PABX Support For Open Operating Systems?

LinuxOnEveryDesktop asks: "I am currently investigating which PABX has the best support for open OSes. I would like to see who's calling on the PC screen, run voicemail server software, do PABX administration, call logging, etc., on an Open OS. Most PABXs (like Lucent's Argent Office,...) come with Windows software, which is not an option for my employer."

A what? Please enlighten me.

[PsionicMan]

What's a PABX? I assume it's something to do with call centers, as referenced by the topic thingy.

Oh, and I suppose it'd be a waste if I didn't go for a "1st post!" WHeee.

Max, in America, it's customary to drive on the right.

Not an option?

[Trumpet]

"Most PABXs (like Lucent's Argent Office,...) come with Windows software, which is not an option for my employer."

Sounds like you need a new employer. Or one that realizes that companies like Lucent generally know what the hell they're doing when they make design decisions about their own PABX system. If your employer is so closed-minded to the open-source way, I would definately suggest a "career change."

Or what is an option with your employer? Anything that doesn't bear a logo with four primary colors in it? Nice Anti-MS sounding shop you work in.

Hmm.

[danpbrowning]

I went through the same evaluation myself. Haven't found anything yet. The other poster is right, Lucent did put a lot of design into their windows versions -- they are rock solid. (Well, the server is anyway). It's too bad more people don't code for multi-platform anyway.

Re:found

[pong]

Ok, I take it you didn't break anything then? Good for you.

PABX

[deathjester]

I work for a company that has recently developed a new winbloze package to generate those reports from the PABX. We have one generic interface that can basicly communicate with any PABX( well in South africa anyway). The interface runs in windows, but we have a Sco unix version too and hopefully a Linux one too soon.
Will try and keep you updated.

Ask Google

[dago]

Maybe rename this category from 'Ask Slashdot' to 'Ask Google' would be a good idea ;)
The answer to lots of post may be found using google and 'I fell lucky'.

For example, a search on 'open source pbx' give the following answer :
Asterisk PBX [asteriskpbx.com]

Isn't that what you're looking for ? Other interesting site :
http://www.linuxtelephony.org/

Source Exchange Project

[fwc]

There is an active project [sourcexchange.com] relating to this up at sourcexchange.

You may want to find out what the current status is.

Eh?

[dubl-u]

Don't be silly.

The reason that Lucent focuses on Windows clients for their PBXes is more likely that 99% of office workers in companies large enough to buy serious PBX installations use Windows. Thus, the client software for PBX users is also on Windows.

This has very little to do with the internal running of PBX itself; you can bet that Lucent wrote the OS for the phone switch themselves, just exposing a (proprietary) API for the user and admin tools. I'm sure the poster doesn't give a damn about that; he just wants to use all of the switch's features from his non-Windows desktop machine.

If they don't currently have Windows boxes, why should they be forced to get some just to make their telephones go?

There are open standards to many PABX brands

[Crimplene Prakman]

An interface like TAPI [subcomm.com] or CSTA [dialogic.com] should not be too difficult to implement - I work a lot with PBX, PABX, un-PBX equipment, and a common request in the current call-centre market is for CT - interoperability between some agent-focussed CRM software, and the best telephony solution out there. Often the best way to go is a little bit of glue code sitting between the two.

The current business world being what it is, Win32 is where the IS team have their expertise, and that is where the direction is forced to go for now, but with the continual expansion of Linux and *BSD into the mainstream, it can't be too long before the big black box makers, Nortel, Lucent, Ericsson, Mitel, Tadiran, Toshiba, Panasonic, start wandering down the reliability route.

Another route worth watching is CTMedia [dialogic.com]. This is an emerging technology, still in development, but backed by M$. Although touted as an "Open Standard", the idea is based on a M$ OS, but may expand outwards - Dialogic [dialogic.com] (who make the hardware) have support for Linux [dialogic.com] currently.

And for something M$ should worry about - an interface they don't have much input into, see this [vxm.com] article, specifically the bits about SCSA, although it's a good all-round discussion of various technologies.

/prak
--
We may be human, but we're still animals.