Tech

How to install Vodia PBX on Linux

Published on:

January 15, 2020

Installing Vodia PBX on a Linux platform is easy and supports various distributions like CentOS, Debian, FreeBSD and Raspberry Pi. Before starting, ensure standard HTTP ports (80 and 443) are free, or edit the installation script to assign different ports. The installation requires public Internet access for initial license activation. After logging in as a system administrator, download and run the appropriate install script for your OS. Ensure proper firewall configurations to access the PBX web interface. Once installed, management can be done through command line and web interface, allowing for straightforward updates and service management.

Installing Vodia PBX on a Linux platform is easy. This article shows you how straightforward the process is. Currently, Vodia supports the following Linux flavors in 32bit and 64bit

Prerequisite    

In many installations, there is a service running on the standard HTTP ports (80 and 443). If you wish to continue running the service on the host, you need to assign different ports to the PBX. You can do this by editing the script /etc/init.d/pbx and adding "--http-port x" and "--https-port y" the OPTIONS variable.

The PBX needs to have access to the public Internet (https://vodia.com) for the activation of the license key and for installing software updates. After the PBX has been activated and is operative, this connection isn't required anymore.

Installation

To start the installation, you need to be logged in as a system administrator to a shell (typically bash).

Download and run the install script for your operating system. Before running the install script, edit the install script and read the comments. You may choose to install different languages and make other modifications to the installation script that fit your purpose.

If you need to write a pidfile, you may do so by editing the OPTIONS variable in the installation script. You need to add "--pidfile <filename>" to the list of options.

The script will automatically figure out if you need to install 32- or 64-bit versions.

Please note you will have to configure your firewall (iptables). On CentOS6.3 and above, we needed to change the iptables setup; in Debian6 it worked without changes. Otherwise, you won't be able to access the web interface of the PBX and register phones.

In CentOS:

  • wget http://portal.vodia.com/downloads/pbx/install-centos.sh
  • chmod a+rx install-centos.sh
  • ./install-centos.sh

In Debian:

  • wget http://portal.vodia.com/downloads/pbx/install-debian.sh
  • chmod a+rx install-debian.sh
  • ./install-debian.sh

In FreeBSD:

  • wget http://portal.vodia.com/downloads/pbx/install-freebsd.sh
  • chmod a+rx install-freebsd.sh
  • sudo ./install-freebsd.sh

On Raspberry Pi 2:

  • Navigate to http://www.raspberrypi.org/downloads and download the Raspbian IMG - follow the installation process on this thread.
  • After the IMG has been installed SSH into your raspberry PI, the default login for Raspbian is "root" and password "raspberry".

Raspberry Pi 2 installation

  • wget http://portal.vodia.com/downloads/pbx/install-mini3.sh
  • chmod a+x install-mini3.sh
  • sudo ./install-mini3.sh

Follow the directions after the .sh script has been initiated.

Useful Commands

After the installation you can check if the PBX is running using the following command:

  • ps -C pbxctrl

You can restart the service using the following command:

  • /etc/init.d/pbx restart

Software Updates

Once the service is installed, you can update the software through the web interface. The procedure is the same for all operating systems. It's important the executable has the name "pbxctrl" and can be moved and deleted by the PBX process.

Vodia Software Updates

Uninstalling the Software

You can uninstall the software by deleting the working directory of the PBX (usually /usr/local/pbx) and by deleting the script pbx in the /etc/init.d directory.

Installing Linux's Version of Vodia's IP PBX on Amazon Web Service (AWS) Instance

Vodia's IP PBX is now compatible and ready to install on the AWS server for the IP PBX server running a Linux/Unix Operating system. The step-by-step installation procedure, configuring the firewall, the IP Routing list setup (for two way audio fluency) and adding the license and getting the PBX ready to go has been explained in great detail in the following video tutorial:

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