Asterisk For Dummies

Your company can save tons of money by taking advantage of Asterisk, an open-source PBX that allows you to bridge data and voice communications. Asterisk for Dummies saves you all the worries and confusion with its easy-to-use, step-by-step walkthrough of the entire program that will have you set up in no time! Asterisk takes the data side of telecom and applies it to the handling and processing of voice calls. This book will show you everything you need to know to install, program, and grow with Asterisk. The invaluable information covered in this guide shows you how to: Utilize dialplan, add features, and build infrastructure Maintain your telecom service Address call-quality concerns and completion issues Provide long-term health for your Asterisk switch Operate the AsteriskNOW GUI Utilize VoIP codecs Troubleshoot VoIP calls with packet captures Avoid the things you should never do with Asterisk In addition to these essential tools, this trusty guide shows you how to manipulate your Asterisk and make it even more useful, such as fending off telemarketers, creating a voice mailbox that e-mails everyone, and transmitting your voice through your stereo. It also has quick references that no Asterisk operator should be without, like dialplan functions, VoIP basics, and a concise guide to Linux. With Asterisk for Dummies, you’ll have the power to handle all the necessary programming to set up the system and keep it running smoothly.

This bestselling book is now the standard guide to building phone systems with Asterisk, the open source IP PBX that has traditional telephony providers running scared! Revised for the 1.4 release of the software, the new edition of Asterisk: The Future of Telephony reveals how you can save money on equipment and support, and finally be in control of your telephone system. If you've worked with telephony in the past, you're familiar with the problem: expensive and inflexible systems that are tuned to the vendor's needs, not yours. Asterisk isn't just a candle in the darkness, it's a whole fireworks show. Because Asterisk is so powerful, configuring it can seem tricky and difficult. This book steps you through the process of installing, configuring, and integrating Asterisk with your existing phone system. You'll learn how to write dialplans, set up applications including speech synthesis and voice recognition, how to script Asterisk, and much more -- everything you need to design a simple but complete system with little or no Asterisk experience, and no more than rudimentary telecommunications knowledge. The book includes: A new chapter on managing/administering your Asterisk system A new chapter on using Asterisk with databases Coverage of features in Asterisk 1.4 A new appendix on dialplan functions A simplified installation chapter New simplified SIP configuration, including examples for several popular SIP clients (soft phones and IP telephones) Revised chapters and appendicies reviewed and updated for the latest in features, applications, trends and best-practices Asterisk is revolutionizing the telecom industry, due in large part to the way it gets along with other network applications. While other PBXs are fighting their inevitable absorption into the network, Asterisk embraces it. If you need to take control of your telephony systems, move to Asterisk and see what the future of telecommunications looks like.

A Linux smart home is about controlling and monitoring devices and information around your home using a standard personal computer, Linux, and its vast array of open source tools. You don’t have to be a master programmer to create one. If you like to tinker with Linux, Linux Smart Homes For Dummies will guide you through cool home automation projects that are as much fun to work on as they are to use. Home automation used to be limited to turning on lights and appliances, and maybe controlling your thermostat and lawn sprinkler, from your computer. While you still might not be able to create all the Jetsons’ toys, today you can also Build a wireless network Create and set up a weather station Automate your TV and sound system Spy on your pets when you’re not home Set up an answering system that knows what to do with calls Increase your home’s security If you know how to use Linux and a few basic development tools — Perl, the BASH shell, development libraries, and the GNU C compiler—Linux Smart Homes For Dummies will help you do all these tricks and more. For example, you can Discover the best sources for Linux-based home automation devices Set up a wireless network, create a wireless access point, build a bridge between wired and wireless networks, and route your own network traffic Build a personal video recorder with MythTV that will record to DVD, or set up a wireless streaming music system Create a smart phone system that takes messages and forwards them to your fax, modem, or answering machine Build a weather station that notifies you of severe weather alerts Control and secure your home automation network, and even check on your house when you’re away The bonus CD-ROM includes all kinds of cool open source software for your home automation projects. Linux Smart Homes For Dummies even includes lists of cool gadgets to check out and great ways to automate those boring household chores. A smart home’s a happy home!

Design a complete VoIP or analog PBX with Asterisk, even if you have no previous Asterisk experience and only basic telecommunications knowledge. This bestselling guide makes it easy, with a detailed roadmap to installing, configuring, and integrating this open source software into your existing phone system. Ideal for Linux administrators, developers, and power users, this book shows you how to write a basic dialplan step by step, and quickly brings you up to speed on the latest Asterisk features in version 1.8. Integrate Asterisk with analog, VoIP, and digital telephony systems Build a simple interactive dialplan, and dive into advanced concepts Use Asterisk’s voicemail options—including a standalone voicemail server Build a menuing system and add applications that act on caller input Incorporate a relational database with MySQL and Postgre SQL Connect to external services such as LDAP, calendars, XMPP, and Skype Use Automatic Call Distribution to build a call queuing system Learn how to use Asterisk’s security, call routing, and faxing features

Start building powerful programs with Java 6—fast! Get an overview of Java 6 and begin building your own programs Even if you're new to Java programming—or to programming in general—you can get up and running on this wildly popular language in a hurry. This book makes it easy! From how to install and run Java to understanding classes and objects and juggling values with arrays and collections, you will get up to speed on the new features of Java 6 in no time. Discover how to Use object-oriented programming Work with the changes in Java 6 and JDK 6 Save time by reusing code Mix Java and Javascript with the new scripting tools Troubleshoot code problems and fix bugs All on the bonus CD-ROM Custom build of JCreator and all the code files used in the book Bonus chapters not included in the book Trial version of Jindent, WinOne, and NetCaptor freeware System Requirements: For details and complete system requirements, see the CD-ROM appendix. Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

Conquer the online marketplace with this new version of a bestseller! Whether you've thought of starting an online business or you're already selling online, this update to a bestseller presents invaluable advice for getting--and keeping--online customers. Covering everything from creating a business plan and building a customer-friendly site to marketing with Facebook and Twitter, this fun and friendly guide features eleven minibooks that cover online business basics, legal and accounting matters, website design, online and operating issues, Internet security, techniques for boosting sales, storefront selling, fundraising sites, niche e-commerce, and more. Updated to include coverage of the latest online marketing tools, techniques, and trends Includes coverage of how to use social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, and Yelp to reach your customers as well as expanded coverage of mobile marketing Explains how your location can actually bring new customers to you Details ways to build a business plan that translates your ideas into a profitable enterprise Shares advice for choosing software to help you manage taxes, balance sheets, and other accounting chores; using PR and advertising tools that best promote your business online, including Google AdWords; and create a website that helps your business make money Discover why "online entrepreneurship" means more than just building a website. Starting an Online Business All-in-One For Dummies breaks down everything the budding entrepreneur needs to know to be successful online and keep your customers coming back for more.

Provides information on designing a VoIP or analog PBX using Asterisk, covering how to install, configure, and intergrate the software into an existing phone system.

Asterisk has a wealth of features to help you customize your PBX to fill very specific business needs. This short cookbook offers recipes for tackling dialplan fundamentals, making and controlling calls, and monitoring channels in your PBX environment. Each recipe includes a simple code solution you can put to work immediately, along with a detailed discussion that offers insight into why and how the recipe works. This book focuses on Asterisk 1.8, although many of the conventions and information presented are version-agnostic. These recipes include solutions to help you: Authenticate callers before moving on in your dialplan Redirect calls received by your auto-attendant Create an automatic call-back service Initiate hot-desking to login to and accept calls at any office device Monitor and interrupt live calls to train new employees at a call center Record calls from your Asterisk dialplan