How to trunk 2 asterisk boxes

This is how I did it. Let’s assume that the two Asterisk boxes are located in Manila and Cebu. Might be useful to our company’s future sysadmins.

On the Manila side (192.168.1.1)

1. Download, burn, and install trixbox

2. Secure the box
o Disable unnecessary daemons
o Disable root login
o Enforce PKI
o Change default passwords for admin and maint

3. Setup 2 interfaces. 1 for private and the other for public. Setup static routes for VPN, if any.

4. Login to web UI using maint.

5. Go to PBX -> PBX Settings and click on Trunks on the left side

6. Click on Add IAX2 Trunk

Outbound Caller ID: hidden

Dial Rules: 032+NXXXXXX

Trunk Name: To-Cebu (you can call it whatever you want, but for this example, let’s call it To-Cebu)

PEER Details:

deny=all
allow=g729&ulaw&alaw
type=friend
host=192.168.2.2 (public IPs also work, but better do it over VPN)
qualify=yes
context=from-internal
secret=putyoursupersecretpasswordhereok?

7. Click the Submit changes button at the bottom

8. Click the Apply Configuration Changes at the top

9. Click Continue with reload

10. Next, click on Outbound routes on the left.

Route Name: To-Cebu

Dial Pattern:

43XX (considering that the extension range for the Cebu Asterisk is 4300-4399)
0|32. (because Cebu’s area code is 32)

Trunk Sequence: IAX2/To-Cebu

11. Submit changes and Apply Configuration Changes

On the Cebu side (192.168.2.2)

1. Repeat steps 1-5

2. Click on Add IAX2 Trunk

Outbound Caller ID: hidden

Dial Rules: 02+NXXXXXX

Trunk Name: To-Manila (you can call it whatever you want, but for this example, let’s call it To-Manila)

PEER Details:

deny=all
allow=g729&ulaw&alaw
type=friend
host=192.168.1.1 (public IPs also work, but better do it over VPN)
qualify=yes
context=from-internal
secret=putyoursupersecretpasswordhereok?

3. Click the Submit changes button at the bottom

4. Click the Apply Configuration Changes at the top

5. Click Continue with reload

6. Next, click on Outbound routes on the left.

Route Name: To-Manila

Dial Pattern:

41XX (considering that the extension range for the Manila Asterisk is 4100-4199)
0|2. (because Manila’s area code is 2)

Trunk Sequence: IAX2/To-Manila

7. Submit changes and Apply Configuration Changes

On Both Asterisk

1. Create the extensions on both servers.

2. Setup DNS. The hostname must have internal and external records, for convenience’s sake.

You’re all set, for now. You can now call softphone users in both offices.

More to follow.

Fring Science

I’ve been using Fring before during the 1.x firmware days. It was the first IM client to support Yahoo! Messenger. The functionality is okay but the interface could use a little makeover.

Fast forward several months. Fring is back, but on the Apple AppStore this time. When it comes to functionality and eye-candy, Beejive wins over Fring by a mile lightyear. Excluding the price factor, any normal user would ditch Fring for Beejive.

Fring has an edge over all IM clients.  It supports SIP, including your very own Asterisk.  With Truphone, well, you’re just confined to their service.  It’s no X-Lite but it provides the basic features of a soft phone.

The different SIP providers above are merely templates.  There are only 3 important fields when configuring a subscription: User ID (extension number), Password and Proxy server.  Select Other at the bottom to register to your Asterisk box.

What I like best about Fring is that you can also receive calls, with caller ID.  There’s a nice SIP client before (siphone was the name, I think) but it only allows outgoing calls.

Fring also supports call history and access to your address book.

Now, can you say “unlimited calls” ?