As you have noticed I had a long drop in posts… work keeps me so busy that I have no desire to do anything else.
Last 2-3 week were particularly intense, I was implementing company wide VoIP based on Asterisk and Linksys phones. Still stuff left to polish… Now BT thinks I’m a telcoms engineer
Recently I have decided to try out well regarded Asterisk Now distribution. I’ve used 1.0.1 version. I was thinking that it will be well integrated, user friendly Linux distribution for getting your PBX up.
Initially I was happy with what I have found. It’s Asterisk part was just working. Then I have actually started to customize it, so it would fit in to my systems. This is where I started to notice that it ain’t what I expected.
First what I have found annoying what that Asterisk web interface was not working too good with Firefox 3 and Konqueror. It was alright with Firefox 2. Oh and it was blood slow.
Then the whole backend, I have learned that it’s using rPath as a base system. I could not find any documentation on rPath websites which would be useful for Sys Admins. How do I use it? After a while I have found a link on Asterisk web interface which took me to some RAA interface…. which I couldn’t logon to with my Admin credentials … had do go down the shell and dig out defaults from some file in /etc/raa.
Now was time to get dhcp and tftp to work. Dhcp was installed in form of udhcpd , which I have configured and …. it wasn’t working. First, no integration between firewall management and service management. Second, even when configured properly, it was refusing to give out IPs. TFTP , I have used search facility in the RAA interface, but clicking on a ‘+’ button did nothing to install it. How do I install software in rPath ?
At that point I was no longer happy about Astreisk Now and I’ve decided to install some real world Linux. I can live with Asterisk not having pretty interface by default, but I can’t live without a working system underneath it.
I have started using voip systems something like a 3 years ago. First casual for calling abroad as advised by my former boss I have registered with SipGate. First used it with linphone, later actualy bought a hard phone the Grandstream GXP2000. It was always fun.
Later I have installed Asterisk server for my self to play with … and this is where the real love for VoIP started.
At the moment I have local numbers in 3 countries if my family wishes to call me from their regular phones a few phones around my flat, phones in my parents place, as well as my cell phone can SIP in 
Now I am working on commercial solutions with Asterisk at the center and Grandstream, Sipura/Linksys and Cisco clients. Asterisk is brilliant and strait forward… worse with the clients, Grandstream phones are OK to provision while their gateway is just full of confusions and you do need to know a lot about the environment which it will work in - without documentation, unable to configure. Sipura/Linksys phones have a strait forward documentation for provisioning … but it does not work … use VoIP Info website. Cisco Phones … you do need to dig out some documentation and IRV codes to make them go …
Why I am writing that ?
I am about to change my E61 for something new. I am looking for something what will not be only new but will has more features as well.
So far I have found that :
Palm is thinking that Europe loves only Windows Mobile - I don’t! The two of the latest Treos are not showing in EU - these are 755p and Centro. HEY! I want one of these ( actually two! )
Nokia: E61i would be on my list but it does not feature A2DP what is stupid! E90 has all the features I desire, plus it has a [tab] key on internal keyboard! That is cool, if you are going to use it for SSH like I have to. Problem with E90 is price…. probably way over my limit will see when buying time will come.
Sony-Ericsson has a new P1i which honestly is at the top of my list, it has all what I am looking for and a bonus - Jog-Dial which I alway wished to have in a handheld.
Others ? They are doing Windows Mobile only what makes it not for me.
Maybe you know some gear which has a querty keyboard, wifi/bluetooth(2), voip, 3G, no windows mobile?
e61, gadget, geek, internet access, symbian, voip, web, windows
Loads of stuff, happens now.
I have setup an Asterisk installation on my server, it is still work in progress and so far, I love it! Why I didn’t checked it out earlier?
So far, I have a few SIP users, and a few PSTN gateways in different countries. Started by reading the free ebook available from Asterisk Website. Setup was really simple, had a few bumps, but day on day it gets more interesting, adding more automation, k3wl. This knowledge will be useful at work, where we are going to setup a proper PBX.
VPN, I have done an OpenVPN installation on my own private network, it works like a charm. Unfortunately at work I had to go with a solution more integrated into MS Windows. I really wanted to have IPSec/L2TP … but the complexity of server setup just killed it. When I was switching from IPSec/L2TP to PPTP it was soooo much easier and cleaner to get PPTP up and running.
I think that IPSec/L2TP will have to wait and eventually it will be rolled out. I really don’t want to use PPTP for full access to my networks. To be honest, when I came across OpenVPN first time, it also was too much for me and I left it and used SSH tunnels instead. So I think I have to mature with IPSec/L2TP and try to make it work later.
I am experiencing problems with my beloved E61.
I used to connect to my company wireless network and then login to my VoIP account thanks to my STUN hack.
Now I have discovered that whenever I am walking away from the range of WiFi , phone disconnects but leaves Internet phone running.
When Internet Phone is running with out real connection it appears like it is eating a lot of device resouces, I can’t even open Contacts app. it is so sluggish , the only way to get it back to normal is via Power cycling the device.
ANNOYING !! as I am running the latest firmware …
If you have an E61 and upgraded it to latest firmware so you could use VoIP behind firewall. You have discovered that it ain’t so easy as there is no manual setting for firewall traversing. Do not throw your phone at that wall yet!
NAT traversing is only settable by remote provisioning ( you need a server, send some SMS messages and so on ) or…
Using plugins as they call them on www.forum.nokia.com, it is very fortunate that Gizmo VoIP has already produced one. If you use their service it’s perfect for you. If you don’t ,still helps.
Simply go to their website, download plugin, install it to your phone ( I have downloaded it using build in browser in E61 ) and run, it will ask you for your gizmo login detail, put some rubbish, and finish. Then go to your Settings , locate Gizmos SIP Profile and modify it so it will use you prefered provider details and bang it works 
enjoy
Recently I bought a Nokia E61 with contract from T-Mobile. Contract is a specific one, gives you unlimited(except you can’t use it with a laptop or to make VoIP calls ) access to the Internet from your phone. I love this bundle, really nice device ( I don’t even miss touch screen ) and total freedom of the Internet access.
I own a few mobile gadgets , Casio BE300, Palm Tungsten C, Nokia 770, Abacus Palm Wrist PDA and non of them is not as flexible and didn’t satisfy my needs to the extend which e61 does.
Finally I have access to my email wherever I am, I have always up to date currency conversion tool, weather forecasts, news… all the things that were promised with previous devices are now finally working! The other thing is software selection, much real life than 770, but not as good as Palm, still enough.
E61 does not sport touch screen …. as I all my previous gadgets are touchable … I really don’t miss it. Interface design is brilliant! E61 also made me realize that I was really missing thumb qwerty keyboard, TC and E61 both sport it.
Time to pickup some Symbian knowledge … as I know almost nothing about that OS … I’ve notice that it has IPv6 support so I might even love it
Today, I was planing on playing more with my new router, unfortunately I have no console cable ( will arrive tomorrow ) and I was not hardcore enough to upgrade IOS on it.
I ended up installing new OS on my Nokia 770 , the 2006 edition. I have not used it for a while and I have not looked in to software repositories for it, for very very long time. Read more…
cisco, gadget, google, linux, music, package management, voip, windows
I have got hold of Cisco 837 router in last few days. Last few days were just one big back to roots learning session, I am still getting used to things, which were not present on routers back in my days at Cisco Network Academy.
QoS, Nat were nowhere on my CNA, same goes for ATM/ADSL. Actually this router made me review my knowledge and catch up on IOS.
Oh the router is used in my new flat for internet access as previous one D-Link something 604 something did not remember my magic after reset, and was hanging too often.
