I have been given the task of updating/upgrading our FreePBX system. We are currently running FreePBX 2.8.1.4 on CentOS 5.9. Can I upgrade to the latest version of FreePBX, or do I have to do it in instalments, e.g. upgrade to v3 then to v4 and so on? And is there a way to keep all my previous data - all the extensions, all the ring groups that have been set up. Is there a backup and restore function within FreePBX? When I do upgrade, will the phone system be down temporarily?
There is no upgrade-in-place for a system that old. Depending on how it was originally installed, it may be able to be upgraded to FreePBX 2.9, which will allow you to use this technique to migrate settings to a new install. Failing that, you are looking at a manual transfer of settings from old to new.
Thank you for the quick response. Could I upgrade to 2.9 and then upgrade to the latest version from there? And you mentioned about migrating to a new install and manually transferring from old to new? How would I go about doing that, please? I would like to know how I can keep all the previous data without losing it. I apologise for the questions, I’ve been given the PBX system, and I’m brand new to it and I have to learn it fast.
There is no upgrade-in-place to current for a system that old. It is not even a certainty that your current system can be upgraded to 2.9, it depends entirely on the install method used for the initial setup.
The manual part is the key, you bring up the Admin GUI of both systems side by side and transfer the settings manually. It is tedious, but 100% of the functionality can be transferred this way. Depending on what modules are available in 2.8, you may be able to export some things to CSV which you can then edit to import into 13.
Depends on what you mean by data. CDRs can be manually transferred with effort using linux tools. Similarly, call recordings can be transferred from old to new.
So If I upgrade to v2.9, I won’t lose any of my extensions, ring groups etc? Is it a simple process of going into the GUI, and upgrading, would this cause the phones to be unavailable - i.e cant make any inbound/outbound calls. Could I simply build a new server, and transfer all the data over to FreePBX v13? Should I use FreePBX v13 or v14? I’m trying to find the best way to upgrade our system with as little downtime as possible. I appreciate the advice you are showing me.
I forgot to mention…I know you said there may not be a chance to upgrade our system to v2.9. I just want to know what are my options that are available to me.
You are asking questions to which only you have answers. Given your knowledge level, you might wish to click the support link above and pay for some expertise on the way forward. Alternatively, you can clone your system to another so you can experiment freely without any risk of breaking things.
Okay, thanks for the help. I appreciate it.
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I apologize for reopening this ticket. However, I have just found out it was an Elastix server that was set originally set up. Once again, my knowledge is poor on this field, but what I’ve been reading online is that Elastix is basically FreePBX & Asterisk. Our version of Elastix is 2.4. So my question is if I upgrade my Elastix server, will that utilize the latest version of FreePBX?
Elastix is dead and unsupported (sold to 3cx) and there is no way you would be able to upgrade it to the latest Freepbx version.
You need to install the Freepbx distro to be able to stay current with Freepbx versions.
There is an Elastix to Freepbx conversion script, but you need to be on Freepbx 2.9 or higher for it to work I believe:
https://wiki.freepbx.org/plugins/servlet/mobile?contentId=72352299#content/view/72352299
So your best bet might be to start over. Install the latest freepbx distro and migrate your settings over manually.
Thanks for the quick response.
I’ve seen online I can convert my current settings (extensions, ring groups, etc) in Elastix using their own converter.
Could I possible convert my current settings to Elastix 5? If I was to do that when I then log into FreePBX, what version would that be, the latest?
With regards to FreePBX, I’ve been told I can’t update v2.8 – which is what I’m running to v2.9, so I couldn’t proceed with the conversion script.
Is this a simple case of a fresh install of FreePBX v14 - I believe is the latest version, and manually transferring over my current settings from Elastix?
Elastix 5 is not Freepbx/Asterisk anymore. It’s 3cx, a totally different IP PBX.
I would say yes.