Asterisk Documentation 1.4 realtime.txt
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The Asterisk Realtime Architecture ---------------------------------- The Asterisk Realtime Architecture is a new set of drivers and functions implemented in Asterisk. The benefits of this architecture are many, both from a code management standpoint and from an installation perspective. Additional information on the configuration of Realtime with Asterisk can be found in doc/extconfig.txt The ARA is designed to be independent of storage. Currently, most drivers are based on SQL, but the architecture should be able to handle other storage methods in the future, like LDAP. The main benefit comes in the database support. In Asterisk v1.0 some functions supported MySQL database, some PostgreSQL and other ODBC. With the ARA, we have a unified database interface internally in Asterisk, so if one function supports database integration, all databases that has a realtime driver will be supported in that function. Currently there are three realtime database drivers: * ODBC: Support for UnixODBC, integrated into Asterisk The UnixODBC subsystem supports many different databases, please check www.unixodbc.org for more information. * MySQL: Found in the asterisk-addons subversion repository on svn.digium.com * PostgreSQL: Native support for Postgres, integrated into Asterisk * Two modes: Static and Realtime -------------------------------- The ARA realtime mode is used to dynamically load and update objects. This mode is used in the SIP and IAX2 channels, as well as in the voicemail system. For SIP and IAX2 this is similar to the v1.0 MYSQL_FRIENDS functionality. With the ARA, we now support many more databases for dynamic configuration of phones. The ARA static mode is used to load configuration files. For the Asterisk modules that read configurations, there's no difference between a static file in the file system, like extensions.conf, and a configuration loaded from a database. You just have to always make sure the var_metric values are properly set and ordered as you expect in your database server if you're using the static mode with ARA (either sequentially or with the same var_metric value for everybody). If you have an option that depends on another one in a given configuration file (i.e, 'musiconhold' depending on 'agent' from agents.conf) but their var_metric are not sequential you'll probably get default values being assigned for those options instead of the desired ones. You can still use the same var_metric for all entries in your DB, just make sure the entries are recorded in an order that does not break the option dependency. That doesn't happen when you use a static file in the file system. Although this might be interpreted as a bug or limitation, it is not. * Realtime SIP friends ---------------------- The SIP realtime objects are users and peers that are loaded in memory when needed, then deleted. This means that Asterisk currently can't handle voicemail notification and NAT keepalives for these peers. Other than that, most of the functionality works the same way for realtime friends as for the ones in static configuration. With caching, the device stays in memory for a specified time. More information about this is to be found in the sip.conf sample file. * Realtime H.323 friends ------------------------ Like SIP realtime friends, H.323 friends also can be configured using dynamic realtime objects. * New function in the dial plan: The Realtime Switch ---------------------------------------------------- The realtime switch is more than a port of functionality in v1.0 to the new architecture, this is a new feature of Asterisk based on the ARA. The realtime switch lets your Asterisk server do database lookups of extensions in realtime from your dial plan. You can have many Asterisk servers sharing a dynamically updated dial plan in real time with this solution. Note that this switch does _NOT_ support Caller ID matching, only extension name/pattern matching. * So what can you do? --------------------- The realtime Architecture lets you store all of your configuration in databases and reload it whenever you want. ...
day from the Asterisk subversion repository when the repository changes revisions. Any
changes made to this page will be automatically overwritten with the
latest version from http://svn.digium.com/view/asterisk/branches/.
The Asterisk Realtime Architecture ---------------------------------- The Asterisk Realtime Architecture is a new set of drivers and functions implemented in Asterisk. The benefits of this architecture are many, both from a code management standpoint and from an installation perspective. Additional information on the configuration of Realtime with Asterisk can be found in doc/extconfig.txt The ARA is designed to be independent of storage. Currently, most drivers are based on SQL, but the architecture should be able to handle other storage methods in the future, like LDAP. The main benefit comes in the database support. In Asterisk v1.0 some functions supported MySQL database, some PostgreSQL and other ODBC. With the ARA, we have a unified database interface internally in Asterisk, so if one function supports database integration, all databases that has a realtime driver will be supported in that function. Currently there are three realtime database drivers: * ODBC: Support for UnixODBC, integrated into Asterisk The UnixODBC subsystem supports many different databases, please check www.unixodbc.org for more information. * MySQL: Found in the asterisk-addons subversion repository on svn.digium.com * PostgreSQL: Native support for Postgres, integrated into Asterisk * Two modes: Static and Realtime -------------------------------- The ARA realtime mode is used to dynamically load and update objects. This mode is used in the SIP and IAX2 channels, as well as in the voicemail system. For SIP and IAX2 this is similar to the v1.0 MYSQL_FRIENDS functionality. With the ARA, we now support many more databases for dynamic configuration of phones. The ARA static mode is used to load configuration files. For the Asterisk modules that read configurations, there's no difference between a static file in the file system, like extensions.conf, and a configuration loaded from a database. You just have to always make sure the var_metric values are properly set and ordered as you expect in your database server if you're using the static mode with ARA (either sequentially or with the same var_metric value for everybody). If you have an option that depends on another one in a given configuration file (i.e, 'musiconhold' depending on 'agent' from agents.conf) but their var_metric are not sequential you'll probably get default values being assigned for those options instead of the desired ones. You can still use the same var_metric for all entries in your DB, just make sure the entries are recorded in an order that does not break the option dependency. That doesn't happen when you use a static file in the file system. Although this might be interpreted as a bug or limitation, it is not. * Realtime SIP friends ---------------------- The SIP realtime objects are users and peers that are loaded in memory when needed, then deleted. This means that Asterisk currently can't handle voicemail notification and NAT keepalives for these peers. Other than that, most of the functionality works the same way for realtime friends as for the ones in static configuration. With caching, the device stays in memory for a specified time. More information about this is to be found in the sip.conf sample file. * Realtime H.323 friends ------------------------ Like SIP realtime friends, H.323 friends also can be configured using dynamic realtime objects. * New function in the dial plan: The Realtime Switch ---------------------------------------------------- The realtime switch is more than a port of functionality in v1.0 to the new architecture, this is a new feature of Asterisk based on the ARA. The realtime switch lets your Asterisk server do database lookups of extensions in realtime from your dial plan. You can have many Asterisk servers sharing a dynamically updated dial plan in real time with this solution. Note that this switch does _NOT_ support Caller ID matching, only extension name/pattern matching. * So what can you do? --------------------- The realtime Architecture lets you store all of your configuration in databases and reload it whenever you want. ...
