7 operating system.

To help you get right to the good stuff, check out:

• The Windows 7 features section, where you’ll find a host of short videos and descriptions.
• The Windows 7 Help & How-to section, where you’ll find a whole slew of step-by-step articles that show you how get around in Windows 7. Be sure to check out the section on installing Windows.

You’ll also find useful information on the Windows Training Portal on the Microsoft Learning site. Be sure to check out:

• The Windows 7 Learning Snacks, which are short, interactive presentations. Each Snack is delivered via animations and recorded demos using Microsoft Silverlight.
• The Microsoft Press sample chapters from upcoming Windows 7 books. Viewing the free chapters requires registration, but it is a short procedure. Once you’re registered, you can access sample chapters from Windows 7 Inside Out, Windows 7 Resource Kit, Windows 7 Step by Step, and Windows 7 for Developers.

8: Check for XP Mode support

If you discover that some of the applications you’re currently running in Windows XP are not compatible with Windows 7 (see #1) or you just want to keep Windows XP accessible, don’t forget about Windows XP Mode. This virtual environment includes a free, fully licensed, ready-to-run copy of Windows XP with SP3 that runs under Windows Virtual PC in Windows 7.

As you consider the Windows XP Mode, keep these things in mind:

• Windows XP Mode is available only in Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions.
• Your computer must support processor-based virtualization.

You can learn more about Windows XP Mode from the following TechRepublic resoruces:

• Determine if your hardware can support Windows XP Mode in Windows 7
• Hands on: Windows 7 XP Mode
• 10 reasons why Windows 7’s XP Mode is a big deal

9: Ask questions

You aren’t the only one making the move from Windows XP to Windows 7, so ask questions and share information you pick up along the way. Of course, you can use the TechRepublic discussion forums. But you should cast a wider net.

One good place to connect with Microsoft experts is the Getting Ready for Windows 7 section of the Microsoft Answers site. Another good place is in the Windows 7 forums in the Windows Client TechCenter on the Microsoft TechNet site.

10: Subscribe to the Windows Vista and Windows 7 Report

TechRepublic’s free Windows Vista and Windows 7 Report newsletter, which is delivered every Friday, offers tips, news, and scuttlebutt on Windows 7. As we count down to October 22, the day that Windows 7 is to be released to the general public, we will be covering topics of interest to Windows XP users in more detail. You can sign up on the TechRepublic newsletters page.

Comment on this article: TechRepublic blog.

One thing I can never remember quickly is slash notation, it is not difficult but I just can’t seem to remember it quickly!  So here is a quick reference guide.  In slash notation, a single number indicates how many bits of the IP address identify the network the host is on. A netmask of 255.255.255.0 has a netmask of 8 + 8 + 8 = 24.

For example, writing 192.168.42.23/24 is the same as specifying an IP address of 192.168.42.23 with a corresponding netmask of 255.255.255.0. Often you have to enter the netmask as slash notation, an easy task with the usual 255.255.255.0. However if your network doesn’t have 255 hosts, for example only 8 hosts, then the netmask will be 255.255.255.248.

The following table lists the variable length subnets from 1 to 32, the CIDR [3] representation form (/xx) and the Decmial equivalents. (M = Million, K=Thousand, A,B,C= traditional class values)

Conversion table here:

http://www.mattwaddell.com/2008/08/26/slash-notation-for-subnet-masks-quick-reference/

http://www.resolvingnameserver.com/freerns.html

Need a resolving name server fast?
Use our free public resolving name servers!

Who can use these servers:
These servers can be used by users that need a resolving name server for normal “end user” functionality. “End User” fucntionality includes web surfing and normail email sending (via an email client). These can also be used by ISPs to give to their clients as the resolving name servers (that do not need to run enterprise services).

Who should not use these free servers:
Any system that serves an enterprise functionality. This includes email servers, web servers, etc. For services for enterprise functionality please contact our sales team. If a mail server uses these servers you may get incorrect results.

Our current set of name servers that you can use are:

• 205.234.170.215
• 205.234.170.217

Notifications of all changes of IPs will be received by subscribers to our mailing list. You can subscribe to our list by sending an email to freepublicdns-subscribe@resolvingnameserver.com and following the instructions in the reply.

Before you grab  and install the FortiNet Client (FortiClient) Free Download client…

Check this link – Interesting Read

Review on FortiClient Endpoint Security Suite Standard Edition, the FREE Antivirus by Fortinet

TalkinIP enables you to make calls at the absolute lowest rates. You can use software on your computer or a SIP enabled device (Asterisk, Trixbox, SIP Gateways, IAD, IP PBX) to place calls using the internet.

TalkinIP provides you outbound calling to any destination within the continental USA for only 1.5 cents per minute and Canada for only 2.3 cents per minute.  Get started for as little as $15 prepaid credit.  Your credit will never expire, so you can make calls next week or next year.

So what’s the catch? There are none. No tricks and no commitments. You enjoy low cost calling at the industries lowest rates.

Are you a business? You can use TalkinIP for SIP Trunking (termination) to place calls worldwide from any SIP based IP PBX or gateway. For Inbound SIP services, including unlmited inbound calling, and SIP delivered DIDs from locations worldwide checkout www.ipcomms.net.

Highlights
• Account balance never expires

• No setup or cancellation fees

• No activation fees or hidden charges

• Recharge your account 24/7 online
• Track your usage and manage your account online.

http://www.talkinip.net/enduser/talkinfo.html

The name of the product is trixbox PRO and you can see it’s general details at its website here: www.trixbox.com.  Trixbox PRO is an advanced IP PBX solution focused on the SME market although it’s also perfectly happy addressing Enterprise clients. The Fonality trixbox Pro IP PBX is a Hybrid Hosted™

architecture, which allows for Anywhere Management™, and creates the reliability and quality of a premise-based system with the convenience and cost benefits of a hosted system.

Trixbox PRO is comprised of two key integral parts which makes it a unique offering in the market:

1. The Control Panel which can be accessed via any web enabled interface and provides the ability to manage, configure and do any necessary changes to the system in minutes from anywhere.  This is where you can manage company extensions, call routing, auto attendants, phone numbers and much more.  Here is where you can also have Access to real time monitoring of analog lines, T-1/E-1 interfaces and unlimited SIP Providers.

1. HUD (Heads Up Display) is an award-winning employee presence and communication management application that comes free with all versions of trixbox. HUD empowers its users with company-wide visibility and information on the “presence” of every colleague, making it easy to interact with one another via a single, simple interface.

You can view the different versions and features of trixbox PRO (Standard, Enterprise & Call Center) by clicking here and the different versions and features of HUD by clicking here.  Finally you can see the latest video demos of HUD that clearly outline its siginifcant impact on productivity and value for any enterprise using it on a daily basis:

HUD Demo Videos

• HUD for Attendants
• HUD for Employees
• HUD for Remote Workers
• HUD for Call Centers
• HUD for Executives

As a quick reference, the company behind trixbox PRO is Fonality. Fonality has been in the market for many years and has over 250 employees.  It’s solid and backed by large investors such as INTEL.  They have won numerous awards for their technology and are DELL’s key partner for IP PBX solutions.   I am attaching a general brochure on trixbox for your reference as well.

Servers and Implementation:

Regarding the implementation, as you may already know trixbox PRO can be easily downloaded (software only) and installed on any of many certified servers from Dell and HP.  Alternatively we can integrate the software into an integrated trixbox PRO appliance (brochure attached) depending on your customers needs.  

IP Phones & Telephony Cards:

Trixbox Pro Works easily with almost any SIP based IP Phone.  Most of our clients use IP phones from Polycom but some also use phones from other providers like Grandstream, Astra, Linksys and SNOM.  We are authorized resellers for all of those and can offer a fully integrated solution with 12 month advance replacement warranty on all IP phones.  On the telephony cards, we recommend and have certified the SANGOMA brand and can integrate analog and digital cards easily depending on your client’s requirements.

For your reference attached I am sending you the following:

a)      Price list for trixbox PRO and Reseller options/levels. We typically start all our partners (assuming they will work independently) at the highest tier of Certified and do an evaluation every 6 months to see if it makes sense to continue at that level.

b)      Official trixbox PRO agreement to legally be able to use trixbox PRO logo’s and collateral.

c)       General trixbox PRO Brochure

d)      General brochure for trixbox PRO appliance. 

Take a look at the details and let me know should you have any questions.  If you have an immediate opportunity that we can help with let me know and I can walk you through the process. The next step would be to setup a quick web demo so I can walk you through the details of trixbox PRO.

New Social Network for Musicans, Artists, Models, Photographers and Entertainment – Follow us and get it on our beta release! ( 3Echo.com )

http://www.Twitter.com/3Echo

Coming Soon

http://www.3Echo.com

(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — A longtime spammer may potentially serve jail time in relation to a Facebook lawsuit after a California judge ordered him to appear in front of the US Attorney General’s Office for criminal proceedings.

The case follows another Facebook spamming case last November, when the company won a $873 million ruling against a Montreal spammer that flooded members’ inboxes with sexually explicit messages.

Judge Jeremy Fogel of the US District Court for the Northern District of California referred Sanford Wallace to the US Attorney General’s Office to undergo criminal proceedings for allegedly violating a court order that prevented him from accessing Facebook.

In February, Facebook filed a lawsuit against Wallace, Adam Arzoomanian and Scott Shaw for allegedly spamming and phishing the website.

The three men were issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting them from accessing Facebook’s network.

Facebook released this statement via company spokesman Barry Schnitt addressing the ruling:

“We see Fogel’s ruling as a strong deterrent against spammers. Spammers feel that they are immune from criminal prosecution. Fogel’s ruling demonstrates that judges will enforce restraining orders and spammers who violate them will face criminal prosecution.”

The ruling on the social network community’s civil lawsuit against Wallace stalled after the defendent filed for bankruptcy.

Wallace has had a long history of spamming that dates back to the 1990s.

He started his spamming career with fax spamming, where he sent out thousands of unsolicited offers for timeshares, insurance policies, and foreclosed real estate deals to fax machines.

Last May, a federal judge ruled in favor of MySpace after Wallace and another defendent failed to show up to a hearing.

The two men were ordered to pay $230 million for phishing and spamming MySpace users with links to gambling and pornography websites.

Filed under: Business, Utilities, Windows, Productivity, Freeware

Network Notepad creates quick diagrams and flow charts

by Lee Mathews Oct 31st 2008 at 10:00AM

While network planning and design isn’t usually part of my job, I do sometimes need to put together a quick sketch of a client’s systems to help me oragnize a plan of attack.

Network Notepad is exactly what I was looking for – a small, free app that lets me lay out network devices, servers, printers, and workstations quickly and easily. It’s a great tool for documenting sites in case another tech has to attend to a call in my absence. Once you’ve set IP addresses, you’re able to use the F1-F6 keys as hotkeys to ping, surf, or telnet to a device.

Don’t be fooled by the Notepad in the name, though. This app is full-featured enough to tackle complicated networks. Be sure to download the Cisco-created object libraries and hub/switch pack, as they provide several icons that aren’t included in the default set.

There’s even a flow chart icon pack which turns Notepad into a kind of poor man’s Visio (if you’re looking for a Visio clone, try the open source Dia). You can’t argue with the price, and the feature set is impressive for such a small download.