[Asterisk-Users] Legacy Toshiba Phones

[Kenneth Shaw]

I found some postings from Google (notably from Mark Spencer) about
successful integration of a legacy Toshiba Strata system and Asterisk.

I am also facing that current dilemma. The general legacy solutions that
I can come up with is very easy -- either making Asterisk a "proxy" (or
frontdoor) to the Toshiba system, or have it operate behind the Toshiba
via regular extensions.

I'm looking to improve the VoiceMail system (and conferencing, etc.
etc.).

All in all, what I'd most prefer is completely dropping the Toshiba
system and just replacing the PBX itself and keeping the current
physical phones. Has anyone had any success in accomplishing this, or
could refer me to better information on the web?

All that I really need to figure out how to do is to get the phone
specific (Toshiba DKT2020-SD and DKT2010-H phones) features such as
Paging and the Digital Displays to work.

-Ken Shaw...

[Michael Little]

-----Original Message-----
Sent: Thursday, September 09, 2004 12:56 PM
Subject: [Asterisk-Users] Legacy Toshiba Phones
I found some postings from Google (notably from Mark Spencer) about
successful integration of a legacy Toshiba Strata system and Asterisk.
I am also facing that current dilemma. The general legacy solutions

that

I can come up with is very easy -- either making Asterisk a "proxy"

(or

frontdoor) to the Toshiba system, or have it operate behind the

Toshiba

via regular extensions.
I'm looking to improve the VoiceMail system (and conferencing, etc.
etc.).
All in all, what I'd most prefer is completely dropping the Toshiba
system and just replacing the PBX itself and keeping the current
physical phones. Has anyone had any success in accomplishing this, or
could refer me to better information on the web?
All that I really need to figure out how to do is to get the phone
specific (Toshiba DKT2020-SD and DKT2010-H phones) features such as
Paging and the Digital Displays to work.
-Ken Shaw...

As far as I know, you will not be able to keep the digital phones. They
are PBX specific. I am faced with the same situation. Unfortunately, I
cannot get the funds to replace all the phones, so I am stuck with using
the Strata PBX and replacing the Stratagy voicemail with Asterisk. I
will slowly replace the phones and phase out the Strata.

Michael

[Leo Ann Boon]

Post by Michael Little
As far as I know, you will not be able to keep the digital phones. They
are PBX specific. I am faced with the same situation. Unfortunately, I
cannot get the funds to replace all the phones, so I am stuck with using
the Strata PBX and replacing the Stratagy voicemail with Asterisk. I
will slowly replace the phones and phase out the Strata.

Not necessarily so. Recently I discovered that Artisoft's Televantage
Soft PBX can support Toshiba Strata CS digital phones (DKT 2000 and
3000) through a PCI 16-port digital station card (Toshiba part
#CS-DKTU-TV). Apparently, the Strata CS is an OEM licensed version of
Televantage. It would be quite cool if an Asterisk driver can be
developed for the 16-port digital station card.

Regards
Leo

[Brian Roy]

Post by Leo Ann Boon
Not necessarily so. Recently I discovered that Artisoft's Televantage
Soft PBX can support Toshiba Strata CS digital phones (DKT 2000 and
3000) through a PCI 16-port digital station card (Toshiba part
#CS-DKTU-TV). Apparently, the Strata CS is an OEM licensed version of
Televantage. It would be quite cool if an Asterisk driver can be
developed for the 16-port digital station card.

I'm a Toshiba Strata user too. My asterisk is interfaced over T1 doing
E&M Tie lines. I would love to be able to use the phones on * if we
every make the leap. We have 150+ extensions though.

-Brian

[Linterra]

I have a Toshiba Strata with 200 extensions and I already have an
approved budget to move to *, but I'd really like to do this in
stages, and it would be nice to use the existing extensions and save
the $20k (or at least delay the $20k expense).

Can you explain more about how you're using the E&M Tie lines?

[David Gurr]

Post by Leo Ann Boon
Not necessarily so. Recently I discovered that Artisoft's Televantage
Soft PBX can support Toshiba Strata CS digital phones (DKT 2000 and
3000) through a PCI 16-port digital station card (Toshiba part
#CS-DKTU-TV). Apparently, the Strata CS is an OEM licensed version of
Televantage. It would be quite cool if an Asterisk driver can be
developed for the 16-port digital station card.

Interesting. I just checked out the Televantage site at TrueData
(http://www.truedataonline.com). In their FAQ there's a question "Can TV
(Televantage) use Digital Sets?". The answer includes the tidbit:

"The Toshiba digital station cards are a slight variation of the Intel
MSI160PCI and are interoperable with other Dialogic - Intel Televantage
hardware."

The good news is that Intel have Linux drivers for the MSI160. Guess someone
needs to find some details on how the Tosh card differs ...

The bad news is that the Tosh station card doesn't come cheap ... a quick
google search shows prices around $2,500! For 16 ports? Ouch! At that price,
it's cheaper to throw the Tosh phones away and buy IP hardphones.

--
David Gurr
Congruity Ltd.
Hemel Hempstead
UK