AsteriskNOW 1.5.0 Available Now.

AsteriskNOW 1.5.0

AsteriskNOW 1.5.0, the soft Asterisk Appliance, has been released and available for download and yes we all know it is after a long pause.

If you are an existing user, you will be able to run `yum update` to upgrade your server to current version. It was noted that you might need to run `yum update glibc` in some cases to update the glibc.

Following improvements and additions were added since last beta;
* Updated several packages to latest versions (Asterisk, DAHDI, etc)
* Fixed more permissions issues between Asterisk and httpd/FreePBX.
* Updated to CentOS 5.3

Please use Bug Reports and forums at Digium for reporting bugs, problems and feedback.

Tags: AsteriskNOW, AsteriskNOW 1.5.0, digium, Asterisk, DAHDI, FreePBX, Asterisk Appliance

Asterisk Gui 2.0, Feast For Your PBX Eyes!

Even though it was expected for a while, I found a new branch in Asterisk svn tree, branches/2.0 and well it was a pleasure to see the screen shots, even though I am yet to compile the new code. The former gui exists as gui version 1.0 on branch/1.0.
Compiling and installation is not a big deal and you can follow the instructions on AsteriskNOW site.
If you feel that you have input for the project, you can find out how to get involved here.
Oh, here are the screen shots released by the team.

Tags: Asterisk, AsteriskNOW, asterisk gui 2.0

AsteriskNOW, A Book By Packt Publishing, Prelude To A Review.

I just started reading a book published by Packt Publishing, "AsteriskNOW" by Nir Simionovich. From the first glance or first thumb through, it is like looking at a meal that is visually satisfying. Well laid out and spiced up where necessary with real world examples.
As you know I have been a AsteriskNOW fan for very long time. I attest without any hesitations, That AsteriskNOW by Digium filled the gap left by what then Asterisk@home project when it got acquired by another party. For what ever the reason, I chose AsteriskNOW and was very happy with the decision, when the news came out that TrixBox (Asterisk@Homes new name) came with built in call home features. (Did TrixBox Trick You?) Ever since I have advocated AsteriskNOW for projects that deemed most suitable and a full blown installation of Asterisk seemed unnecessary.

Back to the book, and I will wet your appetite with the list of contents that I am devouring right now with a satisfaction that you only get from a good book.

I will be writing about the book as soon as I am done with reading but if you find the list of content is enough to convince you, you can get the book from Packt Publishing. It is also available in PDF format for all those tree loving AsteriskNow fans out there. For the paper loving people like me, Packt is offering free shipping to UK,US, Europe and selected Asian countries.

Table of contents.

Preface
Chapter 1: An Introduction to Telephony and Asterisk
Chapter 2: Building a PBX
Chapter 3: Extensions, Phones, and Others
Chapter 4: Service Providers—Your Connection to the World
Chapter 5: Tentacles of the PBX—The Calling Rules Tables
Chapter 6: "Let me in!"—Inbound Call Routing
Chapter 7: "For Annoyance, Press 1"—Voice Menus and IVR
Chapter 8: Voicemail, Conferencing, and Parking—Advanced PBX Services
Chapter 9: "Please hold, we'll be with you shortly"—Simple Call Queues
Chapter 10: General AsteriskNOW Management—Monitoring, Backups, and More
Chapter 11: Hard Core AsteriskNOW
Chapter 12: Where to from Here?
Appendix A: Jargon Buster
Appendix B: Free World Dialup (FWD)
Appendix C: AsteriskNOW for Service Providers
Index

Tags: Packt Publishing, AsteriskNow, AsteriskNow Book, Nir Simionovich, Asterisk, Digium