[VoIP] More "Authentic" CNET

[Keelan Lightfoot]

> It sounds like you want to reinvent Asterisk. We have drivers for  
> sound
> cards to do just that, using the g.711 or other coding schemes  
> built in
> to Asterisk.

The "problem" is that Asterisk passes abstract signaling information  
between nodes; "so-and-so dialed 1235, the person at 12345 is busy,  
etc." What I'm suggesting is a method of passing very basic state   
information (virtual E&M leads) between collectors' switches as  
though they were connected via wire trunks (or carrier). If I dial  
one of the extensions on a collectors step switch connected to CNET,  
I don't hear the switch until asterisk has finished pulsing out the  
dialed digits. I may as well be listening to a recording. some  
members have even gone so far as to inject canned RP noise into the  
connection, just to make things a bit more lively (I suppose).

>>> supervision/dial pulsing could either be passed as out of band "DC"
>>> signals created or received by extra hardware plugged into the
>>> server, or as in band SF tones with detection either handled in
>>> hardware or software. The interface between sound card and switch
>>> could be executed using something like a Zarlink SLIC or COIC to  
>>> do 2-
>>> wire to 4-wire conversion, and handle signaling.
>>>
> Yes, we have that. What's the purpose?

I was listening to the radio a couple days ago, and a couple  
commentators were critiquing TV christmas specials. One of the  
commentators brought up "It's a Wonderful Life", and argued against  
it on the grounds that it was based on an impractical premise, that  
it was based fantasy and lacked realism. The other commentator stated  
something along the lines of "This is a holiday where one of the main  
events is fat man squeezing down a chimney, to give billions of  
people gifts in the short span of an evening, and you want to talk  
about practicality and reality?"

The purpose would be more of an academic exercise. The Asterisk CNET  
is sterile and predictable. Once you've run through the list of  
numbers and listened to everyone's ring-no-answer, asterisk  
milliwatt, or busy tone lines, you've pretty much played it out.

If we were concerned about practicality or purpose, we would sell our  
switches for scrap and invest the few dollars earned in a mutual  
fund. The spare space in our basements could be used for more  
practical things like storage.

- Keelan