need upgrade advice

[sims]

upgrade PIAF? how and is it worth upgrading from a not-broken prior version?

I am running an older version of PIAF. Image below will show the versions. Now I am tempted to use the new features in the new PIAF builds, like Google voice and skype integration. But I am concerned about the time it would take to upgrade.

Click for large view - Uploaded with Skitch

I host my system elsewhere. So I will need to ask them to build me a new system and I would need to
- either hand code all the extensions, trunks and all that, or
- use some script

Hand coding everything - not an option. What I have is not really broken.

Q1. If a script exists, that I am willing to give a shot. But question is, will the script be reliable?

Q2. And finally, can I upgrade using upgrade-sources etc scripts?

Thanks!

 

[atsak]

Q1. If a script exists, that I am willing to give a shot. But question is, will the script be reliable?

Q2. And finally, can I upgrade using upgrade-sources etc scripts?

Thanks!

I can't speak to Q2 as I have not done it. I have however, done restores of extensions and IVR etc. using the FreePBX backup and restore quite successfully, and you can do this safely by backing up along the way. Note this is only one way to do it. There's lots of others which I'm sure other people will offer.

First, take a backup, in case you break everything. It might be best if you have a hosted system to ask them if they can image it for you using whatever tool they have available (or if its a virtual server just make a copy).

The upgrade freepbx to the same version as you're going to end up at in the new version using the freepbx upgrade tools. This step might not be needed but will likely work better.

Take a freepbx backup of all the settings it offers (under tools)

Setup new server in a new container / server. Restore backup. Check for anything that's broken. I've found sometimes I need to go into each extension and "submit" no changes for caller ID to behave itself.

Switch over to new server by moving the IP address associated with the old one.

Discard old server.

 

[sims]

@atsak - thanks for sharing your experience with freepbx export and subsequent import. does sound like this should work - because almost all of the configuration changes that i have made, have been made through the freepbx interface.

i wanted to ask one more side question - is it worth it to upgrade. my basic systems are working alright.

i wonder if it is worth it to try and use google voice - i guess over a year, calling through google voice on two to three lines, can lead to a savings of $100. but eventually i expect google to charge at market, and even more than that, i expect google to do something that breaks this feature and then work will be required to make it work again! and there is a serious cost to that pbx level tweaking as well - time cost at least.

any thoughts?

 

[atsak]

As Ward often says, and he's right, if you have something that works well for you and is stable, don't touch it.

On the other hand, for me, I needed a hardware change so figured I may as well do the version at the same time. It's also a security issue; the latest asterisk vulnerabilities haven't been patched (or rather weren't when I last checked, at any rate later than every other version).

Also, my whole family uses my PBX, so the Google Voice was appealing because it's not just $100 its saving. I'm not clever enough to integrate it without the purple distro. And slightly shaky service (which frankly it has been just as solid as anything else on the phone end) doesn't bother me.

 

[sims]

in my case also it is my family using it. shaky service per se is not of concern, of concern is the likely requirement of having to tweak the system each time google decides to change some parameter and breaks this PIAF arrangement.

google voice is appealing because i can assign an unlimited inbound (and at least currently outbound as well) DID for 2-3 locations.

 

[atsak]

in my case also it is my family using it. shaky service per se is not of concern, of concern is the likely requirement of having to tweak the system each time google decides to change some parameter and breaks this PIAF arrangement.

google voice is appealing because i can assign an unlimited inbound (and at least currently outbound as well) DID for 2-3 locations.

Well, then what I'd do is go ahead, but make sure you have a backup (ie, I only use GoogleVoice for outgoing. incoming is on voip.ms) provider. this way if GV is offline you can still make calls on voip.ms (or choose you're provider; voipmyway or whatever).