SIPLABS: Request for feedback (sipX/openUC-related project ideas and plans)

[Михаил Родионов]

Hello,

For those who doesn't know us - we are Siberian (Russia)-based system
integration company promoting sipXecs/openUC.
You probably heard of us developing Yealink plugin.

We believe in sipXecs/openUC as future huge ecosystem market and want to be
part of it as extension/addon/custom developers.
Since we are self-funded, correct decision making is extremely important
for us so we need your (end users, installers, supporters) input on
priorities and market potential.

We are now 4.6-focused (in terms of development) and have some
ideas (listed below) we evaluated from technical point of view and
estimated as really doable.

Now I dare asking for your comments/opinions/criticism on. Are our ideas
worth implementing at all? If yes - what's most important for you?
Would your clients (our yourself) pay for a license? Would you or your
clients fund free product development? Should there be two versions (free
and commercial)? We will appreciate any input!

Major project ideas (need community discussion):
- Sophisticated integrated (implemented as a server role) call recording
system based on policy-based RTP proxying.
- Advanced managed (implemented as a server role) SBC (probably SEMS-based)
- Video calls using web cameras feature using special desktop software
agent (four-legged calls), video conference bridge integration (by proxying
and mixing combined call before passing it to the MCU)
- "Marketplace" - repository management/package management/package
deployment system

Minor project ideas (will be 100% free and open source, need only
priorities voting):
- Custom freeswitch extensions editor/manager
- Support page (displays installer contacts/helpdesk information, maybe
request form)
- calling number filtering/routing dialplan entry (for
blacklisting/VIP-calls etc)
- Custom web server role (for server-side phone integration scripts like
phonebook search and server side of XML apps)

Thanks in advance for your input!

[Michael Picher]

Hi Mikhail,

See inline... My opinions which may or may not reflect others' opinions.

Post by Михаил Родионов
Hello,
For those who doesn't know us - we are Siberian (Russia)-based system
integration company promoting sipXecs/openUC.
You probably heard of us developing Yealink plugin.
We believe in sipXecs/openUC as future huge ecosystem market and want to
be part of it as extension/addon/custom developers.
Since we are self-funded, correct decision making is extremely important
for us so we need your (end users, installers, supporters) input on
priorities and market potential.
We are now 4.6-focused (in terms of development) and have some
ideas (listed below) we evaluated from technical point of view and
estimated as really doable.
Now I dare asking for your comments/opinions/criticism on. Are our ideas
worth implementing at all? If yes - what's most important for you?
Would your clients (our yourself) pay for a license? Would you or your
clients fund free product development? Should there be two versions (free
and commercial)? We will appreciate any input!
- Sophisticated integrated (implemented as a server role) call recording
system based on policy-based RTP proxying.

I've thought about this a bit. I wonder if a conference bridge type
approach might be better than the way other vendors have done this... I
think this is exactly what you're proposing here. Where when a call is
placed that you want to record, a "conf bridge" is brought into the mix and
you record there. This would enable easy record on the fly (maybe a system
API call initiated by a client application or a softkey on a phone) in
addition to record all and the recording bridges could easily be placed
anywhere on the network.

Post by Михаил Родионов
- Advanced managed (implemented as a server role) SBC (probably SEMS-based)

I think an SBC should be able to be configured from openUC and we'd (eZuce)
like to work with some commercial vendors to do this. I also think you
want it to NOT be part of the cluster. It should stand alone IMHO but get
its config from openUC like a gateway does. I think of the SBC as a SIP
firewall, there to protect the communications cluster from the evil world.
As such it sits at the edge, may be in a DMZ and is exposed. This is much
like a firewall and why firewalls really have no place participating more
tightly in network directory services.

Post by Михаил Родионов
- Video calls using web cameras feature using special desktop software
agent (four-legged calls), video conference bridge integration (by proxying
and mixing combined call before passing it to the MCU)

Not sure about this. Bria can already do a 3 party client based call. I
think an MCU function on the server is definitely in the cards as something
we'd (eZuce) like to see integrated. But we haven't found what we want to
use (or license) yet.

Post by Михаил Родионов
- "Marketplace" - repository management/package management/package
deployment system

The 'apps'/'marketplace' idea is something that I think would make good
sense. pfSense does this now but there's no pay feature. There'd be a
fair amount of back-end work as there needs to be a pay feature integrated
as part of this. Maybe there could instead of a pay feature be some easy
way for developers to integrate a licensing mechanism to enable a module
after it's installed (if its not a free add-on).

Post by Михаил Родионов
Minor project ideas (will be 100% free and open source, need only
- Custom freeswitch extensions editor/manager

This would be handy. I worry a bit about folks really breaking things
though.

Post by Михаил Родионов
- Support page (displays installer contacts/helpdesk information, maybe
request form)

Meh... How about a feature where a user could dial a * code after a bad
call (or any call for that matter), the system would prompt the user to
record any voice notes about the call issues, this information would then
be delivered to an administrator in the form of an alert (use the
integrated alerting feature) along with a link to homer that automatically
pulls the SIP trace of the call.

Post by Михаил Родионов
- calling number filtering/routing dialplan entry (for
blacklisting/VIP-calls etc)

We're really talking about source based call routing here. I think this is
a long standing desire by many.

Post by Михаил Родионов
- Custom web server role (for server-side phone integration scripts like
phonebook search and server side of XML apps)

This would be a huge add IMHO. Customer facing stuff like this really
pushes product adoption.

Post by Михаил Родионов
Thanks in advance for your input!
--
*Mikhail Rodionov*
CEO
Tel: [phone]
Mob: [phone]
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--
Michael Picher, Director of Technical Services
eZuce, Inc.

300 Brickstone Square****

Suite 201****

Andover, MA. 01810
O.978-296-1005 X2015
M.207-956-0262
@mpicher <http://twitter.com/mpicher>
linkedin <http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=35504760&trk=tab_pro>
www.ezuce.com

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are 10 kinds of people in the world, those who understand binary and
those who don't.

[Douglas Hubler]

I'm very pleased to see you guys excited about the platform.

Post by Michael Picher

Post by Михаил Родионов
We are now 4.6-focused (in terms of development)

There's not a lot of developer documentation on 4.6, you guys able to
figure things out? If so, any feedback on where to concentrate once we
do start 4.6 dev docs?

Post by Michael Picher
The 'apps'/'marketplace' idea is something that I think would make good
sense. pfSense does this now but there's no pay feature. There'd be a fair
amount of back-end work as there needs to be a pay feature integrated as
part of this. Maybe there could instead of a pay feature be some easy way
for developers to integrate a licensing mechanism to enable a module after
it's installed (if its not a free add-on).

Agree w/what Michael said.

Post by Michael Picher

Post by Михаил Родионов
Minor project ideas (will be 100% free and open source, need only
- Custom freeswitch extensions editor/manager

This would be handy. I worry a bit about folks really breaking things
though.

Michael may or may not be be right, but I wouldn't let this stop you.
We'd just need good regression tests first.

[George Niculae]

Post by Douglas Hubler
I'm very pleased to see you guys excited about the platform.

Post by Michael Picher

Post by Михаил Родионов
We are now 4.6-focused (in terms of development)

There's not a lot of developer documentation on 4.6, you guys able to
figure things out? If so, any feedback on where to concentrate once we
do start 4.6 dev docs?

Post by Michael Picher
The 'apps'/'marketplace' idea is something that I think would make good
sense. pfSense does this now but there's no pay feature. There'd be a

fair

Post by Michael Picher
amount of back-end work as there needs to be a pay feature integrated as
part of this. Maybe there could instead of a pay feature be some easy

way

Post by Michael Picher
for developers to integrate a licensing mechanism to enable a module

after

Post by Michael Picher
it's installed (if its not a free add-on).

Agree w/what Michael said.

Post by Michael Picher

Post by Михаил Родионов
Minor project ideas (will be 100% free and open source, need only
- Custom freeswitch extensions editor/manager

This would be handy. I worry a bit about folks really breaking things
though.

Michael may or may not be be right, but I wouldn't let this stop you.
We'd just need good regression tests first.

There's already support for adding FS extensions from sipXconfig plugins
(check FreeswitchExtensionProvider and FreeswitchExtensionCollector, they
all will get appended in
/etc/sipxpbx/freeswitch/conf/dialplan/sipX_context.xml dialplan) plus
support for adding config UI plugin pages.
IMO each such plugin should add it's own page to manage its own FS
extension (e.g for an valet park app - a separate project / jar file placed
in /usr/share/java/sipXecs/sipXconfig/plugins/ that will contribute FS
extension and page to manage it)

George

[Михаил Родионов]

Hello,

Post by Douglas Hubler
I'm very pleased to see you guys excited about the platform.

Post by Михаил Родионов
We are now 4.6-focused (in terms of development)

There's not a lot of developer documentation on 4.6, you guys able to
figure things out? If so, any feedback on where to concentrate once we
do start 4.6 dev docs?

We have to read the code that consumes a lot of time :( But I hope reading
code attracts the Force to be with us later. Despite it now has round ears
and high-pitched voice... :)

[Matt White]

Post by Михаил Родионов
- Sophisticated integrated (implemented as a server role) call

recording system based on policy-based RTP proxying.

There are two things we licenses with every sipx install we do.
1. Call recording software
2. Call accounting software

So we would be very much like to see a new option for one or both of
these solutions. A sipx integrated call recording system would be a
huge plus over our current solution (and its not cheap either).

-M