| Apple TV Modified To Run Asterisk PBX |
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April 5, 2007 Last week Apple, Inc. (APPL) released a new product dubbed Apple TV designed to integrate iTunes media content with high definition televisions and stereo systems. The diminutive set-top box, which retails for $299 USD, met with mixed reviews as a consumer electronics device but has become an overnight sensation with hackers looking for a low cost software appliance platform. Sporting an Intel processor and a stripped-down version of Apple's flagship OS X operating system, Apple TV is nothing more than a very small Mac that (by default) runs only the FrontRow media center application. The small form factor, powerful operating system and low price make Apple TV an ideal platform for an SMB telephone system based on the Asterisk open source PBX. Responding to a $500 bounty posted on the Asterisk TV Hacks web site by Sokol & Associates, Jeff Gambera of the Awkward TV community created a "recipe" for installing Asterisk on Apple TV. While fairly easy to accomplish (given basic hardware and software skills) the process of making Asterisk work on Apple TV currently requires some rather invasive surgery. The box has to be opened and the hard drive must be connected to a separate Macintosh computer to install a remote access application (SSH) and to disable some of the Apple TV's self-healing features. The Asterisk code is then downloaded, compiled and installed on the Mac, before it is packed up and moved over to the Apple TV. All-in-all the process requires between 30 and 60 minutes for someone familiar with both Apple and Asterisk. Asterisk, a software application originally developed to run on Linux, converts a standard computer into a telephone system (a.k.a. a PBX). Unlike most traditional PBX systems, the standard installation of Asterisk includes voice mail, advanced conferencing, call center applications, automated attendants, interactive voice response (IVR) features and much more. Released under an open source license, Asterisk is free to download, install and use in both private and commercial settings. Originally created by Mark Spencer, founder of Digium (which now acts as the primary sponsor of the project), Asterisk has evolved into a highly competitive solution, rivaling expensive proprietary PBX systems from industry leaders like Avaya and Nortel. Recently developers have ported Asterisk to a number of "appliance" platforms. Typically appliances are small computers purpose-built to run a single application (much like the Apple TV and FrontRow) with slimmed-down operating systems and often using solid-state memory devices in place of a hard disk drive. Two leaders in the Asterisk PBX market, Digium and TrixBox/Fonality, have recently announced Asterisk-based PBX appliances. Both companies have created custom hardware which supports both traditional telephone connections (analog lines and stations) as well as voice-over-IP (VoIP) based phones and services. While pricing varies depending on the number of legacy lines supported, these appliances range from $800 USD to over $3000 USD. The Apple TV-based PBX Asterisk appliance does not support on-board legacy telephony hardware, so connections to analog or digital phone lines require off-board gateway components connected over the LAN (or possibly the USB port). This adds to the cost if legacy connectivity is required, but in many cases small and home offices are able to go "all VoIP" by connecting to an Internet Telephony Service Provider (ITSP). The ITSP acts as a remote gateway to the traditional telephone network, providing dial-tone over a broadband Internet connection (generally at a significant savings compared to traditional phone services). If support of legacy connections is a must, hardware gateways from Linksys, AudioCodes, Grandstream Networks and many others can be added on for as little as $100 USD. For more information on the process of installing Asterisk on Apple TV, see the write-up on the Sokol & Associates site (www.sokol-associates.com). For general information about Asterisk, see www.asterisk.org or www.digium.com. Sokol & Associates is not affiliated in any way with Apple, Inc. Apple has in no way authorized these modifications to Apple TV. About Sokol & Associates Sokol & Associates, Inc. is the market leader in open source telephony training throughout North America and Europe and the producer of AstriCon, the annual Asterisk/Open Source Telephony conference and exhibition. S&A offers a full range of public courses, including the flagship Asterisk Bootcamp, as well as private training and consulting. For information on training opportunities, see www.sokol-associates.com. For information on the upcoming AstriCon 2007 event, see www.astricon.net. Apple TV is a trademark of Apple, Inc. Asterisk is a trademark of Digium, Inc. |
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