[Icecast] Are there any success stories streaming to an icecast2 server using Asterisk or OpenMCU?

[Geoff Shang]

Flash Love wrote:

> My goal is build a configuration that provides an 800 number to an internal
> (LAN) MCU Asterisk/OpenMCU server to manage an audio conference for up to 8
> clients (for one hour) that will be streamed to an icecast2 server.

It's possible to stream to Icecast2 direct from the asterisk MeetMe 
conference module via Ices.

> I have googled and read a few discussions about the use of Asterisk and
> possiibly OpenMCU to stream audio to an icecast2 server.   I have seen
> snippets here and there and now I am trying to fix all the pieces together.

Asterisk is like this unfortunately and I can't tell you the specifics on 
how to do it, but I know people who have it working.

> At present, it seems to me that using Asterisk w/ app_conference will demand a
> separate machine with a card (???) from digium.

My understanding is you either need a digium card or the zaptel dummy 
driver.  These are needed to provide timing for the conference bridge.  You 
can get the drivers from asterisk.org.

> From there, it appears that
> configuring some "conf" files will do the rest.

You'll need Ices installed.  Asterisk has its own conf file which it uses 
with Ices.  The README.ices file in the doc subdirectory of the asterisk 
source tree has some info.

Note that on at least two systems I know of, people have been caught when 
using Ices 2.x installed from packages as the binary is called ices2 and 
not just ices which is what asterisk is looking for.  The error that this 
produces is rather cryptic.

> I am not yet sure whats all
> needed to satisfy the OpenMCU configuration.

I know nothing about this, didn't know there was any hooks for this sort of 
thing in openmcu but it's a long time since I've looked at it.

Let me know if there's more info you need and I'll ask my friends some 
specific questions.

Geoff.