Asterisk Business Edition^™ enables built-in Linux installation capabilities with rBuilder

RALEIGH, NC and HUNTSVILLE, AL (July 26, 2006) — rPath, provider of the first platform for creating and maintaining Linux software appliances, today announced that Digium® Inc., original creator of Asterisk™ and pioneer of open source telephony is an rBuilder and rPath Linux partner.  Digium is the original creator and primary developer of Asterisk, the industry's first open source PBX and Asterisk Business Edition, the professional-grade version of Asterisk.

Powered by the rPath platform, the Asterisk Business Edition, the professional grade version of Asterisk, now has built-in Linux distribution features Digium’s customers are now able to immediately install the necessary operating system components within the Digium Business Edition platform.

“When we first began speaking with rPath, Asterisk Business Edition customers were required to install specific Linux packages,” said Jim Webster, director of software technologies for Digium. “Using rBuilder Online, Digium was able to incorporate customized Linux distribution capabilities in less than a week, automating customer installation. We would not have been able to do this without the support of the rPath team.”  

"rPath is excited to be working with Digium to bring added features to the Asterisk Business Edition said Keith Boswell, rPath VP of Marketing  “Ultimately, customers want an industry  leading PBX solution without having to deal with an operating system that is complex to install and maintain. The Asterisk Business Edition delivers that simplicity with the benefits of open source.”

About Digium

Digium is the original creator and primary developer of Asterisk, the industry's first open source PBX and Asterisk Business Edition, the professional-grade version of Asterisk. Used in combination with Digium's PCI telephony interface cards, Asterisk offers a strategic, highly cost-effective approach to voice and data transport over IP, TDM, switched and Ethernet architectures.

Digium provides quality hardware and software products that enable telephony applications including legacy PBX, IVR, auto attendant, next generation gateways, media servers and application servers. Digium also offers a full range of professional services including consulting, technical support and custom software development services.

About Asterisk
Code for Asterisk, originally written by Mark Spencer of Digium Inc., has been contributed to from open source software engineers around the world. It supports a wide range of TDM protocols for the handling and transmission of voice over traditional telephony interfaces, and VoIP packet protocols such as IAX, SIP and H.323. It supports

US and European standard signaling types used in business phone systems, allowing it to bridge between next-generation voice-data integrated networks and existing infrastructure.

About rPath

rPath provides rBuilder and rPath Linux, the first platform for creating and maintaining software appliances.  For customers, software appliances make the operating system disappear -- they get the benefits of the application without the hassles of OS installation, configuration, and maintenance. For application providers, reducing software complexity and cost expands potential markets and channel opportunities. The company is headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina. For more information, visit: http://www.rpath.com/.