Asterisk Hacking
With power tips that show how to make the most out of the phone system, this guide teaches readers what they can do to protect themselves, their families, their clients, and their network from this invisible threat.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Asterisk Hacking
Configuring Your Dial Plan
The dial plan is the logic behind how phone calls are routed through your Asterisk installation. Asterisk runs every incoming call, every outgoing call, and every call in between extensions through the dial plan logic in order to determine where it should go and whether or not it should be completed. The dial plan is contained in extensions.conf, and therefore it can be said that extensions.conf is easily the most important configuration file in Asterisk. Removing extensions.conf is similar to removing a traffic light at a complicated intersection; cars will want to enter and cars will want to leave, but there will be no way to direct them.
extensions.conf is a bit more complicated than a typical configuration file. On top of the usual sections and settings, there is a logical flow similar to a program. Essentially, extensions.conf is one giant script. The sooner you keep this in mind, the easier it will be for you to write a good dial plan.
Contexts, Extensions, and Variables! Oh My!
extensions.conf can be broken down into three major parts: contexts, extensions, and variables. Each has their own unique and important function and needs to work together for a good dial plan to function.
Contexts
To put it simply, contexts are the fences that keep your extensions from getting tangled up in a big mess. A context is a simple way for grouping extension commands based on what the user has dialed. To...
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