Page 53 - Asterisk™: The Future of Telephony

can cause short circuits. Do not install any electronic equipment in areas of high hu-
midity without providing a means to remove the moisture.

Temperature

Heat is the enemy of electronics. The cooler you keep your system, the more reliably
it will perform, and the longer it will last. If you cannot provide a properly cooled room
for your system, at a minimum ensure that it is placed in a location that ensures a steady
supply of clean, cool air. Also, keep the temperature steady. Changes in temperature
can lead to condensation and other damaging changes.

Dust
An old adage in the computer industry holds that dust bunnies inside of a computer
are lucky. Let’s consider some of the realities of dust bunnies:

• Significant buildup of dust can restrict airflow inside the system, leading to in-
creased levels of heat.
• Dust can contain metal particles, which, in sufficient quantities, can contribute to
signal degradation or shorts on circuit boards.
Put critical servers in a filtered environment, and clean out dust bunnies on a regular
schedule.

Security
Server security naturally involves protecting against network-originated intrusions, but
the environment also plays a part in the security of a system. Telephone equipment
should always be locked away, and only persons who have a need to access the equip-
ment should be allowed near it.

Telephony Hardware

If you are going to connect Asterisk to any traditional telecommunications equipment,
you will need the correct hardware. The hardware you require will be determined by
what it is you want to achieve.

Connecting to the PSTN

Asterisk allows you to seamlessly bridge circuit-switched telecommunications net-
#
*
works with packet-switched data networks. Because of Asterisk’s open architecture
(and open source code), it is ultimately possible to connect any standards-compliant

# Often referred to as TDM networks, due to the Time Division Multiplexing used to carry traffic through the
PSTN.

Telephony Hardware | 25