Specify the SID
export ORACLE_SID=
Start the enterprise manager
emctl start dbconsole

How to start Oracle Enterprise manager

Overview

Skype has allowed other PBX software to connect to Skype using the standard protocol SIP. This is a good start to opening up Skype’s network to what is used around the world however it still lacks some features which Skype For Asterisk does offer such as calling Skype users.

Cost

At the time of writing it costs £4.95 per channel so for 1 incomming and 1 outgoing it will add up to approximately £9.90 + buying the phone number itself for £3.95 per month. This all soon adds up to more than a traditional PSTN landline. Also you need to add Skype credit to the account which are for call time.

Outgoing Channel

For my testing purposes I had only bought one channel for out going calls. I have a landline so people would call that number and the outgoing channel can be used for calls going out to people at a cheaper rate. This means the costs per month is £4.95 + Skype credits.

Setup – Skype

Create a business account on Skype and log into Business Manager for Skype.

Create a new profile in Skype Connect giving it a meaningful name. Once created the important details to note are the SIP User, Password, Skype for SIP address and UDP Port.

Setup – FreePBX

Setting up Skype for outgoing calls in FreePBX is really simple.

Log into FreePBX admin and click on the Trunks menu > Add Trunk

Enter the following details:
General Settings:

Trunk Name:
Outbound Caller ID:
CID Options: Allow Any CID (but can be changed to personal preference)
Maximum Channels:

Outgoing Settings:

Trunk Name:
Peer Details:


username=1235456786
type=peer
secret=password
qualify=yes
nat=yes
insecure=invite
host=sip.skype.com
fromuser=1235456786
disallow=all
context=from-trunk
allow=ulaw&gsm&alaw

Change the above peer details:
username, fromuser=SIP User
secret=Password
host=Skype for SIP Address

Registration:

Register String: :@

e.g
13456725235:myPassword@sip.skype.com/13456725235

Save the changes.

Go to Outbound Routes and add a new route with the Skype trunk create above. The only thing to remember is that Skype must use international number dialing so an outbound route can be create to append the country code if necessary.

Configuring an Asterisk PBX with Skype for SIP

How to configure Skype for Asterisk as an outgoing trunk in FreePBX

Overview

Phones / extensions can register with a PBX on a local network because they can see each other it becomes limited if you have follow me or would like to use the phone outside of your network.

Asterisk / FreePBX allows users to register their extension outside of the network but there are few things Asterisk needs to know such as the external IP address and users can be restricted to who can and cannot connect externally from the network.

Please note that I have tried these steps using the dynamic IP address and have not tried it with the static IP but I will list the steps any ways.

IP Configuration

Edit the file /etc/asterisk/sip_nat.conf with super user rights or as the asterisk user:
sudo vi /etc/asterisk/sip_nat.conf
Either change or add the following for a dynamic IP setup:

externhost=dannytsang.co.uk
externrefresh=120
localnet=192.168.1.0/255.255.255.0

Change the externhost to your DNS address e.g danny.no-ip.com. The localnet should be changed to the appropriate IP system in use. In my case the subnet is correct and the IP ranges from 192.168.1.1-192.168.1.254

For Static IP make sure the sip_nat.conf file says the following:

Firewall Setup

By default the following ports needs to be open and port forwarded to the FreePBX box:

FreePBX Extensions setup

Navigate to the FreePBX Administration page and then click on the extensions link on the left hand side. There should be a list of extensions of the right hand side of the page if there are some set up.

Select the extension to be allowed remote registration and ensure the following options are set:
nat: yes
qualify: yes

It is a good idea to have the extension have a password for registration otherwise the extension can register and make calls freely.

HOWTO Setup A Remote SIP Extension

I have been in contact with Mark on my energy@home project and found Mark’s website which led me to a disappointing discovery – bug in the CurrentCost device.

Whilst it has not affected me yet it is somewhat disconcerning that the bug has existed over 2 generation of a product and still remains unfixed by the manufacturer.

The bug happens when multiple sensors are connected and the watts go over 3kW on either 2nd or 3rd channel. Whilst I am only using one sensor currently I was hoping the IAM sensors due to be released by CurrentCost won’t be affected. The pessimist I am I somehow doubt it if I hooked it up to a 3kW+ appliance e.g kettle.

Fridge/Freezer Anomaly Explained (Probably)

Overview

I have been busy migrating from Windows 7 RC to full retail version of Windows 7. It has taken over 1.5 full days (which includes half a day formatting a brand new 1TB hard drive).

During the course of putting things back onto my speedy fresh install I found a problem when I started up Thunderbird. There were duplicate system folders such as Local Inbox, Sent box, etc. Because they are system folders there is no option to delete. It had been a while since I started it back up from my old install and got some emails in only one of the 2 Inboxes.

After a while I found the problem. It was Dropbox and the way it handles conflicted files / folders.

Prerequisites

Take a back up of the profile which contains everything for a user. This includes emails, settings and more. To find where the user profile is go to Tools > Account Settings.

For each account listed click on the Server Settings and at the bottom on the right side of the window there is a textbox with the label Local directory: Copy the directory after ~\Profiles\. Make sure Thunderbird is not running before a copy is taken.

Do not forget to backup the Local Folders too. Select Local Folders and there is a textbox with the same label.

Removing Duplicate Folders

Close Mozilla Thunderbird if it’s still open. Inside the profiles directory there is a folder called Mail. This is where each email account has it’s own folder and there is also the local folder where emails are stored on the computer. Go into each of those folders and look for files or folders where it has the computer name and the description conflicted copy and a date stamp. Check which copy is the latest version (and where the back up may come in handy) using date time stamp of the file, size of the file and the conflict date stamp. Delete the duplicate or remove the original and rename the conflicted file exactly the same as the original file.

Summary

A slight pain but it’s worth it if it allows me to access my email offline on multiple computers.