There are not a whole lot of active Linux or BSD-based Telephony/IP-PBX distros, but the few we have are quite good and easy to setup and configure. Of the four that we have profiled on this site, only AskoziaPBX is based on a BSD (FreeBSD) distro. The others – trixbox, Elastix, and AsteriskNOW – are all Linux-based. Whether Linux or BSD-based, the key application that makes them what they are is Asterisk.
Asterisk is an “open source PBX, telephony engine, and telephony applications toolkit”. With Asterisk, you can roll your own VoIP Server., that is, if you do not want to use any of the distros listed above. We present to you an article first published in Redhat Magazine that takes you through the process of building a Fedora-Based VoIP Server. Read on:
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) has emerged as a popular technology for modern voice communications. Many organizations have replaced their analog or proprietary digital telephone systems with VoIP-based solutions. This allows the consolidation of telephone services into an existing IP infrastructure. In addition, using IP to host voice services lets the organization leverage existing expertise–while retaining all of the network’s management advantages. Though not without its disadvantages, VoIP provides a compelling option to those looking for a telephone solution.
This article will present a simple VoIP solution using Asterisk, an open source private branch exchange (PBX) product. It will show you how to install Asterisk, configure it using its LDAP backend, and connect to it using the Ekiga software VoIP client and a Cisco 7900 Series VoIP telephone to make calls.
Read the rest of this article here.
