RECOMMENDATIONS First Commercial Build

[completetech]

So I have been building some home and home office type installations for quite a few years now but looking for some recommendations on a system I have been tasked with building for a school.

I guess what I am hoping for is to find out recommendations of what other who have installed a few systems before (in a higher traffic environment) would recommend for hardware and if there is any issues with compatibility.

I have listed what the school has required, and a few things that I think will be important for them.

Requirements:

• up to 24 users (approximately 16 now)
• IVR / Auto Attendant
• Music on hold
• Voicemail to Email
• Polycom 501 (they I assume are not aware that these phones are end of life as of a couple of years ago)
• Minimum 4 FXO Ports (gateway is what I'm thinking)
• Minimum 4 FXS Ports (thinking of a gateway for this as well)
• FXO Paging integration for current overhead paging

My Suggestions:

• Rackmount system (not sure on specs yet) or at least a wall mountable solution
• Gateway for FXO Ports (rack mount maybe)
• Gateway for FXS Ports
• Rack mount or wall mount Paging adapter for current system
• Ability to record message and deliver via SMS or via phone call (activities canceled type of thing)
• Yealink phones or Grandstream. 1 will need to be an admin phone and maybe a "sidecar" with Gigabit Ethernet port
• Time Conditions
• Raid (they have had their same system / infrastructure since the early 90's) so they can have a onsite constant backup available
• Gigabit Ethernet port on system

I am sure that I am forgetting something. But the general idea is that I want to build them something that they can keep for quite some time and not worry about it. I am also not sure myself personally if there are any compatibility issue hardware wise with any of the images (such as NIC).
Thanks for taking the time to read this and for any suggestions on this build.
Nathan

 

[rossiv]

Doesn't sound like too much of a load. I'd look into a SuperMicro 1U for the server. I have one of the 5015A-D525s and it's great! Oh wait - RAID. You can probably fit two 2.5" HDDs in the case. Don't recall if the board has onboard RAID, but I don't think it does. May be able to squeeze a RAID controller in there since it has one PCI-e slot.

For your FXS/FXO, I agree with a gateway. I'm partial to Patton gateways myself. I have one of their 8xFXS serving backup analog lines to a non-SIP-compatible PBX.

Definitely go with Yealink over Grandstream. Of course, your choice, but I just don't like the build quality of Grandstream's units.

 

[Huckda]

I run all this on a Dell Optiplex 745... with a Sangoma B600 ...4 pots lines for incoming, and gvoice for outgoing
about 50 users, haven't tied it into paging system, using a hodge podge of Yealink, grandstream, aastra phones...
why do they require old school phones to be connected to the VoiP system?

 

[completetech]

rossiv I think that RAID in this case (and to also make me feel better) would be the best option. The Patton Gateway was one I was already looking at but seems a bit expensive to me.. Guess I'm just cheap.

Huckda the point of the Gateways is they want them for Faxing (it's 2015 why are people still faxing) and then also as backup/powerfail phones

I was looking at this model http://www.mitxpc.com/proddetail.php?prod=ER1UNF99FLM03-INT

Seems like a good fit.
2 120GB SSD for the raid (which I have yet to do in any of the Distro's)
4GB RAM
PCI-e riser (just in case)
2 - 40mm case fans

$616 shipped to me. Seems kind of high but not as bad as others I've seen so far

 

[atsak]

Don't raid consumer SSD drives. Bad things might happen; they're not designed for that. Use mechanical drives for RAID.

 

[completetech]

atsak thanks for the heads up