Customer Reviews

Asterisk: The Future of Telephony

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

In typical O'Reilly fashion, this is a very readable guide for installing and administering Asterisk, the open-source solution for Voice over IP that runs on Linux. Step-by-step instructions are given, which is very necessary in a very new product that is short on documentation. There are even a few chapters that discuss basic telephony technology and others that discuss where Voice over IP has been and where it may be going in the context of open source solutions such as Asterisk, so this is not just a dry boring instruction manual. I notice that Amazon does not have the table of contents available, so I show and describe that here:
Chapter 1 "A Telephony Revolution" is just an introduction to Voice over IP and how it differs from computer integrated telephony solutions of just a few years ago.
Chapter 2 "Preparing a System for Asterisk" is about selecting server hardware, telephony hardware, different types of phones, and Linux considerations.
Chapter 3 "Installing Asterisk" tells you what packages you will need, how to obtain the source code, and how to compile, install, and update your source code.
Chapter 4 "Initial Configuration of Asterisk" is about working with interface configuration files, FXO and FXS channels and their configuration, configuring SIP, and configuring inbound and outbound connections. Debugging issues are also raised.
Chapters 5 and 6 are about dialplans. This ranges from dialplan basics and syntax to adding logic to a dialplan. Also expressions and variable manipulation as well as dialplan functions are discussed. Finally, the Asterisk database is discussed. These two chapters are what I consider to be the meatiest part of the book.
Chapter 7 "Understanding Telephony" discusses general telephony technology. Both analog and digital systems are discussed. The digital circuit-switched telephone network and packet-switched networks are explained.
Similarly, chapter 8, "Protocols for VoIP" discusses the need for VoIP protocols, the protocols themselves, codecs, the concept of quality of service and echo, and finally how Asterisk fits into VoIP.
Chapter 9 is about the Asterisk Gateway Interface and how to write scripts for it in a variety of common languages. This is very interesting material for advanced users who enjoy programming.
Chapter 10 is about advanced concepts and includes details on Festival, call detail recording, customized system prompts, and call files.
Chapter 11, the final chapter, is about the future of telephony and how Asterisk might fit into that future.
There are several useful appendices in the back of the book on VoIP channels, an application reference, an AGI reference, a section on configuration files, and finally an Asterisk command-line interface reference.

This book really isn't all that great and leaves many a stone unturned for novice and professional alike, but I'll give it three stars anyway just because you can legally download an electronic copy for free right from the "Support" section of the main Asterisk website.

If you want a book that's going to explain how to configure VoIP hardware that isn't sold by Digium, try "Switching to VoIP" and just stick to the online docs and sample config comments for Asterisk.

The few reviewers who preceded me were a little star-happy with this book, I believe, despite pointing out some serious shortcomings.

I could probably say that this is the best book currently available on Asterisk, but then again, this is almost the only book available on Asterisk...

The THREE authors produced a mere 208 pages; the remainder is in the form of appendices. And when you factor in the space consumed by scripting examples, you'll realize how you finished the book so quickly.

Some of the chapters do warrant merit. A chapter on hardware requirements for Asterisk was helpful, and those pertaining to the dialplan and AGI scripting were supported with some useful sample code. But instead of delving into important areas like SIP and interfacing with service providers, the authors chose to write too much about Free World Dialup, for example. For those seriously considering Asterisk as a business communications platform, this hobbyist approach to the subject is not amusing.

(One final complaint: O'Reilly should be ashamed for allowing so many typographical errors to make it into print.)

Asterisk needs a thoroughly written manual for the telecom professional: this is not that book. However, if you are new to Asterisk and have never done any programming, this book is still recommended, if for no other reason than it's the only other (current) option apart from online material.

I bought this book because I thought that having a small PBX-type system for my home/office would allow me to route faxes to my fax machine, provide voicemail to replace the limited answering machine, and auto attendant menus to route calls to 1 of 3 extensions that I would be able to configure. I saw a solution that would divide business and personal calls and also filter and perhaps stop once and for all those evil telemarketing calls.

In reading the book and doing a little research I learned that my goals were modest indeed for what the system is capable of!

While the idea is to provide a business-level PBX with inexpensive hardware, the same thing can be used as a killer phone appliance for the home or small office.

Even though I am about a quarter of the way into it, I can tell you that this book is one of the best written technical guides I have ever read. It's easy to read and chock-full of practical information that considers several types of users in it's presentation.

Don't expect to be a beginner and have an easy time of understanding how to install and configure an Asterisk PBX. Even for those with extensive computer experience there are a number of new terms, concepts, and technologies to learn. But if you have the interest and time to spend, you will be rewarded in taking full control of your phone system and be able to expand that control to home automation and other functions limited only by your imagination and programming skill.

I think Asterisk is going to turn into a household name at some point and skills learned today could turn into a career tomorrow.

Right off the bat: this book is -not- meant to be all things to all people. If you're already well-versed in VoIP, then there's a plethora of reference material available on the web, and this book may not be something you want.

If, on the other hand, you've tried to get started with Asterisk, and things just aren't clicking, and you find that the other documentation available -- including the "Yellow book" that preceded this one -- doesn't stack up, this is IT.

With informative, well-documented steps, the authors lead you through the process of becoming familiar with VoIP, and Asterisk in particular. They take you through the creation of such arcane files as your extensions.conf, sip.conf, zapata.conf and zaptel.conf, explaining what goes where, and why. They don't shy away from advanced topics, either: there's a chapter on on AGI (the Asterisk Gateway Interface), lots of juicy reference stuff on commands, etc., in the appendices... this book is worth twice what it's selling for. And, no, I'm not taking kickbacks.

I've tried for months to wrap my head around Asterisk -- and I come from both a telecom and Linux background, and it just wasn't clicking. A week with this book, and I now have a solid foundation on which to base going forward.

[Note: there's another O'Reilly book, "Switching to VoIP", that is also very informative, and has lots of tips and tricks. It's a nice companion book to this one, but this is -the- book you need if you're having trouble getting started, or simply want a better understanding of Asterisk's goings-on.]

Though the book explained most of the Asterisk modules it failed to give one solid example that ties together all the concepts.

Information on certain channels were also scanty like the sip.conf file. The appendix only described settings related to the sip channels. Setting which come prior to the SIP channel definitions were not mentioned at all. An example of this is the domain variable. It also didn't show how to terminate calls to a SIP provider.

Given the prominence of SIP today I expected much more on that topic than was covered in the book. The sip.conf file is the best place to look for information right now.

The style of writing is excellent and generally a good read.

Asterisk IS the future of telephony. I have been wanting to dive into the Asterisk world for over a year now, but never had the time until now. I have very limited telephony experience, and what little I know is from working on an old AT&T definity system, in a fairly passive role i.e. watching someone else do all the really cool stuff. Unfortunately, peons like myself weren't allowed to muck around on the PBX's. Lucky for me, Asterisk doesn't care who you are, you are encouraged to muck, and this book is an excellent place to begin.

Asterisk, The Future of Telephony, walks you through a brief history of telephony, and the technologies that have defined the industry since the dawn of time (more or less). The book is entirely self contained, and assumes very little previous telephony knowledge on the part of the reader. Aside from the AGI section, where some programming experience is taken for granted, anyone with basic linux admin skills should be able to read this book, and walk away with a strong Asterisk foundation to build upon.

The book is divided into 11 chapters which cover the full gamut of Asterisk's basic functionality. From preparing, installing, configuring and using an Asterisk system to writing customized scripts, connecting to VoIP gateways, and blocking telemarketers. If you need to do get something done, Asterisk is the PBX for you.

When working with open source tools, you get used to the phrase "that's really cool", and while working with Asterisk, that phrase comes up even more than usual. Every time I got through a chapter, I would have dozens of new ideas that I wanted to implement on my server and play with. I must have bored some of my colleagues to death with my "This is awesome..." speeches, but I don't think I was overstating matters at all. Asterisk really is awesome, and if the PBX big boys aren't worried, they probably should be.

If you are looking to setup a bunch of extensions in your house, leverage the power of VoIP, add capacity to your legacy PBX at the office, or do something entirely new, then this book is an excellent starting place and resource. My inner geek is very happy with the book, and I can easily recommend it to anyone w/even a passing interest in Asterisk.

I found this book a great first step into the world of VoIP and Telephony with Asterisk. Following the instructions I was able to get my first Asterisk server up and running quickly and with minimal fuss. The Dialplan section had me trying a few more complicated things immediatly. It has successfully whetted my appetite. As said in Rocky Horror: "I want MORE (MORE,MORE,MORE)"

I hope the authors consider doing a follow up in the vein of 'Asterisk: The Complete Reference'. Also a companion: 'Dial This: Dialplans Revealed'

I have read many of the reviews of this book and am astonished at the amount of people who do not pay attention at what a book is trying to accomplish.

Thank you to the authors for writing an enjoyable read and an eyeopening experience.

I have been a member of the Asterisk community for well over a year. In that time, I have seen some 100,000+ e-mails posted to the Asterisk-Users mailing list. If this book was available a year ago and was required reading BEFORE posting to the list, that number would be cut to less than 10,000.

Simply put, I feel that this book covers %90 of the material that users (mostly new) typically have problems with. I only wish it was available when I started. It is much better than wandering through the wiki endlessly, perusing mailing list archives for hours at a time, and struggling with the provided Asterisk documentation.

A year later, do I still find this book useful? Yes, but not as much. The worlds of Linux, telephony, and new and advancing VoIP protocols are very complicated yet gracefully integrated in Asterisk. I only wish my mind could remember it all, and "Asterisk: The Future of Telephony" serves as an excellent reference for the times I don't.

Its a great book to learn Asterisk from the very beging, it goes trought the concept of telephony to creating a campaign.

Its a great book for understanding, setting up and administration of Asterisk as a PBX, it doesnt go futher this.

The down side is for the very very beginners, you should at least know the basics of telephony systems and to be a linux administrator.

But its a must if you are planning to install an Asterisk system.