Detailed Course Description

The course is spread out over 4 days of lecture and lab opportunities and there is plenty of opportunity for interactive questions as well as after hours deeper discussions in areas that may be of particular interest to you. We typically use the AsteriskNOW^TM FreePBX distribution in the lab but the class is just as valid for trixbox, Elastix, PBX-in-a-Flash, or your own installation. The major sections of the course are described next.

Advanced PBX Administration in FreePBX

This section will provide detailed information about FreePBX and demonstrate how to effectively utilize this tool to accomplish almost any task in a PBX.

In the first part of the presentation, the components that make up FreePBX and how they integrate into Asterisk will be discussed. In addition, the architectural aspects of FreePBX and Asterisk will be presented. These provide an important basis for subsequent discussion as well as troubleshooting FreePBX related installations that can occur.

A well configured system that is user friendly to your end customers calling you and provides a proper professional image is critical. We show you how to plan your deployments by analyzing the call flows into and out of the system. As we walk through this exercise we highlight many of the features, capabilities, tricks and less known abilities that you can use to optimize your deployment. We will cover topics ranging from Inbound and Outbound routing, to IVRs (auto attendants), Paging and Intercom capabilities, trunk-ing between multiple sites, remote extensions and more.

Faxing remains a critical business function and can sometimes be a challenge in Asterisk installations. We will go over the different faxing solutions available and their relative pros and cons. We will also discuss proper integration with Hylafax/Iaxmodem and how to configure automatic inbound and outbound fax routing and email gateways using information from FreePBX or external sources such as LDAP with a Windows Server.

We will then cover advanced concepts of integration with FreePBX through hooks and custom dial plans, and some basics you need to know to understand how to take advantage of these. In addition, we will spend an entire section on FreePBX/Asterisk troubleshooting to help tackle some common and not so common issues that you are sure to run into when dealing with many different sites or more complex installations.

The associated lab session will porvide an opportunity to configure a system and assure that you have a working system to refer to throughout the presentations so you can follow along and dig deeper into the system as we encounter new areas that may not be familiar to you.

Linux Administration for PBXs

When deploying a FreePBX/Asterisk-based PBXs commercially or for your organization, where your reputation is on the line, you need to be familiar with the Linux command line. Many users come from Windows environments as well as traditional PBX backgrounds and despite their very knowledgeable experience, the Linux command line is very new to them. You will learn basic Linux and how it pertains to PBX deployment. Included will be basic Linux commands, the Linux file system, editing files, permissions, scripting, services and package management, network setup and other relevant basics to gain the comfort necessary to fully administer your PBX and obtain the required background to take advantage of the advanced training in the subsequent days.

We will teach advanced integration and troubleshooting in Linux specifically pertaining to day-to-day systems administration.

Critical components of the PBX and how to utilize the command line to administer these components will be highlighted. These discussions will include IRQ analysis for troubleshooting audio and echo issues, tracing Asterisk logs, advanced network setup and administration, DNS, TFTP and auto provisioning, the Asterisk, Apache, PHP and PERL configuration files.

System and TDM Hardware, Gateways and IP Phones

Choosing the right hardware is one of the most critical decisions you can make when deploying a PBX. This section focuses on criteria necessary to choose proper hardware components for your PBX, including TDM cards and gateways to interface with the Public Switched Telephone Network and IP Phones.

We start with a discussion of PBX hardware, including options of buying all-in-one appliances or servers or building custom machines. Motherboards, as one of the biggest factors in the reliability and quality of a PBX deployment will be discussed at length, as well as other components of the PBX server and how to weight cost versus quality.

A detailed presentation on IP phones, including discussions of capabilities, integration with Asterisk, quality, and manufacturers will be delivered. Real world examples and anecdotes will be presented to better enable you to choose the right phones for the application you are deploying.

Finally, TDM cards and gateways will be discussed. Different technologies will be explored in detail, such as T1, PRI, analog, hardware echo cancellation (HWEC). In addition, manufacturer options will be discussed and the nuances of how each phone manufacturer integrates (or doesn't very well) with Asterisk.

Troubleshooting Echo, QoS, IRQ and Telco Issues

Advanced troubleshooting skills will make the difference of you having a satisfied customer or an unhappy customer, and this has far reaching consequences. No matter how you slice it, telephony deployments are always full of issues, from circuit cutover issues, to networking issues, to training issues. Your ability to troubleshoot effectively will enable you to make deployments as smooth as possible, as well as keeping existing customers satisfied when problems occur.

Troubleshooting tools, including Asterisk log files, CLI output, debugging and call tracing will be discussed in detail. Knowing how to use these tools will enable you to get to root cause of problems and correct them.

Echo is one of the most difficult issues you will face in PBX deployments. If your customers have echo problems, they will be irate, and echo problems are some of the most difficult issues to diagnose and correct. In this part of the presentation, we will discuss types of echo and how to alleviate echo. Detailed information will be presented about echo training and echo cancellation, including free and commercial software and hardware alternatives. As echo problems are often rooted in hardware issues, we will elaborate on previous discussions about hardware choices and IRQ handling as it relates to echo and QoS.

Finally we will discuss troubleshooting carrier-related issues. These issues include PRI troubleshooting, analog call drops and call releasing, and how to communicate with carriers when a problem turns into finger pointing.

Telephony Essentials

A basic understanding of telephony will be presented. This knowledge is critical when selling and deploying an Asterisk PBX. Technology including T1s, PRIs, and analog will be discussed. Included will be discussions about the pros and cons of each technology, how and why you should steer customers to particular technologies, provisioning circuits, and ordering circuits from the telephone company. Finally “pure IP” circuit implementations will be presented, along with their advantages, disadvantages, when to use (and not use) these pure IP circuits and the potential pitfalls.

Marketing and Selling Asterisk PBX Solutions

The marketplace for selling and marketing PBXs has changed surprisingly little since the vast move to IP telephony. In fact, as you sell PBXs you will rarely be competing with each other. Instead, you will be competing with the goliath big name incumbents and be selling an IP-PBX solution in a legacy world. Your ability to differentiate yourself and sell a solution that is on par with the big name vendors will be key to your success.

First we will discuss the PBX market, including the presentation of a competitive analysis, market trends, and market statistics. These form the basis of your market potential now and in the years to come.

The next portion of the Marketing & Sales section will be focused on branding and image. We will discuss how to portray your brand to customers and translate your brand into sales. In addition, we will present how to push your brand and image deep into your product, from the PBX itself to phones, interfaces, and product feature cards.

We will present your competition, who they are, what their capabilities are, their strengths, weaknesses, and how to sell against them. You are not selling consulting. You are selling an enterprise product and you need to understand the mechanics of the vendors that comprise your competition.

We will then get into proven strategies for selling Asterisk-based PBXs, including demonstration kits, what to talk about in your sales pitch (and what NOT to talk about), demonstrating credibility,, feature selling, and the overall sales cycle and what to expect.

The PBX market is huge and there is substantial money in the market, so knowing your competition and product pricing models is extremely important. We will discuss product pricing and how to make good money without leaving any on the table.
Finally we will discuss sales and marketing channels from direct sales to sales through your own chain of resellers. Included will be discussions on direct internet sales, yellow pages, online referral services and customer referrals. If you choose to sell through a reseller chain, we will tell you how to find resellers, structure a reseller agreement, train, and support your resellers.

NOTE: This description is for the standard format OTTS class, but that specific details should be reviewed on the actual registration page as the class is adjusted from course to course depending on the venue being delivered, class size and in some cases, class length may vary.