Here at Drogon Systems, our main thing is to sell, re-sell and support our VoIP and Telephony operations, however to do this we need to host servers in a data centre, and this is actually something we’ve been doing for a considerable number of years now – even before our business turned to VoIP. The existing servers are used to host web and email solutions for ourselves and others – e.g. web design companies and so on.
Managing these servers is relatively straightforward, but recent expansions have required a small re-think of how we work…
Until relatively recently, we’ve ignored the cloud or virtual servers – much preferring to use a real, physical server – you know where you are with a real server! However, our latest product is a hosted version of our popular in-office based PBX, so trying to host dozens of these poses a challenge – not only in hosting costs, but additional infrastructure required, so enter server virtualisation which arguably is the core of “The Cloud”.
“The Cloud” is a term that seems to be used to cover a multitude of applications – from a simple remote hosted service to 1000′s of servers all working together on big scientific applications and even to distributed or remote data storage. We like to think that our cloud is just a means to enable us to better manage and utilise available resources and give us additional and more efficient recovery mechanisms from hardware failures and so on.
Taking a single server and carving it up into many virtual hosts is something that’s been going on for many years – right since the days of putting many web sites on the same IP address. Server virtualisation takes this one step further and provides servers-inside-servers. Advantages? Many – you can take one of these servers and migrate it to different hardware – sometimes completely transparently!
This give the hosting company the ability to better manage resources – we can move a virtual server onto new hardware should it be required (e.g. faster CPU, more memory), they can use it to enhance disaster recovery should a servers hardware before unreliable or fail, and probably as important, can ultimately require less physical servers to host everything on.
Less servers means less infrastructure costs – which leads to less energy used which can arguably be considered “green”. However from our point of view, it allows for a simple model of server hosting and facilitating. The base servers can be identical (or as near identical as required), the virtual servers then do the customisations as required.
There is a down-side… The virtualisation mechanisms do require additional learning for the administrators and a lot of testing required! However in our opinion, it’s well worth it.
The Drogon Cloud is actually two clouds. A cloud of VoIP servers and a separate cloud of LAMP servers. The VoIP servers have a somewhat different requirement to LAMP servers, so are maintaned separately from them.
The maintenance and running of them is very similar though, and the strategy we’re adopting is to always have at least one spare server of each type, so if a server fails then we have the option of migrating the individual virtual servers on that server to other servers, or we can migrate everything to the spare server.
So, it’s all gone cloudy, but for once, this is a good thing!
A requirement to run a telephone replacement service is the ability to manage 999 calls (or 112 if you’re in Europe, or 911 in the US!)
To implement it for a VoIP operator (or ITSP) in the UK, there are a few things we need to have in-place; database checks for the installation address, extra code in the PBX infrastructure to manage outgoing caller-ID, code in the head-end to make sure this caller is properly validated to the emergency services and so on.
But how do you test it? We’re told that we are not to make test calls through it, so the first time it will be executed will be the first time it’s tested…
Well, almost. When implementing it, I was able to fake the final 999 call placement so I could test most of the code, so was relatively happy.
There’s always a nagging “what if” in there though…
However yesterday I was able to “test” it for real when I fell off a ladder… Despite great pain and a near inability to walk, with great self-sacrifice I hobbled to my desk and watched the console as I made the call.
And I’m happy to report that everything “just worked”.
As for me – well I dislocated 2 toes, bruised my bum and bashed an elbow. That’s what I get for climbing dodgy old wooden ladders. (It decided it wanted to be firewood just as I got near the top)
It’s a funny old thing, pain and shock though. I was also on my own at the time which did make it a bit scary… I couldn’t actually get up for a few minutes either and when I did try, I nearly threw up and passed out.
Slight lack of communication between the emergency handling people and the ambulance station…. The 999 services said that because it wasn’t life threatening, the ambulance would be dispatched at a lower priority… Ambulance got here in 5 minutes in full flight top-priority emergency mode… (Ambulance station is 4 miles away in the next town)
Lessons to learn: Use sensible shoes when climbing ladders. (and not flimsy old slippers). Don’t climb old wooden ladders – burn them instead. And with a mobile to hand use it rather than hobbling to the desk to watch a console as a 999 call is being made!
Sadly an old favourite TV presenter of mine, Tony Hart died recently. Many people will remember him for his great drawings, projects and so on, but probably most importantly the music that accompanied the gallery segment of “Vision On”. Who knew the name of it until now? Well, it’s called “Left Bank Two” by “The Noveltones”.
But it got me thinking – Music on Hold. Can I use that as a music on hold track in my PBXs? How do I license it? Who do I pay? Do I have to pay anyone? (Yes!)
It appears to be a complicated matter, but an email and a phone call from the very helpful people at De Wolf set me straight. I need to buy a copy of the track, then for each installation apply for an MCPS (Mechanical Copyright Protection Society) license (at a cost of £35 for each 30 seconds!) and, if the music is ever going out to Joe random public, apply for a separate PRS (Performing Rights Society) license too. (These start at about £95 per year for a small number of incoming lines and go up from there) Some premises may already have a PRS license, so extending it to their music on hold may not be that difficult.
The MCPS and PRS have recently formed a new brand called “PRS for Music”. Their website is here.
So if you want “The Gallery Tune” on your PBX, then it’s certianly possible, it’ll just cost you (but not a lot in the grand scheme of things).
November 7th, 2008
10:33 am
General
So for those who don’t know, the bulk of the servers in the Drogon Empire are hosted in a small anonymous data centre in Sheffield. This works well for me as I know the people personally who own and run it, I’ve seen their setup, know and understand how their network works and it’s generally “just fine” and things tick away without intervention.
Well – until 23:30 on the night of the 5th. (Bonfire night) when a fire across the road from them caused the emergency services to cut the power to the local area as a precaution. No worries, they have multiple UPSs and an on-site generator. A full tank of fuel will keep them going for over 24 hours, so no immediate issues. They’ve been able to secure access to keep the tank topped up every 12 hours and are expecting the mains to come on sometime later this morning (the 7th)
I know they make regular tests of their generator and UPSs, so life’s OK and although I’ve informed my major customers that were “at risk”, I’m really not expecting any drama.
But how often do you check your own UPSs? You do have UPSs, don’t you? How old are the batteries? Have you ever changed them? I have multiple UPSs at Drogon HQ. There’s a 1.5KVA double conversion unit unit feeding the main servers, PBXs and Internet connections, and 2 smaller ones in the office feeding the workstations, Wi-Fi access point and local network switch, and after 3 years I’m about to replace their batteries, or will I just buy new ones? Not sure yet. I’ve used this site in the past to buy new batteries from and while the service was good, I’m still in 2-minds about new batteries or a new UPS.
Comments always welcome!
Software Engineering is a buzz word that was talked about when I went to uni – oh, some 25+ years back. Engineering being the “job” of carrying something from a mere speck of a thought right through to design, implementation and testing to final delivery. I think it’s fallen out of favour in these modern days, alas… Or I did until today.
Charlie Collins of Ayrmer Software is someone I’ve known about for some time. A couple of years back, we met in a pub with some mutual colleagues and he introduced me to the NRG networking lunches. One important factor of these networking meetings is the One to One and you know what? Until today I’d not actually had what you might call a proper One to One with Charlie.
We met at his office in Heathfield, had coffee and set the world to rights. Charlie and his team have an amazing approach to bespoke software design and implementation. To say they’re a web design company would be a gross understatement! For his clients, the website that you see is merely the tip of the iceberg compared to the workings that go on underneath – and what’s underneath? You name it – CRMs, accounting packages, asset tracking, database management, and so on.
The back-end platform they have developed looks great, is adaptable and even emails them if it thinks something is wrong – often before the client even knows about it! Charlie and his team understands how things work at the nuts and bolts level, they know how to optimise their systems to make them snappy, fast and more importantly, usable. They use just enough of the so-called “web 2.0″ tools to enhance a sites usability, but not so much that the site is slow and clunky.
25 years ago we were taking about developing libraries and “software re-usability”. Charlie and his team have this to a fine art and that’s what proper software engineering is all about: Starting with the client, listening to them, developing the initial design, implementing the design and system, right through to delivery, and beyond.
Ayrmer Software. Engineers of the 21st century.
I attended a business lunch recently where Graham Hill made a presentation. Who’s he? He’s the Founder and Director of Verbatim The Phone answering Service. Graham is an interesting man with an interesting business – answering phones!
He presented us with some statistics – For example: On average, a business will miss 15% of incoming calls.
He later emailed me a couple of documents:
The Facts behind UK Telephone Behaviour
and
Basic Telephone Skills
So if you thought you knew how to answer the phone, think again!
This is the latest addition to the DSX-10 range, the DSX-10v. V because it’s VoIP only – there is no provision for PSTN hardware in this box – and you can see why – at 215mm square it’s tiny!
Small in size, but big in features. It’s capable of handling up-to 60 extensions with all the features you’d expect from a modern PABX. Call-groups, hunt-groups, music on hold, voicemail, etc. All controlled by simple star codes from any phone, or via a web interface.
And remember, ‘v’ is not just for voice, it’s for video too. This unit supports video phones (eg. the Grandstream GXV3000 and ATL IP400) out of the box.
Ever had a call from someone who just hung up? The chances are that it’s a marketing call system and alas, you’re going to get more …
What to do… Firstly if they didn’t withold their number, then look it up. How? Several ways and they might not even cost you anything. Firstly, find the location – if it’s a UK number (starting 01, 02, or even 08, 07, etc.) Try this site: Magenta Systems. That will tell you where (in the UK) the call originated from. Maybe it was just your long-lost Aunt Flo from Durham?
Then… Google the number. The chances are you’ll either find the companys website (if it’s legit!), or you might find the number listed it a “Who called me” website. One I’ve used in the past is: Who Calls Me.
And if there is a human on the end of the phone? Well, Speak to them. Tell them that you’re not interested (which you won’t be!) ask to be added to their do-not-dial list. They’re paying for the call, so just waste a little of their time and get on with your life.
And if by-chance you hear a robot saying something like “Please press 9 to be connected”, then don’t wory about and rumours that you might hear or read about – there’s no-way you can be charged (yet) in the UK for an incoming call, so go-ahead and press 9 – it’s just their way of making sure there really is a human at your end, and then waste a little of their time, then get on with your life.
Do not call the number back. Especially if it’s an 09 or 070 number. (Note: 070 is NOT a mobile number, it’s a premium rate service!). All that’ll do is waste your own time.
Finally, register every number and address you have with the Telephone and Mail preference services.
It’s not often I’m impressed enough with a shop to actually write about them, however Orkney PC came to my attention recently and I’m pleased to say that they were friendly and efficient…
The story was that I’d been asked to set-up a new broadband connection for a relative who lives in Orkney – that’s a group of islands off the north Scottish coast from those who don’t know. I’m based in Devon which is down in the South West of England. We’re about 1000 miles apart.
The connection was duly provided by Entanet, who I resell – not without hassle as BT hadn’t updated their post-code database, and there was a pending cancellation from Orange on the line, however the last thing required was a router… Normally, I’d buy one locally and take/post it to my customers, however something a bit quicker was required here…
Enter google and a quick search of PC shops in the Orkneys, and Orkney PC in Kirkwall came to the top of the list. Their website is just a single page right now, but it had 2 important details on one – one was their phone number, and the other other a statement saying that they program routers for their customers. So a phone call and an email later and there’s now a Netgear Wi-Fi router, with the right information in it and a WPA key set on the Wi-Fi and it’s all ready to plug in and go!
Now that’s what I call a good local computer shop.
