Open Communications Principles and Best Practices 24/09/2010, page 9
Using OpenStage@Asterisk This chapter contains some tips and tricks for operating OpenStage phones with Asterisk. It
is not intended to be exhaustive, but provides some major topics and solutions from differ-
ent successful customer projects.
Busy Lamp Function (BLF)
The “Busy Lamp Field” feature (available for OpenStage 15/40/60/80) allows users to monitor
the dialog state of another phone via the LED associated to an FPK. Please note that, some-
times, the term 'Direct Station Selection' is used for the same functionality.
Depending on which function is configured for the FPK, the user can also pick up a call for
another user, which is of much use in working teams. The feature is described in detail here:
http://wiki.siemens-enterprise.com/index.php/ Aster-
isk_Feature_Busy_Lamp_Field_%28BLF%29#For_Users
XML Applications
OpenStage 60/80 phones feature a graphical user interface and an XML application platform,
which allows for developing custom applications based on HTTP/HTTPS. The phone acts as a
front-end for a server-side program. The interaction can be initiated by the phone or by the
server-side program. Besides displaying, modifying, and submitting data, XML applications
have the capability of starting calls on the phone. Possible uses for OpenStage XML Applica-
tions might be
• Integration with groupware (e.g. Microsoft Exchange Server) or Unified Messaging
systems (e.g. Siemens Enterprise Communications OpenScape)
• phonebooks with access to address databases
• call recording
• presence applications
• collecting information provided by web services (e.g. news, weather, traffic, stocks)
• attendance clock
For detailed information, please refer to:
http://www.siemens-
enterprise.com/developerportal/Resource%20Center/OpenStage%20XML.aspx
Send URL / Remote Server Control
The FPKs and FFKs (firmware V2R1) can be utilized for communication with a server-side
program.
To enable feedback from the server, the LED associated with the key can be controlled re-
motely. This can be done via SIP notify messages, or, with firmware version V2R2 onwards,
via a combination of HTTP push requests and XML documents. For detailed information,
please see the
OpenStage XML Applications Developer's Guide [9],
and
http://www.siemens-
enterprise.com/developerportal/Resource%20Center/OpenStage%20XML.aspx