Asterisk FAQ

Here is the beginning of my Asterisk FAQ. If you have anything to contribute drop me an email asterisk-faq@gnuinter.net

AGI

Whats AGI?
AGI stands for Asterisk Gateway Interface. AGI allows Asterisk to launch external programs written in any language to control a telephony channel, play audio, read DTMF digits, etc. by communicating with the AGI protcol on stdin ad stdout.

Is there a list of available AGI commands?
You can view a list from the asterisk cli with the "show agi" command or in html on the asterisk.org website.

Is there a perl interface for AGI?
There certainly is, you can find it at http://asterisk.gnuinter.net

AGI Examples from the mailing list
example by Steven Critchfield written in c
Cam Farnell's AGI Documentation has a few different examples

Building Asterisk

What external libraries are required to build asterisk?
OpenSSL
libncurses
libpthread
libreadline is no longer used within asterisk, its functionality has been replaced with editline which is included with the sources

IAX

Is there an IAX Client available for windows?
No, but there is a reward being offered for an IAX client with a few specifications. USD $500

What is IAXTel?
IAXTel is a network run by LSS for Gnophone and Asterisk users. Once you signup you will receive a phone number (700-NXX-XXXX) that other IAXTel users will be able to reach you at.

How can I sign up for IAXTel?
There is a login/signup page Here

Sound Formats

How can I convert WAV to GSM format?
SOX can deal with that.
sox winwave.wav -r 8000 -c 1 linwave.gsm

Zaptel Interfaces

What type of Zaptel interfaces are available?
T100P: Single-Span T1 half-length PCI card
T400P: Quad-Span T1 half-length PCI card
E400P: Quad-Span E1 half-length PCI card
X100P: Single-Span POTS FXO PCI Interface
S100U: Single-Span POTS FXS USB Interface
S400P (aka TDM400P): 1-4 port Modular PCI Card (Only FXS modules currently available)

Which module should I use for each zaptel device?
T400P or E400P: tor2
T100P or E100P: wct1xxp
S400P (TDM400P): wcfxs
X100P or X101P: wcfxo
S100U: wcusb or wcfxsusb

Where can I buy these Zaptel interfaces?
You can order them from here.

Example Zaptel configs:
S100U
X100P
E400P

Is there any type of echo cancellation available?
Yes there is. Echo cancellation is enabled in the /etc/asterisk/zaptel.conf file.
You can change the echo canceller in the Makefile found in the zaptel modules.
The available echo cancellers are STEVE, STEVE2, MARK, and MARK2 (Current Default)

How can I make the dialtone stuttered when there is voicemail?
In the /etc/asterisk/zapata.conf set mailbox=(mailboxnumber).
Example:

callerid="Test Phone" <(256) 555-1234>
mailbox=1234
channel => 1