4-lines, not channels or extensions

FreePBX Tips and Tricks
21

No. I’m swamped right now and don’t have time for experiments. Moving two servers from Elastix to FreePBX 2.9 and making them HA with DRDB and Corosync. I have a doctor’s office who is convinced he needs the old style call appearance/presence on all phones so you can see who is talking. Looking for a clean way to implement that with Polycom phones. SkykingOH says, "The Polycom 550’s have four line keys. You can monitor another extension status with them and the icon will change on the LCD.

I would program 1 of them for a ‘pickup’ and program a soft key at the bottom for ‘park’ so you any station can park a call and have it picked up by another station."

This seems like a reasonable way to do line monitoring/SLA. Creating the soft key for a Parking Lot seems great. Need to investigate how to subsribe these other lines to other extensions. From what I read, it seems the recipe here is the way: https://wiki.asterisk.org/wiki/display/AST/SLA+Configuration

Your thoughts? Thanks for the dialogue.

22

I’d be all over the SLA as it’s a huge market - so many small businesses out there.

Until it happens, you can somewhat work around with the BLF’s and call parking. You can show each park slot on a BLF as well, so if a call is on hold, it will flash on a blf key.

I have had much more success with the Aastra phones, especially with button programming. Check out the Aastra XML scripts as they have some awesome features and functions.

The Aastra sets seem to be much easier to work with (in my experience). Haven’t found any XML scripts for the Polycom sets.

23

SkykingOH, I have BLF working on Polycom phones. Was a snap by following http://www.smallbusinesstech.net/more-complicated-instructions/freepbx/how-to-enable-blf-busy-lamp-field-with-attendant-on-freepbx-with-polycom-phones

Can’t seem to get a grasp on creating a park destination on the BLF key or soft key so that it works like SLA hold pickup. Still researching, but if you could chime in I’d be most appreciative.

Thanks.

24

This is one of the first things that I tell anyone who is considering switching to a FreePBX or VOIP system. SLA is a dinosaur. Given the channelized nature of SIP and PRI trunking, Line 1, Line 2, etc. simply doesn’t have a meaning anymore, and there’s really no reason for every call to appear on every phone in an office. No doubt that it will take some getting used to, but without exception, everyone who has gotten used to it has liked not being bothered with other’s calls much better than the SLA method.

25

I am vehemently opposed to your position. This is a classic case of technology driving business, rather than business driving technology.

It may be your opinion that an SLA architecture is archaic, but there are an overwhelming number of practical scenarios that you are overlooking.

I will agree that in many corporate environments where the atmosphere is “cubicles and workstations” your argument is quite accurate. But there are lots of small businesses that pride themselves in their “lack of corporate-ness” and would rather put the handset down on their desk for a few moments instead of placing a caller on hold. I’m not saying that’s right or wrong, but what I am saying is that this is the client’s prerogative - WHO ARE WE TO TELL THE BUSINESS OWNER HOW THEIR BUSINESS SHOULD “LOOK AND FEEL” TO THEIR CUSTOMERS?!?

My company has installed over 100 PBX systems in the north-eastern region of the country in the last 18 months because clients were simply more satisfied with the end result, the “look and feel” of their users’ experience (while at the same time installing 50 hosted VoIP systems).

As I’ve mentioned before, this request can’t be difficult… Why can’t every call be a “conference call”? And why can’t everyone who picks up their handset automatically be entered into the conversation? I’m not a programmer, but it seems to me that the tools are already in place, it’s just a matter of making the technology do what the client wants it to do.

26

There are also scenarios where an extension needs to be shared for an admin in a corporate environment.

The bottom line is that Asterisk does not support shared extensions. It actually does support the key system SLA you describe just not via the FreePBX interface (see Asterisk sla.conf for details.).

I have met with Digium developers, begged, pleaded, participated in numerous threads and yet the “Broadsoft compatible share line” feature never makes it into release.

It’s not in the power of FreePBX team to fix this.

27

I understand that, and appreciate your efforts.

My intent is not to be confrontational or belligerent. FreePBX/Asterisk/Digium may or may not offer this feature, and that is what it is, we’ll look to other ways to satisfy our requirements.

But anyone who discounts this feature, who says that this is an “old school way of doing things” who thinks that SLA is unnecessary, or has a better (different) way of handling these calls, is doing a disservice to their clients and is a disgrace to our community.

28

Technology often drives business. Why is freight cheaper than air? Because jet fuel costs more than diesel.

Why does Asterisk not support SLA? Because SLA is an antiquated technology that was driven by the technlogy associated with copper wires.

Yes, there’s no reason why you can’t program a VOIP system to support SLA. Yes, everyone hates change. A meth addict doesn’t want to give up his meth. While SLA isn’t as bad as meth, SLA robs businesses of productivity, requiring users to holler across the office (“call for John on Line 1”). It takes 10 minutes to learn how to use a non-SLA solution, and its use saves time.

29

AdHominem,

You are guilty of the same reasoning that Digium is using for continually rejecting the Broadsoft SLA code that has now been submitted a half a dozen times.

The behavior you describe is key system functionality. This type of squared key system is supported today by Digium, especially on DAHDI hardware via chan_sla. It actually works just fine.

What we don’t have is shared SIP line appearance. This would allow an administrator to share a line appearance with their boss/es. This feature is supported by all of the closed source vendors including Cisco, Avaya and Mitel. It is not a “dumbing down” of the system and the feature is needed in corporate environments.

Sometimes a key system is just the right technology. Altigen and Panasonic sell key systems that naively support SIP trunks. This is a great marriage of technology and I plan on adding the Panasonic eKey to our product lineup. I met with the Panasonic folks at Astricon and they get this space. Installing a server in a four person office is a bit of overkill. In fact the economies don’t kick in until around 15-20 extensions. Less than that go with hosted. More than likely your IT guy is pitching you on the smaller system and you will end up with support headaches. There are many exceptions to this rule, such as small call centers. I am generalizing.

30

I must respectfully disagree. As an integrator you must take your clients needs into consideration, but let’s face it most people do things “the way they have always done them” NOT because it’s the best way, but because no one has shown them a BETTER way. It’s your responsibility to know your clients business, so you can suggest appropriate technology, and yes… EVEN BETTER BUSINESS PRACTICES. I have not had a single client that could not embrace technology and business processes that was against “what he was used to doing” once he saw it’s benefit to his business.

If your client wanted to purchase digital pagers for his employees you would no doubt argue with him that the technology was archaic and show him how in every possible scenario an SMS receiving device would be more productive in the long run. For the same reason I’m sure you’ve refused to buy a cheaper underpowered server or other hardware just to “get by” because you know it will cost your client in the long run. That’s your job.

While SLA’s may SEEM to have a place, the fact is there are other, BETTER ways of accomplishing things. There are two main reasons people want SLA’s, to Join themselves or another person into the call, or two hand off the call. In either scenario what you are missing is the communication that take place between the two workers. I doesn’t matter whether they, Yell across the office, Intercom, Text, IM, or send an interoffice carrier pigeon, they are communicating about who is on the call and the decision to hand off the call or join in. No one in their right mind in going to see a red light on their phone and press it and butt in so they can ‘see who Margie is talking too.’ If that’s what your client want then YOU are doing them an extreme disservice by not teaching them better business practices… Even If it’s Bubba’s bait shop. Because while they may want to provide “hometown service” they will have some clients that want to be treated with an amount of professionalism… or at least feel the business in competent and can communicate.

Like ot not a hand off to another person is a xfer… with a key system, you have to tell them they have a call… with a xfer to their extension, it’s your option to do that or not, and to blind or assist the xfer. making the process seamless to the caller. The workers ARE communicating when transferring a call, now they just have more ways to do it.

Like it or not a third party joining the call is a conference. As ANY business worker would communicate his intentions to join a call, why does it matter who actually presses the button to do so? The worker currently on the call joins the other party.

Asterisk DOES have Barge and Spy functionality for monitoring employees. A simple tool like iSymphony, Free for 5 users, is a great way to monitor who is on calls with whom.

Point being, as technology develops, some things DO become “outdated” when there exists a better way. Fax machines are archaic, but they are still the most effective way of transferring document images for the average person.

31

Wizard, you are right and that is why it has not cost us any sales.

Retraining high level management that have an admin in front of there office is very challenging. The put on hold and holler method as you will.

With training we find that the following gives a proper boss/admin relationship:

1 - Boss and Admin each have private extension
2 - Admin has BLF/DSS key with directed call pickup of Boss extension
3 - Admin is within hearing distance of Boss Ringer
4 - Dedicated parking lot with single slot programmed
5 - Both Admin and Boss have park/pickup BLF key
6 - Boss has at lease speed dial key to admin

Another option is a third extension that is in a Ring Group on admin phone with Boss’s extension for pickup if condition 3 is not met.

This is a boat load of provisioning for this scenario. If Asterisk supported shared extensions it would be a five minute job.

It must not be that odd of a feature as every IP phone system accept Asterisk supports shared extensions.

I am not aware of any IP phone systems that support line barge. As Wizard pointed out this is useless.

To reiterate the goal is not to emulate a squared up key system, however there are circumstances that a shared line is appropriate.

Thanks…Scott

32

If I’m guilty of using the same reasoning that Digium uses, then I guess I’m in good company. :slight_smile:

33

The problem with Digium is they have built a great voice application platform but they lack experience in real world phone systems.

Most folks ignore the fact the Asterisk is a phone system. It can pe programmed to function like one.

That is why many standard phone systenm features are lacking from Asterisk.

34

As I’m sure you know, device and user mode allows shared extensions with FreePBX.

Configuration is very simple, and avoids all the machinations you described. The feature allows a line on each phone to have the same extension number. Each phone can make and receive calls using the same extension #. When the extension is intercom’d, both phones will go into intercom mode.

35

Sounds like Bridged Line Appearance (BLA) is the goal here:

 http://rapidtechguide.blogspot.com/2012/03/shared-line-appearancebridged-line.html

Shared Line Appearance (SLA) might be useful as well:

 http://www.smartvox.co.uk/astfaq_asterisk_sla.htm

We can spend all day arguing about technology implementation and what is better than what, but in the end, if you can’t provide your customers exactly what they want, they will find someone that will.

36

I also am not arguing about the usefulness of the feature. Nobody has lobbied Digium harder for Broadsoft style SIP shared extensions.

It is key to understand the system you are integrating, qualify the customer and set expectations.

What I have no patience for is the jackasses that go “sell” a FreePBX system without knowing the first thing about it and then come and complain in the forum when it can’t do what the told the customer it could. How can you sell something you have no experience with? It’s ridiculous and ultimately damaging to the reputation of Open Source telephony and fuels the preconception that VoIP sucks.

I keep hoping for a real sip_chan_sla, if you search Broadsoft and SLA with Asterisk you will see just how close we were before Digium put the kibosh on the whole thing.