VoIP PBX Open Source

1. Open  Source IP PBX
   Digium has released the second beta of a "software appliance" version of Asterisk, the open source IP PBX (Internet protocol private branch exchange) it maintains. The GPL-licensed AsteriskNow appliance sports a web-based config/admin GUI, and comes with a complete Linux environment with several installation options. AsteriskNow is based on Asterisk 1.4, a fairly significant release last October that followed nearly a year of development. It appears that Digium used rPath's rBuilder software appliance creation tool in building AsteriskNow. As a "software appliance," AsteriskNow includes a complete Linux-based operating system suitable for installation on x86 or x86-64. Alternative iso images are available for installation within VMware or Xen virtual machines. Additionally, a live CD version allows easy evaluation. 
            
2. Open source free IP PBX
   An open source group has posted free Session Initiation Protocol-based PBX software that lets businesses create their own phone switches from standard Linux servers - but drawing business customers to the technology could be an uphill effort. Called sipX, the PBX offering is compatible with SIP phones and media gateways that can change IP voice to traditional TDM voice and vice versa so calls can be switched onto traditional phone networks. SipX was written by SIPFoundry, whose goal is to encourage businesses to develop interoperable SIP products so end users can readily take advantage of SIP features, such as presence, without tweaking the equipment they use. The organization considers itself a developer community where members can contribute to writing open source code, similar to the Linux development community. 
                       
3. Asterisk open source IP PBX
   Asterisk, the open source IP PBX platform, has taken another step towards becoming mainstream with the announcement by global conferencing technology company, Polycom that it is to offer IP PBX systems based on the Asterisk Business Edition. Under a multi-year agreement, Polycom's SIP desktop and conference phones will be combined with Digium's Asterisk Business Edition, to give small and medium businesses customers access to advanced telephony solutions which, Polycom claims, will be more affordable compared to proprietary systems. The new offering will give customers the control, rapid feature development and deployment, and rich feature base that the Asterisk open source community and its partners provide," Polycom says. Also, under the agreement, Polycom will become the preferred VoIP phone provider for Digium.
                 
4. Open Source VoIP PBX
   Open source IP telephony got slightly less geeky today with Fonality's public release of trixbox 2.0. The new version of the free Asterisk-based IP PBX platform is a lot easier to install and use than its predecessor. That should increase its popularity as a foundation for small-business phone systems. But it's still not likely to steal customers from Fonality's PBXtra or similar turnkey products. Trixbox, which Fonality acquired from Andrew Gillis in October, is itself an attempt to smooth the rough road to open source telephony. Formerly known as Asterisk@Home, trixbox can be downloaded as an ISO image and burned onto a CD. Simply sticking the CD in a new PC with no operating system and pressing the "close" button turns the box into a full-fledged IP PBX in short order. The trixbox package incorporates the Linux OS and the FreePBX GUI-based Asterisk management system, as well as all sorts of other open-source applications.