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VoiceOverIP
Voice Over IP (VoIP) is a really cool concept.
When people started to "reach out and touch someone" using their personal computers, they used
acoustic modems? over ordinary phone lines (go rent the movie
War Games? to see one in action).
But now, with advances in technology, we're starting to turn that concept on its head by running telephone services over IP. It's all scalable, robust, and routed in packets.
Neat, eh?
The really neat part is that Dartmouth is starting to use the
VoIP technology, and we're hopefully going to effect a complete transition within the next decade (or sooner?).
With
VoIP, you will be assigned your own personal "phone number", which you can have throughout your life at Dartmouth. In fact, there are global "exchanges" springing up on the Internet where people can register their own
VoIP ID#s that they can use anywhere in the world.
(more on the specifics of how stuff gets routed to your VoIP "phone number" here)
But what about Linux?
As usual, Linux and
open source software has been keeping up with the rest of the players as
VoIP is maturing as a technology. In fact, some of the first free software-based solutions were available on Linux.
In addition, there are going to be hardware-based phones available (kind of costly right now at ~$300...).
How do I get it working on Linux?
You'll need:
OR
- A software-based phone
- A headset to plug into your computer
You cam get free software online -- do a google search for 'linux
VoIP', or try
Freshmeat?.
I don't think that the
computer store is selling headsets yet, but you can pick them up at Staples or
Best Buy? or online (about $5 - $30, depending on quality).
We'll have more information as this technology matures, but if you have the software working right now, please feel welcome to put some information on the wiki!
Concerns, Questions, etc..
- Encryption? -- how secure are my calls?
- Most VoIP systems, including our current (test?) system, do not incorporate any kind of encryption. But thankfully there is work going on to use PKI to make our calls secure.
- Dartmouth has a packet switched? network, which makes it slighly harder for people to go sniff packets?, but not impossible. So for now, don't expect the VoIP system to be as private as regular phones (which can be wiretapped anyhow...).
Who?
- Brad Noblet? -- director of (?) in Computing Services is behind this transition. If you'd like to see it progress more quickly, send him email encouraging the project... :-)
RobinsonTryon - 19 Feb 2003