Version 17 FAQ

Section 1: All about FreePBX 17 :

Q: Is FreePBX 17 RC1 ready to use in production ?

 A: No. As of now 2024-07-12, 17.0 is still undergoing testing and thus not recommended to use in production environments. We strongly encourage all to actively test FreePBX 17.0 to ensure it meets your requirements.

Q: Can I activate my PBXact deployment/license on 17.0?

A: Yes you can do that for testing purposes as 17.0 is still in the beta stage.

Q: Are my existing purchased licenses for prior versions still good?  Does my existing deployment ID with commercial module licenses still work on FreePBX 17?

A:  Yes. You are free to deactivate your deployment ID from your existing system and activate the same deployment id to your new FreePBX 17.0 system and expect to get the same supported licenses. Please refer to How to Move a PBX Deployment to a New PBX to learn how to move your deployment to another PBX.

Q:  Are there any deprecated modules in FreePBX ?

A: The FreePBX project continuously evaluates and deprecates modules as it evolves. The following modules have been recently deprecated in the 17 dev process. A list of deprecated modules is maintained here: Deprecated Modules .

1. Zulu

2. Cxpanel / Isymphony

3. XMPP

Q:  How to use chan_sip with the FreePBX 17.0 ?

A: It’s not recommended, but if needed there’s a wiki page showing the downgrade steps. Using FreePBX 17 with chan_sip

Q: Can I upgrade the PHP 8.2 version to a higher version?

 A: The FreePBX 17.0 install script installs PHP version 8.2.x by default and all modules are are tested only with PHP 8.2.x. It is known that commercial modules published by Sangoma are not compatible with newer PHP versions. Of course, anyone who wishes to test using an unsupported, newer PHP version for installations with OSS modules only, is free report issues to the issue tracker as they find them.

Section 2: FreePBX 17 Installation :

Q: What was the main purpose to change host OS to Debian?

A: With changes to the CentOS project when it moved to version 8, it seemed like the best time to move to the overwhelming favorite of the FreePBX user base.

Q: Is FreePBX 17 exclusively supported on Debian OS?

A: Officially, Debian OS is the supported platform for FreePBX 17 / PBXact 17, with our development and testing efforts fully concentrated on Debian.

Q: What is the Supported Debian OS version ?

A: Debian OS v12.5.x

Q: Can FreePBX 17 operate on any Debian-based Linux distribution, such as Ubuntu?

A: It might work on other Debian-based distributions, such as Ubuntu, but we are exclusively using Debian for our development and testing purposes.

Q: Is there a possibility that Sangoma will publish an ISO based on Debian?

A: Possible at some future date, but it’s not a priority now, nor is it on the roadmap.

Q: Does the shell install script actively download software from the internet in real time as it installs.

A: Yes. There is no support for an offline installer nor for getting license updates offline.

Q: Is support for other Debian flavors going to be supported.... Main example: Ubuntu ?

A: Officially, no. But the project has already accepted pull requests to support Ubuntu.

Q: Going forward, will future upgrades to FreePBX require a reinstall?

A: Probably not. With the move to Debian in 17, it’s expected that upgrading major versions will be done in place.

Q: Is the upgrade path from any release candidate to GA simply an upgrade of the OS and FreePBX rather than a complete reinstall?
A: Yes.

Section 3: Migration to FreePBX 17 :

Q: There used to be a service to assist migration from one deployment to another. Will that still be available for the new 17 version?

A: No. The supported way of upgrading from previous major versions to 17 is to use the Backup and Restore module.

Q: When setting up a new 17 system, should we activate with existing deployment ID first or restore from backup first?

A: Its recommend to activate the system first and then start the restore process to ensure all the commercial modules data is getting restored properly. If you are using only open source modules then you may activate the system after restore.

Q: About the current chan_SIP trunks... What does the built-in "converter tool" do?... what issues can we expect?

A: When restoring a backup with chan_sip devices/trunks to a 17 system that does not support chan_sip, the restore process will auto-convert trunks and extensions to PJSIP. With the huge variation in SIP trunk providers and settings, the converted pjsip trunk must be thoroughly tested before moving to production.

Q: Can I restore an Elastix PBX (2.5) to FreePBX 17 ?

A: Maybe. If any old system is based on FreePBX 2.10 or newer AND that system has the FreePBX backup and restore module, then it may be possible to create a backup that can be restored to a 17 system. If not, you can use the Bulk Handler module in current versions of FreePBX to assist with importing extensions and routes using CSV files.

Q: For upgrading appliances with FreePBX 16 do we need to plan on backing up then installing debian then installing and restoring from backup?

A: Yes. That is the supported upgrade path.

Q: If we find issues with v17, can we take a backup from v17 and restore to v16?

A: Possibly. Downgrading using backup and restore is not tested nor supported.

Q: During the automated SIP conversion, do the ports remain the same as they were in the backup or are they reassigned to the current defaults?

A: After conversion, chan_sip ports settings will be reassigned to the pjsip defaults of restored system. If the backup contains the PJSIP ports settings then that will be applied to the new restored system.

Section 4: FreePBX 17 Debian OS:

Q: How will updates for Linux OS-related packages be handled?

A: For FreePBX 17, Sangoma maintains mirrors for package updates related to FreePBX, Asterisk, and commercial module dependencies. Most other Linux OS packages, such as Apache, Fail2ban, MariaDB, SSH, etc., are managed directly by the upstream Debian repository.

We can use the following commands to manually update the OS.

Q: What is the purpose of the freepbx17 Debian package?

This “freepbx17” package is only to do the initial setup of FreePBX on the Debian OS.

To avoid an accidental update, this package is marked as “on-hold”

Same goes with the “sangoma-pbx17” package as well.

Q: Will dependencies be updated regularly so that running your standard apt upgrade will not break anything.

A: Yes.

Section 5: FreePBX 17 with Hardware :

Q: Will there be, available instructions for replacing the OS on a Sangoma appliance?

A: There’s a placeholder for a future wiki page for installing 17 on Sangoma appliances.

Q: Will FreePBX 17 with Asterisk 21 still support DAHDI cards with FXO cards?

A: Yes.

Section 6: FreePBX 17 Misc :

Q: Are there any plans to include instructions for setting up DUNDi with PBX17?

A: The DUNDI module is long deprecated and removed in FreePBX, but still supported by Asterisk. Such a setup may be possible, but not officially supported.

Q: Are IAX trunks still supported in FreePBX 17?

A: Yes.

Q: Will all REST Apps work when FreePBX 17 goes live?

A: Yes.