Local Version of SIPSwitch

[Aaron]

Hi All,

We've packaged up the sipswitch server into an application that can be run on any Windows machine and can be configured simply from XML files. The pre-requisite is that the Microsoft .Net framework v2 is installed but that will generally already be the case if Windows version is XP or Vista.

The zip file actually has two applications, a console app and a Windows Service app. They are identical excpet for the way they run, the console app provides a quick way to see what's going on while the Windows Service app sits in the background and is not in danger of being inadvertently closed and can keep running if you log off.

The zip file can be downloaded from the link below and there are two readme files in it that document the configuration file for each of the applications and also breifly describe the XML config files. The format of the XML config files should be fairly familiar to users that have already used the service running at http://www.mysipswitch.com

http://www.mysipswitch.com/downloads/sipswitch-v0.2.zip

Ed: A Linux version (or more correctly Mono version) is now also available. It has the web service missing but that does not affect any of the SIP funcitonality:

http://www.mysipswitch.com/downloads/sipswitch-v0.2.tar.gz

Regards,

Aaron

[satphoneguy]

i am considering installing a copy on a 'hosted virtual PC.' can anyone suggest a reliable yet inexpensive service that would be approipriate for this sort of application? i would want a service that offers me a dedicated static IP address.

[Aaron]

Hi satphoneguy,

I suspect a hosted virtual Windows server would only be marginally cheaper than a dedicated server. A very quick search I did found one supplier offering virtual hosting for USD80 and I reckon I could find a dedicated server around for close to that.

I might have a play around today with getting the sipswitch running on Linux. The hosted web service will ahve to go but that's not such an issue if using XML config files. The advantage of being able to run on Linux is that hosting options are a lot cheaper and it could also go on the Amazon Cloud, something we've always wanted to do.

Regards,

Aaron

[TheFug]

So, MS is a "that" big bully ?

[Aaron]

Some people look at it like that. I look at it as you get what you pay for.

Although this borders on the tired old theme of which OS is best I generally find Windows more efficient to manage due to the availability of a good GUI. Yes Linux has GUI's as well and I'm sure the Linux gurus could do things as efficiently on Linux as I do on Windows. A lot of people are happy to pay a bit extra to run Windows and save the effort of becoming a Linux GUI guru, if they weren't there would be next to no Windows hosting offerings.

For server hosting I prefer Windows for web hosting where there are lots of configuration and file operations needed. The GUI is a big time saver here. For servers with a single dedicated task I prefer Linux. Something like the sipswitch falls well and truly into the single dedicated task category hence the advantage of having a Linux version.

Regards,

Aaron

[TheFug]

Okay, you're clear in that, but for now i 'm thinking very strongly, to switch over to Linux, i hate it when i constantly must download patches, for security holes, and, when i do a new install there isn't an easy way to transport those old patches to the new installation, and nowadays you can't have a safe pc, when internet is connected, without constantly have a (updated) virus scanner working... Linux is different i guess... Installing more software on a MS windows pc, makes it slower, and can damage previous installed software, also by removing "demo's"
Linux is getting better supported, because more users use it, also, Linux has good (free) network tools, and seems better supported on the SIP VoIP front..
So, as soon i have collected my passwords and downloads, it's up to a Linux installation, i guess, only problem is to choose which distro, most recent one i got from a magazine cover is Fedora 8....

[Aaron]

It would be a mistake to assume Linux doesn't require patching. And unlike Windows you will end up getting patches from the vendors of all the different packages you have installed. Still I can't recall any major breakages I've had from pacthing Linux. The only problem has been getting the command line update tools configured: yum, yast, up2date etc. all have little vagaries that are easily forgotten so that the next time you go to run an update it's a bit of a pain. My opinion would be that the Windows Update mechanism is ahead of the Linux patch mechanisms I have used. Although I do hate having to do those Windows server reboots especially on 24 x 7 servers!

I have heard good things about the Ubuntu Linux distribution and as they're targetting usability for desktop users and I suspect the pactching tool they use should be pretty seamless.

Regards,

Aaron

[TheFug]

Thankyou, Aaron, have the 7.10 version of that one also,

And Season Greetings ! to you, and your co-workers, and to all MySIPSwitch users !

[markcs]

Hi Aaron,

Are there any plans to try to produce a linux version that does not rely on Mono? Or is the development so closely tied to/requires the .NET framework, that this will never happen?

Thanks!

[Aaron]

Hi markcs,

There are no plans to produce a non .Net version of the sipswitch which means no non-mono version.

Regards,

Aaron