What is VOIP PBX?

These days, most people are familiar with VOIP even if they don't recognize the word. Voice over Internet Protocol is something that many of us use from time to time or even on a daily basis. Services like Skype are a good example of a VOIP system.

Just What is a PBX? PBX refers to Private Branch Exchange, which sounds a little confusing, but is basically a method of switching phone lines back and forth to connect them in the world of offline communication. When referring to VOIP, the system is essentially the same in concept, only it works over a LAN or WAN network. These are data-oriented rather than circuit switched networks which we use in the real world phone systems.

You see, when you make a call on a VOIP system to a phone, a VOIP PBX or IP PBX, is responsible for making the connection between the virtual and the real life version. This is also in effect when you are calling from one computer to another, but there is no translation necessary between data and traditional phone lines.

With VOIP PBX, it's a very simple matter to create a conference call and have several people in on a call. The technology has made it extremely easy to add new people to a call and without any additional preparation, you'll be able to turn an ordinary phone call into one between several people. This is particularly useful for business calls where several people need to be in on a discussion or for long distance meetings. Families can also use this to connect on one call, no matter where they are in the world. It's an amazing technology that still isn't being used as much as it should.

What Should I Know? VOIP PBX is essential to making your calls online, but in most cases you don't need to know anything about this. In fact, your VOIP provider is going to be responsible for this area. However, it does help to understand what they are talking about and to realize what some of the potential issues are with this type of setup.
What is VOIP PBX?

The reason some people still refuse to use VOIP is that they worry about the quality and reliability of this form of communication. While this was once a major issue, the technology has progressed to the point that these problems are far less frequent. Before we look at the issues that can arise, it's important to know that when you communicate online, your voice data is divided into smaller pieces, called packets, for sending.

Possible problems include the following: - Too much information being received by the VOIP PBX Consulting at once. - Packet delay, when a packet gets sent through the wrong relays. - Packets getting jumbled up in the sending and reaching the receiver in the wrong order. - Packets arriving at different times at the receiver, causing 'jitter'.

The result of having packets get lost or misdirected is a pause and possible loss of data while speaking. This is part of the reason why there is often a delay when using VOIP. This means you'll need to speak slower when this happens. However, for the most part, the technology works well enough for even business calls and is far more cost effective.

Even though you may not need to know exactly how VOIP PBX works, it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with the concept. VOIP is a very valuable addition to our communications systems and it is estimated that by 2010, 90% of communications sales will involve VOIP as it is rapidly growing in popularity.

Location Tracking Via CellID

If you need to find cell phone user's particular location (even if it's your own), you can use GPS. GPS stands for "global positioning system," and it was originally developed by the United States Department of Defence for their use. GPS uses a GPS receiver; the receiver calculates the user's position by precisely timing signals that are being sent by GPS satellites that are in orbit above the earth.

Increasingly, cell phone handsets include GPS as one of their functions. However, some older handsets don't have this function, and it can be difficult to find users by location. One way around this, is by using cell phone towers to find a particular cell phone user.

You can do this by using a process called "triangulation." It uses the cell towers that cell phones, GSM terminals, and GSM modems to use. In fact, iPhones use WiFi data and the triangulation method to locate iPhone users on Google maps (along with GPS on the newer 3G handsets).

There are also commercial locating services such as FollowUs; with these, you pay to locate handsets that don't already have GPS included. If you are a developer, you can also use commercial services such as Skyhook and Navizon.

Besides using commercial services, you may also be able to collect cell IDs yourself with GSM or GPS capable equipment. You would store this data in a database and then later, you'd use it to find out where handset users are, by first retrieving the list of cell ids they are close to, then finding these in your own database and resolving them to a latitude / longitude that was recorded when the cell id was added to the database in the first place from a device that did have GPS available.

There are several open source resources with cell ID location data available. Some of these are: CellSpotting; OpenCellID, 8Motions; ZoneTag Cell Location API, Yahoo.

OpenCellID may be especially useful, since it's an open-source database of cell IDs where you can create your own application to gather information about particular cell locations (as in the database described above). Because each cell phone user has a unique number for his or her own GSM cell, this can help you find the exact operator. If you know the number and you know the cell, AND you know the position of the cell (by using triangulation), you can find the user. It's not quite accurate, since a given cell can cover from several hundred to several thousand meters, but it's quite a specific locator nonetheless. It can at least help you narrow down where someone is if you need to find them.

Again, as older handsets are retired and new handsets are used, most of these will have global positioning system capability included. This will make the aforementioned methods and applications less necessary, if not obsolete. However, that may be a few years and it's also quite possible that more "frugal" cell phone users will use their old handsets until they simply can't function anymore. Therefore, until everyone is on a cell phone with GPS capability, it's useful to know that there are ways to find users as you need to, even if it means you have to use a little bit of old-fashioned elbow grease.

Reduce Costs With SNA to IP Migration

Organizations can realize huge savings by migrating SNA applications to IP using TN3270 and TN5250, eliminating the need for older, cost intensive SNA communication hardware and software.

IBM’s Systems Network Architecture (SNA) is a protocol stack that IBM developed to address networking deficiencies that were prevalent at the time of its creation in 1974. Several large hardware and software vendors provide SNA gateways that connect LAN-based PCs with IBM host systems running SNA (Systems Network Architecture) protocols, including IBM, Microsoft and Hewlett Packard.

In the 1990’s, fueled by a Gartner Group report stating that “users with SNA as their primary protocol will spend a total of 20% more than IP users on training staff, hardware and software purchases, and administration”, organizations began to migrate to Internet Protocol based networks.

TN3270 emulation is a communications standard that allows a remote terminal such as a Windows workstation to communicate with an IBM or IBM-compatible mainframe over IP. Similarly, TN5250 emulation uses the telnet protocol to create a TCP/IP connection to a remote host, typically an IBM AS/400 or iSeries server.

Now available on the market are non-invasive integration server solutions that allow customers to replace costly, aging SNA solutions with programmatic access to host-based applications at the data stream layer over an IP network. The host applications will traditionally be using 3270 (IBM Mainframe or zSeries) or 5250 (IBM AS/400 or iSeries) protocols and using LU types 0, 1, 2 or 3. A class library can be used to simply expose the information contained in these protocols to the customer’s application prior to the construction of the screen and print buffers. This should not be compared to “screen scraping” API’s such as HLLAPI or Object API offered by most terminal emulation vendors.

Typical customer applications requiring this interface are found in the banking and financial worlds, especially where the migration from SNA to IP networks has not yet been fully achieved. With the current state of the economy, some of the largest banks in the United States are now using this technology to eliminate thousands of servers and realize considerable savings in the process.

Many organizations continue to use TN3270E or TN5250E host printing, whether from an IBM zSeries mainframe or iSeries AS/400 midrange server. Using this type of programmatic IP-based integration solution, a developer can take a standard IBM 3287 LU 1 or LU 3 mainframe host printer session and programmatically output the information to multiple formats, including PDF, HTML, fax or file. This requirement can be found in banks, hotels, car rental agencies, hospitals, universities and state and local governments that continue to use host applications and need to output statements, receipts, invoices, reservations, class schedules, tax information, etc. in multiple output formats.

Using the LUA-RUI interface, existing LUA-RUI applications can be migrated from older, expensive SNA hardware and software solutions. Using the LUA RUI interface permits more control in customer applications by providing methods to handle exception requests, minimize LAN traffic through program design and recover from session failures.

Get The Most Out Of Your SEO Professional

Many businesses go through all kinds of steps before hiring a search engine optimization professional. Unfortunately, they often then sabotage that person from the outset.

As a person providing seo services, I can tell you there is one area that is almost always a point of conflict with clients. This area has to do with communication, particularly from the client to the person or business handling the seo campaign.

Many businesses sabotage their seo professional right from the start of the game. It all has to do with knowledge. A seo professional is very knowledgeable about the search engine ranking process. He or she can tell you oodles of information about algorithms, back links, inbound links, keyword density and other issues you probably are not particularly interested in. On the other hand, it is a mistake to assume your seo wizard is knowledgeable about your product or service area.

Any business has a secret bit of crucial knowledge locked away in the minds of a few individuals high up in the company. This knowledge is protected with great effort since it is deemed to be the key to success for the business. Although each business is different, this nugget usually has to do with why prospects purchase the product or service being offered by the business. If you do not provide this information to your seo professional, problems will arise.

Consider the following situation. A seo firm is retained by a client selling products. The seo rep asks all kinds of questions about the typical customer for the business, product lines and so on. From this, a keyword list is developed and the client is asked to review it and make any comments about any additions they can think of. The business reports no changes. A year down the line, the client has top rankings on dozens of high traffic keywords on Google, Yahoo and MSN, but sales are less than expected.

At this point, there is usually a serious meeting with the players to try to figure out what is going on. During the meeting, some little tidbit is mentioned that makes the seo professional groan. The tidbit is inevitably internal business information regarding why prospects purchase from the business.

In our example above, the business sold products in the active lifestyle industry. Top rankings were obtained on all the relevant subjects. Sales were crap. During the serious, serious meeting, it was leaked that 8 out of 10 purchasers asked for the product to be gift wrapped! ARRRRRGGGG! The seo campaign was tailored to people interested in active lifestyles, not people that were looking to buy gifts for such people. Our sales were terrible because the listings were appearing in front of the wrong audience!

Yes, this really happened. Fortunately, keyword modifications were made and the site rebounded in the rankings after a few months. Whereas the site previously converted at 1 in 1,000, it now converts at 1 in 30. The next meeting was much more informal. In fact, there were plenty of beverages and I took the next day off.

If you are going to retain someone to handle your seo efforts, or any marketing for you, do not hold back information. Understanding who and why people buy is a pivotal part of developing a keyword list for a seo campaign

11 Crucial Things an Ubuntu Newbie Should Know

As I was sitting here, preparing to write this article, my mind wandered back to the day I accidentally wiped out a Windows installation with a Gutsy Gibbon CD. I thought I was in trouble. I had just knocked out my work documents, including various templates I made, along with scanner support, and my Adobe 8.0 suite.

It was at that moment I decided to make a go of it with Linux as my sole operating system. After nearly 2 years of tweaking, making mistakes, fixing those mistakes, and then making even more mistakes, I finally feel qualified to give you advice.

In light of this experience, I now present "11 Crucial Things An Ubuntu Newbie Should Know".

Commands

1. ps -A: One of the reasons I hated Windows so much was the task manager. When a program would hang, you'd have to open task manager, tell it to kill the program, and wait 5 minutes for the system to kill the application, All the while, it would bog down the processor, hog memory, and be an overall nuisance. 50% of the time, you would have to restart the computer to get the process to clear.

Not so in Ubuntu/Linux. All you have to kill a program is open the terminal, and type "ps -A". This will pull up a list of all the processes currently running, with the name of the program, along with a 4-5 digit number next to it. Then, type "kill -9 PN" (PN should be substituted with the actual Process Number), and hit enter. This will kill the app, no questions asked. It will not ask you any questions, or give you any excuses. That program is now dead, until the time you decide to resurrect it. This will not work with things like Apache, or other process daemons. If you're not sure, just try to kill it. If it doesn't die, then it is probably a daemon. You will have to find the actual documentation to stop the daemon.

Bonus tip: In Ubuntu (Gutsy and later), the command to stop Apache is: sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 stop To restart: sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 start

2. gksudo nautilus: Nautilus is the GUI-based file browser for Gnome, which is the default window manager for Ubuntu. If you are not used to the command line, this command will save you hours when it comes to file operations. Well, it will only save you hours for things that have to be done as root. Things like special system configuration, and other things where you need upgraded privileges will be much faster when you use this command.

Just open the terminal, type "gksudo nautilus", enter your password, and magically you can do anything you want. For faster access, right click the Desktop, select "create launcher", enter "gksudo nautilus" as the command. You can now click the shortcut on your Desktop , rather than opening the terminal and entering a command each time you need access to Nautilus.

3. dmesg: If you have managed to really mess something up, or are having trouble getting things to work, you may need someone with greater experience to take a look. Typing "dmesg" in your terminal window will call up all the messages from your system kernel. Copy and paste this into a text document, attach it to an email, and let a true expert get a look at what is going on with your hardware.

Upgrades:

4. Ubuntu's package manager, Synaptic, is a GUI front-end for Aptitude. What you don't know is that Synaptic is set to run in what could be called "safe-mode". It will not go get the latest and greatest versions of the software you are running. It will get the last (often 6 months older) version of the software you want to run. You can upgrades faster by enabling optional software repositories.

To do this, open Synaptic (System > Administration > Synaptic Package Manager), then select Settings > Repositories. Once you are in the repositories window, select the "Updates" tab. The Ubuntu "security" and "recommended updates" repository have already been selected. To get the newer stuff, you need to check "backports" and "proposed" software. Apply, and reload. This should get most of your software up to date, along with the kernel.

5. The kernel: While having the latest and greatest stable kernel can improve system performance, it can also break little fixes you have made along the way. An example: I had gone through the painstaking process of editing some configuration files to get my webcam to work. The last kernel update overwrote the changes I had made, and in the process, disabled my webcam. This can get irritating, but eventually a kernel release might fix an issue on its own, so I guess it is an ok, if not completely lossless tradeoff.

6. Upgrading to the newest version of Ubuntu: Don't do it right away. Always give a new version at least two months in regular use before you decide to upgrade. I have tried to upgrade for 3 releases now, in the first two weeks of availability for the upgrade. Each time, there has been a major failure, mostly in the area of graphics and sound. If your release is stable, there is no reason to upgrade right away, other than a few minor changes in speed and stability. You forfeit these if you upgrade on the first day of a new release. You have been warned.

Got Help?:

7. You can Google it: If you haven't googled it, do not trounce into a forum and ask the question. People are nice, but they really can't stand laziness. If you have searched, and can't find it, it may be a more advanced question that really needs more expert analysis.

Here's the search formula that reaps the best rewards for me: [manufacturer] [model] [problem] [ubuntu distribution]...(e.g. sony vaio webcam installation hardy). You can vary this formula a little bit, as sometimes it takes a few searches to get the hang of it. The one thing that you should not change is having your version of the distribution in the search. The reason is that fixes, and places where applications install can be different depending on the version you are using. This will ensure that you receive the best solution possible.

8. The Forums: Most of the time, Googling the problem will send you to the Ubuntu forums. Get a user name, log in, and be respectful. Be sure you try everything they tell you to before griping that it won't work. The help and advice is free, and usually very helpful in nature.

9. Launchpad: This is a bug reporting service that Ubuntu users use to get bugs and various other problems fixed. You can reach the project at https://launchpad.net/ubuntu . Once you get there, click on report a bug, and follow the instructions. Be sure the problem has not been reported already, as they will ask. Provide as much information about the incident as possible. They will keep you posted on the progress as far as the problem being resolved, and assign a priority rating based on the severity of the problem. I've had to use it 2 or 3 times. Even the minor problems have been resolved in 2-3 weeks.

10. Don't Be Afraid To Break It

This is the most important rule. This ain't your Granny's china. Stuff will break, you will be the one to break it. You will also be the one fixing it, along with your friend Google. Be patient, be persistent, and walk away for a bit if the solution just won't come. Vindication will come, and when the fix is done properly, or you changed a variable that caused performance to increase, there will a mountaintop rush. Chances are, your significant other won't care, but that won't matter. Feel free to prance around in your boxers, and act like you just won the Nobel Prize.

11. Everything in Windows can be replaced with Open Source software: Really, it can. It takes a little time to find it, but when you do, a whole new world will open up. You'll start to see how things work better than you expected. Things will play that would not on Windows, you'll be able to open every attachment you ever wanted to. Productivity will increase, thereby giving you more time to make your system work faster, and work on your own open source program.

I can't include everything I've learned over the past two years here. There are some other articles that I have written on software packages, and the pros and cons of each. Just google my name and iSnare to get a full list of what I have written on the subject. In conclusion, have fun with Ubuntu, share your knowledge with others, and fear God. Seriously.

That's all the advice I have for you.

Using Logic For Live Performances...

Think about it – everytime you sling Logic into record mode and make your fingers dance elefgantly across your midi keyboard, you are using logic not just to play back but also to record your live performances.

As we rely on editing, comping, quantization and editing so much, its easy to forget that this is live performance but effectively that’s exactly what it boils down too.

So, why not translate this capability to the stage?
The power in the current fleet of laptop Mac is such that you don’t even need to restrict yourself to just a single plugin either – Logic should comfortably play back even demanding single instruments without latency problems rearing their unwanted heads.

Of course, the vast array of third party AU plugins available today means that you can customize Logic to provide you with the soundest which befits your musical bent – just be aware that any third party plugin is likely to be slightly less stable than a Logic one for obvious reason so do some serious road-testing before jumping on stage.

One thing you might have not noticed is its ability to harm multiple channels at the same time. If you setup 3 software instruments, for instance and click the red “R” lights in their track name panes they will all respond to incoming midi data.

So, just like in main stage, you can setup master patches which playback several instruments at once. As you able to restrict the range across this instruments will play in the instrument edit panel on the extra left, you can easily setup keyboard splits too.

Of course, another major advantage of using Logic live is its ability to play audio back while a software instrument is been used for performance.

There are plenty of bands and DJs out there who want to be able to supplement a live set with sequence elements, perhaps takings from well known studio recordings and, without a fleet of keyboard players to painstakingly recreate each and every part, at least some of these elements would have to be run from the modern equivalent of a backing track.

As always, Logic has the answer.

Running a modern backing track is easy these days – simply setup audio track one at the top of your arrangement and load each backing track internet into the arrangement.

Last but no least, it’s a good idea to leave a few bar space between each one and to set a tempo change between a tempo change of each so that each tempo song is matched within Logic.

Surely using Logic on live performances might not seem as easy and straight forward as using other software such Ableton Live, but it is a very exciting alternative and for people who produce records in Logic and also people who love Logic huge collection of effects and instruments this is one mre option to consider when hitting the road.

Have fun, we love love using Logic when we DJ or perform live and I hope these tips helped...

How Intelligent Mail Barcode Can Save Your Business Money

All That You Wanted To Know About Intelligent Mail Barcode

Intelligent Mail barcode attempts to bring a revolutionary change in the postal system. It is an initiative by the US Postal department to enable them and the users, much more competency in handling mail. It aims to increase a mailer’s capacity of tracking individual pieces of mail and also provides better visibility in the mail stream.

It has been designed so as to upgrade the existing four-state customer barcode, and uses a 65-bar USPS barcode for sorting and tracking letters and flats. The Intelligent Mail barcode allows mailers to use more digits, thus enabling distinctive identification of a billion mail pieces for every mailing. Users can include up to 31-digits worth of information. Apart from it, there are also some additional features like ACS services and enhanced tracking.

Mailers have two options to choose from. They can either go for basic service or for full service. In case of a basic service option, just essentials of IMB i.e. service code; delivery point code and mailer ID are required, whereas in case of full service, you require all the essential elements of basic service, in addition to a unique identity on every mail piece.

There are some features of Intelligent Mail bar-coding system that make it truly unique and invaluable. It can combine multiple services such as OneCode ACS (Address Change Service), OneCode Confirm Service Type ID, postNET barcode and OneCode Confirm Service Type ID in a single barcode. It also helps in simplifying the look of the mail piece. Apart from it, IMB can free up valuable real estate area in the address block by combining what used to be four-five lines of the address block into just a single one.

This new system of IMB has many advantages. It will definitely improve readability and more under adverse conditions. There are features like advanced error correction that will help in hiding portions of the barcode. All information can be recovered during the read. It will also reduce Return Mail. Mailers can update their records when they receive their free notices containing information about customer move.

It will be easy for customers to track their inbound and outbound mail pieces via the Intelligent Mail Barcode. It insures that every mail piece remains uniquely traceable through the Intelligent Mail Barcode’s ID capacity. This will definitely improve performance.

IBM Manager is an excellent USPS IMB solution from the software companies. It is extremely easy to use and is compatible with both Basic and Full service options. It allows the users to generate Intelligent Mail Barcodes for files created by different types of presort or by Mail.dat product. The users can also manage their Intelligent Mail Serial Numbers within a single mail ID or else across multiple mail lists. It also creates a database for tracking the 45-day expiration dates for Unique Serial Numbers. IBM Manager can create all 3 types of Intelligent Mail Serial Numbers.

Thus this latest software is revolutionizing the age old postal system and modernizing th