Our old FreePBX server is on it’s last legs (leaking caps) so we thought we’d buy a little NUC and install FreePBX on it. Sounded simple, but it isn’t!
When I try to install FreePBX (the full install with CertOS7, etc) I get a kernel panic error on install. Disabled the usual suspects in BIOS, made sure I was on the latest BIOS version, but that didn’t help. I next tried just installing the latest version of CertOS 7, but that didn’t work either. I WAS able to install CertOS8 without any problems.
I am not a Linux expert by ANY stretch. With the upcoming CertOS 8 EOL issues, etc I would much rather do the complete install from FreePBX with CertOS7 to minimize future problems.
Has anyone been able to install FreePBX on a Intel NUC 8th generation)??
I had the same situation. An Intel NUC is a great way to run your PBX. I installed Windows 10 Pro and set up a HyperV virtual machine, then installed the FreePBX distro. It works great. I have to monitor the Windows box on a regular basis to make sure I install the Windows updates, tho!
Dont buy different hardware. NUC is perfect. Linux Mint is stable and does not install updates automatically. You have to add your VM to startup applications in Mint. A manual how to install Virtualbox you will find online.
Use the free remote SW Nomachine to access your NUC. You dont need a monitor. You might need a HDMI dummy to increase graphic resolution.
FreePBX as a virtual machine has many advantages. It is HW independent! You can easily create return points (Backups) in case something goes wrong.
I had the same problem on the last dedicated hardware FreePBX install we did- it was a new Dell Optiplex PC. Kernel panic. Never solved it. Ended up installing Windows 10 and running FreePBX in a VM.
Will Raid 6 and 22Tb will be enough for a two line FreePBX
I ended up installing FreePBX on a QNAP NAS instead of on the Intel NUC. I’ll use the NUC for something else.
For anyone thinking of doing the same, be warned that if you use link aggregation on your QNAP and set up a virtual switch using the fancy online QNAP wizard, you will loss network connectivity to the QNAP. It seems to be a bug with assigning an aggregated link to the virtual switch. Luckily my model has a third nic so I could get back in. I ended up using the third nic for the VM since I needed to keep link aggregation (my switch is only 1Gb). It also made assigning the vlan easier.
As for installing FreePBX on the QNAP as a VM - piece of cake.
Thanks for all the help and suggestions. And, yes I should have moved to a VM for FreePBX long ago,
