Setting up Trixbox on a Windows Machine

In preparation for the Boston TrixBox seminar, I'm setting up my laptop to run TrixBox. Think about this concept for a moment� I'm going to run a version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, as a virtual machine on my three-year old Dell laptop, and on top of that run the Asterisk/Trixbox PBX server. This is mind-boggling on a several levels.

The minimum recommended specs for doing this include 1 gigabyte of memory and a 2.4 gigabyte processor. I'm hoping it will still be functional with my 2 gig laptop processor�it is a little late to go out and replace my laptop.

I've downloaded and installed the VMWare player.
I've downloaded and installed the TrixBox. Zip file which contains four files:
* Red Hat Enterprise NVRAM File (which I'm assuming is some kind of memory emulator)
* VMWare virtual disk file,
* VMSD File
* VMX configuration file.



Clicking on the VMX configuration file, starts the configuration process. This looks identical to the setup process that you run when installing TrixBox on a standalone machine.



The next snag comes up when the CentOS installer complains about a network card driver. I accepted "Remove Configuration", and it immediately came back and said it would attempt to configure the card again. At this point I get the blank screen asking for network information.

There is no direction on this in the installation instructions so I just accept the dynamic configuration for now.

This is accepted, and the boot sequence for CentOS continues smoothly. I see that eth0 starts up.

A few more minutes, and the login CentOS login prompt appears. I login with user name=root, and password = trixbox

The web interface is also available on the local IP address for the virtual machine



This shows the handsome new front page of the 2.2 interface. Click on the image to see it full size.

Windows XP Embedded....just like Novell

I'm dating myself here...but I remember about twenty years ago when the Novell NetWare operating system was compiled from components. In the earlier case, the operating system was linked to include object files for specific networking hardware. I recall provisions for up to a dozen different hardware manufacturers and topologies, including ArcNet, Ethernet, IBM Systems Network Architecture, and something called OmniNet. The linking and build process used 30 or more floppy disks, and the process was fraught with errors and mixups. The target hard drives were tested with the infamous CompSurf program (for Comprehensive Surface Test), and this could take several hours to run if the disk was a large one, like 40 megabytes. We would routinely let these tests run overnight, and hope in the morning that our disk would have a clean bill of health.

So it is interesting to build a Windows XP embedded image, which basically gives you 1200 possible components that can be selected to build a version of Windows XP that will run on embedded hardware or for a dedicated device. This is displayed in the Microsoft Virtual Labs, which create a virtual PC environment ActiveX control that shows up embedded in an Internet Explorer Window. Pretty slick actually. And, as the second picture shows...it is just like real life. Here is what I ended up with after working through ninety minutes of the lab when I attempted to reboot the virtual machine.

Tangled up in Macros - Errors when opening Access Files

Eliminate the Macro Security messages when opening Access projects.

Here is a fix for a perennial problem, which appears to work.

I'll spare you the rant.

You need to run this on every workstation which uses your application, so in a networked situation, this needs to be part of the installation routine on each workstation.

Martin Geddes: Cold on VoIP? Exactly

Martin Geddes is sceptical.

I ought to explain why I�ve suddenly gone cold on VoIP.

It�s just I�ve watched my own behaviour. I�ve grown tired of the inconsistency of PC VoIP calls, and instead I�ve reverted to using landlines, mobiles and Jajah (for callback). But I�m still using IM to set up many of those calls!

The problem isn�t unique to any one client � they�re all proving unsuitable for business use with clients (which is most of my telephony needs covered).

The worst of all seems to be Skype conference calling. We probably would rate the quality as �unacceptable� for 50% of the attempts. When it�s good, it�s great. But that isn�t what I�m after.

He goes on to talk about how softphones don't work very well.

Another problem with PCs is they�re just lousy telephones. When you hibernate Windows XP on my HP laptop, all kinds of audio settings seem to go wrong and the volume buttons stop working. Bluetooth is hopelessly unreliable, and who wants another wireless headset device to remember to charge up (and bring the charger when you travel)? Or to have to rush to fish out a headset and plug it in when a call arrives?

Before I get accused of plagiarizing the whole piece, you can read the full post.

There are a couple of issues here:

VoIP qua VoIP is really a very broad spectrum of technologies, encompassing softphones, free calling, replacing million dollar hardware PBX switches with open source software switches, and new applications. Martin's definition for purposes of his discussion, if I read his article correctly cites two problematic applications; softphones on PCs, and conference calling on Skype.

I agree with his scepticism. My own interest in more in Asterisk/Trixbox and replacing the traditional circuit switched phone line infrastructure with packet switched calls over the internet. While I have made a couple of calls from my laptop, it seems a little bit silly to do so when I've got my $15.00/month cell-phone handy. So if softphones don't work I'm personally not going to slit my throat.

But, the internet calls thing, is more problematic. Clearly, we are at the mercy of the internet when placing such calls... once your packets get outside your own local area network, they are flung out on the storm-tossed seas of the public internet. And, as we all are getting what we wished for with network neutrality, our packets are being treated like everyone else's packets. So, your 911 call's packets might be held up by an image of Johnny Depp, or even the whole movie.

One solution of this so far, as been "quality of service", which is a euphemism for "prioritizing packets". If people played nice, then, every router on the net would be smart enough to know that some packets are more equal than others, and voice and media packets in particular need to be forwarded before eMail and ftp packets. And indeed, if I'm making VoIP calls from my Trixbox while downloading those bloody updates for Windows, call quality goes down the tubes, (and this is with me, placing a single call, and downloading from a single workstation on my LAN).

The second solution, and really the only one at this point, has been to provide enough bandwidth so that whatever the exigencies of packet transfer there is enough slack in the network so that most of the voice packets will arrive, in the correct order. In buildings that use VoIP phones, the best practice is to run a separate set of 10BaseT cabling for the softphones. Mind you, this is a separate subnet from the data network that is currently in place. (Note: Someone will argue that this already in place, because we've got the existing two or four pair wiring in place for the telphone...)

So, is it responsible of us to suggest for a non-profit that they should:
1. Invest in new desk phones at $125.00 for each desktop location
2. Double their cable infrastructure
3. Purchase a quality of service router that at least will prioritize packets moving in and out of their own location
4. Purchase a dedicated server, with attendant UPS backup and management
5. Figure out how all this goes together.

when it may not work. Specifically, that you won't be able to rely on 99.99% availability when placing internet calls, and you won't be able to ensure that 99.99% of inbound calls to your internet-brokered phone lines will reach you.

when you can go to Best Buy or Amazon and get a Panasonic key phone system with six phones for $2500 or so, which you can forget about once it is installed.

I'm just asking.

Access 2007 Runtime Delayed & Linux Patent Assault

Microsoft Matters:

The Access 2007 runtime which was scheduled to be available today is delayed by a couple of weeks.

In other news:

Microsoft also seems to be trying to pick up where the SCO lawsuit left off, by threatening companies using Linux for patent infringement. Same story as before...they won't say what is being infringed, won't point to any code in particular. They mention OpenOffice (which isn't Linux, of course, merely open source). Lots more about this over on Slashdot.

What a crock!

It is behavior like this which makes a customer think about where they are sending their money.

It's like General Motors blaming their customers for not buying enough GM cars.

It's like health insurance companies blaming their customers for whinging about the cost of premiums which rise at 2 or 3 times the annual rate of inflation.

Access 2007 Runtime ships May 15th

From Clint's blog... the runtime will be available as a free download on May 15th. Hooray!

Chron This Week: HP Grants for Micro Business Programs

Seen in the Chron....

Hewlett-Packardis accepting applicaitons for a program that provides cash, laptop computres and other equipment to non-profit orgnaizations that help low-income entrepeneurs build and expand small businesses in the United States. Deadline for grant applicaitons is June 5.

http://www.hp.com/go/hpmicroenterprise

Also, there was a very interesting article about volunteers; Charities Face Trouble Keeping Volunteers and Attracting New Ones, Study Finds. An excerpt:

The Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, in Columbus, Ohio, recently released a survey that reinforces the Corporation for National and Community Service's findings about volunteers dropping out.

The Nationwide survey, based on online interviews with 462 adults, found that 57 percent of respondents do not plan to increase their volunteerism over the next year.

Moreover, 42 percent of people who don't volunteer say it isn't a lack of interest that prevents them from donating their time, but rather difficulty finding opportunities where they feel they can make a difference, use their skills, or act on personal values.

The full survey is available online.

Trixbox and FreePBX

In one of those serendipitous moments, I found that by upgrading one thing, I fixed another thing.

One of the nifty things that you can do with VoIP is add a virtual number to your system. The number can be located pretty much anywhere, as long as your "voice ISP" has a block of numbers available in the locale that you want to have the number.

In my case, I wanted to have a local number available in Albany, New York which is area code 518. So, I logged into the VoicePulse web site, chose the location and selected a number from the ones available. VoicePulse charges US$11.00 to set up a number, and then $11.00 at the beginning of each month for the number.

That should have solved the issue. I was able to verify almost immediatly that my credit card had been charged. But when I called the number I'd get the "the number you have dialed is not in service" message, which follows the three high-pitched tones.

What to do? First, of course, send a note the VoicePulse tech support. They called back and asked for a transcript of the SIP debugger in Asterisk. So, I logged into the Trixbox with my SSL terminal program, logged on to the Asterisk command line, and then activated SIP Debug.

AsteriskBox$ asterisk -vvvvvvvvvvr
AsteriskBox$ sip debug


This gave me a transcript of all the SIP commands, and it was obvious that indeed the call was getting as far as the Trixbox, but was being rejected for some reason. So, I figured it had to be an issue with inbound routes in the Asterisk configuration. These are configured using FreePBX. Poking around on the FreePBX forums, I found that the version I was using was still a release candidate, and indeed other people had had problems with inbound routes. So, an upgrade was in order, and excellent instructions were given on the forum. And indeed, now the inbound number works.
I now have a "local presence" in Albany, even though I'm in Vermont.

Chron This Week: Another vote for Network Neutrality

Well, actually, it is Chron Last Week... I've not been keeping current..there are still a few more Chrons in the pile on my desk.

But in the April 19th issue, there is a nice short article about network neutrality.

Proponents of so-called network neutrality argue that all data traveling over the Internet should be treated the same way, no matter which companies' networks deliver it. They say phone and cable companies should not offer better service--faster speeds or dominant Web placement, for example--to companies that they are affiliated with or that are willing to pay extra. Many communications companies, however, argue that a federal law requiring network neutrality would impede their ability to attract financial investors for expansion of Internet services.

They cite a web address which outlines the case for network neutrality and another web site which opposes network neutrality.

Erasing your Hard Drive - Really

How to REALLY erase a hard drive by Robin Harris

Who Knew? Turns out there is a way to do a full erase on a hard drive already built into the firmware on the drive.

So what�s the magic?
Something called Secure Erase, a set of commands embedded in most ATA drives built since 2001. If this is so wonderful, why haven�t you heard of it before? Because it�s been disabled by most motherboard BIOSes.

Secure Erase is a loaded gun aimed right at all your data. And Murphy�s Law is still in force. But hey, if you�re smart enough to read Storage Bits, you�re smart enough to not play with Secure Erase until you need to.

I use Boot 'N Nuke myself, which he also mentions.

Email Advocacy Tools

We're winding up the fifth season of the year, mud season, the period after the snow melts, and before the ground dries out a little, in spite of April showers. In our neck of the woods, this also means legislature season, when the part-time Vermont legislature goes at it hammer and tongs for the first five or so months of the year. They are supposed to be finished in a couple of weeks, but the session often slides till the end of May and even into June.

I've been paying more attention this year, because somewhere buried in the budget bill H0347, (that means the bill orginated in the House of Representatives) between Section 218 and Section 224, is an appropriation for the Vermont Software Developer's Alliance. This group, which has been running on volunteer power for almost three years, now wants to hire an executive director, and we have crafted a message about workforce development and job creation which seems quite compelling. More on the vtSDA some other time, maybe.

But tracking the progress of our budget line item on the Vermont Legislature web site has proved challenging. The first problem are the search screens. If you know the bill number, you are in good shape, but if not, you can attempt a keyword search.The application, apparently written using Macromedia ColdFusion, (based on the .cfm extension of the web pages), seems snappy, but rudimentary. But it is a good start.

Virtually all senators and representatives use eMail. You can also call the Sargeant-At-Arms at the statehouse, I gather this is sort of a concierge, and they will write down a phone message on a pink slip of paper which will then be delivered by a fifth grader (yes...a the state version of a congressional page) to the legislator on the floor. You can even eMail the S of A, and they will print out the eMail and send it along with the pink slip for delivery. And you send copies to multiple legislators. For some reason, this quaint process reminds me of the X-ray wallah in India. If you have a bone fracture, you can get an X-ray from a guy with a portable X-ray machine on the street in Mumbai. You get your film, and then you go to the doctor to get your broken bone seen to.

So then, you track down the eMail addresses and phone numbers of those representatives to whom you wish to contact directly. Many, maybe most, won't respond to eMail or return phone calls unless you are a constituant from their district. But, if they did...

The Vermont Public Interest Research Group uses an application from Capital Advantage which allows them to set up "action alerts", with talking points, which then will walk you through the process of creating an eMail for your legislators. You can, of course also put in your own text.

Monthly Introduction May 2007

Welcome to Tech for Non-Profits, the unplugged version of Microdesign Consulting. Part lab-notebook, part brain-extension, it is a repository for new and half-baked ideas that we run across as we provide software and database development, network support, and R&D for a growing list of clients in education, health care and non-profit organizations.

Occasional features include Tech Friday, which may include code(!), our (mostly) annotated VoIP resource guide, Stuff That Works for hardware and software items that have passed the Five Minute Test, and Chron This Week, which is synopsis of technology articles of interest in the Chronicle of Philanthropy. Topics on grantwritng and fundraising appear as we seem to have one or more grant application in progress most of the time.

Comments and suggestions are welcome. They are moderated, so will show up shortly after you add them.