FreePBX15-16 installation

Preparation

1. Download the latest SNG7 ISO file from http://www.freepbx.org/downloads 
   (Current ISO image link: https://downloads.freepbxdistro.org/ISO/SNG7-PBX16-64bit-2204-1.iso ) 
   
   

   Open

   

    

2. Convert the ISO image into a bootable media

   1. For USB bootable drive read the guide section USB bootable media creation below

   2. To burn it into a Disk on Windows 7 and higher PC, right-click on the file and select "open with," and then select Windows Disc Image Burner. For computers running other operating systems, Google search for how to convert ISO to CD, and you'll find plenty of instructions.

3. Insert the media into the  server to be used, WARNING: EVERYTHING ON THE COMPUTER WILL BE DELETED AND REPLACED WITH THE SNG7 DISTRO. 

   1. Configure the computer to boot from your bootable media with the FreePBX installer, if not loading enter your BIOS settings to select the adequate media to use

4. It's highly recommended you are connected to the internet when running the installer.

USB media creation

This tool will assist you to create a bootable USB drive to install any ISO or .tgz file-based image. 

1. Download Balena etcher from the official page: https://www.balena.io/etcher/

2. Follow the instructions as mentioned here

3. Once the process finishes, unplug USB and connect it into the server where you want to install the PBX system. 

Installation methods

The installer will begin with a prompt to select the Asterisk and FreePBX Version you wish to install. Note: The image for 15 and 16 installations are similar, except for the version number, so please assume similar steps for both versions. 

1. We always recommend using the Recommended Option as displayed on your current ISO install.  

   1. FreePBX XX Installation (Asterisk XX) - This is the usual option. It will get DHCP-assigned IP address. If the computer has two hard drives installed, both drives will be wiped and SNG7 will automatically set up a RAID 1 mirror using the two drives. Having two drives is recommended. as this will allow the PBX to continue normal operation if one of the drives has a failure.

   2. FreePBX XX Advanced Installation -  Use this option if you want to setup custom disk and raid, remove LVMs, setup networking settings as the default Installation above assumes DHCP for the install and once installed you can always change the network settings.

   3. Advanced and Troubleshooting Options - Use this to run memory test and other Linux tools.

Open

After selecting FreePBX XX Installation (Asterisk XX) option, installer will ask for the output method that needs to be used. Choose between one of the following options: 

FreePBX installation → Fully Automatic Installation (Recommended) 

This will install method will attempt to request a DHCP IP address, then it will set the default root password to "SangomaDefaultPassword" (without quotes)

Output to VGA

Choose this method in case your server or appliance comes with a display port (VGA, HDMI, etc)

Output to Serial

Choose this method in case your server has only a console cable, all our appliances possess at least this port; refer to the Serial port connection guide for instructions on how to connect using this method. 

Graphical installation (and its variants)

Choose the output method to display the elements to complete the installation setup. All graphic installs will show similar screens, as below in the Graphic install screens section:

Output to VGA

Use this option if you are installing on a machine that only has a VGA, DVI or HDMI video output. Some appliances have a video port. 

VNC-based install (Serial and VGA output)

This option will require the PBX to have a valid network connection, it will attempt to obtain an IP address, then it will start a VNC service to connect remotely, and finally it will show the instructions to connect using a VNC client. 

You can connect using a VNC client such as UltraVNC or TightVNC using the IP and port mentioned in the screenshot above.

VNC installation has two variants:

Installation via VNC - Output to Serial Console

Use this option if you are installing on a machine that only has a Serial Console port such as Sangoma PBX 25, 40, 300, and 1000s. The window mentioned above will be displayed indicating the VNC settings to use to connect the client to the SNG7 installation.

Installation via VNC - Output to Serial and VGA

Use this option if you are installing on a machine that only has Serial Console port and display Port such as VGA, DVI or HDMI and you want the system to output to both video sources such as Sangoma PBX 40, 60, 100 and 400's.  

In this mode the video source will be output to both your Serial Console and Video port once the software has been installed but you will need to use VNC to complete the install process as it can not output to VGA, DVI or HDMI video source and serial port during install.  It will only output to both once the software is installed.

Graphic install screens

1. The installer will now start

2. The installer will copy all required files in the background, but won't finish until you set the root password. Click on the root password box to set your root password.
   
   

    

    

3. Type in your root password and confirm it a second time and click on the Done option in the top left screen.

4. During installation of FreePBX package itself can take 15 or more minutes to install and does requires access to the internet so depending on your internet speeds it can take awhile to install so be patient.

    

    

5. Once the install has completed it will ask you to reboot.  Click on reboot button as seen below, your system is now installed.

Final steps

Once the server reboots you will be able to log in using one of the following methods:

1. Keyboard and Monitor (direct terminal on the server)

2. Serial port, if server do not possess a display port

3. SSH (you need to know the IP of the server to enter with a client like Putty)

4. Via browser (you need to also know the IP of the server to access the FreePBX web interface). 

Methods 1 to 3 will allow you to log in using the username "root" (without quotes), and the password you selected earlier. Depending on the installation option chosen above your password can be "SangomaDefaultPassword" (without quotes) or the one you set up yourself. 

Use any of the methods above to activate your deployment. Note: you may require to at least update sysadmin module in order to be able to activate the deployment under certain conditions

Update sysadmin module

If you are reactivating an existing deployment ID, or using a PBXact or other no OSS system type deployment; you may encounter an error mentioning that PBXACT Licence is not supported on FreePBX 15.

This issue was fixed on a new upgrade so please use this command via SSH: 

This will download other required modules, that will let you proceed to next step: 

Activate installation

The following steps will assume you already have a valid deployment ID and will use SSH to perform the activation of the PBX. If you already know the IP of your server you can either enter via SSH using a client like Putty, or you can use the terminal either via display port or serial connection.

Via SSH

Once you login into the server you'll see something similar to this screen: 

To activate the FreePBX installation enter the following command

PBXAct systems

If you possess a deployment ID for an enterprise PBXact solution, you can use the same command above to perform the activation. This will start the process to convert the FreePBX base distro into PBXact. 

The activation will install additional RPMs and change settings for modules and web GUI behind the scenes. This process can take from 3-10 minutes depending on your server specs and connectivity speeds.

When completed you can run the following End of Line testing and all checks should come back Passed.  If you have any failed checks wait 5 minutes and run again.  If you still have failed checks please open a support ticket here.

If all tests were passed, you should see something similar to this image:

Web GUI configuration

You will need to know the IP address of the PBX server in order to enter via your web browser, if not sure log in to the server directly or via serial cable to know the assigned IP. 
Go to another computer on the same network and enter the IP address of the new PBX into your web browser. 

1. Set up the web GUI username, password, notification and automatic update settings. 

   Note: These passwords do not change the Root password! They are only used for access to the FreePBX web interface.
   
   

    

    

2. Once submitted you can log in to the admin panel with the username and password set up on the step above. The main FreePBX screen will offer you four options:

    

    

   1. FreePBX Administration will allow you to configure your PBX. Use the admin username and admin password you configured in the step above to login. This section is what most people refer to as "FreePBX."

   2. User Control Panel is where a user can log in to make web calls, set up their phone buttons, view voicemails, send and receive faxes, use SMS & XMPP messaging, view conferences, and more, depending on what you have enabled for the user, see User Control Panel (UCP) 14+ for more information.

   3. Operator Panel is a screen that allows an operator to control calls (needs additional licensing) 

   4. Get Support takes you to a web page about various official support options for FreePBX.
      
      

Congratulations! You have successfully installed the FreePBX Distro

For information, please see our wiki on Configuring Your PBX.