System information

• If I use my PDA to connect to my voicemail and retrieve my voice messages (con-
verted to text), does my PDA become a phone?
• If I attach a video camera to my PC, connect to a company’s website, and request
a live chat with a customer service rep, is my PC now a telephone?
• If I use the IP phone in my kitchen to surf for recipes, is that a phone call?
The point is simply this: we’ll probably always be “phoning” each other, but will we
always use “telephones” to do so?
Linux Considerations
If you ask anyone at the Free Software Foundation, they will tell you that what we know
as Linux is in fact GNU/Linux. All etymological arguments aside, there is some valuable
truth to this statement. While the kernel of the operating system is indeed Linux, the
vast majority of the utilities installed on a Linux system and used regularly are in fact
GNU utilities. “Linux” is probably only 5 percent Linux, possibly 75 percent GNU,
and perhaps 20 percent everything else.
Why does this matter? Well, the flexibility of Linux is both a blessing and a curse. It is
a blessing because with Linux you can truly craft your very own operating system from
scratch. Since very few people ever do this, the curse is in large part due to the respon-
sibility you must bear in determining which of the GNU utilities to install, and how to
configure the system.
Conclusion
In this appendix, we’ve discussed all manner of issues that can contribute to the stability
and quality of an Asterisk installation. How much time and effort you should devote
to following the best practices and engineering tips in this appendix all depends on how
much work you expect the Asterisk server to perform, and how much quality and
reliability your system must provide. If you are experimenting with Asterisk, don’t
worry too much; just be aware that any problems you have may not be the fault of the
Asterisk system.
What we have attempted to do in this appendix is give you a feel for the kinds of best
practices that will help to ensure that your Asterisk system will be built on a reliable,
stable platform. Asterisk is quite willing to operate under far worse conditions, but the
amount of effort and consideration you decide to give these matters will play a part in
the stability of your PBX. Your decision should depend on how critical your Asterisk
system will be.
662 | Appendix C: Preparing a System for Asterisk