13.4. The agents.conf File

If you’ve browsed through the samples in the ~/src/asterisk-complete/1.8/configs/ directory, you may have noticed the agents.conf file. It may seem tempting, and it has its places, but overall the best way to implement queues is through the use of SIP channels. There are two reasons for this. The first is that SIP channels are the only type that provide true device state information. The other reason is that agents are always logged in when using the agent channel, and if you’re using remote agents, the bandwidth requirements may be greater than you wish. However, in busy call centers it may be desirable to force agents to answer calls immediately rather than having them press the answer button on the phone.

The agents.conf file is use to define agents for queues using the agents channel. This channel is similar in nature to the other channel types in Asterisk (local, SIP, IAX2, etc.), but it is more of a pseudo-channel in that it is used to connect callers to agents who have logged into the system using other types of transport channel. For example, suppose we use our SIP-enabled phone to log in to Asterisk using the AgentLogin() dialplan application. Once we’re logged in, the channel remains online the entire time it is available (logged on), and calls are then passed to it through the agent channel.