NYLUG.org: The New York Linux Users Group

General Meeting

Wednesday, July 16th, 2003 :   6:30pm-8pm
IBM bldg, 9th Floor, 590 Madison Ave @ 57th Street

Alex Pilosov (Pilosoft.com)
-on-
IP Telephony for Fun and Profit

It is called by various names Voice over IP (VoIP), IP Telephony, packet telephony. Whatever it is called the underlying foundation is the Internet Protocol (IP) and its accompanying technologies, packet switching, for example. As distinct from the old Ma Bell circuit switched, dedicated circuit approach that was the old way of doing telephony for most of the 20th century. With an operating system like Linux and free, open source readily available IP telephony software you can do amazing things. Hip things to amaze your cool self, and powerful chores, no less nifty, to provide for eager consumers. Read on, provisioning, billing systems are deployable today, the possibilities for growth, the likely pent up demand is real.

We all (or most of us can) understand how IP networks are cobbled together, and what makes them interoperate. Telephony, for geeks, has always been a subject of interest, but, tools neccessary to meaningfully play with it on a larger scale were unavailable until relatively recently. The advent of open IP-telephony tools and standards has made the difference.

Tools such as free software PBX'es (AsteriskPBX); or open source software that provides call control, routing, media, policy, billing information and provisioning (VOCAL); and GNU's Bayonne project, a telecommunications application server.

To whet your interest here are a few things you can do, and, or will be shown how to by Alex Pilosov (NYLUG member), our presenter this July 16th,

• Getting voicemail-over-web
• Voice reader for your email
• Automated attendant
• Follow-me service, discriminating between calls based on Caller-ID or passwords (e.g., if my wife calls, ring my cell phone---or perhaps not? maybe your boss is a better bet?)

and other cool things. Of course the standard voicemail needs are also met with IP telephony, items such as Muzak-like service for call holders (music on hold, or on transfer, with MP3s, etc.), call forwarding/tranfering/parking, remore call pick-up, etc. Moreover, packet telephony can offer facilities such as overhead paging, multiple-conferences bridging, intercoms tie-ins. On it goes. Piqued? You'll crave reading some IP telephony books, myriad RFCs by the time you are done that evening.

Alex will run through:

• The history of telephone networks, from pre-1984 to SS7 to post-1996 environment, through evolutions in protocols, and comparisons to similar IP technologies.
• Overview of IP telephony, the various ways to interconnect an IP network and the public switched telephone network (PSTN). Will compare current protocols (SIP vs H.323), will layout a brief overview of Free Software for IP telephony/VoIP.
• An introduction to Asterisk PBX, highlighting the many things you can do with Asterisk PBX, broadband connection, and VoIP service.

Alex is very knowledgeable and experienced with IP telephony technologies, as he should be, he uses it in his firm's current litany of services.

Wednesday July 16 will be this month's meeting date. It will be a treat to be regaled with such depth of knowledge. Come early, good sitting will go quickly and be scarce.

For More Information Visit:

• Asterisk PBX [ http://www.asteriskpbx.org/ ]
• VOCAL/Vovida [ http://www.vovida.org/ ]
• Introduction to VoIP and VOCAL [ http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/network/2002/10/11/voip.html ]
• GNU Bayonne [ http://www.gnu.org/software/bayonne/ ]
• IP Telephony Glossaries
  • Communitech [ http://www.communitech.com/viop/voip_terminology_related_terms.htm ]
  • Valcom [ http://voip.valcom.com/terms.htm ]
• Books on Voice over IP and IP Telephony
  • Bookpool [ http://www.bookpool.com/.x/t7xhjo9z34/ss/L?su=tel ]
  • Ohio State U. Suggestions [ http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/~jain/refs/voi_book.htm ]
• IP Telephony, VoIP Pinata [ http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/~jain/refs/ref_voip.htm ] - RFCs, STDs, working groups, etc.

About Alex Pilosov:

Alex Pilosov is a NYLUG.org member, a helpful contributor to the nylug-talk mailing list. Alex operates a New York ISP (pilosoft.com), where his use of Linux, free software and open technologies are a common, enlightened occurrence. He has been known to provide BGP route updates to a dial-up customer. A bit of a maverick.

Swag (Give Away) - During the meeting... unusally terrific swag of non-predetermined origin will be given out to all attendees at the regular meeting for free as usual.

Stammtisch - After the meeting ... Join us around 8:15pm or so at TGI Fridays located at 677 Lexington and 56th.

With the generous support of IBM, all NYLUG.org meetings are held regularly at the IBM headquarters building located at 590 Madison Ave. on the corner of 57th Street in mid-town Manhattan. Meetings take place every third Wednesday of the month starting at 6:30pm. Meetings require prior RSVP to the Guest List.

Copyright 2003