Heqet ISO - FreePBX 17 on Debian 12 with IN1CLICK

Hi All,

I have released a beta version of the alternative Heqet ISO for low-touch installs, which you are welcome to try out. It’s free, and code for the build has been uploaded to @20telecom’s GitHub.

The Heqet ISO seamlessly installs FreePBX 17, Debian 12, Asterisk 22, MariaDB 10, with the most recent IN1CLICK installer. It is deliberately designed for bare minimum user interaction: choose en_US or en_GB region, UTC, this is full disk only, and you must have internet access.

You can download the latest version here :backhand_index_pointing_right: https://heqet.in1.click/beta/freepbx17.iso

There are some improvements to be made, but I wanted to get something out sooner rather than later. I have been working on this for a few weeks and it should now be suitable for wider testing.

  1. Hit enter at the initial boot screen
  2. Copy the random root password
  3. Choose en_US or en_GB, or Abort.
  4. Eject media after Debian installation
  5. IN1CLICK runs automatically on boot
  6. Welcome to FreePBX 17

Please share any suggestions, keeping the spirit of “in one click” in mind. It isn’t meant for everyone, but I hope it will suit newbies and those needing rapid, regular deployment alike.

I hope it helps,

Kieran

P.s. You can change timezone in the GUI later.

1 Like

Hi guys,

The preseed config is overwriting locale selection at the Heqet gate, which I don’t have time to fix and test extensively today.

It defaults to en_US regardless. No big deal for most of you anyway and I know exactly why it’s doing it.

Locale selection was a last-minute addition when I had intended on forcing en_US upon all of you, lol.

If you want to change locale after the installation completes, log in as root and run the following:

dpkg-reconfigure locales
  • Select en_GB.UTF-8 UTF-8 with the space bar

  • Untick en_US.UTF-8 (optional) with space bar
  • Tab > Ok (Enter)
  • When prompted for default locale > example en_GB.UTF-8

  • reboot
  • Log in with the overly complicated random password
  • Check it again with locale

You can select any locale from here, so it may be useful for future reference. I might just create ISO configurations for everywhere, who knows. I am trying to make it fast and seamless, there is already an ISO if customisation is what you need.

Sorry about this, I am annoyed with myself. It is in beta and there are a few things that can’t be easily spotted in testing, despite creating and running at least 150 versions. Imagine how long that takes!

If you are a newbie, don’t be alarmed by these screenshots and having to do this. You would have had to do this anyway after initial boot-up. I am trying to minimise the required interactions.

You can change the root password with passwd and ssh access is disabled by default.

If you spot anything else, please let me know here or in a private message.

Kieran

Locales has always been an Achilles heel in Debian 12 to start with. Every fresh install whether that’s an iso or cloud image has always had me setting locales. I will give this a spin

1 Like

Heqet ISO 1.2.0

Update released on 4th March 2026

Evening All,

I have made a number of improvements to the alternative Heqet ISO over the last couple of weeks, including fixing the locale selection issue mentioned above.

:backhand_index_pointing_up:IN1CLICK has also received a number of new features to help stabilise the installation of FreePBX 17, such as checking the official mirrors for performance issues before attempting to install FreePBX.

The Heqet ISO automatically installs Debian 12, FreePBX 17, Asterisk 22, and MariaDB 10, with the latest IN1CLICK installer for minimal user input.

I am happy to answer any questions and discuss any suggestions that you have.

Please visit the README files before trying the Heqet ISO.

Kieran

EDIT: YouTube video link updated to version 1.3.2 in new reply.

Heqet ISO 1.3.2

Update released on 13th March 2026

Hi All,

I have made a number of improvements to the alternative Heqet ISO over the last couple of weeks, and carried out successful testing for USB installations, as well as cloud.

IN1CLICK 1.3.2 has also received a number of new features to help stabilise the installation of FreePBX 17, carrying out all of the necessary pre-flight checks before running the official installation script from Sangoma.

The READMEs including changelog, for both Heqet ISO 1.3.2 and IN1CLICK 1.3.2, are available at GitHub - 20telecom/heqet: Heqet ISO 1.3.2 (13th March 2026) streamlines installing Debian 12 OS, FreePBX 17, Asterisk 22, and MariaDB 10, with IN1CLICK 1.3.2 for minimal user input. Sangoma Gold Partner. · GitHub

You can watch this 6-minute video on YouTube to see how it works:

Seeing is Believing :sparkles:

It would be great to hear your feedback and suggestions.

Kieran

3 Likes

Hi @kierknoby ,

very impressive work on the Freepbx17 iso.
i had to fix so many things on their volume storage settings and your iso makes it simpler again.

keep up the good work on this Freepbx17 iso.

Thank you,

Daniel Friedman
Trixton LTD.

1 Like

Hi Daniel,

Thanks so much for the words of encouragement and positive feedback.

Cheers,
Kieran